Page 147 of High Reward

Should I call someone in here? Owen and Luke went with them, so they already know, and I’m sure they’re already in contact with Matteo. Instead of alerting someone here, I text Victor.

Grace: Tell me what you need. I saw the whole thing on camera.

Victor: Jesus, Butterfly. I’m sorry. Just make sure she has clean clothes out on the bed when we get there. We’re going to be a little while because of the cleanup process.

Grace: As in no one will find his body like Jacob’s?

Victor: Let’s not text about this, Grace. I’ll explain everything in person. You have my word.

That will have to be good enough for now. I leave Owen’s office and try not to think about the brutal violence I just witnessed.

I can’t blame her for snapping. Phineas was cruel.

But it still turns my stomach to think that people I love are capable of that kind of violence. Do I have that in me? Sixmonths ago, I would have vehemently denied it. Now, knowing that Lili had it in her, I’m not so sure.

I just hope I never have to find out.

Victor

IholdLiliinmy lap in the back of a limo the entire ride back to the club.

It took us three hours to clean up and decide what to do with Phineas’s body so that it would be found but not lead back to us. Because Lili is right. Her mother-in-law is tenacious and resourceful, and judging from the closeness of their relationship, she is unlikely to rest without knowing what happened to her son.

If we play our cards right, the Russians will take the fall for his death, and we’ll be able to drive them out even faster than we’d planned at the summit.

I tell Owen as much, and he pulls out his tablet to begin sending coded messages to disseminate the information.

At the High Card, we head straight for the suite where Grace is waiting to help Lili with a hot shower. She doesn’t protest when Grace climbs in and helps her wash her hair with something other than the cold water we had at the warehouse. I wait for them to finish before I step in, for fear I won’t keep my hands off either of them, and sex is probably the last thing they want or need right now.

Lili finally breaks down as Grace nudges her towards the bed. I don’t hesitate to crawl onto the other side of her, so that Grace and I are holding her together.

“It’s OK, Lili. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Grace murmurs.

Lili lets out a strangled sob. “I killed him. And I don’t fucking feel a bit of guilt for it. That’s the part that’s messing with me.”

It’s a feeling I’ve experienced as well. I got over it rather quickly, but I don’t want that for Lili. She’s got more good in her than I do, and I don’t want to see that disappear.

“We’ll find someone for you to talk to if you want,” I murmur against her hair. “But at the end of the day, you rid the world of a monster. He can never hurt you again.”

Lili swipes at her tears and tries to sit up, but I keep her pinned down. “You need to rest. You’re going to get a false sense of energy, and then you’re going to crash again in the middle of a conversation. It’s better for you to rest now and stave that off.”

“Speaking from experience?” she asks wryly.

I let out a soft chuckle. “Something like that. Contrary to popular belief around here, I do not get off on murdering people. But I have had experience, and I know how hard the adrenaline crash can be as the cortisol takes over.”

She relaxes against me, and I squeeze Grace’s hand on the other side of her. When she’s drifted off to sleep, Grace and I slip off the bed and go to my office, where I pull her into my arms and let her cry.

“Victor, it was so horrible,” she finally whispers.

“I can’t believe you watched the whole thing, butterfly.”

“I had to make sure she was going to be OK.”

I hold her against me, one hand at the small of her back, the other against her head, cradling her gently. “Don’t you trust me yet, Grace?”

She sniffs against my chest and nods. “You know I do. But I care for her too and want to watch over her just like you do.”

I kiss the top of her head. “Let’s go watch over her now. She’s going to need us when she wakes up.”