Page 119 of Greed
Griffin gave a curt nod but said nothing.
“I can take care of myself,” Lilo said, affronted. “You know that, Dad. But yes, this gorgeous man here is my husband.”
Haulani’s eyebrows winged up. “Husband?”
“Yes.” Lilo’s voice rose in pitch and she opened her bag to retrieve a small picture album. Her fingers shook with nerves, but she opened the album and showed it to him. “We were married at the courthouse yesterday.”
There weren’t many pictures taken, but Griffin had insisted there were some. Mary and Renata had come to act as witnesses. Lilo wore a basic white dress that she insisted on purchasing herself, and Griffin wore a plain tailored suit.
“I wish I could have been there,” Haulani said, a melancholy tone creeping in.
“Me too,” Lilo replied. Griffin knew family meant a lot to Lilo, and having this reunion with her father, no matter how troubled, was a step in the right direction for her. He also knew that he would do everything in his power to let her know she was cared for and loved, even if she shied away from the attention sometimes. Shewasloved.
He may have let her have her way with the wedding, but he’d make it his mission to show her all the ways she was important to not only him, but the rest of the people in her life.
Her father oohed and aahed appropriately at the pictures until they got to the end of the album which was a good segue for Lilo to discuss the pictures they found in his safe.
“Why did you have them, Dad?”
His eyes darted to Griffin in such a way that suggested Haulani had taken a good look at the pictures and knew exactly who Griffin was. When he turned his gaze back to his daughter, he said, “I was approached by a woman to gather irrefutable evidence as to the real identities of the vigilantes. Paid a lot of money for it. At the time I was under pressure to increase my income.”
“For mom, you mean.”
Haulani stared at his daughter knowingly, but remained tight-lipped.
“I don’t know why you keep trying to protect her, dad. We know she was the one who drove you to such extremes.”
“I have to accept responsibility, pumpkin. I could have said no. Love makes us do strange things, I suppose. Have you heard from your mother?”
Lilo shared a resigned look with Griffin. “We looked into it, but after your assets were frozen, it became difficult to track her. We think she was sighted in Jamaica.”
Her father sighed deeply. “Good.”
“Good?” Lilo was outraged. “How can that be good?”
He shrugged. “Love makes us do strange things. I just want her to be safe.”
“Dad. She encouraged you to do bad things, and now she’s leaving you to rot in here while she's gallivanting around the globe. For the record, I’m not happy about that.” She reached across the bench and took her father’s hand, despite the stern rebuke from the guard in the corner. “And for the record, I’m glad you’ve taken responsibility for your part.”
Griffin cleared his throat. “And regarding that part, what can you tell us about the woman who paid you for the surveillance pictures of my family?”
Haulani thought about it. “She was tall, beautiful, had long white hair.”
Falcon.
“She was hard to say no to. She knew exactly what I hoped to get out of the arrangement—the money and… yeah. She knew the darkest fear of my heart so she could capitalize on it.”
“Do you have her contact details?” Lilo asked.
“No. She called me from an unregistered number.”
“And why didn’t you pass the pictures on?” Griffin asked.
“Because I read my daughter’s article about the vigilante turned superhero. I knew how much these heroes meant to her, and… I just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t break her heart again. I made sure that she was the only one who could gain access to the safe. I knew Lilo would do the right thing if something happened to me.” He met his daughter’s eyes. “I’m sorry, pumpkin. I should have done the right thing a long time ago.”
Lilo sniffed. “I believe you.”
The guard came up to the table. “Time’s up, Liota.”
