Greed (Seven Deadly Sins Book 3) Read online

  "Okay, fine, call the idiot down. He can be here to see the new girl and be all judgmental as always."

  "Quit pretending you don't care about him. No one is buying it."

  "Buying what?" Az appeared with a quick flash of light, as if he had some sort of heavenly version of a Google alert and knew they'd been talking about him.

  "Nothing, we were just waiting for your arrival before Harley showed me the next pick. So glad you are here, brother." Luc forced a smile for Harley's benefit and tried not to roll his eyes. Az didn't pick up on the lack of sincerity. In fact, he ate it up, smiling from ear to ear.

  "Aww, I love you too, Lucifer."

  "Okay, that's enough." Luc glared at Harley and she knew it wasn't the time to keep pushing.

  "Great, so now that everyone is here, we can meet Ms. Greed." Harley waved her hand over the mirror and it did its thing. As the fog faded, a gorgeous red-head, sitting at a cafe, absently sipping a latte, appeared. She was alone, though Luc wondered how that was possible. Surely someone who looked like her, had to be snatched up by some moderately impressive human male.

  Harley waited several minutes, allowing them to watch her finish her drink, motion for the waiter to pay her bill, and start wandering down a shop-lined street. No one said a word, but Luc learned several things in those few moments. One, the woman wasn't American. In fact, neither was anyone else she passed while she walked, meaning, this wasn't in America. Two, there was a man following her. He was trying to be inconspicuous, but it wasn't that difficult to pick up on. At least not from his perspective. And three, she had a lot of money. Everything she wore, down to the pointless watch around her petite wrist, was the best money could buy. Nothing like the last two sins, but Luc didn't mind at all.

  Az was the first to speak, as expected. "Aren't you going to tell us about her?"

  "I suppose I am. Her name is Valerie Kensington, only child of Lord Robert Kensington, the fifth. Her mother died when she was small and she was raised by her father. Well, by the nannies, mostly, but him too." Harley shrugged. "What else do you want to know?"

  "How about where on the planet she lives, because this is clearly not anywhere near here?"

  Az stepped forward and squinted at the mirror, as if he hadn't noticed that until Luc said it. "Whoa, yeah. Where is that?"

  "It's a small island called Saint Luciana. It's run by a monarchy. Her father is fourteenth in line to the crown, so I guess technically, she's royalty."

  Luc laughed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Okay, funny. Where's the next girl?"

  "What next girl?"

  "You always show us two, and this one, is clearly the filler. You did not pick some sort of princess as my possible soul mate."

  "And why not?"

  "She doesn't even live in this country. I'm not moving, Harley. My life is here, and what do you think the odds are that this spoiled princess is going to move here and help me run a club? Or did you think we were going to do the long-distance thing that's so in right now?"

  "First of all, she isn't a princess. Second, this is the woman I picked. Just her. She's the one for the month. So wipe that smirk off your face and start thinking about what you're going to pack."

  "Pack?" Luc spit out. "You think we're going to some island for a month?"

  "Awesome," Az said and took a spin around like he was the princess. "What's the weather like there? Should I bring my snorkel?"

  Luc held back from slapping Az in the side of the head. It was difficult.

  "Why would that matter? You're an angel. You can snap your fingers and have anything you need appear out of thin air." Harley rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look, I know last month was hard. Things didn't go as you expected and I think you could use this. Besides, did you think I was going to find every one of these girls in a twenty mile radius?"

  "Well, no, but—"

  "But nothing. We're going to Saint Luciana and you're going to get to know Valerie."

  Luc looked back at the mirror and watched as she browsed bracelets in what appeared to be a high-end jewelry store. She already had several on her small wrists, but he doubted that would stop her from buying more. She was supposed to represent greed after all.

  "What about the club? The break-ins? I can't just walk away, Harley. I have responsibilities around here."

  "The world doesn't stop revolving when you aren't around, Lucifer. Az can stay behind and run things and I can pop back and forth as needed. I am a demon, in case you forgot. I'm not limited to human modes of transportation."

