Page 60 of High Roller

“Zara is an excellent resource. Let’s try that before I involve Grace any further. She’s always been adamant about not being involved in our… business dealings, and I’ve already gone too far past that boundary by bringing Lili here.”

Luke agrees to talk to his wife, and we move on from that subject.

“Are the claims of him cheating true?” Matteo asks.

Owen laughs. “They’re true and highly under-reported from what I’ve dug up so far. He has a penchant for dominant women with big strap-ons.”

“Good for him,” Tobias says.

I’m not entirely comfortable with Tobias being in the room, but I’m not questioning anything since I technically got us into this mess by bringing Lili to the club. He’s an outsider, though Owen trusts him with his life and with Bellamy, so that says something. I reluctantly agreed to bring him on as a part owner in the club after he married Bellamy and Owen.

We share a chuckle, but I experience a pang of sympathy for Lili, and silently plan to check on her as soon as I can.

“That penchant for hiring professionals is another reason to use Zara,” Owen points out. That woman knows everyone in the business.

“Don’t remind me,” Luke mutters.

We wrap up the call, with Matteo reminding everyone of what their next steps are. Owen will keep tracing finances, Luke will brief Zara and get her on board, and I’ll continue to monitor our prisoner and report back if I learn anything. Matteo is swamped with his job and escorting Skylar to and from her shows, so he’s monitoring the rest of us in case we need background support. Tobias and Bellamy will step in and keep the High Card running.

At the end of my shift, I race across town to the club. Or rather, I drive at a snail’s pace for thirty minutes before finally getting on the 215 and then I race across town.

The casino was able to convince Phineas that his wife left of her own accord, but it won’t be long before he comes looking for her. We didn’t come to any conclusions other than having Zara and Gracie talk to her together sometime tomorrow while Grace is at work.

At the club, I don’t turn on any lights in the front of the shop, and I only turn a dim light on in the actual club. At the door of Lili’s suite, I realize it’s very early in the morning, technically still the middle of the night, and I probably should have waited to check on her. But I’m here now, so I use my phone to unlock the door. When I step inside, I find Lili curled up fast asleep. It looks like she’s been crying though, and I feel a twinge of regret, which pisses me off. Regret has never had a place in my life.

I pull a chair from in front of the vanity and sit next to the bed and allow myself to doze.

I’m not sure how long I’m out, but I wake to a harsh whisper.

“What the fuck are you thinking? He’s going to kill you.”

I blink my eyes open. Gracie is standing in front of me, her mouth agape, and I try to raise my hand to wipe the sleep from my eyes. But I can’t.

“What the hell?”

I try to stand, but again I can’t.

I hear a laugh next to me and whip my head from Gracie to Lili.

“Take them off,” I snarl.

“Not happening.”

She stands and heads for the door.

“That door better be fucking locked from the outside,” I say to Gracie. “Get these things off me.”

The woman handcuffed me to the chair with the restraints we provide to our members when they rent the suites. I should have thought to have them removed.

“Come on, Grace. You understand it’s wrong to keep me here. And when they get arrested for kidnapping, I’d like to be able to tell the authorities you helped me escape.”

Gracie looks at me and I scowl. “Don’t even think about it, Gracie.”

She runs her hands through her hair and growls. “I fucking hate this!”

A hard twist of my wrist is all it takes for the chain in the center of the leather cuffs to snap before I lunge upward to grab Lili by the throat. I don’t care that my ankles are still attached to the chair.

“Did you enjoy that little stunt? I hope it was worth it. Life is about to get extremely complicated for you, Spitfire.”

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