Page 25 of Born Reckless
And at the very top, there is a sign that reads GODFREY TOWER.
I always knew my best friend was rich. The way she dressed. The way she threw money around.
But I didn’t know she was owns-her-own-skyscraper-in-downtown-Chicago rich.
“Welcome home,” she says with a smile.
I look up at the skyscraper and once more, a flutter of nervous flies fills my stomach.
I follow the Godfrey siblings out of the limo and step out into the cool April air.
A man bows his head slightly as he opens the door. “Miss Godfrey, Mr. Godfrey,” he says in a low tone.
“Thank you, Peter,” Elena says with a smile. As she walks by, she slips a fifty-dollar bill into his hand.
Apparently, Elena bleeds green, not red.
I expected a quiet, dead lobby when I walked in. It is the middle of the night. Instead, I find a bustling center.
The ceiling rises fifteen feet high. In the center of the room, there is a large desk, at least twenty feet long. It’s glossy white and perfectly clean. A single man sits at it, a row of high-tech phones in front of him. He has one pressed to his ear now.
All along the outskirts of the building, set back a few feet from the windows, there are tables. And at least half of them are occupied. Women and men, most of them dressed in business attire, chatting, working on laptops, having conversations with others.
It’s as if it’s the middle of the workday, ten o’clock on a Tuesday.
“Welcome to the place you never have to hide,” Elena says as she wraps an arm around my waist, stepping forward with me.
We walk right up to the desk, Mason two steps behind us. The moment the man sees Elena, he wraps up his call and sits straight as a rod.
“Poe, this is Juliet Doe, my friend I’ve told you about,” she says, and the proud smile she wears when she introduces me just reminds me why I love her so much.
“Oh wow, Juliet,” Poe says, a light brightening in his eyes as he stands and extends a hand to me. “It’s… it’s so wonderful to meet you. I’m so glad that you made it here.”
Poe is… happy. Excited. He genuinely seems to be excited about life. He has darker curly hair that’s barely under control. His nose is a little oversized, but his amazingly coordinated outfit marks him as handsome and approachable.
“Nice to meet you,” I say. That’s not something I say too often, but he’s so perky, I think I actually mean it. I take his hand and shake it.
“I need you to make her a badge,” Elena instructs. “Top-level clearance. She’s going to be working with Mason from now on.”
“You got it,” he says as he sits at his desk once again.
“This is Mason,” I hear behind me, and turn to see him on his phone. And I get my first display of the CFO of Godfrey-whatever. Good night. What they say about men with power. I think I finally understand it.
It’s everything I can do not to bite my lower lip and stare.
“Here you are,” Poe says with a smile as he hands me a freshly printed, plastic badge with a clip. “Top level clearance. Welcome to Chicago, Miss Doe.”
“Thanks,” I say, offering an unsure smile.
“Let’s take you to your new home,” Elana says with a look that’s filled with anticipation. With a tug, she pulls me in the direction of a row of elevators.
They’re trimmed in gold, and the surface of them is so glossy, it’s nearly a perfect mirror.
“Give it a go,” she says, nodding toward my new badge.
I swipe the strip in the reader next to the buttons, and it immediately flashes green. Elena winks as the down arrow lights up.
Distracted, and still talking on the phone, Mason walks up behind us, and steps inside when the doors slide open.