He guessed the flip side of being his greedy sin’s opposite was help wasn’t easy for her to accept. More of a giver than a receiver. She’d spent her years since leaving her family giving every inch of herself for the benefit of other people. Whether it was to uncover criminal secrets, investigate cold-cases no one wanted to touch, or physically give when she had little herself. It was clear she spent her last dollars on those donuts for staff. Her clothes and accessories were old and worn. She lived in an affordable area of town. He wondered when was the last time she accepted a gift, or received help without offering something in return. She didn’t have a greedy or selfish bone in her body. It must have taken a lot from her to ask him to go to her parents’ house.
On the car ride back to her mid-town apartment, he’d learned the upsetting message she’d received on her phone had to do with her recent article written for the paper. It had been published with Doppenger’s name under the byline and included the content she’d fought to have redacted regarding the attacker’s appearance. Griffin could see why she would be angry at Donald, but not at him.
He was only trying to prevent more violence. He just couldn’t fathom how she thought she’d be safe going to an exchange with criminals.
She’d ignored him all day at work and Griffin had little chance to record data pertaining to her proximity, touch, and effect on his biometric marker. He’d spent the time working with other employees and going over Parker’s algorithm to find the rest of the family’s mates.
To say he was out of sorts by the time he sat in the private dining room was an understatement. At the head of the table he had a good view of the family, including the new addition, Evan’s mate Grace. Parker, Sloan, Liza, Tony and their parents Mary and Flint were all there. However, Wyatt was still absent, leaving Griffin to wonder how long his brother’s self imposed sabbatical would last. Wyatt may be a hot head sometimes, but he was pragmatic and Griffin missed that. He’d been a voice of reason… that was, until toward the end, then wrath had blinded him to common sense.
The danger in their lives wasn’t only physical.
“About time, bro,” Evan grumbled from the chair next to Griffin. “I’m starving.”
“Nothing was stopping you from eating.”
“But that would be rude, and I’m not. Am I, Doc?” He nudged Grace with his elbow. “Except, maybe I had a spring roll already.”
“Don’t ever let Wyatt catch you saying these are spring rolls,” Liza said from across the table. There was a beat of silence as everyone no doubt felt the same longing for their missing family member. “They’re deconstructed… I don’t know. What do you call these, Parks?”
Sitting next to Griffin on the other side, Parker arched an eyebrow. “Vietnamese gỏi cuốn.”
“See?” Evan picked up one and put it in his mouth, humming in appreciation. “Spring rolls.”
Grace leaned forward to peer around Evan. “How are you, Griffin? How’s that shoulder going?”
He rotated it. “Good. Almost healed.”
“That’s good to hear. I was a bit apprehensive when Lilo told me Donnie had reopened it.”
“Lilo spoke with you?” But not him?
Evan choked on a laugh, almost losing his mouthful, then pointed at Griffin with a fork. “Look at your face, bro. You got it bad.”
“You make it sound like a venereal disease.” Grace screwed up her nose.
“Well, if he feels anything like I did when I first met you”—he paused for dramatic effect, then pointed again at Griffin with a smirk—“you got no chance.”
“Did you bring the paperwork?” Parker asked gruffly.
Wearing a tailored suit, Parker looked every bit the CEO he was. His long auburn hair brushed his expensive collar and was impeccably styled, just like his designer stubble. I’m waiting, his eyes said.
Griffin pulled a folded stack of paper from his blazer pocket and handed it to Parker.
It was hard to miss Tony at the end of the table, already finished dinner and sprawled back with a drunken lilt to his puffy eyes. Having wrapped up filming on the set of his latest movie, he appeared exhausted. His usually styled short hair was scruffy, his five-o'clock shadow looked days old, and if he’d portrayed a hobo in the movie, Griffin would have believed it. Sometimes Tony liked to dress down to avoid raving fans accosting him, however, he still looked like his multi-million dollar pay-check.
