Page 63 of Greed
So warm.
She hated that her body rejoiced in his heat because she was cold. She pushed against him.
“I’m not him,” came the deep voice as he leaned into her, nose hitting hers—only a thin layer of fabric separating their skin. “I’m the real Greed.”
Stupid man stood with his legs apart. She kneed upward. “I don’t believe you.”
He took the hit in the groin and bit out, “I swear it’s me.”
“Your bo-staff is missing.”
“There were more important things to carry.”
“Oh sure, a likely story.” He was sounding remarkably non-psycho and she didn’t like it. Too much anger and aggression had built inside her with her fight-or-flight reaction. Fight, dammit, she wanted to fight.
Never again would she be tied up like Donnie tied her.
She pushed at him, but it was like being stuck between two unforgiving walls. A frustrated cry ripped from her lungs as helplessness washed over her. He was too strong. Too powerful. As if sensing her sudden turn of emotions, he let go and stood back.
The light continued to flicker and they must have hit it because now it swung behind him with a squeak. Without breaking eye contact, he caught the cable, halting the globe. When he let go, he held up his palms in surrender.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I swear, but I need you to remove that weapon strapped to your thigh before you use it against me.”
She didn’t have a weapon. She’d given it away, and the stupid hobo man must have stolen it from the poor woman, and how the fuck did he know she’d had a weapon strapped to her thigh?
She pointed at him. “Stay back.”
“I can sense the metal. It’s small, but it’s there.” He frowned, cocking his head. “It’s… u-shaped. A pin?”
Sense the metal? Just what the fudging fork?
“Don’t you think I’d use the weapon if I had it?” She bit her lip and, knowing it was hopeless, went for his eyes, but her steam had run out. He caught her wrists, twisted and pushed her face first against the wall with the length of his body, arms trapped behind her in his grip. The cold wall on her cheek broke her composure.
“Please,” she sobbed. “Please don’t.”
She’d exhausted her adrenal glands until nothing was left. If he truly was the bad Greed, this was it for her. But if he was telling the truth…
The hard wall behind her softened. “So… it’s not a weapon?”
“No. I swear. I mean, like I said, there is no weapon. I gave it away to this woman in the street, to protect herself because I gave her my jacket and then there was a baby, and, oh my God, you can check if you like. Just check for God’s sake.”
The instant her rambling words finished, she froze. Did she just say that?
You can check if you like.
Idiot. Complete idiot.
“He used a gun. I abhor guns and have never used them.Youcan checkme.”
He wanted her to frisk him? That was almost as frightening a prospect.
“You saw how I stopped those bullets, correct?” His grip on her loosened, allowing her arms some lag, but he kept her facing the wall.
Who didn’t see that?
When the pelting of bullets sprayed the room, she’d thought she was a goner for sure, but then Greed had arrived. He took her in his steady arms and held her tight while the world shattered around them. The real Greed could manipulate metal. The real Envy could use electricity. Those were the facts.
Focus on the facts, Lilo. She nodded.
