Page 54 of High Reward

She stops mid-sentence and we both lunge for our devices at the same time. Zara chuckles. “I guess I’m just as anxious as you are after all. Don’t tell Luke.”

She answers the phone as I’m scrambling to slide the button to accept my own call.

“We’re safe, Mariposa.”

Relief floods my body, and tears inexplicably fill my eyes at the sound of Victor’s voice. “Do you need anything? Is Lili OK? Are you coming home soon?”

He isn’t fazed by my barrage of questions. “Lili is shaken up and needs to get some stitches. But Phineas won’t be a problem anymore.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you everything soon, Grace. I called to tell you Luke is coming for you and Zara because he’s closest.”

“Can’t Zara drive us?” It’s a dumb question. If there’s any kind of threat, neither Victor nor Luke would let us drive out of here on our own. And after what happened with my security at the university, he probably doesn’t trust them to do it either.

“Out of the question,” Victor snaps, confirming my thoughts.

“We’ll be ready,” I agree. “Where are we going?”

“The club. We all need to be in the same place and safe. Right now, that’s the best place for us. If your paper isn’t done, bring your laptop. You can sit on my lap and finish it after a spanking.”

I blush at that. Why is he worried about my paper now? It seems there are more important things to focus on. But when we end the call, I dash up the stairs and grab my computer and a change of clothes and shove them in my bag. Then I run to the room where Lili’s things are and find some clothes for her as well.

By the time I’m back downstairs, Zara has cleared our food trash and put our wine glasses in the sink and is pulling her coat back on. “Luke is two minutes away, but I was given strict orders to stay behind a locked door until he arrives. Apparently, there was another incident with security today, so we’re being extra cautious.”

“Victor said the same thing. Plus, I got in trouble for waiting on the steps last week.”

Zara grimaces. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s what I signed up for as Victor’s submissive. Besides, getting into trouble can be fun as long as it’s not serious.”

Zara laughs. “Very true. And where does Lili fit into your dynamic.”

I pull on my own jacket and throw my bag over my shoulder. “We’re still figuring that out. She’s a switch, so sometimes I submit to her. Other times, she… sort of submits to Victor. There is somewhat of a battle of wills between them, but Victor wins.”

Zara gives me a wicked grin. “I would pay good money to watch her dominate Victor, so if you could arrange that for me, I would be forever grateful.”

The door opens, and Luke and three bodyguards fill the foyer before I can respond.

“Ladies, your chariot awaits,” he says in his delightful Irish accent.

Zara seems smitten as she runs to the door to join him. We walk down the porch stairs and into a waiting black limo.

To my surprise, Skylar and Bellamy are inside waiting.

“You got babysitting duty, I see, Luke,” I tease.

“We do not need babysitting,” Skylar says with a glare. “We are strong, capable women.”

“Who fell in love with possessive, protective men who would rather chew off their own hands than see any of us hurt,” Bellamy points out logically. “We’ll all be together soon enough.”

The drive back into Las Vegas is long and mostly quiet, with all of us worrying about our respective partners. Other than Zara, who sits next to her husband, tries to soothe the rest of us.

The limo arrives at the club an hour later, and we are ushered in a back door. In the main dungeon, Matteo, Owen, and Tobias are all waiting for us.

“Where are Victor and Lili?” My eyes dart around the room, hoping I’ve overlooked them.

“Not here yet,” Owen says, patting my shoulder. “They had to make a couple of stops and will be here with some additional guests soon.”