Characters His Pawn: A Twisted Psychological Romantic Thriller Mara Morgan

Kara: The Loyal Friend Who Becomes a Target

Overview

Kara is Cadence’s roommate and closest friend in His Pawn: A Twisted Psychological Romantic Thriller. She is introduced as a young woman who was kicked out by her family after coming out as a lesbian, and Cadence took her in “like a stray cat” (chapter 13). Kara’s most defining traits are her fierce loyalty to Cadence and her financial irresponsibility. Throughout the novel, she acts as a source of emotional support—but also a burden, as she repeatedly spends money Cadence has entrusted to her. Late in the story, the unnamed Killer selects Kara as his next victim, setting up a high-stakes cliffhanger that directly threatens Cadence’s world.

Plot Role

Kara serves several narrative functions:

  • Emotional anchor for Cadence: In a world of transactional relationships and constant danger, Kara is one of the few people Cadence loves unconditionally. When Cadence returns home after five days in Zane’s Indigo Room, Kara’s tearful hug and relief (“I thought you were dead”) ground Cadence in a moment of human connection (chapter 13).

  • Source of external conflict: Kara’s habit of spending Cadence’s hard-won savings creates recurring tension. In chapter 12, Cadence worries that Kara has already spent the college fund money; in chapter 13, that fear is confirmed when Cadence discovers only small bills remain. This forces Cadence back into sex work, propelling the plot.

  • Narrow escape from Zane’s enforcer: In chapter 7, Cadence shoves her college savings box into Kara’s hands and forces her out the window onto the fire escape moments before Lincoln breaks down the door. This decision saves Kara temporarily and underscores Cadence’s protective instincts.

  • Target of the Killer: In chapter 27, the Killer, frustrated by his inability to keep victims alive and obsessed with another woman (presumably Cadence), picks Kara at a less upscale club. He tells her his false name is David and invites her to “play”. This final plot turn raises the stakes and directly connects Kara to the novel’s central horror.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Kara’s actions reveal a complex mix of loyalty, impulsiveness, and emotional dependence:

  • Loyalty: When Cadence returns after days of silence, Kara’s first response is a crushing hug. She weeps with relief, having assumed Cadence was dead (chapter 13). She also keeps Cadence’s money intact—at least initially—out of faith that Cadence will return. However, her loyalty coexists with self-centered behavior.

  • Financial carelessness: Cadence explicitly notes that “Kara and money can’t stand to be in the same room together” (chapter 12). After Cadence gives her the shoebox containing hundreds of dollars, Kara spends most of it on “pick-me-ups” (chapter 13). This suggests a present-focus mindset: Kara lives in the moment, unable to delay gratification, which undermines Cadence’s long-term plans.

  • Desire for escape: Kara openly admits that in Cadence’s situation with John Cruze, she would have used blackmail to stay with him (chapter 13). “That was your one chance,” she says. This reveals her pragmatic willingness to seize opportunities—even ethically questionable ones—to leave poverty behind.

  • Vulnerability to predation: The Killer recognizes in Kara a mark who is “ready to play”. Her willingness to leave a club with a stranger named David, after only a brief exchange, highlights her naivety or perhaps her own need for a quick escape from her circumstances. This trait, played on by the Killer, leads to her abduction.

Chronological Arc

Kara’s arc spans from friend to financial burden to victim:

  1. Early chapters (before chapter 7): Kara is established as Cadence’s roommate and confidante. She is supportive but financially dependent.

  2. Chapter 7 (Cadence’s point of view): The enforcer arrives; Cadence forces Kara to escape with the college savings. Kara climbs down the fire escape, promising to call. This is the first major separation.

  3. Chapter 12 (Cadence in captivity): While chained in the Indigo Room, Cadence worries that Kara has already spent the money—foreshadowing the later conflict.

  4. Chapter 13 (Cadence returns home): Cadence finds Kara alive but devastated, having spent most of the funds. They reconcile over 90210 reruns, and Kara learns Cadence was the prostitute with John Cruze. Kara expresses envy and a desire for a similar escape. Cadence decides to return to sex work.

  5. Chapter 27 (Killer’s point of view): The Killer picks Kara at a club, calls himself David, and takes her away to play. This cliffhanger ends Kara’s known story in the book, leaving her fate uncertain.

