Greed Page 2

  “Dixon, what a pleasant surprise,” she purrs. Walking around her car, she comes to stand in front of us, invading the fucking boundaries of personal space. Her eyes drag over me in a cougar type of approval. Fucking whore. I’d die before putting my dick anywhere near her used-up ass.

  “Lillian,” Dad greets, his voice cold.

  “Wow, what a man your son has grown into.” She strokes a polished red nail down my chest, and I roughly grab her wrist to stop her descent to my dick. Based on her thirsty expression, it was exactly where she was headed. Narrowing my eyes, I shove her away.

  “Back off,” Dad warns. “You know the rules regarding my son.”

  Rules?

  What the fuck does that mean?

  Holding up her hands in surrender, she winks at me. “Shame. He would have been a nice addition.”

  Addition to the notches on her bedpost? No fucking thanks.

  “Evie, what the hell are you doing with her?” I demand. “Where’s Mason?”

  Her face pales at the mention of her brother, and the tears threatening moments before spill over onto her pale cheeks. I rush forward, throwing my father’s hand from my shoulder.

  “We’re on the clock, Evelyn,” the bitch snaps out, tapping her finger on the face of her watch.

  “She is taking a damn minute,” I growl. “Deal with it.”

  Guiding Evie away from prying ears, I reach the side of the building and grasp her to me. She’s stiff at first, then relaxes against me, clinging to me like she’s afraid I’m not really here. Pulling back, I study her features.

  She sniffles. “I forgot how much you and Mase look alike.”

  “I’m prettier,” I tease, raising a brow.

  “You could be brothers,” she adds in a whispery voice.

  “We are brothers. And I’m your brother too, Evie. Always.”

  Wild gray eyes. Tears staining her cheeks. This is not the same girl, who at sixteen, was shoved to the ground in a high school corridor by a jock and mocked for her cheap clothes. That girl got to her feet, laughed at the bastard, then dick punched him for all to see.

  “I may not have nice things like you, but my balls are bigger,” she quipped.

  And right then, I knew, just like I knew with Mason, I had to be in her life. Evelyn Blackwell was a spitfire. At first, I tormented her. Learning the dynamics of our little group took time.

  “Why are you such an asshole?” she asked me once.

  “I dunno. Maybe because I don’t have a sister of my own to annoy.” I shrugged, stealing her burger and taking a huge bite.

  “Well, I feel sorry for you then.”

  “I’m rich,” I said with a laugh. “Don’t feel sorry for me, little rugrat.”

  “There’s nothing richer than family, Micah. I’d take Mason over any amount of money you have.”

  And like the greedy bastard I am, I wanted that too, and so they became it.

  My family.

  This girl, the one before me now…she’s different.

  Broken.

  Damaged.

  My soul seeks out the familiarity of her, but I come up empty—blank—like I’m staring at a stranger. It’s only been two years.

  Who are you now, Evie Blackwell?

  Micah

  “Lose the attitude,” my father grinds out before I’ve even opened my mouth.

  Showing him around the apartment was tense as all hell after leaving Evie. Mother pranced around coming up with a million decorating ideas just like I knew she would, but my mind was on one thing: the promise Dad made to me two years ago.

  Two years ago…

  “You took the damn Porsche again, didn’t you?” Dad demands, his face turning bright red.

  Not important.

  “I need you to help, Mase,” I bark out. “He got arrested and…”

  Holding up his hand to cut me off, he stands and rounds his desk, sitting his ass on the corner and folding his arms over his chest. “I already know, and there’s a lot more to it than simply Mason getting arrested.”

  “How the hell do you know?”

  Furrowing his brow, he looks down to the floor. “Lillian called me when you showed up there with him.”

  “Lillian? You mean their foster mom?”

  “Yes.” He stands now, coming toe-to-toe with me and placing his hands on my shoulders. “Mason and Evelyn are in a lot of trouble, son. I warned you to stay clear of that boy.”

  “He’s my best friend,” I snap, pulling away from him.

