With both of them standing still, she had time to assess him. He wore a long black trench coat with God knew what hidden inside, and he had an erratic aura about him. The black backpack slung over his shoulder contained something bulky. He hadn’t shaved in days, and she wasn’t even sure he’d washed. The man was about to snap—or already had.
“You know what I want?” he said, surveying the street, eying it like a hawk.
Lilo shrugged, eyeing his gun. “I give up. What do you want? Obviously me for something.”
“I had a lot of time to think this weekend while I recovered from what your asshole did to me.”
She barely contained the surprise on her face. What had Griffin done to him? He’d been with her most of the time. Except… except the night he left her after the kidnapping situation. It still wasn’t adding up.
“I don’t know what you mean, Donnie.”
“Oh, come on, Lilo. You call yourself an investigative reporter,” he scoffed. “You’re not that blind, are you?”
“Spell it out for me.”
“Your new man is one of them.”
She pressed her lips tight. Damn him if he thought she’d give away anything. Instead, she bided her time, always vigilant, waiting for him to step into a position where she could relieve him of his weapon.
“Fine.” Donnie rounded on her, waving the gun in the air. “Don’t admit it, but you were there. You saw what they did to me.”
“What they did to you?”
“Jesus, Lilo. I’m the new Greed. The new hero this city needs. The kind of hero who could get the job done. I was doing it better than them, until he came along and fucked with it all.”
Her heart stopped. Donnie was the one who shot those people in cold blood? He shot Nathanial in front of her face… he shot Griffin.
Donnie called murdering getting the job done.
“Why?” she gasped.
But he didn’t answer her, not directly. A red mottled rage covered his expression, and he spilled it all out: “They wanted Lazarus, not me. I’ll always be the second choice for them, just like I was with my parents. No matter how hard I tried to be the better option, I was never enough. Well, fuck them. Fuck them all. I don’t give a rat’s ass what they want. This is about what I want.”
He slipped his hand behind Lilo’s neck. The fury in his eyes softened as he locked onto her, as though he really did have a soft spot for her. It made her skin crawl, and she tried not to show it. This man before her was nothing like the one she’d dated months ago. Okay, maybe a little. It was Lilo who’d changed. Lilo who’d garnered a little self-respect.
“You see, Lilo. I’ve been going about this all wrong,” he said, eyes darting over her face. “I never thought about it until he came on his high horse to assess our productivity.” He choked on a laugh. “Ironic isn’t it? He was the one who made me realize that all this time they were getting all the attention, not me. All that effort we spend chasing a story, only to have our names printed in the teeny-tiny byline. Such little words compared to the big headline, don’t you think?”
Lilo didn’t like where this was going.
“That’s what I want, Lilo. The headline. And if I can’t have the fame, then I’ll have the infamy and the fortune.”
Donnie slammed his lips on hers, and she tried to pull away, tried to struggle, but damn him, he was so much stronger than her.
He jerked away, eyes showing way too much white. “I’m just going to take what I want from now on. You included. So keep going. To the bank.”
Lilo juddered forward, a real sense of panic clawing at her lungs because Donnie began to mumble like a crazy man. She’d missed her chance to grab the weapon, it had returned to its spot, jammed into her back.
“I’ll show them sin,” he mumbled.
“Who, Donnie? Show who?”
“They wanted him. They wanted me to ruin them, but I want them to see my face. I’m done hiding behind a mask. Stop here.”
She had no choice, he jerked her to a halt. “You know what I never understood? You had everything growing up, Lilo. Your parents gave you anything you wanted.”
“It was blood money. You know that.”
“Who gives a fuck where the money comes from if you’re rich. Money buys power, and soon, I’m going to be very powerful. You’d do well to remember that.” He leaned in close to her ear. “Be a good little mafia girl and do as you’re told. Just like you always have.”
