Karma's Revenge (A Bad Girls Novel)

by Teresa Gabelman

  His eyes glanced down at the top of her head, and he knew that wasn’t quite true. He may have wanted to take her on his bike in the trees, but he would have respected her more than that. Shifting his eyes away, he focused on the road. Jesus, he was turning into a fucking pussy. Since when did he want to make nice with a woman before fucking her on his bike? Ah, never.

  But Sophia was different in so many ways that he wasn’t sure what to expect from her or his feelings. He was an assassin for shit’s sake, and that was another thing. He was going to have to come clean with her if he expected her to tell him everything. He was sure that was going to go over really well. Seriously, what was he going to say? “Oh, by the way, I was hired to assassinate you for six figures.”

  With a growl of frustration, he turned down a side street. With all his jumbled thoughts, the ride to his place was quick, even though they had traveled almost twenty miles. Having her cushioned against him made him want to take a detour to prolong the ride.

  He pulled into his drive and hit a code on the keypad outside his gate. As it opened, he slowly drove through, then proceeded around the house to where his garage door stood, open and waiting. Pulling inside, he parked, turned off his bike, then waited for Sophia to get off. He hoped that her hesitation was because she liked the feel of being on his bike cocooned against him.

  Hearing Darin pulling inside behind them spurred Sophia off, and Axel followed. He directed Darin where he wanted him to park. His under-the-house garage was huge and ran the length of half his house. He’d had this home built to his specifications, directly related to his job. Everything from the security to the layout of his rooms were precise and with the purpose of survival.

  “Nice place,” Darin said, getting out of the car. He handed the keys toward Sophia, but Axel took them and put them in his pocket. “Tickle my ass with a feather and call me Fanny! Is that a Dodge Viper?”

  “It is.” Axel actually grinned. “You know your cars.”

  “You have no idea.” Sophia rolled her eyes but was giving Darin a half grin at his excitement. “It’s pretty.”

  “Pretty?” Darin’s eyes popped open, then just as quickly, he glared at Sophia. “A Dodge Viper is not pretty. It’s sexy as hell and bad to the bone.”

  “Oh.” Sophia chuckled, shaking her head. “Sorry. My mistake.”

  “It most definitely is your mistake.” Darin continued to glare at her. Then he looked lovingly back at the car. “This baby has an 8.4 liter, V10, 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.”

  “So it’s fast?” Sophia asked, making Darin slap his forehead. Axel chuckled at the look on Darin’s face.

  “Ah, if you call going from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds, then yes, you can bet your sweet ass this gorgeous thing is fast.” Darin’s eyes shot to Axel. “Exactly who are you and what is it you do? Because this nearly extinct model is more than I could ever hope to make in three years and I’m damn good at what I do.”

  “Actually, I’ve been wondering the same exact thing,” Sophia added, glancing around his expansive garage, car, and then him.

  Axel looked first at Darin and then Sophia while calling on his instincts to tell him if he could trust them. “Guess we all have some secrets to spill.”

  Chapter 9

  Sophia was in awe as she walked up the steps into the biggest kitchen she had ever seen. It was like she stepped out of a miraculous basement into the pages of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. From the wooden floors to the white cabinets, and black countertops with the most beautiful backsplash she had ever seen, the whole space had her drooling. Plus, everything was spotless, and for a man, that was saying something.

  She loved to cook, and this was a cook’s paradise. The island with the country sink almost made her sigh in appreciation. And the open floor plan was almost too much. Compared to her little rinky-dink house, which she loved, this was something she had dreamed of having one day. Not on her salary, but one could hope.

  Hearing heavy objects hit a hard surface, she glanced that way. Axel laid two guns, a large knife, as well as another gun from his boot on a table. Then he took his long trench coat off and turned to rest it over a chair, and that’s when she saw the blood.

  “You were hit!” She rushed toward him.

  “I’m fine.” He stepped away from her, but she followed him until she was right up to him.

