Page 96 of Greed

She didn’t have any proof that Riker had anything to do with Jared, so why was she so quick to judge him? Jared had made her time at work terrible, and he’d been cruel to many others, so again why did it bother her that the man may have found a different punishment than jail time?

Minetta turned the car off and rubbed her eyes. She was always so quick to think the worst of Riker, yet that was prejudiced and based solely on the fact she knew what he was. If he was any other man, would she throw him under the bus like this?

“Shit, no, you wouldn’t,” she said aloud. “You gave James a million chances, and you knew he was screwing around under your nose.”

Minetta stared at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and shook off the lingering anger toward him, and was more annoyed with her own attitude. She would ask him about Jared, but she wouldn’t go in there, guns blazing and accusing him like she’d been all fired up to do. If his answer was yes, she would simply ask him not to murder people in her name. She couldn’t live with that on her conscience.

Grabbing her purse, she locked her Mini Cooper, made her way into the building, and waved to the security guard. The man nodded to her. “Ms. Johnson, it’s good to see you again.”

She was a little shocked the guard remembered her name. “Same, have a good night.” She smiled and made her way to the elevators.

Riker had given her a key, not that she planned on using it. Her stomach lurched as the elevator practically flew upward. She grabbed at her stomach and reached for the railing. What was it with him and the elevators that took off like rocket ships?

She felt green by the time the elevator came to a stop and stumbled out of the thing. Okay, if she could get Riker to change even one thing, it would be the speed of that contraption.

She stopped in the hallway and fixed her hair before making her way to his door. There was music playing, and she knocked hard so he would be able to hear her. She knocked again a minute later, and a female voice called out to wait a second.

As the door swung open, all the air in her chest and hope in her heart evaporated. Skye stood holding the door in nothing but a T-shirt. The shirt hung to her knees. Clearly, one of Riker’s and her hair was wet like she’d just gotten out of the shower. She even smelled like his body wash, the scent hitting her in the face. Pain unlike she’d ever experienced before seized her in its grasp. She should’ve known better. She should’ve trusted her instincts when they screamed that a man like him could never be satisfied or love one woman no matter what promises and pretty words he said. She promised herself that she would take what she could get and move on but figured it wouldn’t be so soon. To be pushed aside so quickly. It shouldn’t have mattered how long it took, but for whatever reason, it seemed worse.

“Are you going to say something or continue to stand there all night looking like a guppy,” Skye asked.

Skye’s voice kicked her mind into gear, and not bothering to say a word, she turned and marched toward the still waiting elevator.

“Was there at least a message?” Skye called after her, and she looked over her shoulder. The woman now stood in the hallway, a smile on her face. Skye’s arms were crossed over her chest, the action pulling the T-shirt up enough to show she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and she quickly looked away so she didn’t have to stare at the pretty demon and be reminded of what she and Riker had just been doing.

How could she even have been considering moving in with him?

“Fucking humans,” she heard Skye swear as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the lobby button. The tears flowed as soon as the doors were closed. The faint tingling in her chest only made the tears fall faster, knowing that he’d definitely been inside the penthouse. She’d promised him that she would be fine with however long this lasted, but that was a lie. Her heart was already too involved. But, she promised herself she’d never let another man treat her like James had, which meant turning away even he was one she loved.

How could she have thought that they had a possible happily ever after? She’d convinced herself he was different than when they first met. He’d certainly put on the act of a lifetime. She quickly wiped away the tears as the elevator dinged.

She jogged past the guard in the lobby and ignored him as he called out to see if she was alright. As soon as she was outside, she ran for her car, and even though she most certainly shouldn’t have been driving, she sped away from the curb for home.

But was it really her home? She no longer had Toby to share the space with, and she would forever be on the run from one demon or the next, and for what? No, this wasn’t her home any longer. She had nothing to keep her here. The little car revved as she floored it, wanting to get as far away from Riker as fast as possible.

* * *

I stepped out of the shower and paused as a faint tingling under my skin fluttered and then disappeared. Pulling on a pair of track pants, I walked out of my room, rubbing my hair with a towel. I couldn’t hear anything except Skye’s terrible singing.

“Was someone at the door?” I asked as I wandered into the living room.

“Nope, just me and my terrible rendition of Chicago, great musical, I got to fuck some of the cast members,” Skye answered as she made her way to the couch.

“I’m shocked.” I looked around the room. “Are you sure no one is here? I could’ve sworn I heard knocking, and I….” I paused and rubbed at my chest.

“I what? I know that I don’t know how you hear anything in this place. It freaking echoes, and I still can’t hear from one side to the other.”

I shook my head and wandered over to the bar to pour myself a glass of wine before plopping down into the leather chair. I kept staring at the door, and finally, Skye turned to stare at the door as well.

“What are you staring at? You’re freaking me out?”

“I just can’t shake….” Was it that I wanted to see her so badly that even my body was telling me to go and see her. I rubbed my eyes as I thought. The sensation had been faint and fleeting, but still….

“Okay, you’re acting super weird. It’s just me here. Ri, for fuck’s sake, relax. We just had the best torture session in a long time, and we have a name to do it all over again soon.” Skye smiled wide, and I nodded but couldn’t find the same sense of enthusiasm she was showing. “Oh, and Neven is cooking steak for dinner. I hope he does the double-baked potatoes. Is Shilo joining us?”

I couldn’t help feeling like something was wrong. A small pain in my chest and a knot in my stomach had developed for no reason, and feeling wouldn’t go away. If something were wrong with Minetta, then Penny would call. The demon said she and Minny were hanging out tonight and she’d stay with her until they could figure out a different living arrangement. Penny wasn’t my first choice for protection, but even I had to admit the fallen angel had skills. She wouldn’t have survived this long otherwise.