Reckless Karma (Sinners & Saints #2) (5 page)

           
“I
need to go catch the subway,” she says. “So I’m gonna walk.”

           
“Not
the bus?” I ask confused.

           
“I
have to take the subway today to meet my little sister. Thanks anyway.” Her
smiles turn me on. They’re so big and cute. I watch as she walks away and gaze
at her ass in the plaid skirt. It’s a very nice ass.

           
“Wait
up!” I call out. I look back at a shocked Scarlett.

           
“What
are you doing?”

           
“Tell
the driver I’ll text him the address and to not be late.”

           
“Gabriel.”
She grabs my wrist and speaks low. “No amount of pussy is worth getting on the
subway for.”

           
“Your
words, to be exact,” Noel reminds me.

           
I
grin mischievously. “This one is. Only making you proud, princess.”

           
“Don’t
get mugged while doing it,” she says before I catch up with Karlie.

           
“What
are you doing?” Karlie asks.

           
“I’m
coming with you.”

           
“No
way.” She shakes her head in disbelief.

           
“Yes
way. Shall we?” I take her backpack and carry it. Shit it’s heavy. “What the
hell is in this?”

           
“My
homework.”

           
I
make a disgusted face and she laughs at that. She has a nice laugh.

“I’m
not having sex with you.” Her abrupt words echo in the quiet train cart that is
filled with weird looking people who ironically give us weird looks. An old
lady turns her nose up at us while a man snickers from across.

           
I
take off my sunglasses. “Who said anything about sex?”

           
“I
know your reputation. You’ve had it since the eighth grade. I especially know
that you love virgins.”
           
“You’re
a virgin?”

           
“That’s
what everyone thinks.” She looks away annoyed.

           
“Is
it true?”

           
“It’s
nobody’s business.”

           
“So
it is true.”

           
“You
are unbelievable. I have to admit I’m shocked at your calm state on the
subway.”

           
“What
makes you think this is my first ride on the subway?”

           
She
just gives me a look, challenging me to further my bullshit.

           
“Okay,
fine it is, but it’s not as bad as I thought.”

           
She
keeps staring at me.

           
“What?”

           
“You
usually keep your sunglasses on. I’ve never noticed how blue your eyes are.”

           
“Does
it turn you on?”

           
She
rolls her eyes and smacks her lips.

           
“Yes,
it just makes me want to take off all my clothes,” she deadpans.

           
“If
you insist.” I begin to untie my school tie and unbutton my shirt.

           
“Oh
my God, do you take anything seriously?” She tries not to laugh.

           
“Yes,
a lot of things actually, but the world is a horrible place and you might as
well joke until you die.”

           
“Cynic.”

           
“In
some form.”

           
“Cynic
with blue eyes. Anything else about you? What about you and your roommates? I
heard you guys partake in orgies and ruin people’s lives.”

           
“I
didn’t take you for a gossiper.”

           
“I’m
not. Unfortunately everyone came to me with all this when they saw you talking
to me.”

           
“So
you received your fair warnings of the big, bad wolves.”

           
“Sinful
Saints.”

           
“Yes,
the cute nickname for us. It does fit well.”

           
“Where’s
your family?”

           
“My
father lives here. He’s an asshole. Mother’s dead. I have two brothers.
Identical twins. August and Hugo. August is autistic; he lives at Ms. Eleanor’s
house with us also.” I mentally check off the list of everything you need to
know about me.

           
“What
about your other brother?”

           
“Hugo?
He’s in a boarding school. My father sees him as the last chance in having a
true successor.”

           
“How
old are they?”

           
“I
think fourteen now?”

           
“How
do you not know?”

           
“August
stays in his room, banging his head against the wall, drawing masterful lines,
and I haven’t talked to Hugo in months. We’re not a close-knit family.”

           
“Sorry
about your mom.”

           
“I’m
sure you heard about her too. Her death is one of the most famous of the
Manhattan royalty.”

           
“Well
I’m not Manhattan royalty.”

           
“Oh,
but you do know. I know you do.” I will her to look me in the eye and lie, but
she doesn’t. No one talks about me without discussing my mother.

 
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. It must’ve been
terrible.” The usual sincere sympathy comes from her tone.

           
“It
was the usual dramatics. Hugo saw the whole thing. He’s been fucked up ever
since.”

           
“What
about you?” No one ever asked about me and I feel prone to answer, especially
if it gains points with her.

           
“When
my father came home, the first thing he did was ask where I was. As if she was
our responsibility, not his. The world has been an unkind place since then.
I’ve hated it ever since.”

