Page 84 of High Reward

Luke’s expression darkens. “They sense a potential power vacuum and want to fill it with their own people.”

“Exactly.”

“Why come to you directly?” Matteo asks. “Your father has channels. Intermediaries. Why show up at your house?”

I stop pacing, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “He wants me to bring the family business to Vegas. Officially. Wants me to claim territory for the Serranos.”

The room goes quiet. We all understand what that would mean, the end of neutrality, the beginning of open cartel presence in a city we’ve kept relatively clean.

“And you said?” Luke prompts.

“I said no. But he left men at my house. For ‘protection.’” I make air quotes around the word.

“Spies,” Owen translates.

“Most likely. It means I’m not taking the girls back there anytime soon.”

Matteo runs a hand through his hair, a rare sign of agitation. “If your father’s intel is accurate, we have bigger problems than Phineas and Kara Lindon.”

“My father doesn’t deal in worthless information.” I resume pacing. “And there’s more. He says Griffin Price is connected to all this. That he’s been watching us. Watching me.”

“Griffin?” Luke straightens. “The asshole from Crimson Peak?”

“The same.”

Owen’s fingers fly across his tablet. “I’ve had suspicions about Price. His financials show connections to several shell companies with Russian ties. But nothing concrete enough to move on. I started digging into him when he approached us about getting into business together.”

I hesitate, unsure how much to share about Grace’s possible connection. Not yet. Not until I confirm it.

“My father suggested the direct approach. Take out Phineas and Price. Send a message.”

“Clean up the mess, cartel-style,” Matteo says, voice flat.

“I have a different idea.” I stop pacing, facing them fully. “A summit.”

Luke raises an eyebrow. “A summit?”

“We bring in our connections. Your father’s Irish organization.” I nod to Luke. “Matteo’s remaining family ties in Chicago. Owen’s family contacts. My father’s cartel representatives. Even Bellamy and Tobias’s families could have a stake in this.”

“You want to put all of our family connections in one room?” Owen sounds skeptical. “That’s a powder keg waiting for a spark.”

“It’s also a show of unified strength,” I counter. “The Russians are counting on us being fragmented, isolated. They’re testing for weaknesses in our alliance.”

“So we show them there are none,” Matteo says, catching on.

“Exactly. We bring our families to the table. Share information about Russian movements. Present a united front. Make it clear that Vegas remains neutral ground but protected.”

Luke drums his fingers on the table. “My father won’t come himself. But he’d send someone. Then again, he’s got a soft spot for my wife, so perhaps I can convince him.”

“Same with my family,” Matteo adds. “They’d send representatives, not principals. Danny doesn’t dare step foot in the same room with a Serrano after he tried to frame the cartel for my father’s death.”

“That’s fine. We just need the family connections visible. Public.”

Owen sets his tablet down. “This is risky. Putting all our cards on the table at once.”

“Riskier to do nothing,” I say. “If my father’s right, the Russians are already moving pieces. We need to respond before they consolidate power.”

“And you’re sure this isn’t about proving something to your father?” Owen asks, perceptive as always. “About showing him that cross-family alliances can work?”