Page 48 of Tempting God

“Excuse me?”

I gesture at her phone. “You accepted a donation from Walt Ryans? Cordelia, that man is one of our biggest naysayers!”

“Who just donated two-million dollars to HYPE.” She shakes her head. “We cannot afford to turn down money like that.”

“No, there’s something else going on here.” My eyes widen. “He’s paying you to get rid of me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

But she won’t meet my gaze.

I lean back in my chair, suddenly defeated.

“I thought we were going to change the world,” I finally say.

“We are. You aren’t.” She stands. “Goodbye, Greer.”

“You’re making a mistake, Cordelia.”

“Am I?”

I stand, too.

“Yes, you are. You may be gaining two-million dollars, but you’re also losing an ally. One might even say you’re making an enemy today.”

“Is that a threat?”

I shake my head. “It’s not a threat. It’s a fact.”

I brush past her, not stopping until I’m outside.

No one tries to stop me. Heck, I’m not sure anyone even notices that I’m leaving.

I exhale, looking up at the gray sky. It looks like it’s going to rain. Wonderful weather to get fired in.

There’s an empty bench in front of the building. I make sure it’s dry before taking a seat.

Well, this day hasn’t gone as planned.

The thing is, I’m not surprised Cordelia got rid of me in exchange for money. She’s always made it a point to mention how she was doing me a favor by letting me be there. She sure as heck never gave me credit where credit was due. No, she’d always find a way to praise someone else, and I’d just stand there, smiling, happy to be a part of the team.

My breath catches.

Happy to be a part of the team, even though the team doesn’t care that I’m there. Same with when I was in college and took as many classes as possible, networking my butt off just to be told I was trying too hard. And in high school when I had an art class, even though I hated it. Heck, the only time I’ve ever felt like I truly fit in is when I’m with Isa Moretti and Hannah Henderson. The irony that they’re connected to the Brotherhood isn’t lost on me.

I also feel like I can be myself around Grant. My chest tightens at the thought of him. How can I miss someone this much? It can’t be healthy, right? Like, we hooked up and now he’s all I can think about? Just like the needy girl that I am, I pull out my phone to see if he texted me yet. Since Vegas, we’ve fallen into a routine where we text or talk on the phone throughout the day.

Grant

Missing you and your pretty smile. How’s your day going?

He sent it ten minutes ago, which means he was thinking about me. The stupid smile on my face can’t be wiped as my finger hovers over the text message. Finally, I type out a message.

Meh. I hope yours is going better than mine.

His reply is instant.

It’s better now that I’m talking to you.

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