Page 99 of Greed

Neven looked to his sister and back to me. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for her. She knew exactly what she was doing and chose her own desires over our friendship and what I wanted. I pulled the two of you from the Pits of Despair and called you friend.” My eyes found Skye. Red demon tears trickled down her face, staining the white shirt she was wearing. “She is no longer my friend, and if you’re not my friend, you’re my enemy. Get out.”

“Please, Riker, I’m so sorry,” she blubbered.

“Stay away from me, Skye. I never want to see you again, but know this—the only reason I’m not sending you to Hell where you belong right now is because of the woman you chased off. Minetta wouldn’t want me to kill you, isn’t that fucking irony for you?” I ran for the stairs to finish getting dressed and left Neven to deal with his crying sister. I had bigger issues to deal with, like finding Minetta and then trying to convince her I hadn’t been fucking with her emotions.

Minetta yawned as she stared up at the nursing home sign. It hadn’t been a long drive to get here, but as she crossed the state line, she realized she had no home left to go to and decided to nap in the car outside the nursing home.

Stupid, she’d been so upset she hadn’t even remembered she sold the farm. She stretched and then sipped on the cold coffee, choking down the burnt disgusting taste.

“Yuck.” She gagged. “That’s what I get for buying gas station coffee.”

She needed to make a plan, she wasn’t sure where she wanted to live, but she needed to see her mom first. Maybe, she could have her mom moved to a new location so she could live as far away from Riker as possible without having to fly to see her mother.

She pushed open the car door and rolled her shoulders. Minetta walked up to the glass doors, and the only word that came to mind was tired.

She was tired of feeling beat down. She was tired of feeling used and abused and lied to by the people she loved. She did feel bad about not telling Penny that she was leaving or where she was going, but if Penny knew, then she would try to stop her from going or would want to come with her, and honestly, she wanted to leave the entire situation behind.

Why Michael ever thought she was this chosen person, she had no idea. But she was stupid to think that she could be the one person to help stop an apocalypse and save the Earth. Or change a demon’s heart from pure black and see humans as more than pathetic husks of flesh. Michael had to find a new savior because she’d failed.

The outer automatic door opened, and the scent of the lemon-smelling cleaner they used invaded her nose. If the coffee hadn’t already made her gag, this scent would.

“Good morning,” Minetta said as she stepped up to the nurse’s station.

“Darlin, you do know it is too early for visitation?”

“I know, but I’m hoping you will make an exception. I’m in the process of moving and wanted to make sure I see my mom before that happens. It may be a while before I can get her moved to an opening close to me.”

“Oh, who is your mom?” the woman asked, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

“Shelly Johnson.”

“Oh, she is such a sweet lady. Some of those with Alzheimer’s can get nasty, but not your mom. She is so kind to everyone.

“Sounds like my mom. Do you think I can see her? I can help her get dressed and eat so a nurse can be freed up for someone else.”

“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with you.” The woman smiled warmly. “I will let them know to expect you. Head on over to the door, and I’ll buzz you in.”

“Thank you so much.” Minetta made her way to the locked door and waited for the patented click before giving it a pull. The place hurt her heart every time she walked through the doors, and not because it was likely she would end up here one day. It was because so many of them didn’t have anyone. Their wails of fear from the deadly disease left behind confusing images in their minds, and they had no one other than these kind employees that made sure they were taken care of in their final weeks, months, or years.

Her mom’s door was at the end of the hall. She’d paid a little more to make sure her mom had two windows. The one looked out over the still undeveloped farmland, and she hoped it would bring her a sense of peace to see something familiar.

“Hey, mom, it’s me, Minny,” she said as she pushed open the door. Her mother was already out of bed. She was wearing her long nightgown with the pretty pink flowers—it was her mom’s favorite, so Minny made sure she cleaned out the Walmart, so she would never run out. “Hi mom, did you hear me,” she asked quietly as she walked toward her. She didn’t want to scare her. “Mom?”

It was strange for her mom not to respond at all. She could see her mom’s reflection in the window, but her eyes were unfocused and didn’t track her. Minetta swallowed hard, tension racing up her spine. “Mom, are you okay?”

A snake of fear traveled throughout her body, the hair standing on the back of her neck, which made her swallow hard. Her hands shook as she reached for her mom’s shoulder but stopped just as her hand was about to touch her.

There were noises from a loud commotion coming in from the hallway, and she sucked in a sharp breath and spun to stare at the door as the yelling got worse.

The door burst open just as a hand touched her shoulder, and Minetta screamed, jumping off to the side. Her mother’s confused eyes stared at her while Riker stood in the doorway, looking just as unsure about what was going on as she felt. She was going crazy. All the demon and angel appearances were making her insane. She grabbed her chest and then glared at the man in the doorway.

“Go ahead and call the cops, but I’m not leaving,” Riker snarled at the nurse in the hallway.

“Mom, I’ll be right back,” she said and marched at the man she wanted to smack at the moment.

“Do you want me to call the police on this jerk,” a woman who looked like she was the head nurse asked as she reached Riker.