  Taking hold of his arm gently, she tried to turn him back around, but it was like trying to move a stone statue. “I’m very persistent.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Now turn around before I get nasty.”

  “She is,” Darin agreed with a snort. “She’s persistent to the point you want to punch yourself in the face repeatedly, and if she doesn’t get her way, she gets very nasty.”

  “See.” Sophia finally managed to turn him. She noticed the front of his shirt had no blood on it, suggesting there was no exit wound. The bullet was still in his back. “Take off your shirt.”

  He hesitated, but then finally did as he was told. She really tried to hold in her gasp and hoped to hell he thought she was gasping at his wound. But that was not it at all. His body in a shirt was… holy shit, but without it was a mind-blowing holy shit. He was either tan, or this was his normal bronzed skin color, and the muscles sculpting his back were sleek and smooth. Nothing marred the perfection of his skin other than the bullet wound. Shit, the bullet wound! She pulled her eyes from his body to the wound that was… healing? What in the hell?

  “I think I might faint again.” Darin gulped, his eyes fixed firmly on Axel’s defined chest.

  Rolling her eyes at Darin, she tiptoed to look closer. The bleeding had definitely stopped, and the skin was already repairing itself. She frowned and stepped back. Wait a minute, humans didn’t heal like that, only—

  Her eyes flashed to the guns lying within her reach, and with a quickness that even surprised her, she grabbed one, swung it toward him, and aimed straight for Axel’s heart.

  “Soph, what in the hell are you doing?” Darin screeched in horror.

  “Look at his back,” Sophia snarled, feeling betrayed and as crazy as it sounded, hurt, damn it.

  “I can explain.” Axel had turned but now raised his hands slowly.

  “What, that you failed to tell me you were a blood-sucking piece of shit?” Sophia spat out, her aim true. She swore if he made one move, she would pull the trigger. When his eyes went from hers to the gun, she gripped it tighter. “If you don’t think I will, you are definitely wrong.”

  “He doesn’t have fangs, Sophia.” Darin had his head tilted, looking at Axel’s mouth.

  “Smile,” she ordered, but when he continued to just stare at her, she aimed the gun toward his face. She knew she hadn’t seen fangs; she would have definitely noticed that and yet, she needed to see. “I said smile.”

  “Oh, for the love of…,” Darin huffed. “I told you she gets nasty. Just smile for her so she puts the damn gun down. Sophia, I think he’s trying to help us, not—”

  “Darin, hush,” Sophia hissed, not taking her eyes off Axel.

  “I’m going to count to three, and if I don’t see those pearly whites, I’m going to pull this trigger.” When he cocked his eyebrow at her, she began her count. “One.”

  His mouth didn’t move; he just continued to stare.

  “Two.” Okay, she was getting a little nervous. Was he going to call her bluff? Because honestly, she didn’t think she could pull the trigger. Shit! Now what? She knew her hesitation between one and two was much shorter than between two and three. “I’m serious. Don’t test me.”

  “Three is after two.” His tone was dead even, his stare unnerving and making her insides quake with fear and something else she dared not identify.

  Damn him. He was calling her bluff. There was no way in hell she could shoot him in the face. Her eyes traveled down his body. Maybe wing his arm so she and Darin could get the hell out of there.

  As she considered different body parts where she could shoot him while wi
shing he would put on a shirt, she missed his inhumanly fast movement. One minute she was pointing the gun at him and the next, he was pointing that same gun at her.

  “Should I start counting?” He cocked his eyebrow at her. Ugh, and it made him look sexy as hell standing there pointing his gun at her and, wait a minute. What the fuck was wrong with her? He was pointing a gun at her. That wasn’t sexy.

  “Depends,” she replied, shoving the sexy thoughts to the back of her mind. “What are you asking?”

  “Can we please stop this strange Russian Roulette game?” Darin sighed. “We were just chased by men with guns. I’m hungry and scared enough to shit my pants, which are very expensive by the way. Are you going to kill us or not?”

  Sophia watched Axel’s lips twitch and yes, dammit, that was sexy. She watched as he lowered the gun.