She flinched. In a way, he was right. He always knew that about her. From the time she lived under her parents’ roof, doing as she was told, to the time she was with him. She loved hard, and she fell hard under their spell. Would it be the same with Griffin? Would there be something unseen in the future that dragged her down? Giving all of herself to her loved ones was her weakness, and she knew, that deep down, it all stemmed from a feeling of unworthiness. She wasn’t enough for her parents. They had to lie and cheat and steal to fill their lives with things. And when she called them on it, threatened to leave… they let her go. She was never enough. All of her fight slowly bled away.
“Yes,” he crooned. “You see it, don’t you? You don’t have the guts to stand on your own. You’re only worth as much as the person telling you what to do, what decisions to make, so I’m telling you now. See that armored vehicle?”
Lilo’s gaze traveled across the street to the bank and to where an armored van was parked. Two black uniformed guards stood watch while a bank employee carried bags—seemingly of money—to the van’s open back.
“We’re going to steal that.”
“Stop, Donnie.”
He chuckled. “No. I planned for this. For everything.”
He pulled something from his pocket. It wasn’t a gun, but a syringe. What the hell? He jammed the needle into his neck and depressed, pushing the contents into his veins. Within seconds, he contorted and the tendons in his neck protruded. Bloodshot eyes widened, and he hissed, growled, sounding as wild as an animal trapped in human skin. He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, eyes fluttering as whatever was in the syringe hit his nervous system. He pumped his fists. “Fuck, yeah.”
She should run. Run right now while he was occupied, but that little voice inside her kept whispering… maybe he’s right.
Too late. He pulled out his gun, and she almost lost control of her bladder, but he didn’t turn it on her. He sighted the black uniformed guards and fired. A precise bullet to each heart. The loud cracking sound echoed, bounced off the buildings and ricocheted. People screamed and scattered. Lilo caught the flash of a mother and child almost being trampled in the rush to get away. When she turned back to Donnie, he’d gone insane. It wasn’t a man peeking out from behind those eyes, it was a beast.
She found it hard enough to fight him when he was a man. Now this?
Donnie slung his backpack toward the footing of the monorail and then grabbed her hand and ran across the street toward the armored vehicle. Traffic beeped, and breaks suddenly engaged, tires squealing on the road. But a path had been cleared. Nothing was between them and the van but a few meters of street. Donnie almost ripped her arm out of its socket as he yanked her along. Before they got to the car, something long and narrow slammed into the ground in front of them, cutting them off. A long shuddering pole had implanted right into the asphalt.
“Let her go,” came a low computerized voice Lilo recognized well.
Both she and Donnie whirled around. Griffin was perched up on the monorail, dressed as Greed and ready to fight. Elation lifted her spirits as she took in the blue face-scarf and hard eyes aimed with predatory focus at her captor.
His gaze flicked to Lilo. “It’s going to be fine.”
His words reached into her heart and banished all her self-doubt. He was here. For her. Why would he do that if he didn’t think she was worth it? God, she wanted to smack herself over the head. She wasn’t this afraid, timid person she used to be. Maybe loving hard had been her weakness, but now, it was her st
rength.
Screw Donnie. She wasn’t going down without a fight.
Run! Her instincts screamed at her.
But his fingers were like an iron manacle around her wrist, and the more she yanked and resisted, the harder he pulled her forward, running. When she resisted again, he didn’t shoot her, he shot at Griffin. “Get in the car, Lilo.”
Griffin raised a palm, and the bullet halted mid-air, as if stuck in invisible jelly. Then he slipped from the rail to land below, fist to the ground to steady himself. But Lilo couldn’t see anymore, she was being shoved into the passenger side of the van, and pushed across the seats to the driver side.
“Start the car!” Donnie shouted, still shooting out the open window—keeping Griffin busy.
“No!” She tried opening her door to escape the other side, but Donnie grabbed her hair and yanked her back. Pain spiked at her scalp as he held her by the hair.
“Do it.” He pulled her head back by the hair and jammed his gun into her temple. “Now.”
