Page 83 of High Reward

“Fine,” I say. “They can watch the house. But they take orders from me. Not you. Not Andres.”

He studies me for a long moment, then nods once. “As you wish. For now.” He moves toward the door, then pauses. “Think about what I’ve said, Victor. About legacy and responsibility. About who you really are.”

I say nothing in response, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. There’s nothing I can say that wouldn’t become something I’d regret. Nothing that wouldn’t either pull me back into his world or sever ties completely. So I stand, silent and still, as he sees himself out.

Through the window, I watch him speak to the guards in rapid Spanish. Miguel nods, glancing toward the house. Toward me. They won’t leave, I know that much. Whether they’re here to protect me or to watch me remains to be seen.

The Escalade’s engine starts, rumbling in the quiet neighborhood. My father stares at me and then glances back at my own SUV blocking him in. It nearly makes me smirk, but he could still decide to shoot me, so I keep my expression neutral as I exit the house and walk to the driver’s side to move out of his way. He doesn’t look back as he drives away. He doesn’t need to.His seeds have been planted, a process set in motion. Now he’ll wait to see which way I decide to go.

Chapter 21

Victor

TheHighCard’sbackentrance feels like crossing into another world after the confrontation with my father. The club’s familiar scent, leather, alcohol, subtle cologne, and whatever Tyson cooked the group for lunch, wraps around me as I punch in the security code. Voices drift from the main dungeon, life continuing despite the threats circling us. I need to find my partners.

Samuel Carter nods at me as I pass through the newly established security checkpoint. “Everything’s been quiet.”

“Where are they?”

“Owen is in his office. Luke and Matteo are in the main room with their partners. Lili is in your suite, and Grace is in your office.”

I head for the main floor, mind still churning with my father’s words. The Russian connection. Griffin Price. Grace’s possible history with him. Each revelation a landmine waiting to explode our carefully constructed peace.

The club is subdued but functional. Security personnel positioned at key points. Tyson and Sabrina arrange food on a side table. Hunter sits with Trinity near the bar, deep in conversation with Bellamy. The locked-down atmosphere has settled into something almost normal, as normal as a BDSM club full of people hiding from multiple threats can be.

Luke spots me first, breaking away from his conversation with Zara. “You’re back. Everything alright at the house?”

“We need to talk. All four of us. Now.”

His expression sharpens at my tone. “Owen’s office?”

“Get Matteo. I’ll interrupt Owen.”

We separate without another word. I find Owen hunched over his computer, screens displaying security camera feeds, data streams, and what looks like financial records.

“I need you,” I say from the doorway.

He doesn’t look up. “Bit busy tracking money transfers that might lead us to…”

“My father was at my house.”

That gets his attention. His head snaps up, fingers freezing over the keyboard. “Alejandro Serrano? Here in Vegas?”

“In my kitchen. Drinking my tequila. We need to talk.”

Owen stands immediately, shutting down screens with practiced efficiency. “Your father doesn’t make social calls.”

“No. He doesn’t. Luke and Matteo are on their way.”

As if on cue, the two men appear in Owen’s door.

“Your father,” Matteo says without preamble, leaning against the bar along Owen’s far wall. “What did he want?”

I pace the length of the room, unable to settle. “He says the Russians are moving into Vegas again. Using Phineas as a front. Using others.”

“We knew about Draven’s Russian connections,” Owen says, already pulling up data on his tablet. “But the intel suggested they were minor players, not a coordinated push.”

“According to my father, it’s more organized than we thought. The mayor’s resignation, Phineas’s rumored death. It’s creating havoc and causing them to have to move up some of their plans.”