Relationships

Kara and Cadence

Their bond is sisterly and mutually dependent. Cadence saved Kara from homelessness; in return, Kara provides emotional warmth and companionship. However, the relationship is asymmetrical: Cadence is the provider and protector, while Kara is the taker. Cadence’s love for Kara is genuine (“I love her just the same, even if most days she drives me bat-shit crazy” – chapter 13), but this love creates vulnerability. When Kara spends the money, Cadence is devastated but forgives her because she understands that Kara assumed she was dead. Their relationship illustrates how survival in poverty strains even the strongest bonds.

Kara and John Cruze (indirect)

Kara never meets Cruze, but she is fascinated by him. In chapter 13, she watches his old TV show and asks Cadence for details about their encounter. Her fantasy of using blackmail to stay with him shows her belief in using any means to escape her circumstances. This contrast with Cadence’s ethics highlights different survival strategies.

Kara and the Killer

The encounter in chapter 27 is brief but chilling. The Killer selects Kara as a substitute for the woman he truly wants. He notes internally that he needs this victim to last weeks but has been failing. Kara’s willingness to leave with him—her readiness to “play”—makes her a plausible target. The asymmetry is stark: she sees a potential romantic or adventurous encounter; he sees a disposable doll.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Decision to spend Cadence’s money (chapter 13): Kara uses the college funds for comfort purchases after believing Cadence is dead. Consequence: Cadence must return to prostitution, delaying her dreams indefinitely. This decision also strains their trust, though Cadence forgives her.

  2. Decision to leave the club with “David” (chapter 27): Kara accepts the Killer’s invitation without caution. Consequence: She is abducted and becomes a victim in his dollhouse. The novel does not show the outcome, leaving readers in suspense.

  3. Decision to stay loyal to Cadence (implicit throughout): Kara never betrays Cadence’s secrets, not even after Zane’s enforcer’s arrival. This loyalty preserves the bond but also puts Kara in danger when the Killer targets her—possibly because of her association with Cadence.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Survival and Resilience

Kara embodies both the struggle to survive and the flaws that can undermine survival. She escaped her family’s rejection and found a home with Cadence, but her inability to manage money and her risk-taking behavior (going with a stranger) make her a cautionary example within the novel’s world. Her resilience is emotional rather than strategic.

Transactional Relationships

Kara’s worldview is transactional: she suggests blackmail and envies Cadence’s one-night stand with a celebrity. Her relationship with Cadence has elements of exchange—Cadence provides shelter and money; Kara provides company and emotional support. Yet their bond is more genuine than the novel’s other relationships, showing that love can exist within transactional environments.

Identity and Deception

The Killer uses a false name (“David”) to deceive Kara, preying on her desire for connection. Kara herself is living a deceptive existence—she presents herself as a typical young woman but is actually homeless and dependent. The theme of hidden identities resonates in her arc.

Power and Control

When the Killer touches Kara’s thigh in the cab, he exerts control. Kara, unaware, cedes power through her trust. This echoes the broader power imbalances between men and women in the novel.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Kara spend most of the money Cadence gave her?

Kara spends the money because she truly believed Cadence was dead. She says she needed “some pick-me-ups” to cope with her grief and uncertainty (chapter 13). While this is financially devastating for Cadence, it reflects Kara’s emotional vulnerability rather than malice.

2. How does Kara react when she learns about Cadence’s encounter with John Cruze?

Kara is fascinated and envious. She demands details, then declares Cadence “the luckiest person I know. And the stupidest” for not staying with him (chapter 13). Kara admits she would have used blackmail to keep him, revealing her more pragmatic—and morally flexible—approach to opportunities.

3. What does the Killer’s choice of Kara reveal about his psychological state?

The Killer is frustrated and sexually obsessed with a specific woman (likely Cadence). He selects Kara as a substitute, but he notes he has been unable to keep victims alive longer than a day (chapter 27). His choice shows his desperation, declining control, and willingness to target anyone who resembles his ideal object. It also suggests that Kara’s association with Cadence makes her a proxy.

4. Does Kara know about John Zane or the true danger Cadence is in?

No. Kara knows only that Cadence was taken by a client who had her pimp beaten. Cadence hides the truth about Zane’s abuse, the Indigo Room, and the non-disclosure agreement. To Kara, Cadence is simply “with a rich and secretive client” (chapter 13). This gap in knowledge makes Kara’s later questioning (about the enforcer) heart-wrenching.

5. Is Kara’s fate shown in the book?

The novel ends before Kara’s abduction is resolved. In chapter 27, the Killer takes her to his “dollhouse” and asks if she’s ready to play. The next chapter returns to Cadence’s point of view, and Kara does not reappear. Her ultimate survival is left open—her fate is a key cliffhanger that underscores the stakes for Cadence in the story’s final act.

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