She trembled with fear, but she wasn’t going to let him control her anymore. “No!”
“For fuck’s sake, Lilo. Do I have to do everything for you?” He turned on the ignition. She shoved her elbow in his face, snapping his head back.
When he came back up, blood dripped from his nose, but before he could say a word, Griffin was there—standing before the van, looking at Donald with menacing eyes.
“I thought you learned your lesson, Doppenger. You’re no match for me.”
“You’re right, I did learn my lesson,” Donnie said. He aimed his gun out the window. “It just wasn’t the one you think.”
He swung his aim to point at his backpack left by the monorail. The backpack must hold a bomb. The train would be coming soon. It came every nine minutes. There were innocents on board.
“Bomb!” she shouted.
Griffin must have yanked on the gun with his power, because it suddenly seemed as though Donnie grappled the air for control of his pistol. But, instead of being worried, Donnie turned to Lilo with a grin. He pulled something from his other pocket. A remote detonator.
“This is the infamy part.” Donnie’s thumb pressed down on the red button.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Griffin had been standing only meters away from the monorail sub-structure when the bomb went off, exploding into him. On instinct, his hands went up to protect himself, and he rolled, letting his leather take the full impact of the blast. The kinetic clash launched him backward and slid him across the asphalt. For a moment, he lay face down, feeling the heat while his ears rang.
Arms good.
Legs can move.
Not on fire. Not dead.
His magnetic power must have taken the brunt of the blast. His skin was scorched in patches through his leather, but he was okay.
Alive. And seriously pissed.
He rolled his limber body to land swiftly on his feet and stared at the armored vehicle. Doppenger had his gun pointed at a frightened Lilo, and when he noticed Griffin unscathed, he became infuriated. Griffin reached out with his power to grasp the car, intending to bring it closer, but a loud creaking sound drew his attention over his shoulder. The steel metal structure holding the monorail began to buckle. The rail track snapped in two, and the steel column fell hard, bringing the track with it. Griffin let go of the van and moved his power to grip the monolith framework, but he got to it too late. With a deafening crash, the rail collapsed, throwing cloud and debris everywhere.
It was then Griffin heard the telltale sound of screeching metal-on-metal as the approaching Nine-Train grew closer.
He tapped his earpiece to open up the communication channel. “Where are you?” he shouted. “The rail has collapsed.”
“We’re almost there,” came Parker’s voice through his earpiece. “Hold on.”
Griffin widened his stance, pushed his force out and readied himself for the train’s impact. He had to save the people inside.
Had to save Lilo.
But the train.
He roared in frustration, knowing he had no choice, despite the wants of his heart. Protecting a train load of innocents was his first priority. He would kill Doppenger if he hurt Lilo. Kill him. The darkness of his past had nothing on the depths of his heart. The screeching grew louder. He only hoped he had enough force to hold the heavy train as it approached the end of the line. He’d never stopped anything that powerful before.
“The train is almost here,” he bit out. “I don’t know if I’ll be enough to stop it derailing. Someone needs to get through to the driver. We may need emergency assistance.”
The closer the heavy object came, the less faith he had. Almost there. Get ready. He braced, heart racing every second the screech of the train tracks escalated.
Impact!
He staggered as his power caught the force of the train speeding toward him. Metal wailed, rails screeched and, through it all, he heard the distinct sound of tires spinning as the armored van took off behind him, taking Lilo away.
His defiance surged and all he could think was that he couldn’t let them get away, he couldn’t let Doppenger take her from him. He needed her. He had to protect her.
Protect them both.
The magnetic force inside him pumped, and, like flexing a metaphysical muscle, he strained for more force to generate. Steady, steady. Soon he was filled to the brink with power. He took one hand from the train, now almost teetering at the edge of the broken rail line, and caught hold of the armored vehicle, halting its tracks. The van’s tires spun, burning rubber.
