Page 45 of High Roller

“I want him dead,” she says, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“That makes at least nine or ten of us,” I say jokingly.

She scoffs. “That’s a drop in the bucket. Finn is hated by all, but for reasons I’ve not yet figured out, he’s also feared and powerfully connected. The people who hate him still fawn over him when he’s around, and they’ll publicly support him as if he is the second coming of Christ embodied.”

Her revelation doesn’t surprise me. Phineas Draven has a reputation, and Lili is only confirming the validity of that reputation.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it from my pocket. “Everything OK, butterfly?”

“No. Someone slashed my tires while I was inside ordering food.”

I leap into action, heading for the door. “Stay put. Don’t call the police. I’m on my way.”

“The store manager already called them. They’ll probably beat you here.”

Fuck.

“OK. Stay put. Cooperate but only give them the bare minimum for answers. Don’t talk about me, this place, or anything else. Especially not Lili, understood?”

“Understood, Victor.”

“What’s wrong?” Lili asks as soon as my phone is away from my ear.

“Someone slashed Gracie’s tires. I’m going to pick her up.”

“Be careful.”

The worry in her voice pulls at me, and I want to hug or kiss her goodbye. But much like with Gracie, I’m confused about what is going on between us, so I resist.

I run into Matteo as I’m heading for the exit.

“Are the police coming?” he asks when I tell him what happened.

“The shop manager insisted on calling them.”

“I’ve got a better relationship with law enforcement in this city. Let me go pick her up.”

It’s true, Matteo is the more even-tempered one, and he has developed relationships with a lot of important people, including several key members of the police force. It’s useful, but I hate not going to get Gracie.

“I’ll follow you and stay back.”

Matteo sighs, but he clearly sees the futility of trying to argue with me, so he doesn’t.

I hop in my car and let him pull out of the parking lot ahead of me. Two police cars are in the bakery and coffee shop parking lot when we arrive. I park near the opening for the drive through and scroll on my phone while Matteo gets out and heads for Gracie who is standing next to her car talking to police officers.

I roll my window down hoping to hear some of the conversation, but the wind is strong today—one of the curses of this city—and I can’t make out anything meaningful.

Matteo laughs and drapes an arm around Gracie, and for a moment I’m jealous and want to cut his hand off. Which is completely irrational because I hug Skylar, Bellamy, and Zara all the time. I wonder if this is how the other guys feel when I do.

I wind up going through the drive-through because I don’t want to attract attention, and because something tells me Gracie never got food. So I order enough for all of us. When I get my order, Gracie is handing a clipboard—likely holding her witness statement—back to the police officers questioning her. I drive to the next parking lot and park where I can still see them and wait for the police to leave.

When they are gone, Matteo points Gracie to his car and drives her over to me. She climbs into the passenger seat next to me and lays her head back against the seat. “That was exhausting. Fuck.” She sits straight up. “I never got the food. I came out to throw some trash away that’s been piling up in the back floorboards while I waited for my order, and that’s when I saw what happened. It had to have happened less than ten minutes after I parked, because I was only in line for that long.”

Matteo leans in through her door to talk to me. “Tow truck is on its way. Get her back to the club and I’ll handle the car.”

Gracie wipes at her eyes and I realize she’s holding back tears.

“What is it, butterfly?” I ask, picking up her hand.

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