  “He’s trouble.”

  “No, he’s in trouble. And it’s not his fault,” I growl. “That woman—”

  “Stop!” he demands, his tone taking on a level that warns me not to push. “I’ll make an agreement with you. I will help, but my help comes with conditions.”

  “Anything,” I agree, eager to help Mason in any way I can. He has no one to turn to. I’m it for him. For them both.

  Dad holds his hand out to me. “Phone.”

  Easy. I’ll buy a new one. I take it out of my pocket and slap it in his open palm.

  “Done,” I say with a grin, pleased to be getting my way.

  A dark chuckle resonates from his chest. “Oh, it will cost a lot more than a cell phone, Micah.”

  “Name the price,” I growl, throwing myself into his office chair. I kick my feet up on his desk.

  “I will ensure both Mason and his sister are safe, looked after, and living their best life. But it won’t be here, son. And you must promise to let them go. To not contact them or have anything to do with their new life.”

  “That’s a bullshit deal.” I narrow my eyes, swiping my boot so my legs fall to the floor.

  He glares down at me, leaning on the arms of the chair, caging me in. “You want my help or not? Bear this in mind, boy, you have no idea the cost of asking me for this help.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  Who the hell is this woman? It takes a lot to rattle my father. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cagey about another person, but there’s something about this situation, about this woman that has him on edge. That makes me more determined to get my best friend and Evie away from her.

  “It means Lillian isn’t a woman easily bought off,” he hisses, letting out an exasperated breath. Pushing away from me, he walks to the pictures on his bookshelf. There’s one of a vacation we took six years ago. It was the last time we took one as a family. They go on couples only trips now, and I stay home by choice.

  “I want my best friend and Evie to catch a fucking break.” I walk up beside him, smiling down at the picture that has him fixated.

  “Don’t cuss with your mother in the house,” he scorns, and I have to hold back the smirk wanting to break free. He tries with discipline, but struggles to enforce it.

  “They don’t have a dad to look out for them. They don’t have anyone,” I remind him.

  “I’m aware, and I’ll help them. Do we have a deal or not?” He lifts his gaze to mine, holding out his hand.

  “You promise me they will have a good life?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then yes, we have a deal,” I agree, slipping my hand in his and shaking.

  Present…

  Two years later, almost to the day, we’re back in his office, the check for my apartment already in my pocket. But that won’t pay for his broken promise.

  “What the fuck, Dad?”

  He knew these questions were coming.

  “Language,” he barks out. “Your mother is in the next room. Close the door and sit your ass in the chair. You’ll speak to me like a man, not a spoiled brat.”

  I slam the door closed. The golfing medals he has on every wall rattle, threatening to fall down around him. Just like our relationship if he doesn’t have answers for me.

  “First of all, I didn’t break my promise, or so I thought,” he says with a frown.

  “What does that mean?” I ask, sitting in the chair opposite his desk.

  “It mea
ns Lillian is a manipulative bitch with very powerful roots and even deeper pockets.”

  Snorting, I lean forward, placing my elbows on my knees. “She out-riched you?” Narrowing his gaze, he picks up a pen and fiddles with it. “No. She outplayed me.”

  What the fuck does that even mean? “I’m going to need more than these riddles, Dad.”

  “I went over her head to her brother. He assured me Evelyn would be taken care of, but Lillian got to him with regards to Mason. He told me Mason would be given a place to stay, food, and clothes, but it wouldn’t be with his sister.”

  A rush of anger hits me, and I stand abruptly. Planting my hands on his desk, I lean over it to look him in the eye. “So, you knew they were separated?”

  “Malcom Benedict doesn’t give favors easily, Micah. Everything has a heavy price where the Benedicts are concerned. Favors from The Elite don’t come free.”

  “The Elite’s a myth,” I scoff, pushing off his desk and pacing the floor.

  The Elite has been whispered about at fancy clubhouses and expensive parties. But it’s purely that—a rumor.

