Page 42 of Greed
“Yes. Sorry. What?”
“Do you have clearance to get through the gate?”
“I left, but my parents have always had an open door policy for me.”
“But you’ve never taken it?”
“No. I can’t forgive what they did.” Fake—even with her. She could never trust them.
Griffin hesitated, but kept darting back to Lilo. She almost smiled at his transparency. “It’s okay if you want to know what they did.”
“Only if you want to share.”
“They paid for my love.” Seeing his confusion, she elaborated and told him all about her discovery on her sixteenth birthday. “After that, they weren’t so careful hiding their criminal activities. I once saw my father torture some poor guy in my basement, all because the man owed him some money.” She shook her head, lost in the memory. “When he caught me watching, he bought me a new diamond bracelet. As if that was enough to excuse his deeds. So you see, not only are they criminals, but they never once showed me an ounce of honest affection. I was just another transaction to them. I was too weak to go to the police back then, but now I’m doing this job, uncovering criminal activity, and putting murderers behind bars. It’s my way of making up for never doing the right thing back then.”
Two intense eyes bored into her, then the car in front of them moved and Griffin put the vehicle into gear, shifting them forward.
“Name?” The security guard leaned into the window and eyed them.
“Lilo Likeke—I mean, Liota—here to see the Liotas on Parkham Way.”
“And you are?” The man shifted his attention to Griffin.
Lilo covered his thigh with her hand. “My fiancé, Griffin Lazarus.”
Griffin tensed, but smiled briefly at the guard.
“Right. ID please.”
Both handed over their cards.
“I’ll be a moment.” The man went back to his booth and picked up the phone, most likely calling Lilo’s mother for confirmation.
She looked at where her hand rested. He didn’t complain, and she made sure to keep her pressure firm. It was a nice, solid thigh. Sturdy and warm.
“Fiancé,” Griffin eventually said.
“Sorry. It’s the easiest way to get you in.”
Reluctantly, Lilo removed her palm and placed it in her lap. “My parents are very suspicious of strangers. Fiancé was the first thing I could think of.”
Within minutes, the guard was back, holding out their cards. “You’re free to go, Miss. Welcome back to The Eyrie.”
Lilo’s stomach churned as they drove away and wished she’d kept her connection to her rock beside her, but stared out the window instead. The neighborhood had only grown more extravagant, with Lilo’s parents’ house the icing on the cake. The monolith structure sat high on a hill overlooking the rest of the community like a king over his subjects, and the snow covering it sparkled like diamonds under the moon. Three-stories high, the federation style home sat behind a white picket fence and sprawling front lawns. Powdered rose bushes lined the boundaries and a single frozen oak tree sat in the middle, a ghostly swing swaying in the breeze. It was a suburban home turned into a luxury mansion. Lilo reached into the back of the Escalade to get her jacket and scarf. The walk from the road was long and cold.
Griffin parked and got out to wait by the picket fence. She tried to maneuver herself in the confines of the car to put her coat on. It took some time, but she managed it, then surrounded her neck with a woolen scarf, and put her beanie on her head. A few minutes later, she realized she was procrastinating.
Come, on, Lilo. You can do this.
The passenger door opened and Griffin stood there blowing hot air on his hands. “Everything okay?”
She smiled up at him. “Just a little nervous. It’s been a few years.”
He held out his hand.
I’m here,his eyes seemed to say.
A rush of raw emotion flowed over her. The shadows of the street lamp cast his handsome structure into hard angles as he watched her patiently. No pressure, no demands. Not like Donnie at all. She slipped her hand into his, appreciating it for what it was.