           
She
just looks at me and it makes me feel uneasy. Her brown eyes tear into me,
digging through the bullshit and grabbing out the one thing I thought I got rid
of.

           
“It
must suck,” she says.

           
“What?”

           
“Being
you.”

           
Something
is occurring inside me. It’s very unpleasant. What the hell? No one makes me
feel this way. No one.

The
cart comes to a stop.

           
“Are
we getting off or what?” I ask with an attitude.

           
“I’m
sorry.” She looks at me not with pity but understanding, and it pisses me off
more.

           
“It’s
fine,” I lie. “But are we?”

           
“My
little sister just comes on. She’s twelve and very smart and talkative, so be
nice.”

           
“Karlie!”
A girl with pigtail braids runs into the cart. She jumps over me and hugs
Karlie. I hate kids.

The
little girl stares at me as she sits across behind us. “Who’s this?”

           
“This
is Gabriel Mandrake. We go to school together. Gabriel, this is my little
sister, Anika.”

           
“Hey.”
I make the greeting quick.

           
“Are
you rich?” Anika doesn’t want to make it quick. “You look rich.”

           
“Filthy.”

           
“One
day we’re gonna be rich.”

           
“Anika,
don’t,” Karlie warns her.

           
“Really?”
Now I’m interested.

           
“My
big sister is a genius and Mama says she’s gonna go to Harvard and become a
famous lawyer and buy us a big house.”

           
“Don’t
pay her no mind.” Karlie is embarrassed.

           
Her
mom believes in her. How sweet. Most likely this will happen. Karlie is
ambitious. Smart. Brave. After knowing her for two days, she is really quite
incredible.

“Sit
back,” she tells her sister.

I
learn more about Karlie through her very talkative little sister. She spends
her time studying and taking care of her little sister while their mother works
as a clerk at a non-profit law firm. She has friends from their neighborhood
but rarely goes out with them. She likes to watch cooking shows and music
videos. Anika hates that they only have one television. They fight every day on
who gets to watch what. They share a bedroom, and Anika embarrasses Karlie by
informing me that she has a poster of Simba from
The Lion King
on their wall. Even though he is a cartoon lion,
Karlie finds him very handsome and he was her first crush when she was a kid. I
don’t judge. I kind of thought the Lady was cute from
Lady and the Tramp
. Lions are my spirit animal, so we have
something in common.

The
talking doesn’t stop once we get to our stop or on the walk from the Queens
Plaza Subway Station. Of course my limo is waiting for me as we reach their apartment
building.

           
“Whoa!”
Anika yells in excitement. “Is that yours?”

           
“Yes.”
I see an older woman is already standing by it looking at it suspiciously. She
looks exactly like an older version of Karlie’s little sister, meaning this is
their mother.

           
“Hey
ma.” Karlie and Anika hug their mother and now she’s staring at me in a
suspicious and disapproving manner, which she rightfully should be.

           
“This
is a classmate of mines. Hugo Mandrake.”

           
“Mandrake?”
her mother pronounces the name in disgust.

           
“How
do you do, mam?”

           
“I’m
fine. Thank you for walking my girls home, but next time don’t have your limo
out here parked. I don’t need my neighbors gossiping about how we are probably
doing something illegal.”

           
“Ma,”
Karlie mutters.

           
“Of
course,” I say.

           
“Next
time can we take a ride in it?” Anika asks.

           
“Sure,”
I tell her.

           
“Anika,
let’s get inside so you can do your homework and I can get ready for work.
Karlie, you too.”

           
“I’ll
be up in a minute,” Karlie tells her and waits for them to enter the building.
“Sorry, my mom doesn’t
—”

           
“Trust
rich, spoiled white boys hell-bent on seducing her beautiful and black
daughter?”

           
She
laughs and nods. “Basically, yeah.”

           
“It’s
alright. Mothers don’t like me… well the ones I’ve never slept with.”

           
“You
really don’t care what you say, do you?”

           
“No
point in hiding the truth.”

           
“You
mean hiding the truth you don’t want to hide?”

           
I
shake my finger at her. “You’re not as wet behind the ears as everyone thinks.”

           
She’s
amused. “No… but then again everyone assumes the worst, don’t they?”

           
“Yes,
they do.”

           
“So
I guess I won’t assume the worst of you.”

           
“You’re
too kind,” I say truthfully.

           
“Yeah…
but Gabriel.” She takes a step towards me. Close in my proximity, I can’t help
but stare at her lips that are so full and natural. They almost stop me from
noticing her looking at mine. “Whatever game you’re trying to play at? Leave me
out of it.” Besides wanting to kiss me, she is serious in her statement, and
all I want to say is that I can’t.