Page 111 of Greed
“You know I’m right,” Parker added as though reading his thoughts. “Let’s go before the—”
Greed flared.
A colossal weight landed between Griffin’s shoulders, slamming him face first into the ground. His forehead smashed on the rocky surface and everything jarred in pain. Warm, wet liquid ran over his face. He barely caught the beastly “Mine”before the weight lifted from his back.
In horrifying slow motion, Griffin understood—Doppenger had broken free from his constraints, had torpedoed into him and used him as a stepping stone to get to Lilo. The beast lunged with lethal speed, but he wasn’t fast enough. Griffin’s hand snapped out and caught the meaty ankle as it soared over his head, tugging them both back to the ground. Beast and man grappled and scrambled to their feet, but with Lilo’s blurred face in the distance, Griffin’s determination turned rock hard.
I trust you.
Give it your all.
Time to end this.
A calming sense of peace settled over him. He threw out his hand, calling his bo-staff through the air. The cold metal surface hit his palm, and he swung the pole around Doppenger’s body, using it for a chokehold. He pulled tight across the larynx, blocking the beast’s airways, using his power to boost his strength and pull the metal bar closer.
Choke.
The injured beast struggled and Griffin wasn’t sure if the serum wore off, or it was his irrational need to protect his mate, but Doppenger choked out within minutes, slowly going limp within Griffin’s arms until his massive body slumped to the ground unconscious. Heaving air into his burning lungs, Griffin refused to remove his eyes or fists from the beast, now slowly shrinking to become the man once more.
The serum. It wore off. He was vulnerable again.
Parker tapped him on the shoulder. “He’s done. We need to go.”
But Griffin kept the pressure on.
“Greed,” Parker warned.
Choke.
“Greed!”
Griffin let go.
Gathered behind them were city cops, pistols out warily, unsure who to point them at. He couldn’t see Liza among them.Shit. Had they stepped out of the frying pan, only to land in the fire?
Someone shouted, “They saved us.”
The police slowly lowered their weapons.
“I have a recording,” Lilo said to the closest officer, stepping toward him. “I’ll show you everything.”
While she distracted with her camera-phone, she shot Griffin a meaningful look full of urgency.Get out of here while you can,she seemed to say.I’ve got your back.
And in that moment, Griffin knew she would. Always.
Taking advantage of the confusion, he turned and followed Parker swiftly and expertly to make their escape.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Straddling his idle Ducati, Wyatt Lazarus watched the aftermath of the monorail disaster unfold. His vantage point from the hilltop street leading to the City Bank gave him a full view of the cluster-fuck incorporated. Cops swarmed over the place like a pack of drunk bees. Obviously no one knew what the hell was going on because bystanders contaminated the scene, same as the dumbass police officers. All they needed now was for—fuck it.There they were. The press scooting into the cordoned off area with their cameras.
His fists squeezed his motorcycle’s handlebars until metal creaked and his knuckles went white.
It should have been him down there helping his family put that beast to bed, but instead he’d been stuck up there, paralyzed and watching from the sidelines like some pre-schooler afraid of his own shadow. But Wyatt wasn’t afraid. He was angry. Pissed. Furious.
Blissfully consumed with wrath.
He had been for months, ever since… he bit his tongue, unable to voice her name, even in his thoughts. A metallic bitterness burst through his mouth as he drew blood, shedding light on his emotional state. He couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t filled with wrath, but he didn’t give a shit. Hell, it gave him something to focus on.