  “I told you both before, that if—”

  “You wanted to kill us we’d be dead.” Both Sophia and Darin finished his sentence.

  “Ah, so you were listening.” Axel put the gun down in the same exact spot that Sophia had grabbed it from. “I had my doubts.” Axel gave her a pointed look.

  “Are you a vampire?” Sophia asked, point-blank. She needed to know before moving forward. Darin was right. He didn’t have fangs, but his quick healing told her what she didn’t want to hear, yet she needed to hear it from him.

  “Yes and no.” His reply confused her, and she wondered if that was on purpose.

  “How much yes and how much no?” Darin asked, crossing his arms. Then he glanced at Sophia who was giving him a look. “What? I think that’s important to know.”

  Sophia didn’t agree. There was a much more important question that needed to be answered. Her eyes shifted toward the guns again. Her swords were in the car, a stupid mistake on her part and one she would not make again. Her eyes went back to his, searching. “Did Savior send you after me?”

  “Yes,” he replied without hesitation.

  One thing Axel was not, was a liar. He may stretch the truth to save his own ass, but when questioned, he always responded with honesty.

  “But I turned it down.” There was a little of stretching the truth right there.

  “Why?” she asked, and he had to give it to her. There was no fear in her voice whatsoever, but her eyes spoke differently. He watched all her emotions running riot in those beautiful blue eyes.

  “I heard rumors that the Slayer of Vampires was a woman.” He finally responded. “And I was curious.”

  “How much?” Her short-focused questions didn’t surprise him. She definitely had good practice of keeping her cool. Most women he knew would be crying in hysterics.

  “Let’s just say it would have been a very good payday for me.” Axel shrugged. “But as I said, I turned it down.”

  “As in a house payment payday or a Dodge Viper payday?” Darin asked, his voice curious and a little shaky with nerves.

  He watched Sophia’s eyes scan his place without turning her head or her body before her eyes landed back on him. “You’re an assassin.” It wasn’t a question, but an observation.

  “Yes.” He nodded, then reached over, grabbing one of the guns, her gun he had taken from her on the bike earlier. “I’m very good at what I do, but I don’t kill women or children.”

  She watched him closely. “But you took the job, knowing the rumors.”

  “As I said, I turned it down.” He reached out slowly, grabbed her hand, and put the gun in it. “And I’m very good at what I do, and you would’ve been dead already if I wanted you dead.”

  “You’ve said that a few times already.” She held the gun but dropped it down to her side.

  “Some things need repeating,” Axel replied, a slight grin on his face. “Now if you could please give that gun to Darin, if that will make you feel better, I could use some help getting this bullet out of my shoulder.”

  After a minute of silence, she leaned over and placed the gun on the table, her eyes meeting his. “Where’s your medical supplies?”

  Axel gave her a nod, then headed toward the closet to collect his medical kit, hoping he wasn’t about to get shot in the back. Trust was definitely a two-way street, and he had a lot of work to do on his side of the road.

  Chapter 10

  Sophia watched him walk away, her eyes going to his ass, which looked marvelous in those jeans. She glanced at Darin to see he was looking at the same thing she was. She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

  “Be good,” she warned.

  “Yeah, look who’s talking.” He snorted, then frowned. “Should we trust him?”

  Thinking about that, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Vampires are not to be trusted. Assassin vampires definitely not.”

  Axel headed back toward them with a medical box. He carefully pushed the guns aside, setting the box on the table. He then pulled out a chair and straddled it before looking at her over his shoulder.

  “You know what you’re doing?” His eyes roamed her face then down her body before looking back at her.

  “Nope.” She gave him an evil grin. “So it will probably be painful.”

  She moved closer and opened the box. Inside was everything she thought she would need. Grabbing the scalpel first and tearing it out of the sterile package, she glanced at his back and frowned.

  “So does the yes part of you get infection?” She was being a smartass, but that part of her helped her nerves.

  “Clever,” he said as he placed his chin on his arm, leaning on the back of the chair.

