Page 42 of Greed

Penny didn’t make a move to get out of the elevator and didn’t say a word. Her features were as serious as Minetta had ever seen.

“That’s why you haven’t bothered to ask why I changed shifts, checked to see if I wanted to do dinner, or hadn’t responded to your messages. You knew I was avoiding you, but you’ve been hoping I’d just chalk it up to a moment of insanity, and everything would go back to normal. But it can’t, can it? I now know the truth, so what does that mean?”

“Get in the elevator, Minny. We need to talk, and this is not the place to do it.”

“If you think I’m getting in there alone with you, you’re crazy,” she said and stepped back.

“Minny, this is no joke. Get in the elevator.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

“Ohhh, is this a lovers quarrel,” came Jared’s snide voice.

“Shut up, Jared!” Both her and Penny barked out at the same time. Any other time they would have laughed, or Penny would have given her a high five for standing up for herself, but not tonight.

“And they say men are the issue at the office. Obviously, those people never worked with a bunch of hormonal women.” Jared marched off before she could make another comment.

Such a dick.

“I need to speak to you, Minny. It’s important,” Penny said, quieter this time. Penny held out her arm to stop the doors from closing.

“Whatever you have to say to me can wait. I have somewhere important to be tonight, and I’m not missing it for this. I’ve already spent too many nights wondering and worrying over whatever happened.” She walked toward the stairs and heard Penny swearing from the elevator.

She’d only made it two floors down when a door opened on the next floor down, and Penny walked up the stairs at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized just how alone she was. Penny could kill her, and no one would hear her scream. She took a step backward and almost ended up on her ass on the stairs.

“Stay away from me,” she said. She was scared, terrified actually, but more than that, she felt betrayed. Penny was her best friend. She thought they shared everything, but now she didn’t even know who this person, this thing, really was.

“Minny, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips. “Look, can we just talk. I need to explain some things to you. You’re in grave danger and—”

Minetta threw her hands up. “Stop! I don’t want to hear this right now. I can’t hear this right now. I’m going out tonight and looking decent for a change. That is all I want to worry about. Whether you’re an Erinyes or not, whether what I saw in my home was real or not, or whatever else you have to say to me can wait.”

Penny’s eyes were wide with shock. Taking the opportunity, she went to jog past Penny, but she snatched her arm and held her firm. Minetta pulled back, her hip pressing painfully into the railing.

“Let go of me,” she said as she stared at the hand that could snap her neck.

“Fine, we won’t talk tonight, but we need to speak. It is very important.” Penny released her arm, and she slumped with relief. “Minny?” Penny called out when she reached the next landing. Minetta stared up at Penny, a sad expression on her face. “Please, don’t be scared of me. It’s still me, you’re still my best friend, and I really am trying to protect you.”

“How am I supposed to believe that, Penny? If you are what I said, then our entire relationship has been based on a lie.”

“Has it? What exactly would you say if I told you what I am? I can tell you what you’d say. That Penny is fucking crazy. She is right off her rocker. She believes she is a fallen angel. Maybe I can get her some help and put her in a home. Maybe she can keep my mother company.”

Minetta sucked in a breath. “How dare you dare my mother into this. What she has is real, and…and, what you did has made me question my own sanity. That is not what friends do.”

“I’m sorry I said the comment about your mom, but Minny, I protected you. That is what friends do.” With that, Penny pulled open the door and disappeared, leaving her and her pounding heart alone in the stairwell. Minetta turned and ran down the rest of the stairs, her feet echoing as they thumped along the concrete. She burst out into the lobby, the door banging, making everyone stare, but she didn’t care.

Penny had just admitted that she was a demon, a fallen angel. What the heck did she do with that information?

Minetta pulled her used Mini Cooper into the public parking and handed over the obscene amount of money it cost to be this close to downtown proper. The night was warm, but she’d purchased a sheer shawl to go with her dress and decided to take it just in case the restaurant was cold.

Michael had texted her the location. When she looked up the place, she almost died at the prices on the menu. When she voiced her concerns, he simply sent a laughing emoji and said, “See you tomorrow night.”

To say she was happy she’d purchased the simple, yet sexy little number she was wearing was an understatement. She was terrified she was still going to be underdressed. Grabbing her little black clutch, she locked her door and made her way up the street, her new heels clicking softly. She wasn’t accustomed to high heel shoes and felt completely unstable on the three inches of strappy sexiness she opted to wear.

She spotted Michael standing outside the fancy restaurant. He practically glowed under the lights. He looked handsome in his suit and the long black coat that almost touched the ground. It gave him a dangerous and dashing look. He smiled as she stepped up to him, and he pulled out a single flower from behind his back that she couldn’t name.