Page 36 of Devious Lies

“I never saw a building with a locked elevator,” I remark as he uses his handprint to open the thing.

The doors open silently, and I step inside.

“There’s another one that opens to the security room. But they can’t access my main floor without my approval.”

“Wait, this building is yours?” I ask, stunned.

He nods.

“How did you manage that?” I wonder.

“I own the building, Baby Girl. Bought it when it was an abandoned warehouse. Worked with an architect to redesign it. Then, I moved in.”

He shrugs like it is no big deal. But it is.

This place is huge.

An entire warehouse.

It strikes me then just how much money Luc has.

I stumble over my feet as we exit, but he saves me with a firm grip on my elbow.

“Easy,” he whispers, and he’s so close I shiver.

“Come on.”

He uses the same biometric security system, scanning his hand before another door unlocks.

The world he reveals behind it is masculine and rich.

Minimalist.

“How big is this place?”

“Pretty fucking big, Maria. You really want to talk about it?” he asks.

I nod, because yes, I do.

I want to know everything about him. I look around, my hungry eyes eating up every bit of information I can gather.

“Okay. Well, I bought this old warehouse. I renovated it. It's my sort of loft meets mini mansion, and it is right in the heart of Jersey City. An ideal place to live, truly.”

“Ideal? How so?”

“It’s close to work. Close to Nico and Angel. But nobody around here knows me, and I like the privacy,” he continues.

“I never thought privacy was possible to find in the city,” I say, trying for a joke, but it’s lame.

“Anything is possible when you have money and power. I've got both,” he says.

“I also have state-of-the-art security. Oh, and I’m kind of proud of the fact this whole building operates on the greenest electrical and plumbing systems available. I have solar panels on the roof, even a small wind turbine. I've also got a rooftop garden with a swimming pool and one-sided see-through glass covering it. My garden is hydroponic. I grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs. I have a guy come in once a month to make sure the system is running efficiently. I've got a courtyard out back and there are plants there, too. Come look,” he says, and pulls me with him to the big window facing the back.

I love it. There is a huge wrought iron fence covered in ivy on both sides, blocking street level viewers from seeing in.

It’s on the Hudson River, so I know this must cost a fortune. But for a moment, I allow myself to feel like I belong there. With him.

And it is wonderful.

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