Page 71 of High Reward

But the tension between us remains. He can see that I’m offering Grace the emotional support he’s too conflicted to provide. The honesty he’s too controlling to give.

The silent standoff continues, two people who love the same woman, disagreeing fundamentally about how to protect her.

Chapter 19

Victor

Morninglightfiltersthroughthe front windows of the sandwich shop, casting long shadows across the dining area floor. I’ve been awake for hours, watching the sun rise, mind churning through every threat, every angle. Late last night, we sent everyone to bed in the long hallway of suites, but I suspect many of us got very little sleep.

I stand and stretch, muscles protesting after hours of sitting in the same rigid position, and head back into the darkness of the club. Owen’s office door is closed, but I can see light bleedingfrom beneath it. He hasn’t slept either. No surprise there. The door opens and Bellamy steps out, a small smile playing at her lips. “Good morning, Master Victor,” she says, nodding at me. “Convince him to get some sleep, will you? I fed him, but that’s all I can do.”

I squeeze her shoulder as I pass. “You take good care of him. He’s lucky to have you. Has he been in there all night?”

She blushes and shakes her head. “He came to the room for a couple of hours to fuck me, but then when he thought Toby and I were asleep he put his pants back on and slipped out.”

I chuckle. “At least there’s some fun happening in this building. It would be a shame for so many of us to be here and not one orgasm.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t get one. He’s been on a goddamn denial kick lately.”

That makes me grin despite the circumstances. “You can commiserate with Grace about that later.”

She narrows her eyes and shakes her head. “Bastards, all of you.”

“What’s that?” I say a little louder outside Owen’s door.

She just shakes her head. “I’m going back to bed. Maybe I can talk Tobias into breaking Owen’s rules. Might be worth the punishment.”

As she walks away, movement near the entrance to Owen’s play space catches my attention. Samuel Carter stands in the doorway watching us. He arrived sometime after midnight with his wife, Erin, both of them looking grim and battle-ready. Hunter called them in without telling me, a move I’d be pissed about if Samuel wasn’t exactly the kind of reinforcement we need right now. Samuel was a godsend when it came to rescuing Lili, so he has a place here if he wants it. I know very little about him. Just that he’s former black ops or special forces, and his wife is chief of staff for a United States senator and currentlyexpecting their first child. I’m making my way over to him, when Luke steps into the room and stands next to Samuel, his usually immaculate appearance replaced with rumpled clothes and hair from what was likely a brief nap with Zara. He nods at me, then at Samuel.

“Any developments?” he asks as we meet in the center of the room, voice rough from lack of sleep.

I shake my head. “Not yet. But Phineas has had enough time to stew.”

Luke’s eyes sharpen. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That it’s time to have a conversation with our guest? Yeah.”

Matteo appears from the direction of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand. “If by ‘conversation’ you mean ‘interrogation,’ I’m in. He’s been sitting in that warehouse for long enough.”

“I’ll get Owen,” Luke says, already turning toward the office.

Owen joins us a moment later, tablet in hand, dark circles under his eyes. “Hardware’s ready. Everything’s recording. Our boy is still securely restrained according to our hourly check-ins.”

Hunter’s voice cuts through our huddle. “I’m coming with you.”

I turn to see him standing near Trinity’s wheelchair. She’s awake, pale but alert, her hand resting on his arm as if to restrain him.

“Hunter,” she breathes.

He ignores her, eyes locked on mine. “I want five minutes alone with him.”

Samuel steps forward, positioning himself between Hunter and our group. “With respect, Hunter, that’s not a good idea.”

Hunter’s jaw tightens. “He put my wife in that chair. I have a right.”

“Yes, you do,” Samuel says, his voice steady and reasonable. “And if this were just about you, I wouldn’t stand in your way.But it’s not. Phineas is just the tip of the iceberg, and you’re not stupid enough to think otherwise.”

Erin appears at Trinity’s side, her presence a silent support. She doesn’t speak, but her eyes meet Samuel’s in silent communication.