  “Thank you. I thought so.” She reached around, grabbing the peroxide. Positioning herself behind him, she stared at the wound. It had healed even more in the short time they’d held a gun on each other. “Darin, get ready with some gauze and those big tweezers.”

  Darin hurried over, getting what she needed. “Do you need boiling water, sheets, or rags?”

  “He’s been shot.” She poured the peroxide on the wound, expecting him to jump or hiss, but he remained completely still. Damn, she knew that had to hurt. “He’s not pregnant.”

  “No, with those abs he’s not,” Darin replied, then shrugged at Sophia’s glare. “What?”

  Ignoring him, she poured a little more on his back before handing the bottle to Darin. “You know after this is finished, we have some talking to do.” She actually poked him on the back with the scalpel, making sure he got the point, both literally and figuratively.

  “Yes, we do,” he agreed, his chin remaining on his arms, his tone final, as if he was done with the conversation.

  She had a sudden urge to stab him or flip him off. She decided to go with the less bloody option and flipped him off. She felt good, it felt good until she glanced up to see him watching her in a mirror, a smirk on his face.

  “Damn.” Darin chuckled with another snort. “Guess that’s what you call being caught red-fingered.”

  “Shut up, Darin.” Sophia frowned, then placed her hand on the warm skin of Axel’s back. She was surprised not to feel the coldness she’d felt with other vampires. He felt alive, vibrant and… hard. She swallowed, brushing that thought away.

  Trying to focus on what she was doing, she aimed the pointed end of the scalpel at his back. “Stay still. This might hurt a little.”

  “I’m sure that will bring you pleasure,” he responded, as her eyes shot up to meet his in the mirror. “I won’t move.”

  She gave him a squinty-eyed look then went to work. Making a small incision, she realized he was right; he didn’t move an inch. He remained perfectly still; amazing because this had to hurt like a bitch.

  Turning to grab some gauze from Darin, she noticed how white her friend looked. Oh hell, before she could reach for him, he started to buckle. Dropping the scalpel, she moaned as she took Darin’s weight and then he was lifted.

  “Hey, big guy.” Axel had also caught him. “Not much for blood?”

  “It’s either that or staring at you without a shirt.” Darin’s voice sounded
weak, as if he were either going in or out of a faint.

  Axel laughed. The sound almost dropped Sophia to her knees. His laugh was warm and inviting, but so was a snake. Wait, what? A snake was warm and inviting? What in the hell was this man doing to her? She repeated over and over again exactly what this man was, Vampire assassin, vampire assassin, vampire assassin, maybe… inside her head as she helped him take Darin to a couch.

  “If I was a betting man, I’d say the blood.” Axel eased Darin’s big frame into a comfortable position. Then left only to return quickly with a glass of water. “Just relax and don’t look.”

  Sophia was in awe as she watched Axel walk away, until she saw the blood streaming down his back. “Shit.” She rushed toward him. “Hurry and sit down before you bleed to death.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Axel straddled the chair again, that laugh of his reaching her ears. “There’s plenty of blood in this room if I need it.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him wishing she still had her scalpel. “Vampire humor?”

  “Not funny?” He grinned at her in the mirror.

  “No.” She searched through the box for another scalpel then grabbed the tweezers and gauze, ignoring Darin’s laugh from behind them.

  “He thinks it’s funny.” Axel chuckled, putting his chin back on his arms, his eyes following her every move.

  “He’s delirious.” Sophia snorted, then shoved the tweezers and gauze in his hand. “Here, be useful.”

  Tuning him out, she started back to work at cleaning Axel’s back. After making a few more cuts, she reached her hand out. “Tweezers.”

  Their fingers touched as she took them, and she did her best to ignore the sensation of pleasure that shot up her arm straight down into her pussy. Her moan was caught in the back of her throat, but she knew he heard it. What in the hell was going on? He was at one point hired to kill her, and here she was wanting to straddle him like he straddled that damn chair she was becoming jealous of.