  “It’s very far from a myth,” my dad snaps, throwing the pen down.

  “What did it cost you?” I ask, intrigued.

  He’s silent for a pause, then his brow drops. “I’m still waiting to find out.”

  That’s fucking ominous.

  My thoughts go to the moments at the church with Lillian and Evie. “What did you mean when you told Lillian she knows the rules about me?”

  Running his hand through his hair, he nods like he’s deciding whether or not to offer me honesty.

  “You’re a prime candidate for the Elite. As soon as you hit your teens, Lillian became interested in you for The Elite. Without me stepping in to prevent it, I knew they would recruit you when you became of age. Another Dixon on their roster.”

  Another?

  Slouching back in the chair, my mouth drops open. “You’re Elite?” I ask on a disbelieving laugh.

  “I learned very quickly just how toxic The Elite can be,” he bites out. “I didn’t want that for you.”

  “You don’t get to make those choices for me.”

  “The hell I don’t. Lillian and The Elite have their claws deep in that Evelyn girl. She’s tainted, Micah. I want you to stay the hell away from her.”

  She’s my best friend’s sister. That’s not fucking happening.

  “I want to know everything there is to know about this Elite, and Dad, don’t leave anything out.”

  It’s dark when I make it to campus. I’m a ball of sizzling energy.

  Learning about The Elite and knowing the motherfuckers who run it have their hands around Evie’s neck doesn’t sit well with me.

  She was different, and I need to know where she’s been. How she’s doing. I need to make sure she’s okay. I don’t trust the word of other people, and one way or another, I’m going to be in her life, even if I have to force my way in.

  The Elite wants Evie, then they can get me too. And together, we can find Mason. It irks me that my father doesn’t know where he was taken. I can’t see Mason going calmly into the night. He would never give up Evie, so there must be something the Lillian bitch is holding over him to keep him away.

  The Elite will have the answers.

  I need to become Elite.

  Micah

  Watching Lillian not even check her surroundings while walking to the park lot and slipping into her car makes me smug. For someone who thinks of herself as a player in a big boy’s game, she’s not very careful with her safety. She must think she’s above being a victim of crime.

  What a mistake that is. I could easily drag the bitch out of her car, beyond the tree line, and dismantle her. An organization like The Elite will come with plenty of enemies. It would be easy to get away with her murder.

  A shiver dances through me at that dark, twisted thought. Instead, I follow her car as she pulls out and drives twenty minutes to a huge as fuck estate.

  I grew up with money, but this is beyond wealthy. The gates open for her car, and I follow her right on inside. Security is surprisingly lacking. When you’re a big, bad Benedict, your name must be protection enough.

  Climbing out of the car, I call her name. She turns to face me, but doesn’t look surprised to see me. Her red painted lips curl into a grin. “Well, Mr. Dixon, what a pleasant surprise.”

  For you, bitch. “We need to talk.”

  She cackles like the wicked witch of the west. “I don’t need to do anything.”

  She carries on her journey up the front steps. The door opens for her, and she marches right on the inside like she’s above talking to the likes of me.

  “Don’t ignore me, woman,” I warn, my tone deadly. I fucking hate being ignored.

  She turns to look at me over her shoulder, her body just inside the doorway.

  “You mistake your place, boy,” she sneers, her eyes squinting to slits.

  Finally, a security guy, suited and booted, wearing an earpiece with dark shades sitting on his head comes to stand beside her. He glares at me, narrowing his eyes, trying to intimidate. Nice try, Men in Black.

  “I have a proposition for you,” I try, using a more seductive tone. That gets her attention. Her cougar eyes drink me in like I’m a cocktail. Whore. A salacious grin tugs up her lips, then she crooks a finger for me to follow her inside.

  The dickhead in a suit eyeballs me the entire time, and I offer him my middle finger as I pass.

  Her heels click-clack across the hardwood floors, her tight skirt made to make men stare at her skinny ass.

