The Karma Study

Chapter 20 - Fade Eadeh

Max

Piggy, also known as Tyler or Creature, gave us some undeniably good information. Brandon was able to get into the entire security network for Khal's underground hell. We've been watching and waiting as they prepare for us. But we know their every fucking move. Over the course of the last few days we have seen Zoe return again and again undergoing more torture, but for some reason it's no longer wearing her down. She seems sharper, stronger, focused. She isn't trying to talk to us anymore, however when she is back in her room, she just stares at us. But something was weird, different, about her stare last night. She smiled, and when her lips parted a stream of blood flooded from her mouth, and her bright white teeth were no longer diamonds, but blood stained fangs.

I'm not entirely sure how to explain what I saw to my brothers, but it wasn't evil, or demented, or even happy. Zoe had this look in her eye that reminds me so much of Teddy that it kinda makes me believe they were cut from the same cloth. Equal but opposites, twins of the flame.

We are so ingrained in her, I wouldn't be surprised if she could feel us getting closer. But that smile.

I lean back against the armory wall as I finish strapping my vest to my chest and triple checking how many rounds I've packed, and it clicked.

I've seen that smile before. Only once, but I can remember the exact moment.

It was the day we caught her, a day that seems so long ago yet feels like it was yesterday all at the same time. When she took her mask off and she finally revealed who the Sparrow truly was. That smile was...

Victory.

She had won, she had manipulated my brothers and I into finding her that night. She won.

"You look like you're about to have a heart attack, and holy shit you look pale." Said Brandon as he entered the armory, already dressed in all his tactical gear.

"We need to hurry, she has something planned and I'll be damned if I miss it." I pass Brandon his bat as I rush out of the armory and into the main foyer. "Boys, we got a sparrow to catch, let's go!" I shout across the manor.

"I thought we weren't rolling out for another hour?" Drake says as he tightens a cap on his water bottle.

"Did I fucking say to take your time and question my commands?" I snap, slapping the bottle out of his hand and across the foyer. "Contact your units and tell them we are leaving now."

Drake looks like he wants to protest, but thinks smarter of it. He nods and turns to go the opposite direction while barking orders into his radio. I turn to see my three brothers waiting patiently at the front door, with only mild questioning in their brows. We trust each other, and they know when I say 'go' we go. I like order, I like a plan, and for me to drop everything I've built and organized over the last few days they know I'm not playing around.

"Zoe has something planned," I explain anyway. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just know. It's either going to be a magnificent bloodbath that Teddy would find pornographic, or it's going to be an absolute trainwreck. Either way we need to get there now."

Without question they all follow my lead into the garage. Dean only takes nineteen seconds to speak with our tactical teams and guards, and in complete unison they break apart into their segments. All four of us as well as Jessica and Drake pile into an SUV. Dean takes no time to peel out of our garage and onto the road. I pull out my phone to look at the GPS trackers on each of our other vehicles our team is rolling in. Every single person is leaving right on cue.

Although we are leaving earlier than I originally said, every step has worked according to plan. We aren't just parading down the highway on one big group with a flashing arrow above us that says 'HEY KAHL, ON OUR WAY TO FUCK YOU UP', we are much more discreet with this order.