Chapter 15
Grace
The longer I go without hearing from Victor or Lili, the smaller his house feels.
It’s almost nine at night, and they should have been back by early afternoon.
Talking to Owen and Victor a few hours ago did little to relieve my anxiety. Especially once I learned that Phineas Draven had kidnapped his wife. But I’m doing my best to believe that they’ll be OK.
After a dozen attempts to finish my paper, I give up and take a blanket from Victor’s bed and settle on the couch in the den to watch TV, hoping to get lost in something mindless while I wait for an update.
The local news is on, and before I can change the channel, the chyron at the bottom catches my eye. My hand flies to my mouth.
“In a shocking move, Mayor Miranda Brandt resigned her office today, effective sixty days from today. She cited personal family matters as the reason, but those closest to the mayor say the decision was abrupt and came with no warning. Mayor Brandt’s chief of staff, Caroline Berry, has said a more detailed statement is forthcoming.
One anonymous source told our reporters that a visit from Hunter Novak, one of Las Vegas’s most prominent business owners, is what set off the mayor’s actions today.
“In a bizarre twist to this story, a cabin that has since been discovered to be owned by the mayor’s foundation was the site of a major explosion at about six this evening.
Authorities have not provided details regarding the cause of the explosion or whether there were any casualties.
The fire chief is expected to make a statement at a press conference before the top of the hour. We’ll bring that to you live.”
I mute the TV and dial Victor again, but there is no answer. It goes straight to voicemail like his phone is off.
Lili still doesn’t have a phone, so I can’t even call her. My stomach is in knots as I dial Owen first, then Matteo, Luke, and Tobias. When none of them answer, I try Bellamy, Skylar, and Zara.
Zara answers after the third ring. “Luke tore out of here about three hours ago. I finally got a text a little while ago saying he would be out late. Do you want me to come out to your house? We can keep each other company.”
“That would be really nice, but I’m at Victor’s. I don’t want you to drive that far.”
“Victor’s is what I meant,” Zara says.
Is it my house? Do I live here now? I might as well. To be honest, I can’t imagine going back to my apartment after spending so much time here with Victor and Lili.
But I’m sure things will go back to normal once all of this is over.
“If you don’t mind driving, then yes. There’s a bunch of stuff on the news, and I’m worried because no one is answering their phones.”
“I saw the news too, sweetie. It’ll take me a solid hour, hopefully not longer, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Almost an hour goes by before she knocks on the front door, and I still haven’t heard from anyone. I’m starting to get pissed off on top of worrying.
Zara brings a bag of snacks and a bottle of wine into the living room where we pour ourselves glasses and turn on a trashy reality TV show that I’ve never heard of, but she seems to love.
I spend the entire time locking and unlocking my phone to check for missed calls or messages.
“They’ll call,” Zara says as a commercial for life insurance plays in the background.
“This is the life we sign up for to be with men like ours. Luke does his best to keep things normal, but at the end of the day, his father is still the head of the Irish mob, and he’s still working with less than legal enterprises.
That’s going to mean secrets and being in the dark sometimes. ”
I pop a piece of candy into my mouth and think about all the ways she’s right.
But I can’t imagine life without Victor, so I have to accept these parts of him the way Zara has accepted them about Luke.
“How was your trip to D.C.?” I ask, trying to keep my mind off the fact that my phone is still seriously lacking in notifications.
Her eyes light up, and she shifts to sitting cross-legged, facing me on the couch with a glass of wine in her hands.
“It was amazing. I’ve partnered with a national non-profit to build education programs to education the public on the realities of sex work to destigmatize it.
And I’ve secured a space to launch an adult content creator-friendly studio like the one we’ve been working on here.
I’d love to have them all over the country, but that’s going to take some time. ”
We chat about her plans for the next half hour while another episode of her show plays. She’s in the middle of describing her experience at a BDSM club in D.C. called Exposure when both our phones light up.
She stops mid-sentence and we both lunge for our devices at the same time. Zara chuckles. “I guess I’m just as anxious as you are after all. Don’t tell Luke.”
She answers the phone as I’m scrambling to slide the button to accept my own call.
“We’re safe, Mariposa.”
Relief floods my body, and tears inexplicably fill my eyes at the sound of Victor’s voice. “Do you need anything? Is Lili OK? Are you coming home soon?”
