Page 105 of Greed
He jerked away, eyes showing way too much white. “I’m just going to take what I want from now on. You included. So keep going. To the bank.”
Lilo juddered forward, a real sense of panic clawing at her lungs because Donnie began to mumble like a crazy man. She’d missed her chance to grab the weapon, it had returned to its spot, jammed into her back.
“I’ll show them sin,” he mumbled.
“Who, Donnie? Show who?”
“They wanted him. They wanted me to ruin them, but I want them to see my face. I’m done hiding behind a mask. Stop here.”
She had no choice, he jerked her to a halt. “You know what I never understood? You had everything growing up, Lilo. Your parents gave you anything you wanted.”
“It was blood money. You know that.”
“Who gives a fuck where the money comes from if you’re rich. Money buys power, and soon, I’m going to be very powerful. You’d do well to remember that.” He leaned in close to her ear. “Be a good little mafia girl and do as you’re told. Just like you always have.”
She flinched. In a way, he was right. He always knew that about her. From the time she lived under her parents’ roof, doing as she was told, to the time she was with him. She loved hard, and she fell hard under their spell. Would it be the same with Griffin? Would there be something unseen in the future that dragged her down? Giving all of herself to her loved ones was her weakness, and she knew, that deep down, it all stemmed from a feeling of unworthiness. She wasn’t enough for her parents. They had to lie and cheat and steal to fill their lives withthings. And when she called them on it, threatened to leave… they let her go. She was never enough. All of her fight slowly bled away.
“Yes,” he crooned. “You see it, don’t you? You don’t have the guts to stand on your own. You’re only worth as much as the person telling you what to do, what decisions to make, so I’m telling you now. See that armored vehicle?”
Lilo’s gaze traveled across the street to the bank and to where an armored van was parked. Two black uniformed guards stood watch while a bank employee carried bags—seemingly of money—to the van’s open back.
“We’re going to steal that.”
“Stop, Donnie.”
He chuckled. “No. I planned for this. For everything.”
He pulled something from his pocket. It wasn’t a gun, but a syringe. What the hell? He jammed the needle into his neck and depressed, pushing the contents into his veins. Within seconds, he contorted and the tendons in his neck protruded. Bloodshot eyes widened, and he hissed, growled, sounding as wild as an animal trapped in human skin. He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, eyes fluttering as whatever was in the syringe hit his nervous system. He pumped his fists. “Fuck, yeah.”
She should run. Run right now while he was occupied, but that little voice inside her kept whispering… maybe he’s right.
Too late. He pulled out his gun, and she almost lost control of her bladder, but he didn’t turn it on her. He sighted the black uniformed guards and fired. A precise bullet to each heart. The loud cracking sound echoed, bounced off the buildings and ricocheted. People screamed and scattered. Lilo caught the flash of a mother and child almost being trampled in the rush to get away. When she turned back to Donnie, he’d gone insane. It wasn’t a man peeking out from behind those eyes, it was a beast.
She found it hard enough to fight him when he was a man. Now this?
Donnie slung his backpack toward the footing of the monorail and then grabbed her hand and ran across the street toward the armored vehicle. Traffic beeped, and breaks suddenly engaged, tires squealing on the road. But a path had been cleared. Nothing was between them and the van but a few meters of street. Donnie almost ripped her arm out of its socket as he yanked her along. Before they got to the car, something long and narrow slammed into the ground in front of them, cutting them off. A long shuddering pole had implanted right into the asphalt.
“Let her go,” came a low computerized voice Lilo recognized well.
Both she and Donnie whirled around. Griffin was perched up on the monorail, dressed as Greed and ready to fight. Elation lifted her spirits as she took in the blue face-scarf and hard eyes aimed with predatory focus at her captor.
His gaze flicked to Lilo. “It’s going to be fine.”
His words reached into her heart and banished all her self-doubt. He was here. For her. Why would he do that if he didn’t think she was worth it? God, she wanted to smack herself over the head. She wasn’t this afraid, timid person she used to be. Maybe loving hard had been her weakness, but now, it was her strength.
Screw Donnie. She wasn’t going down without a fight.
Run!Her instincts screamed at her.
But his fingers were like an iron manacle around her wrist, and the more she yanked and resisted, the harder he pulled her forward, running. When she resisted again, he didn’t shoot her, he shot at Griffin. “Get in the car, Lilo.”
Griffin raised a palm, and the bullet halted mid-air, as if stuck in invisible jelly. Then he slipped from the rail to land below, fist to the ground to steady himself. But Lilo couldn’t see anymore, she was being shoved into the passenger side of the van, and pushed across the seats to the driver side.
“Start the car!” Donnie shouted, still shooting out the open window—keeping Griffin busy.
“No!” She tried opening her door to escape the other side, but Donnie grabbed her hair and yanked her back. Pain spiked at her scalp as he held her by the hair.
“Do it.” He pulled her head back by the hair and jammed his gun into her temple. “Now.”
