Page 58 of High Reward

Victor laughs and motions for me to carry on. I lay my head lightly against her chest, and she runs her fingers through my hair.

“Tell me what happened.” I say after a few minutes.

“Later, Grace. We need to let her rest.”

Lili squeezes my hand and glares at Victor. “You haven’t told her yet?”

Turning to me she brushes hair out of my face. “Finn kidnapped me, but Victor and the others rescued me. We’ve got Finn locked up in a warehouse while we decide what to do with him.”

My gut twists, and I hug her tight. “I’m so glad you’re OK. I’m sorry about Finn.”

Victor snorts. “Why the hell are you sorry about that bastard?”

I sit up and glare at him. “Abusive or not, Lili is losing her husband. Whether you kill him or send him to prison. Is either option for the best? Yes. But it still sucks that things turned out this way, and I’m sorry that someone I love is going through that.”

Lili squeezes my hand. “Thank you, sweet girl. Victor is right, though. No need to shed tears over anything involving that man. The situation is sad, yes, and I’m sure that sadness will hit me someday soon. Right now, I just want to sit with two people I care a great deal about and close my eyes. The doctor gaveme something to help me relax. Will you both stay until I fall asleep?”

“Try and kick us out,” I murmur as Victor slips off his shoes and settles on the other side of Lili.

He seems distant as he caresses her arm while she drifts off, and I wonder where his head is.

It doesn’t take long for her meds to kick in, and we slip out as quietly as we can manage, joining the others who are enjoying easy conversation around the tables.

“How’s Lili?” Trinity asks as soon as she sees us.

“Sleeping peacefully,” I say with a smile.

“You must be Grace. Lili speaks highly of you.”

“I’m so sorry you got hurt because of us.”

Trinity wheels her chair closer to me and squeezes my hand. “Don’t blame yourself. I got hurt because of a lunatic with too much power. But the public thinks he’s dead, and he’ll eventually pay for his crimes.”

Matteo and Luke approach and ask Victor to join them in the front office. I protest, wrapping my arms around him. “He just got here. Let me have some time.”

Matteo puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Time is something we’re a little short on, Gracie… Grace. You can have him for as long as you want after we handle business.”

Victor peels me off of him and kisses me lightly then grips my chin, giving me a stern look. “Check on Lili in a little while and visit with the others. Make sure our guests have drinks, food, and anything else they might need. And make sure Hunter and Trinity have everything they need in their suite. If you finish all of that before I get back, you sit your ass down in my office and finish your paper.”

My heart nearly explodes at the sweetness of what he’s doing right now. Those outside of a D/s dynamic might find him pushy or overbearing, but he’s giving me things to keep my mind offthe danger and focused on service. I love him even more in this moment.

“Yes, Master,” I whisper, unable to speak any louder without the tears I’m holding back affecting my voice. His hand rests against my cheek for a moment before he kisses my forehead once more and turns to leave.

As they disappear, Zara comes to my side and puts an arm around me. “This will be over soon, Grace.”

I hope she’s right, because I’m ready to focus on building a life with Victor and Lili.

Chapter 16

Victor

MyeyesdrifttoMatteo’s office door as I listen to him outline all the reasons it’s better to hand Phineas Draven over to the police. I’ve already said my piece, and I’m ready to bolt and check on Lili and Grace.

Matteo has to realize there’s no way I’ll let Draven escape with anything other than a bullet in his brain. He won’t get away with touching Lili. And Lili will kill him herself if we discover he’s connected to Grace’s stalker.

But he’ll feel better if we listen to his spiel about how far we’ve come in this city and that killing one of its most powerful residents is probably not going to garner us any favors.

Except Phineas Draven is a monster in ways I can’t even fathom, and I have every intention of making sure the public knows that.