The hair on the back of Karma's neck stood on end. A chillingly familiar voice caused her to straighten her spine. Turning around slowly, Karma faced her enemy. It was a real testament to how tired she was that not only had she not heard him approach, but she'd also forgotten to hide the boat and reset the traps. She kicked herself for her brainless actions, but she didn't have time to dwell on her mistakes.
Karma regarded the two men standing next to the tall figure in the center of the doorway. She eyed the shorter men speculatively. They weren't the immediate threat. Her full attention needed to stay on Fletcher.
Fletcher Davis was as perfect as always. He was exactly as she remembered. The man was tall and elegant with unblemished dark skin and beautiful straight white teeth.
Carefully, Karma inched her hand toward the gun nestled along her spine. Fletcher gave a bright smile because he had her trapped. There was no point in pretending otherwise. He moved with casual grace an inch closer. Karma watched him warily. She always thought it was a shame that a man with the face of an angel had the soul of the devil.
Fletcher flashed another mock smile and slapped at his dark chocolate-colored skin as if to kill a bug. The move was to show her what he thought of where she'd ended up. Again, Karma was reminded of how immaculate he was. She must look like a lost waif from the Mexican border.
"Really, Karma, I'm stunned to see you living here. You truly must be in love to stay in such trash." Fletcher's eyes raked her stepbrother. "I guess some people truly get what they deserve, but I'm sure you've heard that before. What goes around comes around, right?"
The smile drained from his face. He ran his right hand through his short, shiny black hair. Karma recognized that action. Skillfully, she glided in front of Tad. She waited for Fletcher's next maneuver. It was always the same. Now he would pull his weapon.
Karma didn't have long to wait. She pulled her handgun as fast but still found herself looking down the barrel of Fletcher's .45. She kept her hand steady and tightened her grip on her own .22 Magnum revolver. The other men in the room produced their weapons, but she dismissed them. She kept her focus on Fletcher.
"You know, you're getting awfully repetitive in your old age. You should learn some new moves."
Fletcher smirked. He lowered his gun from pointing at her forehead to aiming at her middle. It was better than before. Her barb at his age had the effect she wanted. He was only thirty-four, but she always pointed out he was older than her, even if it was only a handful of years. She had to keep him off balance while she came up with an escape.
"You don't like my moves? I can solve that. The position by my side still happens to be open. You could come back and teach me all the moves you want. I always did think it was a shame that you and I weren't screwing. I know your dad would've loved to have us together." Fletcher paused. "We could've ruled the world."
Comments like that infuriated her.
"You don't know anything about my father so don't even try to pretend with me. You only ever wanted me because you wanted to control the family. I was your ticket to controlling The Seemyah."
Karma spat the words forgetting her precarious position. Silently, she cursed herself for her rash comments, but she didn't backpedal. Instead, she drew her other Smith & Wesson from the holster on her thigh. She aimed the gun at the blond who was inching his way closer from the left.
"Ruling the world and The Seemyah are the same thing or don't you remember?" Fletcher must've loved that he'd agitated her.
"Enough, Fletcher. What does my stepbrother owe you? I'll pay. Then you can get out." Karma couldn't believe she was about to pay this handsome piece of garbage any of her money, but she'd decided to save Tad one last time. For what it was worth, she figured of all the times his butt needed to be rescued, it was now.
"I don't know, Kar." Fletcher acted like he contemplated what she said. He slapped at his skin again. "Your money might not be good enough for me. Besides, I'm not buying this whole 'save the brother' angle you're pushing." Fletcher gestured to one of the men to take a step closer to Tad.
"Stepbrother," she corrected.
Fletcher continued like he hadn't heard her. "I'll say your bleeding stepbrother here finally gave me a way to find you. I'll give him that much. I've been searching for you for over a year now. You could elude The Seemyah, but not me."
He practically sang the last of his words. The sing-song caused dread to fill her. Karma hid her reaction. It did gall her that Fletcher had found her, but she couldn't put the blame squarely on Tad's shoulders. It was long past the time to move. She hadn't heeded the voice in her head that always protected her. She'd used up all her luck staying here.
Karma made a sweeping motion with her arm. The blond surfer scooted back from Tad. She regarded Fletcher once more. His black eyes looked like pools of oil. Maybe she should choose her next words wisely.
