Karma (Karma Series) by Donna Augustine Read Free Book Online Page B

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    “ Almost all of them quit at the end of the trial period.”
    “ You said almost all. What about the ones that didn't? Why aren't they here?”
    Murphy started fiddling with a pencil he'd picked up off the desk and Luck nudged him. “You tell her.”
    “ Why do I always get stuck doing this?” Murphy asked in an annoyed voice.
    “ You talk to the new people and I help you supplement your income. That's the way it works. Are you trying to break our deal? It's only been seventy-five years. I should've known you'd renege.”
    “ I'm not breaking anything.”
    “ Then keep talking!”
    Murph y turned his attention back to me now that their squabble seemed to be resolved.
    “ Sometimes the things we do can be dangerous when you aren't as in tune. Accidents have happened.” He was back to fiddling with his pencil and the two of them were looking everywhere but at me.
    “ So we can die again?”
    “ There's death and then there's nothing. No retirement to a cushy mortal life, maybe a famous actor or just incredibly rich. Your energy is reabsorbed but you aren't actually anything, anymore.”
    Wow, this really sucked. I was recruited to do a job I didn't know how to do and when I failed at it, which had a high probability, I ended up even worse off than dead?
    “ By the way, I never introduced myself. I'm Murphy. Of Murphy's Law?”
    “ And I'm Lady Luck. Luck for short.”
    “ So, how does this...” I waved a hand to encompass the office, them, everything. The entire situation was beyond surreal and made me doubt the reality I was in. But if I was going to be doing things that were dangerous, I needed to start gathering information yesterday. Twenty-five days now seemed like an eternity.
    “ Well, in my case, I help spread the luck around. Murphy is sort of my counterpart, spreading the opposite.” She patted him on the shoulder. “You're just all sunshine and happiness, aren't you, Murphy?”
    “ And what exactly is Harold?”
    “ He's middle management.” Murphy picked up another pencil and started to play mock drums as he spoke.
    “ Then who exactly do we work for?”
    “ The universe.” He hit an invisible cymbal.
    “ That's what Harold said, but is it a person? Have either of you seen this universe person or entity?”
    “ Nope. Everything is through Harold. It's a lot to take in, especially as a transfer. Why don't we get you settled in. Just try and lay low until your month is up,” Luck said. She motioned to the group of four desks clustered together that they were sitting on. “This one is mine.” She patted next to where she sat. “That's Murphy's, next to me and that's the one the Jinxes share. They don't use it, though.”
    “ Jinxes?”
    She nodded and rolled her eyes. “They’re out in the field right, but it's not an introduction you want to rush.”
    She got up and walked to the last remaining desk and pulled the chair out. “And you can have this one.”
    “ So, we work here, in this office?” I sat down in the offered chair in front of my desk and opened a couple of the empty drawers. The place didn't seem like somewhere I'd be in danger, but no one had told me exactly what it was I would be doing yet.
    “ No, we just like having desks,” Murphy explained, completely straight-faced.
    I looked around at all the others in the office, no one hiding their curiosity at my presence and I was quite sure I'd fallen down the rabbit hole. This is why you always read contracts before you sign them. First contract I didn't read thoroughly and this is what I got.
    “ That's the Cat Lady, over there,” Luck pointed in the direction of a woman reading a gossip magazine in the corner, a black cat weaving itself through her legs. “We call her Kitty for short.”
    “ Why is a cat lady here?”
    “ Not a cat lady, the cat lady. Black cats? She sends them out right before someone is about to get really screwed.” She pointed to short little stubby guy walking across the room.