Page 129 of High Reward

They take the three steps to the chaise, and Samuel lowers her with extreme gentleness, and steps back as Trinity pulls her dress over her head and unclasps her bra.

Samuel turns away as it falls away, making her chuckle. “You’ve seen me naked before, Samuel.”

He clears his throat and continues to stare at the wall. “You naked at the club with your husband is one thing. This deserves privacy.”

“Such a gentleman.”

Zara steps in and helps Trinity arrange herself and the fabric on the lounge chair, then lifts her camera to fire a test shot.

“Perfect,” Zara murmurs, looking at the preview screen. “Don’t move. I want to get three just as you are.”

She fires three shots, moving herself slightly between each one.

I find myself frozen, watching. Trinity’s injuries are hidden beneath the fabric, but I know they’re there. The sniper’s bullet was meant for me. It hit her instead. And here she is less thantwo weeks later, refusing to let her injuries be the only thing people see when they look at her.

“Turn your chin slightly to the left,” Zara directs. “Good. Now think about Hunter.”

“Hunter right now, or Hunter when he’s not going insane?” Trinity asks with a twinkle in her eye.

“Whatever version was in your head just now gave me exactly what I wanted,” Zara teases.

“I’d like to try one standing,” Trinity says quietly.

Zara sets the camera aside and pulls a small white column over to the chaise. “Let’s see what we can do with this,” she says.

Samuel helps Trinity shift, so she’s standing on her right leg, with her left knee bent up on the chaise. She supports herself on the column, and Zara arranges the pink satin so it hides everything except a bit of cleavage and leg. She fluffs Trinity’s hair, then picks up the camera again.

Trinity manages three more poses before her jaw clenches in a way that says she’s in pain and reaching her limit.

“That’s enough,” she says quietly. “I need to sit down.”

Samuel is at her side before she finishes speaking. He helps her sit on the edge of the chaise so she can get dressed again, then pushes the wheelchair up to it and lifts her into it with care.

“Thank you,” she tells Zara when she’s settled. “That’s exactly what I needed.”

Zara crosses to her with the camera and bends to show her the small screen. Whatever Trinity sees makes her smile.

“You look incredible,” Grace says, fully dressed and stepping from behind the screen. “Like a goddess.”

Trinity laughs, but the sound is tired. “I am a mere mortal who pushed her limits. But that’s OK. I needed to not feel broken for just a few minutes.”

The words land hard in my chest, and I swallow back another bout of tears.

Grace appears at my other side, her hand finding the small of my back. “Ready for another round?” she asks.

I straighten my shoulders, the burgundy satin giving me a boost of confidence as I smile brightly at her.

“Ready.”

Grace

Mypalmsaresweatingas I hold the photo album behind my back. The club opens in an hour, and Victor is in his office, pretending it’s not his birthday.

Lili stands beside me, composed as always, though I catch a slight tremor in her hand when she reaches for the door.

She knocks once and pushes the door open without waiting for permission. Victor looks up from his desk, eyebrows raised.

“What’s this?”