“So, what did you think?” Parker inspected Griffin’s notes.
“About the mating algorithm?”
Liza snorted.
Wearing a standard plain-clothed detective uniform, she must have come straight from work. She flicked her dark braid over her shoulder and leaned toward Parker to read Griffin’s notes.
“Do you mind?” Parker lifted his brows at her. “There is such as thing as personal space.”
“Not in this family.” Another snort from her and she kept reading. “Mating algorithm. What a whacked name.”
“Well, that’s what it is, isn’t it?” Griffin shook out his napkin and placed it on his lap. He smoothed it until the edges folded over his thighs.
“Who cares what it’s called? What’s the verdict? Will it work?” Parker asked.
“Just to be clear, the algorithm, I can’t comment on. I don’t know how to code, but as to the accuracy of the data pool…” He paused.
Liza leaned forward expectantly. Sloan stopped playing idly with her spring rolls and popped the end of her pigtail into her mouth, chewing as she stared at Griffin.
Everyone around the table hushed. Waited.
He didn’t want to disappoint them.
Thanks to the success of the Evan and Grace partnership, they were all eager to begin a life unburdened by their sin. Part of Griffin rebelled at that. He’d given them all a viable alternative—his timing protocol—but even he could see Evan’s mental health had improved dramatically. He had to admit the protocol took up valuable time in his schedule.
Griffin frowned at where his brother’s hand rested on Grace’s thigh under the table. They didn’t think anyone noticed, or didn’t care, but the two of them were constantly touching. It wasn’t a position Griffin could ever see himself in, especially now Lilo wouldn’t talk to him, but for once in his life, he considered he might have liked it. Those few moments he’d shared with Lilo in his office were… altering.
“So, not good.” Parker shook his head, already making his own conclusions based on Griffin’s extended pause.
“Well, it’s not ideal,” Griffin confirmed. His stomach grumbled, and he collected the last remaining spring roll from the center of the table to add to his plate. “The quality of the data you’re sampling isn’t accurate. People lie on social media all the time, plus, if you take Grace into account, you’ll notice she doesn’t have an online presence. So, this algorithm would have missed her entirely.”
“So it’s a big, fat waste of time,” Liza snapped.
“Don’t say that.” Mary reached across the table to her daughter.
Liza shook her head. “I’ll be the last one, I swear. Who the fuck has no lust in their system?”
Griffin shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t say it was useless, but in my opinion, it’s not something easily quantified.”
“It’s better than nothing.” Parker dropped the papers on the table.
Most of the Lazarus family sat back in their chairs morosely.
The waitress came and took their orders—since Tony ate early, he went straight onto dessert and mumbled about the lack of good mousse since Wyatt left. As they waited for their meals to arrive, the conversation turned to an acceptable topic while the dining-room door was open. Soft sounds of chatter filtered through from the public area of the restaurant.
“Has anyone heard from Wyatt?” Evan asked hopefully.
A few months ago, Wyatt had taken off, leaving only a letter behind and no forwarding address. The family felt his absence acutely, now more than ever because it had been months with no word.
He would be alone out there, angry, and full of guilt and self loathing for not listening to Evan’s warning about Sara.
“Nothing directly,” Mary stated, shaking out her napkin.
“What about indirectly?” Evan smiled briefly at the waitress placing his meal in front of him, waited for her to leave, then continued. “We put a tracker on his bike, right? Can AIMI find him?”
AIMI was their artificial intelligence management interface. Designed as a joint venture between Parker, Sloan and Flint, she’d been in her final prototype stages at the time of Wyatt’s disappearance.
“You know as well as anyone else at this table that AIMI can be deactivated manually,” Parker replied. “But, she hasn’t been. He’s in town. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t come home.”
“There’ve been reports in the South-Side of a rider in black interrupting gangland meetings and—” Flint hesitated and glanced at his wife.
“He’s being Wyatt,” Mary finished for him.