Griffin trembled, but smiled, then… pain sliced through him and he roared in agony as the severe demand on his resources strained. It felt like his muscles were ripping apart, like his eyes were bleeding, and he heard Parker’s voice from a distance: “Greed. You’re tearing yourself apart. It’s too much. Let go of the van. Stop, Greed, stop!”
But he couldn’t stop. If he did, then Lilo would go, or the train would fall.
“Let go of the van, Greed. Let go.”
“NO!” he bellowed, about to snap. “I won’t let her go.”
I need her.
His throat closed up. No. No. He couldn’t but—the train. People screamed as his hold loosened and it tipped past the broken edge, coming toward him. He let go of the van and transferred his power to the train, pushing back on its nose. Slowly it edged backward, creaking and cracking, and shrieking at him, but it was nothing compared to the sound of his heart breaking as the van began to drive away.
“Drive, Lilo. Drive!” Donnie shoved the gun at her temple.
“I’m trying, I’m trying.” She planted her foot on the gas, but made the van bunny hop in her haste.
Donnie growled.
“I’m sorry!” she cried. “I rarely drive. I-I’ve forgotten.”
“I know what you’re fucking doing, Lilo. You’re stalling. It won’t work.”
He placed his hand over hers and crunched the gear-shift. It grated but then she felt it slot into place. Shit.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this,” she said, trying another tactic. “You said you wanted infamy, but no one can see your face in this car. No one knows this was all because of you!”
“Shut up!”
Like hell she was going to shut up. Being quiet was never her thing.
“You said you planned this well, except you haven’t. You haven’t accounted for the fact that you won’t get a mention, let alone the headline. Not if I have anything to do with it.”
He growled and shoved his leg onto her side of the van, squashing her foot and hitting the gas. When the van jerked forward, Lilo caught the rear van doors swinging in the side-mirror. Her stomach flipped as she realized another of his mistakes. He’d forgotten to shut the doors. Earlier, he said money was power… and if anything, Donnie was a greedy man—she knew what to do.
“Unless you want your brains all over the window, you’ll drive, Lilo,” Donnie snapped.
“F
ine, but you need your seatbelt on,” she said, clipping hers on.
“Fuck that, go!”
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
She pushed on the gas and sped off, heading toward the brick wall of the butcher shop across the road. If she could just crash into that, the bags of cash would go flying out the back and spill over the road. It might be enough to distract Donnie. She pushed harder on the gas, lurching them forward.
“What are you—”
But she didn’t get to the wall. The van hit the box curb and became airborne. For a moment it felt like they were flying. Her stomach dropped like a stone, the van tilted, random items inside the cab floated and then they crashed, hard, glass shattering. White airbags compressed and a powder stench filled the air. The wind knocked out of her. Her head hit the window on the side. The seatbelt burn in her shoulder stopped her from getting far, but Donnie’s body ricocheted around the cab as they tumbled around. One second he sandwiched her into the driver window, the next he bounced back to hit the passenger side.
The van stopped moving and every cell in her body ached. She was the right way up. A warm steady trickle ran along her cheek. The chemical stench of burned tires filtered through the broken windows, or maybe it was something else. Something related to the accident. Oh, God. The instant she registered the trail of blood on her face, pain exploded at her temple and she cried out in pain. Everything around her blurred. With trembling hands she tested her head and landed on a sore wet bump, but was too afraid to explore the wound further.
I’m okay. I’m alive.
Gasping for air, she checked Donnie.
He lay forward on the dash, moaning.
Damn it, he was gathering consciousness.
Quick. Escape. Now.
Before it was too late.
Survival orders snapped in her brain, urging her into action. Go. Go. Get out of there. Those trembling hands shifted to the clasp on her seatbelt. It took her three goes, and great big gulps of air before she got herself unbuckled, but then Donnie was sitting up. His eyes were glazed and adjusting focus. Blood streamed down to his face in dark rivulets.
Greed: A Superhero Romance (The Deadly Seven Book 2) Page 26