  "Wait, I don't get to go?" Az slumped his shoulders down and pouted. "But I need a vacation, too."

  "From what?" Luc and Harley said in unison. Az's life was one big vacation. Though Luc had to admit, he would have rather had his brother come along for some reason.

  Luc looked back at the mirror, at Valerie. She was beautiful, in a high-class sort of way. Luc might have imagined himself with someone like her when they'd started the game, but after getting to know Ronnie and Amanda, he wasn't so sure anymore.

  "It's four weeks, Lucifer. You need a break from this place. A change of scenery will do you good. And anyway, this was the best pick for greed. I'm not going to pick a less qualified woman just because you're afraid to take a little trip and leave your precious bar."

  "We'll need better security here before I can go anywhere. The detective says—"

  "It's already taken care of. I have a new security system being installed on Monday and I hired a team of security guards to be around twenty-four-seven. The place will be fine. Plus now that you'll have cops running around the bar, everything should be safe."

  "Cops running around the bar?" Az looked from Harley to Luc with a puzzled expression.

  "Oh, you didn't hear? Luc decided to give Detective Ward permission to have undercover pigs hanging out in the club to sniff around for the asshats that tried to break in here." Harley waved her hand in front of the mirror, making Valerie disappear. Luc would have liked to look at her a bit longer, but there was plenty of time for that.

  Az turned to Luc and raised one eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like something you'd agree to, brother. Are you sure you want to let that happen?"

  "Yes, I am sure, and I don't need either of you questioning my decisions. This is my club, in case you forgot. Now get out. Apparently, I have packing to attend to."

  Az shrugged and meandered toward the door. Harley shot him her typical half smirk that meant she knew she won. He would let her, for now. If she really believed that his possible soul mate was on some island he'd never heard of, then he would give it a shot. Luc seriously doubted that princess was the one for him, but he was sure they could have a good time together. And after last month, he owed himself at least that much.

  He would pack a suitcase, just like any human would do for a vacation, and spend a month with Lady Valerie Kensington. Just thinking it in his head made him chuckle. Maybe this was exactly what he needed. No Robin Hood Clan. No Cupid showing up unannounced, or unwanted. No business and work. Just four weeks on a beautiful island, with a beautiful woman, who by some slim chance, just might be his soul mate.

  What could go wrong?

  CHAPTER TWO

  Luc felt odd letting Harley take care of everything. The security system, the guards, the plans to go to Saint Luciana, she managed it all. He was used to having control. Maybe that was why he'd had such a hard time with the previous month, with Amanda. These women were vastly different from the women Luc usually took to his bed. Those women were interested in one thing, as was Luc, and he knew how to deal with that. Finding a soul mate was very different.

  It wasn't that it was a bad thing. Luc was looking for change, for a partnership. But he had to admit, it was going to be an adjustment, and his learning curve was proving to need some work. He'd learned a lot from Ronnie and Amanda, and whether or not Luc was willing to admit it, they'd made him a better man. He was looking forward to the changes ahead. So why was he feeling the slightest bit n
ervous as he packed for the month?

  Packing.

  Luc snorted. He'd never packed for a trip before. Normally, he just blinked his eyes and was in whatever place he wished to be. If he needed something, he could do the same, or just buy it new. Money wasn't an issue, but Luc was trying to play fair. In fact, he'd been living more like humans since he'd opened his club. He spent money that he earned and followed the rules of humanity. He didn't need to, but he found it to be a challenge that he enjoyed taking on.

  Not that Luc didn't use his devil powers when he felt like it. He certainly did, but there was no reason to use them here. He could pack a bag, take a flight, and meet Ms. Greed the way any other male would. Maybe that made it even better. After thousands of years of life, Luc had tried it all. Living as a human, or mostly human, was just one new adventure for him to conquer, and he was going to make the most of it. Even when it was difficult.