He isn’t fazed by my barrage of questions. “Lili is shaken up and needs to get some stitches. But Phineas won’t be a problem anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll tell you everything soon, Grace. I called to tell you Luke is coming for you and Zara because he’s closest.”
“Can’t Zara drive us?” It’s a dumb question. If there’s any kind of threat, neither Victor nor Luke would let us drive out of here on our own. And after what happened with my security at the university, he probably doesn’t trust them to do it either.
“Out of the question,” Victor snaps, confirming my thoughts.
“We’ll be ready,” I agree. “Where are we going?”
“The club. We all need to be in the same place and safe. Right now, that’s the best place for us. If your paper isn’t done, bring your laptop. You can sit on my lap and finish it after a spanking.”
I blush at that. Why is he worried about my paper now?
It seems there are more important things to focus on.
But when we end the call, I dash up the stairs and grab my computer and a change of clothes and shove them in my bag.
Then I run to the room where Lili’s things are and find some clothes for her as well.
By the time I’m back downstairs, Zara has cleared our food trash and put our wine glasses in the sink and is pulling her coat back on.
“Luke is two minutes away, but I was given strict orders to stay behind a locked door until he arrives. Apparently, there was another incident with security today, so we’re being extra cautious. ”
“Victor said the same thing. Plus, I got in trouble for waiting on the steps last week.”
Zara grimaces. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s what I signed up for as Victor’s submissive. Besides, getting into trouble can be fun as long as it’s not serious.”
Zara laughs. “Very true. And where does Lili fit into your dynamic.”
I pull on my own jacket and throw my bag over my shoulder. “We’re still figuring that out. She’s a switch, so sometimes I submit to her. Other times, she… sort of submits to Victor. There is somewhat of a battle of wills between them, but Victor wins.”
Zara gives me a wicked grin. “I would pay good money to watch her dominate Victor, so if you could arrange that for me, I would be forever grateful.”
The door opens, and Luke and three bodyguards fill the foyer before I can respond.
“Ladies, your chariot awaits,” he says in his delightful Irish accent.
Zara seems smitten as she runs to the door to join him. We walk down the porch stairs and into a waiting black limo.
To my surprise, Skylar and Bellamy are inside waiting.
“You got babysitting duty, I see, Luke,” I tease.
“We do not need babysitting,” Skylar says with a glare. “We are strong, capable women.”
“Who fell in love with possessive, protective men who would rather chew off their own hands than see any of us hurt,” Bellamy points out logically. “We’ll all be together soon enough.”
The drive back into Las Vegas is long and mostly quiet, with all of us worrying about our respective partners. Other than Zara, who sits next to her husband, tries to soothe the rest of us.
The limo arrives at the club an hour later, and we are ushered in a back door. In the main dungeon, Matteo, Owen, and Tobias are all waiting for us.
“Where are Victor and Lili?” My eyes dart around the room, hoping I’ve overlooked them.
“Not here yet,” Owen says, patting my shoulder. “They had to make a couple of stops and will be here with some additional guests soon.”
“Additional guests?”
Owen winks. “Just get comfortable. I hear you have a paper to finish.”
“If I’m going to have all of you hounding me about homework, I’m quitting school.”
“Do that and my belt is going to have to be replaced because I’ll wear it out on your ass.”
I whirl to find Victor holding Lili in his arms glaring at me. Behind him, Hunter is pushing someone I assume must be Trinity Novak in a wheelchair. Dr. Singh surprisingly brings up the rear.
“Let’s get these ladies into bed, please. It was stupid of you to take your wife out of the hospital, Mr. Novak.”
“You’re one of the best doctors in the country. Why would I want my wife somewhere that you aren’t?” Hunter asks.
The doctor rolls her eyes and marches toward the suites.
“I’ll help,” I say, jumping up from the table.
“Stay, Mariposa. Let us get her settled.”
“I want to say hello to Lili,” I say, hating how whiny I sound.
Lili is dozing on Victor’s shoulder, but he comes to me and leans down carefully for a feather-soft kiss.
“Later, Grace. We need to get her into a bed so the doctor can stitch her up and check her for other injuries.”
“I thought you said she was OK,” I say, moving for the suites.
Owen steps up behind me and grips my arm. “Sit down, pet. You were given an order, and we’re in the club. What do you say?”
“Yes, Master Victor,” I murmur.
“Now sit down,” Owen says, nudging me back to my chair.