  She leads me into a study. Dark wood bookshelves loaded with fancy titles and an overcompensating desk dominate the space.

  “So, this proposal? Color me intrigued.” She pours some whiskey into a glass and offers it to me.

  “No thanks,” I tell her. “I like to keep a clear head when negotiating.”

  “Suit yourself.” She gulps down the entire contents like it’s water, leaving a red smudge on the glass.

  “I want in The Elite,” I say, going balls to the wall.

  Almost choking, she slips her ass on the edge of the desk and surveys me from head to toe. She looks ridiculous perched on the desk like a gargoyle cunt trying to act like she matters, like she has a say in the power around here.

  “Has your daddy been telling you secrets?” One side of her lips curl.

  “The Elite isn’t as secret as you fuckers like to think,” I scoff, bored with her already.

  “Is that so?” She rounds the desk and plants her ass in the office chair, the entire set up dwarfing her. She’s a fucking joke.

  “And what makes you think you’d be a good fit?”

  Licking my lips, I give her a head tilt, caressing my words. “I already know you want me, so just put me on the damn list.”

  “Confidence is an appealing quality, Micah, but not enough to get your name on my list.” Rising to her feet, she walks over to a window and looks out into the vast land. I don’t speak, knowing she’s not done. “A woman has needs. Do you think you’re capable of handling any needs I may have?”

  Is she serious?

  I storm over to her and wrap her slick black ponytail around my fist, forcing her head back and pushing her torso into the windowpane. I use my other hand to pin her arm above her head as I whisper in her ear, “You want your cunt fucked? Is that the price of admission, because I’m warning you…” I push my soft dick against her ass and grind it there. “You’d really have to work at it to get me hard. Used-up, old snatch doesn’t do much for me. However, I’m nothing if not a trier. I can always resort to using my fist if we have to.”

  “You little bastard,” she hisses. “Do you know who the hell I am?” She shakes within my grasp, her jaw tense, her pulse jumping rapidly in her throat. I hit a nerve. She squirms to get free, and it’s my turn to chuckle.

  I release her and she spins fast, her hand flexed. I grab her wrist before she can connect wit
h my cheek. “If you hit me, be warned, I hit back, bitch.” I shove her arm back at her.

  “You really thought you’d come here and push me around to get what you want?” she sneers.

  “No, I didn’t come here for you at all. I came for the real person in charge, not the pawn.” I smirk and back away from her, watching the heat of humiliation brighten her cheeks. Hate fills her black, beady eyes. She’s a cunt who made Evie and Mason’s life hell. I’d never put my dick in her or my eggs in her basket. Her brother holds the power. She merely likes to play with it.

  Marching back down the corridor to the watchdog still in his position at the door, I lift my chin. “Mr. Benedict is expecting me.”

  The study I’m taken to is twice the size of the one Lillian was in. Leather couches positioned around a fireplace take up one side of the room. Old, expensive art adorns the walls, thick rugs cover the wood floors, and a desk fit for a king sits on the other side of the room with Mr. Benedict perched behind it, looking very much fit for his throne.

  “Mr. Dixon. What brings you here at this hour?” he asks without looking up from whatever he’s reading.

  “I’ll be blunt. I want my name on the seven chosen for The Elite,” I say, sitting in the chair opposite him.

  He doesn’t act surprised of my knowledge of The Elite. His face gives nothing away, but his eyes rise to meet my gaze.

  “You’re aware you were taken off the candidate list?” he asks, his brow lifting. “Your father cashed in his coin to make sure you weren’t on that list.”

  I remain stoic at his words, not wanting to give any knowledge I may have away. He’s testing me, seeing how much I know. I’ve been around men like him my entire life. I know their tricks. It’s what makes me such a great asset, but I have no plans to be their puppet.

  “I am aware, yes. And you mistake me. I don’t want on the candidate list. I want on the chosen list.”

  He chuckles, dark and menacing, then rests his elbows on the desk, drumming his fingers together as he studies me. “And what sin is it you think you’re best suited for?”