Page 38 of Karn

“She sounds quite something.”

“She is everything. I would sell my soul for her if I had one.”

The guard gave a startled laugh. “You broke the rules to win this girl over?”

“The first time I saw her, I knew she’d be trouble. It’s something in the way she moves. It captures your attention. I couldn’t stop looking at her curves.”

The guard nodded. “She’s hot?”

“Hot and trouble.”

He grinned. “How long have you been together?”

“That’s just it; we're not even really together. She’s insistent on being independent. She’s got a high-powered job and hasn’t got time for me.”

The guard winced. “Rejection is tough to take. It took me six months to convince my girl to go on a date with me.”

“What did you do to convince her?”

“Nothing in particular. It was more a case of wearing her down. I made sure I was always around. I helped out when she needed me and showed her I’m a decent guy and she can rely on me.”

“That works?” Karn scratched his chin. It wasn’t often he could be relied on unless he’d been paid upfront and in full. Even then, if a better offer came along, he sometimes let aliens down.

“It was worth it,” the guard said. “Even though my girl can be a nightmare, blowing hot and cold and making demands on me, I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I make a mistake and act like a jerk, she lets me know. We need somebody like that in our lives.”

Karn’s smile was rueful. Wasn’t that the truth? “If you have any pointers on how to win my woman over, I’d be happy to chat over a beer. Maybe you can let me out early and we can do it now?”

The guard chuckled. “And have you sneak away when my back is turned? Nice try. If I let you out, I’ll lose my job.”

“They will understand when they realize I was the one to escape.”

“How about a compromise? I bring you a mug of tea and give you some insider tips on winning over this woman.”

It wasn’t what Karn had hoped for, but it would alleviate the boredom. This guard might have some ideas as to how to get Ivy to forgive him. He wanted that. He didn’t enjoy the idea of her hating him or getting into trouble because of what he’d done.

The guard’s gaze shifted behind Karn. He frowned. “Is he asleep?”

Karn shifted to the side, blocking the view of Marcus on the ground. “He’s fine, just taking a nap.”

Marcus groaned and rolled onto his side.

Karn tried to ignore him. “So, about that tea?”

The guard’s gaze remained fixed on Marcus. “Did you attack him?”

“No, the blood has nothing to do with me.”

Marcus groaned again. “You idiot. Why did you punch me?”

“He’s lying.” Karn nodded at the guard. “Ignore him.”

The guard took a step back, all traces of friendliness gone from his face. “I’ll have to report this. You can’t go punching another prisoner.”

“My nose is broken,” Marcus complained.

Karn continued to ignore him. “We were having such a great chat. Come on, let me out of here. I think we could be best friends.”

The guard scowled at him. “I have enough friends.” The door slid back into place.

Karn sighed as he turned to Marcus. “Thanks for that. I was about to get out of this dump.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Marcus pulled himself slowly to his feet, gently squeezing his swollen nose as he did so.

“You wanted to flip a coin for Ivy.”

“And? It would have been a solution.”

Karn shook his head, regretting not having double-punched Marcus. If he had to endure being in the cell with this idiot for much longer, there really would be blood on his hands.

He needed to get out of here, find Ivy, and explain everything.

Even though he wasn’t sure what that everything was.