Page 161 of High Reward

“I’m not sure we have what you’re looking for in stock,” I say, glancing around looking for Victor, Lili, or one of the security guards. But they all seem to have disappeared into the back room. I consider screaming, but part of me wants to hear what she has to say.

My phone is face up on the sales counter though, so I tap Victor’s name in the contacts in case I need to call him.

Kara flips the lock on the door behind the mother and daughter, then slowly strolls toward me.

It’s then that I notice the gun.

“Kara, what are you doing?” I ask, tapping the call icon next to Victor’s name, praying she doesn’t notice.

“Making you pay for taking my Sampson away from me.”

“I didn’t make him kill himself, Kara. That was a choice he made for himself. I’m really sorry he mentioned me in that note. That was a cruel thing to do to you, but I promise I didn’t have anything to do with his death.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Kara shouts. I glance down at the phone as subtly as I can to see if Victor has answered.

“This is the gun he did it with, you know that?”

“Police gave it back to me after the investigation because it was registered in my name, but it was always Sampson’s.”

I exhale slowly, waiting for someone, anyone to burst through the door and put a stop to this madness.

“Kara, that’s terrible. I’m really sorry.”

“I said shut the fuck up,” she snaps again, brandishing the weapon. “Your bookstore is going to be a short lived success considering that you won’t be alive tomorrow to run it.”

Fuck. She plans to kill me for real. Where the fuck is Victor?

Victor

Myfistsclenchwithrage as I listen quietly to the call Grace started. I’m typing texts to Owen, Luke, Matteo, and Samuel Carter who is still in town visiting Hunter, letting them know I need backup.

I tell Lili to stay put in the back room, along with the lone employee still on the clock.

Lili tries to argue, and my hand finds her throat. “Now is not the time to argue with me, Spitfire. Grace is in danger. Sit your ass down and stay put, or you’ll regret it when this is all over.”

That seems to silence her protests, and she drops onto a pallet of books that haven’t been put on the shelves yet.

When I hear Kara say that Grace won’t be alive tomorrow, I curse under my breath. This is going down now, whether I have backup or not.

I burst into the shop with my own weapon drawn and aimed directly at Kara.

“Drop the fucking gun,” I snarl as I stalk toward her, not bothering to hide my rage.

“Victor, be careful,” Grace says in a high pitched voice. “That’s the gun Sampson used on himself. I think she’s serious.”

Shit. This girl really is unhinged isn’t she?

I keep the weapon trained on Kara, but I don’t threaten her any further. Instead, I inch closer, keeping an eye on her body language.

I’ve startled her, which is going to work to my advantage.

When I’m behind the counter, I shove Grace behind me. “Go in the back,” I order, keeping the gun trained on Kara so she knows her life is over if she pulls her own trigger.

Grace is still for a minute before she obeys. When Kara and I are alone, I step back slightly.

“You have two choices.”

“How do you figure?” she asks, her voice deceptively calm despite her trembling hand.