Page 38 of Greed
A woman’s choking scream curdled through the corridor. It echoed in his battered ears, chilling him to the bone.
Lilo.
Adrenaline surged through his veins and he ran toward the source, taking the corridor corner so fast he nearly crashed into a group of people running in the same direction. When he ended in the open plan office, a crowd of workers had gathered around a desk. Griffin’s gaze flicked to the wall where the break room was, and then to the commotion in an effort to orientate himself. It was Lilo’s desk.
“Somebody call the police,” came a male voice over the crowd.
“On it,” someone else replied.
Griffin locked onto the sense of greed in the room. He recognized a few signatures, but most of all, he zeroed in on Doppenger standing in close proximity to Lilo’s desk. Every protective urge in his body stormed to the surface, and he shot toward Lilo as though his life depended on it.
“Out of my way,” Griffin barked as he pushed through. “Move.” He didn’t care who he shoved, because nearest to Lilo’s desk was that tall, grimy sensation of greed clawing his gut, and feeling it now for the third time, Griffin knew it was the same one he’d picked up emanating from the imposter this morning.
Doppenger was the fake Greed.
Griffin elbowed someone out of the way to find Lilo sitting at her desk, sobbing with Donald towering over her, a possessive hand on her shoulder.
Griffin zeroed in on that connection and fire erupted behind his eyelids. The rest of his thoughts weren’t coherent because all he could see was the touch of that slimy man on his mate.
Magnetic energy swelled in his blood, in the atmosphere, and Griffin’s awareness expanded in the room. Suddenly, he knew where each and every piece of metal alloy was. The bolts in the cabinets, the paperclips on the desk, the hard casing of the computer, and the heating vent in the ceiling. On a breath, his world became exponentially larger. He breathed hard, counting in his head until he slowly came back to his senses.
Lilo was alive. She wasn’t hurt… she was upset over something in that box.
Catching his approach, Doppenger swiveled his head in a smooth, unhurried motion to lock eyes. Something tangible came across that connection, a battle of wills, a challenge. Vitriolic thoughts collided behind Donald’s irises. There were secrets and turmoil and evil things lurking there, and all Griffin could think was that the sinner had his hand on Lilo, that he’d had his hands on her many times in the past. The notion violated the peace she’d previously gifted him.
The metal heating grate in the ceiling fell on Doppenger’s head.
“Damn it,” Doppenger exclaimed as he shielded himself, deflecting the grate to the side.
Perhaps Griffin needed more training after all.
“Lilo?” Griffin cut out, ignoring Donald’s cursing.
She uncovered her eyes and looked up with two orbs of glistening desperation. “Griffin?”
“I’m here,” he said.
The words sounded easy, so natural, yet they fit between them like they’d always been there.
Her face screwed up, and she launched out of her seat, away from Doppenger, and into his arms.
“It’s so terrible. It’s his, I know it.”
He glanced at the box and went cold. It was a severed ear. Someone she knew.
“Shh.” He held her tightly, applying firm pressure. It always made him feel better, safe. He wanted to cocoon her and protect her from the world.
Over her head, Griffin glared at Doppenger, wanting to tear the man into pieces and feed him to the rest of his deadly family. Impersonating one of them, murdering in cold blood, defaming their name. It had always been Donald Doppenger the Demanding, the greedy, writing those slanderous articles. He’d had a vendetta against the Deadly Seven for years, and now somehow, he’d taken it to the next level. Griffin just didn’t know why.
Griffin wouldn’t be surprised if the severed ear had something to do with him and he’d orchestrated the entire thing. He probably got some sick pleasure in seeing Lilo in pain.
Doppenger squinted at Griffin with disgust. “You two look awfully cozy for people who’ve just met.”
“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” Griffin replied.
“You knew each other from before. That’s how you got the job, isn’t it?”
“I got the job because of my proven skill set, and it’s none of your business how long I’ve known Lilo,” he fired back. “This isn’t the time, nor place for such a conversation.”