"Keeping in mind that I'm not for sale, what's it you want in exchange for my stepbrother's debt to you? The one you claim he has."
"I'm working for someone currently, and your brother is simply the answer to a problem."
The words shot through Karma's skull at a lightning pace. If Fletcher was working for someone outside The Seemyah, that could only mean disaster. What game was he playing? She shouldn't dwell on the past, but she wished she'd stayed hidden. This kind of mess was precisely why she left The Seemyah in the first place. Karma no longer wanted to live a life always wondering if she would live or die. What was wrong with wanting a normal life?
Irritation bubbled up inside of her. She wanted to be left alone. Not trusting Fletcher had become an art form, yet somehow, she was about to be dragged into his crap again.
"If you took a job outside The Seemyah, then they'll kill you. It'll save me the effort."
"I liked the work in The Seemyah," Fletcher chuckled. "But like all people, I have a price. I can see by your defense of this man you have a price also."
Karma's eyes jumped to Fletcher and then to his surfer boys. She tried to see beyond the room to the third man who would be waiting in the hallway. Fletcher always worked the same. He never traveled alone, and he always had a backup plan. There was always a third man waiting for a perfect time to ambush.
"What do you want? What're we talking about here?" she asked impatiently.
"I have an offer for you," Fletcher spoke absently, but he wasn't bluffing well. What he was about to say was important. "I took a job outside the family, and I'm finding it hard to accomplish on my own. If you manage a simple target, I'll walk away from your brother—"
"Stepbrother," she corrected.
"No monetary exchange. I can even promise you I'll never tell the family where I found you. You can believe me when I say, after I leave here, The Seemyah will have bigger problems than looking for you anyway."
For the first time since all this began, Karma heard her stepbrother stir. Tad seemed to understand the exchange. She'd never told him about her life, but then again, he'd never asked. Her life choices weren't a topic she wanted to share anyhow. He probably only had a vague memory of her as a child. She'd never told him she'd become Karma, a cold-blooded murderer. They hadn't seen each other much in all these years.
Tad's voice came out thin and wispy. "What does he want you to do, and what's a Seemyah?"
Even if those were the only two things he asked, Karma could feel the barrage of other questions behind them.
For the hundredth time in the last month, she wished Tad wasn't around. It wasn't like she had to defend her choices to him or anyone for that matter. At the same time, Karma didn't want to discuss this in front of Fletcher. Her decision to live with her father and embrace the life of an assassin wasn't a topic she ever wished to discuss, actually. She'd paid the price to be with her dad, and well, what goes around comes around. She did deserve the life she had. If her father were still alive, he would say it was the luck of the draw.
Sighing with resignation, Karma chose to explain even though she wasn't inclined. The only reason she made up her mind to talk was to show him she didn't care what he thought of her. She didn't care if Tad judged her. After they parted ways, she didn't plan on seeing him again.
"Fletcher is currently a freelance killer. For some reason, he is being a baby about a job. Seemyah was my father's word for family. It's what my dad called all of us who worked together. I think it's a word he made up. Anyway, in exchange for your life, Fletcher wants me to take out a target that he and his men can't seem to get," Karma said the words bluntly. She waited for a dramatic response from her stepbrother. She might as well tell him what was happening. Besides, unless she made a deal, they would both be dead soon. Her bodysuit was made of durable material, but the fabric wouldn't be able to stand up to four men unloading full magazines at close range.
Tad's sharp intake of breath told her he understood, but to her shock, he remained silent. Karma never took her eyes off her opponent. Instead, she decided to get details. She didn't want to take the job, but it appeared she didn't have a choice.
Since her father died and she'd left The Seemyah, she hadn't killed anyone. She liked it that way. Karma wanted her freedom. Why Fletcher had decided to seek her out was strange. Maybe he couldn't go back to The Seemyah. When she left, no one was willing to give Fletcher their allegiance, especially since she refused to marry him. A rumor was out that Fletcher had been the one who'd killed her father. Those whispers were the driving force to have him ousted. Was he still working for them? She didn't know for sure either way.
"Suppose I take the job. Who's the hit, and how much time do I have?"