Page 100 of Greed
“Fine,” she conceded and took the money. “But I’ll bring some by.”
“I’ll keep you updated if I have to leave the office.”
She went to leave, but he’d almost forgotten.
“Wait,” he said, stopping her. “I’ll bring you coffee at morning break time. Same time?”
“Ten? If I can wait that long. No wait, nine-thirty. No. Ten. I need to cut down.”
He walked to his desk, lowered his heavy backpack, and then cut a look to her as he sat in his chair. “Ten it is.”
After she left, it took him a moment to acclimatize to being at work again. He regretted to admit he hadn’t spared a thought for the place the entire weekend, or for Doppenger, who was his primary target now. This was his last secret from Lilo, and he had no idea how to broach the subject. She had been intimately involved with this man, and with so much bad blood between her and her family already, he didn’t want to add more pain to her life.
After training on Sunday, Parker outlined the current situation with the imposter. Doppenger had stayed in his building for most of the weekend, most likely recovering from what Griffin had done to him in the warehouse, but they were all on standby, hence the backpack full of his combat uniform and battle gear Griffin had brought in.
It had been decided that all the seven would take their uniforms wherever they went. Crime happened during the day, as well as night, and with the Syndicate in town, they had to be vigilant.
Until then, he would assume his day-to-day duties at the Copy.
He spent the next few hours going over the data he’d gathered the previous week and working out which staff members he’d yet to assess before his nine-thirty with Fred the editor. Eager to have the meeting done with so he could get to Lilo, Griffin went to Fred’s office early with his notes.
Cresting the hallway corner, he sensed two greed signatures within Fred’s office and stopped just in time before walking in uninvited. The door was open. Inside there were two men having a discussion at Fred’s desk. One man was obviously Fred, but the other man… Griffin’s heart stopped at the sight of him. The immediate snapshot of this stranger had the blood roaring in Griffin’s ears. Maybe it was because of his idyllic weekend, or maybe it was his recent confession trudging up old memories, but the man looked exactly like his fallen comrade—the one he’d killed.
James.
Impossible.
The same red hair, the same square profile, and the same broad shoulders. Sensing his arrival, the stranger turned his head, and Griffin held his breath.
Not him.
He exhaled.
Of course it wasn’t him. James was dead.
“Griffin,” Fred said, surprised. He checked his watch. “You’re not due for another ten minutes.”
“My apologies,” Griffin replied, and glanced at the face of the stranger, one last time to be sure. “I’ll come back later.”
Heart pounding, he stepped back into the hall and out of view of the men in the office. He stood with his back to the wall and processed what happened.
He checked his wrist tattoo. Still balanced. So why was his internal chemistry going haywire? He closed his eyes and took deep, lungfuls of air, slowly blowing out through his teeth.
Why?
He kept repeating the question in his mind.
Why now?
James was dead. Griffin was paying his debt. He was in control.
But the panic was real.
No… he wasn’t alive. It wasn’t James.
His throat closed up as he realized how much of himself relied on Lilo now. Already he’d forgotten his balance protocol, leaving everything up to fate and the proximity to his soulmate. Forgetting his past could have devastating consequences. One snap from an ill timed comment could mean the difference between life and death for anyone around him.
A new level of anxiety seized him. Could this mean Lilo too? Could she be the one he irrationally lashed out on?
