Page 36 of High Reward

“Then we can meet again next week.” Matteo stands.

“Princess, follow me.”

Griffin stays still and calm, but I catch a spark of irritated surprise in his eyes that Matteo is walking away, and he nods curtly. “Next week, then.”

When Griffin leaves the table a minute later, I pull Lili up and have her sit in the chair Matteo vacated.

“What else did Grace say?”

“Just what I told you. When she saw his face, it sparked not quite a memory, but a fear. And she doesn’t know where she’s seen him before.”

“OK. We have a lot on our plates, but we’ll look deeper into him.”

She reaches for my hand and squeezes gently. The touch is calming.

“I hear Trinity Novak is awake. That’s good news, right?”

I nod, tracing my thumb over her knuckles. “It is.”

“Do you think we could arrange for me to visit her? I’d like to express how sorry I am for what happened.”

I scowl. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I know. But that bullet was meant for me…”

“Enough.” I cut her off. “I don’t want to think about that. But I’ll talk to Hunter about a visit. Don’t expect him to say yes, though.”

“What happened with Harper?” she asks, mercifully changing the subject.

I give her a broad overview of what we discovered, leaving out the details Harper shared about being extorted.

“That’s a crazy story, Sir. How much do you buy it?”

I shake my head. “It’s hard to say right now. Owen is digging up what he can. Speaking of which, I should go check in with him and see how far he’s gotten. Will you keep an eye on Grace?”

“Of course,” she smiles and reaches for my whiskey. “You going to finish this?”

I chuckle. “Have at it, Spitfire. But no more after that. I need you alert.”

For the rest of the evening, I bounce between answering questions for Owen and switching off guard duty with Luke and Tobias. Zara was unable to get much out of Harper, but she tells me she believes the girl is just as much a victim as Grace. It’s hard to see it that way, but it will make Grace feel better to believe she was taken advantage of as opposed to her being malicious.

By the time the club is shut down, we’re all exhausted, and Grace, Lili, and I crash in the lone suite not being used by members for the night, with me in the middle of the king-sized bed. Grace claims my chest as her pillow, and Lili curls against my side with her back to me. It isn’t long before they’re both asleep, but I lay awake for a long time, wondering how the hell I’m going to keep them both safe.

Chapter 11

Victor

Thenextmorning,Islip out of our suite and join Matteo, Owen, and Luke for a ride to the Strip. Tobias is staying behind to take Lili and Grace back to my place when they wake up. The four of us are quiet for most of the ride, and I know we must make quite a sight when we walk through the casino to the private elevator that will take us to Hunter’s floor.

The elevator doors slide open to reveal Hunter Novak’s private domain at the top of the Pink Sapphire. Morning light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the Las Vegas Stripbelow into a pale imitation of its nighttime self. Hunter stands at the far end of his conference table, back to us, shoulders rigid under a suit that looks like he’s slept in it. When he turns, the shadows under his eyes confirm what I already know: he hasn’t left Trinity’s side except for this meeting. His usual immaculate appearance is gone, replaced by stubbled cheeks and hair that’s been raked through by worried fingers too many times.

“Gentlemen.” His voice is sandpaper rough. No handshakes offered. No pleasantries.

Owen, Matteo, Luke, and I file in silently. We take seats around the polished conference table without being invited. Hunter remains standing, fingers splayed on the glass surface, watching us with cold calculation.

“She’s stable,” he says before any of us can ask. “Breathing on her own. Doctors say the bullet missed doing considerably more damage by millimeters.”

Matteo lets out a breath. “That’s good news.”