Page 61 of Karma

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Karma

Good things always happen at that abandoned campsite. Grim had a festering gunshot wound once that just wouldn’t heal… until we spent a week there. But it was smaller things too. Every time I stay here, I ride away with a renewed sense of purpose and a rekindled lust for life. It was no different today. It’s gotta be one of those spots of primal energy that I read about online once. I think it healed Scorpio too. He’s a different guy now. Before when he smiled, his eyes stayed shadow-filled and burdened somehow. Now those shadows are gone.

We’re back at Eddie’s bar and the night is winding down. Scorpio is sitting next to Grim at the next table over—sitting real close to Grim, actually, which makes me want to smile. They’re both ready to go up to our room, Grim has been giving me the eye that could only mean that, for almost an hour now. But I’m playing poker with Joker and the Devils again and Joker is in a very lively mood today. I’m hoping he’ll let something slip so we’ll finally know what he’s planning. I need to know how serious they are about this war and I don’t want to keep asking Scorpio. It always leads to a fight and I don’t want to fight withhim ever again. I’m loving this new ease between us that we brought back from the campsite—another thing that was healed there.

Two more Devil’s Nightmare MC members are staying at the Inn now—Edge and Ruin. They’re supposed to be besties with the other three that were here before, though I’m not noticing much love between them. If anything, I’d say the new guys would prefer to be anywhere but here. And they seem to be keeping an eye on Joker. Nothing obvious, but one of them is always around when Joker is. They take turns and Edge just left.

The game is over too, and I suppose I’m not getting any answers tonight. I’m just about to announce that I’m going to bed, when Joker looks at me point blank and asks what I know about the war the Devils are fighting against several of their rival clubs.

“Nothing,” I answer, sneaking a glance at Scorpio. Did he tell him about us? Is that why Joker is asking these things? But he looks as confused as I am. A little panicked too. “We just got here. We’ve been taking care of something back east. It took the better part of the year.”

None of that is a lie. But I shouldn’t have said so much. When did I get chatty when I’m nervous? And why am I nervous about these questions at all?

Joker keeps talking about the war until all the Devils look uncomfortable. Especially Ruin.

Joker just keeps pressing, asking about another Devil’s Nightmare MC member, someone named Ice and whether he’s like a father to Ruin or not. The color in Ruin’s face keeps rising until I’m pretty sure Ruin is about to show us the cold-blooded killer he’s reputed to be. Especially after Ruin admits he and Ice are not tight anymore.

I know Joker, so I’m sure he knew this already. He’s not the kind of guy who asks questions he doesn’t already knowthe answer to. Which is why him questioning me about the war worries me. Does he know we’ve been trying to persuade Scorpio to walk away from it? Somehow I doubt it.

Scorpio looks as surprised at this conversation as everyone else does . He nearly topples out of his chair when Joker says he’s left his MC and is looking to join the Devils.

“I’m not involved with any of that,” Ruin tells him. “It’d be weird if I suddenly came suggesting new members…”

I can’t tell if Ruin actually believes Joker is serious about this. His poker face is too good. But there’s a strain in his eyes, suggesting this isn’t a conversation he wants to be having.

“But you can put in a good word?” Joker insists. “The Lost Sons might be a bunch of pussies, but they accused me of shit I didn’t do and stripped my colors because of it.”

“So now what? You want revenge?” Ruin asks.

“I want justice.”

Ruin leans back and drinks some of his beer.

“Why don’t you join Karma and the Forsaken Outlaws?” Ruin suggests, making me jump in my seat. Grim sits up straighter too. “They’re also looking for justice.”

“They’re more about running from justice,” Joker says, grinning at us.

Grim looks about ready to leap out of his chair and wrap his hands around Joker’s throat and I want him to do it. We survive because only the people we trust know that we’re on the run from the law. Joker somehow found out without us telling him and whenever he wants us to do a job for him, there’s always the implied threat that he’ll out us to the authorities if we say no. That’s just one of the reasons I really don’t like the guy and this show he’s putting on today is just deepening that resentment. Because Scorpio seems to love him, and because I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Scorpio, I’d decided to give Joker another chance. But after this performance tonight, I’m not sure I can.All the smoke in this place didn’t bother me before, but now it’s making it hard to breathe.

“No, I want the bloody kind of justice. The kind you Devils deliver,” Joker says, finishing off his beer and locking gazes with Ruin.

They stare at each other for a while, neither blinking, neither showing what they’re thinking on their faces.

Joker backs down first, laughing his fake boisterous laugh as he slams his beer bottle on the table.

“Relax, dude. I don’t need the answer right now. Just put the feelers out, OK?”

“I can do that,” Ruin says. “But I’m not all that high up… my word doesn’t count for shit with the Devils these days.”

“I bet it counts for more than the word of your drunken, brawling friends.” Meaning the other three Devils who all look uncomfortable at being made part of this conversation. Joker just has this unwavering talent for rubbing people the wrong way, doesn’t he?

“Not much more,” Ruin says.

Joker stands up and stretches while yawning loudly. “Do what you can. Now I gotta get some shuteye. It’s been a long day.”

He leaves behind utter silence. Even the blasting music now sounds like it’s coming from very far away. Ruin is still wearing his poker face, but it’s not as perfect as it usually is. His eyes give it away. Something is racing in those blue depths. Probably a bunch of questions about how much of all that was real and how much just a show. Or maybe that’s just me.

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