  "You ready?" Harley stomped in his room with a bag slung over her shoulder. To say she packed light, was an understatement. But Harley, was Harley, and Luc wouldn't change anything about her.

  "I suppose so. It's not like I've done this before."

  "You're like a toddler, learning to walk for the first time." Harley laughed and peered into Luc's suitcase to see if he was missing anything. She shrugged, then flipped the case closed. "Looks good to me. Anyway, if you're missing anything, you can pick it up there. I'm sure they have stores."

  She turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh, I forgot, Az is flying over with us. He figured it would look more normal if he came with us, then could pop back and forth as needed. That way it looks like we're all together."

  "You sure he can handle the club for a whole month?" Luc wasn't sure he could trust his idiot brother with that much responsibility.

  "Probably not, but I'll be back over, too. Things will be fine, Lucifer. The club won't come crashing down without you for a few weeks. Now relax and try to enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun, remember?"

  Luc nodded and zipped up the suitcase. She was right. He knew she was, but for some reason, he had a case of the nerves. Which was unheard of for the devil. And he wasn't about to mention it to Harley, or he would never hear the end of it. With his luck, Cupid would find a way to overhear them and he'd spread it around like the gossip that he was.

  Which reminded him, he promised that asshole they would get together and talk.

  "What about Cupid?"

  "What about him?" Harley popped her hip out and stared.

  "I told him we would meet up."

  "You can see him when you get back. It's only four weeks, Lucifer. He's immortal. That's like the blink of an eye. Besides, knowing that creepy asshole, he probably already knows exactly where you're going and when you'll be back."

  She was probably right, as much as Luc hated the idea. Hell, he hated the idea of even meeting up with that ballsack, but he was getting sick of him interfering, so it was best to get it out of the way.

  "Fine. But if he shows up here, you'd better let me know."

  "Sure, whatever." She waved him off and Luc knew she probably wouldn't. Harley was committed to this game, and for some reason, she insisted that he needed a vacation for this sin. She was probably right, and since she was his best friend, he would take her word for it, and try to enjoy himself.

  "Okay, I'm ready."

  He pulled up the handle on his suitcase and dragged it behind him out the door. The next month would be about getting to know the beautiful Valerie Kensington, and enjoying himself. No more stress, no work, no annoying family members, well, except for his brother. Just relaxation and maybe the possibility of love.

  It would be a great month.

  ***

  "I don't understand why you cannot just behave yourself like a proper lady. When your mother was your age, she always…"

  Valerie tuned her father out as she spread jam over a triangle of toast. Because toast had to be cut into triangles, or the world might just end. Everything had to be perfect. The toast, the silverware, the curtains. Exactly two inches between pleats. No more, no less. Sometimes Valerie wondered if he climbed up there with a ruler to make sure the staff got it just right. Knowing her father though, he probably made poor Jasper do it.

  Nothing was ever good enough for Lord Robert Kensington, the fifth. Seriously, that was how he introduced himself in public. Even as a small child, when she would have a friend come over to play, he would hold out his hand, and call himself that. It was no wonder kids stopped coming over by the fifth grade.

  The staff never did things perfectly. The food was never cooked just right in any restaurant, and his daughter was certainly never exactly as he wanted her to be. Maybe if her mother had lived, things would be different. Once, she'd overheard one of the maids talking about the way things were when the lady of the house was still around. It seemed like her father was different. So, maybe the death of his wife changed him, but maybe that was just the way they remembered it. Valerie had a hard time imagining her father as anything other than a perfectionist, who was never quite happy with anything.

  Least of all, her.

  It was her fault, after all. Her mother was never quite the same after giving birth to her. It didn't matter that there was no way having a child gave her the cancer that killed her, three years later. What mattered was that he blamed her and he never forgot to make sure she knew that.

  Valerie shrugged to herself, still pretending to listen as her father went on about her behavior. It didn't matter. He could blame her all he wanted. She didn't have to listen to him that often anymore. The wonderful thing about having plenty of money, was that she could go on trips, stay out for days, and pretty much do anything she wanted, that did not include the presence of her father.

