Page 95 of High Roller

“Good. Do you mind if Lili joins us for food, or should I just take her a plate?”

“She can join.”

He kisses my cheek. “I’ll be right back. Go ahead and start eating.”

I slice my fork into the runny egg and fried tortilla and pop a bite into my mouth. My groan makes Victor chuckle as he makes his way up the stairs. I like it when he laughs. It’s not a sound I get to hear often enough.

A few minutes later he returns with Lili, and we sit in comfortable silence eating the delicious meal.

“You’re quite a cook, Victor. May I clean up?” Lili asks.

Victor looks at me and I shake my head. “I’ll do it. You can help if you want.”

Lili nods and Victor squeezes my hand. “I need to go check in with Owen. He should have had time to check the footage and license plates.”

When Victor is gone, Lili takes the barstool he was sitting on and touches my shoulder. “Was it really OK for me to be down here for that? It seems like I’ve gotten you in trouble a lot since I’ve been in your life.”

Her worries amuse me for some reason. “It’s really fine, Lili. In fact, I would say your presence has pushed Victor and I into a new phase of our friendship. Maybe even past the friendship phase. I’m not sure.”

“As long as you’re sure. And I really don’t mind cleaning the kitchen.”

“I get off on service,” I admit as I stand and begin clearing our plates. “I like doing things for my Dom. In the past, that has only been at the club with Victor. It’s thrilling to me to get to do things for him in his home. I’m learning that part of my service to him has to include letting him take care of me sometimes, too.

Lili laughs. “It must be nice to be able to come to that realization with someone you care about. I don’t think it’s ever crossed Phineas’s mind to take care of me beyond making sure I’m pretty for the camera. In his mind, I am a possession he purchased to aid his political career.”

My heart hurts for her. She’s so strong spirited, and the farthest thing from a possession. I hope that when this is all over, she’s able to be free of him forever.

“May I ask how you are an aide to his career?”

Lili rolls her eyes as she scrapes plates into the trash. “My father is a ranking member on several committees in the state legislature. The mayor of Las Vegas needs things from those committees. The relationship is somewhat symbiotic and by marrying me our families are connected.”

“Doesn’t anyone worry about how that looks to the voters?”

Lili scoffs again. “This is the state where conservative Christians run and profit off of the brothels they preach are evil in their churches. The ones who influence elections don’t give a damn what it looks like to voters. There is enough of the right money being passed around to grease the wheels of democracy that it doesn’t actually matter what they think.”

She sounds bitter, and I wonder if she’s always felt this way about politics, or if her illusions have been shattered so much that she is now jaded.

“I’m sorry, Liliana. I hope you’re able to escape and follow your dreams.”

“Will you be staying here while I’m here?”

Her question catches me by surprise. “For a little while, at least. My classes start soon, and I’ll need to be close to campus to attend those, but one of them is online.”

As we are finishing the kitchen, Victor returns. His expression is neutral, which tells me Owen didn’t have any bad news for him, so that’s good.

“Is everything OK?”

“The plates on all three cars were stolen. We don’t know what that means yet, but Owen is digging into it with Luke.”

“What does Luke do? I’ve figured out the rest of you, but not Luke.”

Victor laughs at Lili’s question. “He owns Four Aces VIP Transportation, but lately he helps Zara with her business and leaves the day-to-day operation of the limo service to his management team.”

“Smart man. I’ve used his company before. Had no idea.”

“It’s the best in the valley,” Victor says proudly. The pride in his voice kind of takes me by surprise. Victor and Luke often butt heads, and I’ve often gotten the impression that they are just tolerating each other because of their friendship with Matteo.

Lili winks at me before she turns to Victor. “I’m going to excuse myself so you can finish taking care of Grace.”

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