“Being Wyatt meaning he’s wailing on them, right?” Liza asked. “He’s not wearing his suit is he? We don’t need more bad press for the family if he’s recognized.”
“He’s not wearing the suit. Just his helmet to cover his face.”
“That’s not the point.” Flint wiped his hands on his napkin. “The body count is growing. I’m not sure how long we can leave him to his own devices before he slips into his sin entirely.”
The stunned silence around the room grated as much as noise.
Griffin’s pulse beat loudly in his ears, and he swallowed, tugging at his collar. Wyatt shouldn’t be out there on his own. It was dangerous to him, and everyone else. Griffin knew better than all of them what happened when you slipped into a sin psychosis… people died. All of them. Not just the sinners. He stared at the plate before him, contemplating. It was time he told the family.
“We need to bring him back,” he said. “If his sin takes hold of him, he’ll black out and kill anyone nearby. Mothers, children… anyone.”
Parker stopped eating and zeroed in on him. The look they shared conveyed Griffin’s urgency.
“You’re speaking from experience,” Parker said. It was a statement, not a question.
“I am.”
He expected questions. Maybe a few comments. Something like, That’s what’s wrong with you. But Mary only covered Flint’s hand on the table and held it tight.
“I’m sorry that happened to you while you were on your own, Griffin,” she said. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
“I know.” He turned to Evan. “What about your dreams? Can we find Wyatt that way?”
Evan blushed and looked at Grace. “I’m not seeing much other than my relationship at the moment. It seems my dreams are connected to what I’m thinking about most during my waking hours.”
It was Grace’s turn to blush as she dipped her gaze to her table setting.
The waitress came back and was almost finished placing meals at each setting, including Tony’s dessert which he accepted with a flirty wink.
When the waitress left again, Parker shot Tony a dirty look. “Don’t shit where you eat, Tony.”
“Relax, I’m not going to do anything.” Tony glared back, lifting his palms in mock surrender. Ignoring Parker’s bold stare, he spooned some chocolate mousse into his mouth.
That man put away so much food without putting on weight. It was commendable. Although his strict exercise regime was built to keep him solid and sculptured, and his personal trainers never let him miss a session at the gym.
“I mean it,” Parker added. “We can’t afford to keep hiring new staff every time you get a hankering for one of them.”
“Whatever. Hey, I’ve got something more appropriate to talk about,” Tony challenged. “Did anyone stop to wonder if Wyatt actually wrote the note? I mean, what if it was a fake?”
“It was his handwriting,” Mary disagreed. “I’d know his chicken scratch scrawl anywhere.”
“But we’re not a hundred percent sure, are we?” Tony countered.
Silence fell into an expanding pool of uncertainty.
“I think we should find him,” Griffin offered. “If he wants to remain secluded, then that is fine, but we need eyes on him. I don’t like not knowing specifically where he is. It’s a risk, to us and to him.” Especially because someone was out there with a camera, looking to capture evidence of their true identities.
“I agree,” Evan added.
A chorus of agreement rolled over the table.
“Okay, then.” Parker stood up and shut the dining door after the waitress had left for the final time. “It’s settled. We find Wyatt. Sloan, can you do some of your magic tomorrow and start the process?”
“Huh?” Sloan looked up from her untouched meal.
“Pay attention, Sloan,” Parker quipped. “This moping of yours has to end.”
She pulled her hair out of her mouth long enough to scowl and say, “Screw you, Parker.”
“Give her a break.” Tony threw his napkin at Parker. “She probs lost all her V-bucks in Fortnite, or some shit. Don’t worry, sis”—he winked at Sloan—“I got your back.”
“You’re an asshole too.” Sloan threw her fork at Tony. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s enough.” Mary tapped her palm on the table. “You’re acting like a bunch of teenagers.”
“What’s a V-buck?” Grace whispered to Evan.
He shrugged. “Probably something to do with one of her games.”