  The only thing she couldn't do, was move out.

  Or have the career she wanted.

  Or be her true self.

  At twenty-seven years old, the last place she wanted to call home, was under the same roof as her condescending father, but that was where she had to stay. If she even talked about moving out on her own, he started the threats of cutting her off again. They weren't empty bluffs, either. She knew that they weren't.

  She was getting tired of the threats, tired of doing what her father said, and most of all, tired of having to pretend to be someone she wasn't, just to get even with him. It was always the same dance, he told her how awful of a daughter she was, and she went about proving him right. She knew it was childish, and wasn't helping anything, but that was the game they played. She wasn't sure what she would do if they stopped all the pretenses and just became real with each other. She wasn't even sure she knew how to do that anymore.

  "Valerie Marie Kensington, are you even listening to me?" Her father towered above her, fuming. His fists were tight at his sides and it looked as if he wanted to hit something. Mainly, her. Not that he ever would. Lord Kensington was more likely to withhold affection, or now that she was older, money, when he was angry. He was far too sophisticated to lose his temper in a physical manor.

  Sometimes when she was younger, Valerie used to wish he would just slap her when he was angry. It would have made more sense in her mind than the punishment he chose. He would go days, sometimes weeks, without talking to her, acting as if she didn't exist. Not that he was ever the loving, affectionate type. He most certainly wasn't. But as an eight year old, having your father refuse to acknowledge your presence, was more hurtful than one might imagine.

  "Sorry, what did you say?" She tilted her head up and stared him straight in the eyes. "Were you talking to me?" She knew her response would only piss him off further, but that was what she was going for.

  He slammed his fist down on the table, making her toast jump off the plate, and Valerie jump in her seat. He didn't usually react with violence, though she had on occasion, seen him driven to it.

  "You are the most ungrateful, irresponsible, childish, little brat." He spit the last word out, leaving a spray of saliva behind to
drift down onto the food spread out across the table.

  So much for breakfast.

  "So?" There was no use arguing with him. In his eyes, she was all of those things. It wasn't as if he would ever take the time to get to know anything real about her. And to be fair, she wasn't about to let him close enough to anyway.

  "Things need to change around here." He relaxed his hands and took his usual seat at the head of the table. "You aren't a child anymore."

  "Very true, father. So it's about time you started treating me that way."

  "I'd be glad to. Just as soon as you stop acting like one. You take everything for granted, including my money. If you don't start respecting me, you just might find yourself having to support yourself."

  And here we go again.

  Everything always came back down to his money. It wasn't like he did anything to earn any of it. It was given to him by his own father. He'd been born into privilege just like she had. Maybe he was a better suck-up, or maybe his own father paid less attention. It didn't matter. She could only take so much more before she snapped and told him to shove his money up his ass.

  He'd refused to allow her to attend art school, claiming it was a waste of time and money. Two things they had plenty of, so she never understood why it mattered. She could have went to regular University, but that wasn't what she wanted. From the moment she could hold a crayon, she knew she wanted to create beautiful things. Instead, he pushed her toward business related careers, which she had no interest in at all.

  So, she skipped college, and spent her time shopping and partying. What else did he expect from her? She had no desire to follow in his footsteps. Nor did she want to be some figurehead for his company that she doubted he even knew what they did. He had a CEO for that and a board of directors to handle everything else. All her father did was cash the paychecks and attend royal functions.

  He was fourteenth in line to the crown, after all.

  Every gathering, every function, hell, every casual conversation that he had with a new person, he managed to work that tidbit of information in. He used to be fifteenth, but some uncle, or something, died a few years back, and he moved up the line. Barring some major catastrophe, or the zombie apocalypse, her father was never going to become king. But that didn't stop him from feeling important. Or from making sure everyone else knew how important he was, at least in his own mind.