They joked, but Sloan was in serious danger of falling deep under the influence of her sin, sloth. Just because it was based around negligence, didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. She’d put on weight in the past, but now he noticed she barely touched her food and slept a lot. She rarely left her gaming console, and Griffin couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her in battle gear, out on the streets. Her body mass index was rapidly falling back down, and not in a healthy way.
Griffin took a bite of his steak, and chewed, trying to remember.
Two years ago.
It had been two years ago, after the bombing. He shot a worried glance her way. That was about the time she’d been all excited to meet one of her virtual gamer friends in real life. He didn’t know exactly what went on, but knew the man didn’t turn up. She hadn’t been the same since. Perhaps Griffin’s balance protocol would work for her. He made a mental note to visit her and coach her when he had the chance.
“We have more important things to discuss tonight. Griffin”—Mary looked him in the eye—“Tell us about the pictures you found yesterday.”
He lowered his fork, supposing he’d better start at the beginning. “Yesterday, we discovered a link between the murdered thieves at the jewelers and Lilo’s kidnapped father. I’m led to believe he’s a Mafia boss in control of the South-Side district and parts of The Eyrie gated community.”
“This is your friend, Doc?” Evan balked.
“Oh, don’t worry”—she waved her partner down—“She excommunicated herself from her parents years ago. She’s really very nice.”
“Right.” Evan didn’t look convinced.
“As I was saying, her father was kidnapped and a ransom note sent. Yesterday, Lilo received a bloody ear delivered to the Cardinal Copy newsroom instructing her to bring the contents of her father’s private safe to a predetermined location tomorrow night. I went with Lilo—”
Tony held up his hand. “Sorry, who the fuck is Lilo again?”
Griffin eyeballed him for a long time, imagining all the things he would do to make him hurt. The fork Sloan had thrown levitated until it hovered in front of Tony’s eye, prongs first.
Tony lifted his palms in surrender. “What the forking-fuck?”
Griffin let go of the metal and it clattered to a plate.
“Jesus. I was just asking,” Tony simpered. “I’m guessing she’s the reason you’re all metal-head right now.”
Grace saved him from
answering. “She’s a friend of mine who also works at the Cardinal Copy.”
“She’s obviously more than a friend. What have I missed?” Tony searched all eyes at the table.
Griffin didn’t want to talk about Lilo.
Parker cleared his throat. “Since when?”
Mary and Flint had kept his ability to themselves, allowing him to come to terms with the change, but there was no denying it now. “Since Monday.”
“Are we going to meet this woman?”
“No. As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted. When I went to her parents’ house and investigated the contents of the safe, we discovered nothing but surveillance photographs of us.”
“All of us?” Evan asked.
“Most of us. In battle gear, out of it, half out of it. Whoever had taken the shots had been following us for a while, and obviously intended to blackmail us, or to turn us in.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would Lilo’s father have them and not use them?” Liza asked.
“I don’t know,” Griffin replied. “But I intend to find out tomorrow night when I intercept the kidnappers before the exchange.”
“You going as Greed?”
“Naturally.”
“Take someone with you.” Parker looked around the table. “Volunteers?”
No one responded, except for Evan who waved his tattooed arm in the air like a school boy.
“Anyone besides Evan?” Parker gave daggers to the rest of his siblings. “Liza?”
“When did you say, tomorrow night? I got a hot date.”
“When don’t you have a hot date?” Tony taunted.
She shrugged. “Still haven’t caught up to you, babes, besides, can’t help it if I’m beautiful. Don’t be jealous.”
“He is,” Evan confirmed.
Griffin supposed Evan would know, he sensed envy after all.
Tony used his spoon to point at Liza. “More like you can’t help it if—”
“Shut it,” Liza threatened. “You’re the man-whore here, not me.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Lize.” Tony raised an indignant eyebrow.
“I’ll make you hurt.” Liza feinted a punch, pulling at the last second so her hand hovered an inch from Tony’s face.
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