37. Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Victor
“Mr. Serrano, you’re wanted in Mr. Novak’s office.”
I frown at the voice in my earpiece. What would Hunter Novak want with me? Whatever it is, it can’t be good. The High Card owners discussed Owen talking to the business mogul on our behalf, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. There aren’t a lot of men who make me nervous, but Hunter Novak is definitely one of them. We don’t want to be on his bad side. He’s known for being ruthless in the business world in a way that puts some crime bosses to shame. The difference is, Hunter does it while remaining inside the lines of the law as far as we can tell.
“On my way,” I mutter into the mic at my lapel.
On the ride up to Novak’s floor, I try to imagine the questions he might ask and how I can best respond without fucking everyone over.
When I step into the office, I’m surprised to find Owen and Matteo present as well.
Novak’s assistant, Nadine, sits in the corner of the room as well, prepared to take notes.
“Gentlemen,” Novak says from his place behind the massive desk that occupies the center of the room. “Why is Phineas Draven asking about you?”
Shit. There is no way this turns out well for us.
Owen clears his throat. “It’s like I told you a few days ago. We have something he wants, and we’re not prepared to hand it over yet.”
Hunter stands and plants his palms on the desk leaning forward as he locks eyes with each of us for a full ten seconds before asking, “That something wouldn’t happen to be his wife, would it?”
Double fuck.
“She is leaving him and we’re helping her,” Matteo says.
I look at him in surprise. There was no time for us to strategize for this meeting. Which was probably purposeful on Hunter’s part. It’s how any of us would have done it if we wanted to get as much information as possible from someone.
Hunter slams a palm down on the table. “What possible reason could you have for helping his wife? How did she find you?”
He’s looking directly at me now, which means he probably knows I was with her the night she was gambling at the Pink Sapphire.
“It was a freak coincidence that we met,” I say. It’s the truth, and I don’t have a better lie prepared, so I’m rolling with it.
“My company has contracts in the works that require the city’s approval. There are pieces of legislation I’m trying to get passed in the state legislature. You fucking with the mayor’s son is not helping me achieve those things. And when you’re actively hindering my progress, I question whether our working relationship can continue, gentlemen.”
Matteo steps forward. “If it’s worth anything to you at all, he’s abusive and cheating on her.”
Hunter straightens and folds his arms across his chest. “That’s unfortunate, and I certainly don’t want to send a woman back to an abusive relationship, but that still doesn’t change the fact that we have a problem.”
“Draven is one of our enemies,” Owens says. “And in my digging through his and his mother’s finances, I’ve discovered some interesting anomalies that make me convinced Mayor Brandt is on the take with a number of problematic donors and business entities.”
Hunter raises an eyebrow. “And your business isn’t problematic?”
Owen lets out a laugh. “Not in the same ways. We don’t steal from people directly, and we don’t really hide who we are except for where we need to.”
Hunter does not seem impressed with Owen’s explanation as he leans forward and presses his hands flat on his desk and looks each of us in the eye.
“I want this handled within the next two weeks or there are going to be more dire consequences. And I promise you won’t like any of them. Mayor Brandt may be a corrupt politician, but she’s who we’ve got, and I won’t be happy if I get fucked in all of this.”
“We’re working on it, Mr. Novak,” Matteo assures him. “And we regret that you’ve been dragged into our business.”
“Just fix it and there won’t be any more problems.”
It’s clear we’ve been dismissed when Nadine opens the door and stands aside to let us out.
When we leave the office, we ride downstairs together. Owen overrides the system in the elevator and sets it to not stop on any of the other floors. “What are we going to do next?”
“I’m hoping to continue working on Hunter to get him to take on the mayor. He’s the only one even remotely on our side with that kind of power. We operate too much in the shadows to take her down on our own.”
“What if Lili comes out of hiding and files for divorce?” I ask.
Owen whistles. “That’s drastic and very public. Do you think she would go for it?”
“What purpose does that serve?” Matteo asks.
“If she files for divorce, it supports the narrative that she came to us for help in leaving his abusive ass,” I explain. “As for whether she would go for it or not, I would need to ask. I’ll talk to her as soon as I get home tonight.”
“It’s worth exploring. What else do we have on Draven and his mother?”
Owen shakes his head at Matteo’s question. “They’ve got things buried deep, and I’m still working on uncovering it. You know what I know. She’s got some suspicious accounts, and Draven seems as clean as a whistle. Either she’s protecting him, or he’s good at covering his own tracks.”
The elevator slides open on the ground floor, and Owen steps out. “Let’s meet again tomorrow afternoon after Victor has had a chance to talk with Lili.”
When I finish my shift, I head to the club to handle some business and clear my head before going home to the girls. I’ve checked in with their security, and everything is quiet.
In my office, I set about responding to emails and reaching out to clients we’ve laundered money for in the past six months. But my eyes blur and before I know it, I’m falling asleep. My dreams are filled with visions of Grace and Lili naked in my office sitting on my desk, and when I wake with a raging hard on, I’m disappointed that neither of them is here. The dreams were so real I could smell them.
I stand and head for the kitchen, my heart still racing from the erotic dreams.
In the kitchen, I lean against the stainless-steel prep station and will my pulse to slow and my cock to relax. This is why I don’t date women beyond a one-night stand. Grace deserves more than what I’m capable of giving her. Especially with my feelings for Lili growing in intensity. Yes, the other night I told her we were all on the same page about enjoying each other until Lili had to move on, but deep down, I’ll be devastated if Lili has to leave. And she’s going to need to leave. Things are too complicated, and unless I kill her bastard of a husband, and probably the mayor too, she won’t be safe. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.
The door opens and Tyson Vance, a friend of the club, enters carrying a large tray of something that smells amazing. He’s a celebrity chef with a Michelin star or two, and we’re lucky he’s a member here.
“You look like you could punch someone in the face,” Tyson quips as he sets the tray down.
“You offering yours? I’ve always thought it was a little too perfect,” I retort, clenching my fists.
He holds up his hands in mock surrender and laughs. “I’m just delivering some of the stuff I’ll need for tomorrow night’s dinner.”
Right, it’s time for our monthly VIP dinner. It’s a high protocol D/s event where the dominants in the room get premium service from the submissives, and it usually ends with an orgy or something closely resembling one. VIP members of the club pay a pretty penny for a seat at this particular table, and punching Tyson is probably not advisable no matter how much I may want to since he’s in charge of the food, and I don’t know anyone else willing to cook for that many naked people.
I don’t dislike him. He’s a great guy. Overly cheerful people just bug me, and he’s got the disposition.
The only cheerful person who doesn’t bug me is Grace.
“I’ll get out of your way,” I grumble as I head for the door.
“If you ever need to talk, I’ve got pretty good ears, I’m told,” he calls after me.
I wave a hand dismissively at him, but something stops me in my tracks, and I turn back to him.
“Have you ever wanted a woman you couldn’t have?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Is it a woman you can’t have or a woman you won’t let yourself have because of some made up reason?”
I ponder the question and flip him off as a response.
“OK,” he mutters. “I see you weren’t looking for a logical answer.” He shoves a hand in the pocket of his jeans as he thinks of another way to answer. “I suppose there was a time when I wasn’t sure Sabrina could ever be mine because of her feelings for another man, but we’ve worked it out and I’ve discovered the joy of multiple partners.”
I blow out a long breath. “That sounds complicated, but I guess it works for some people.”
“Even if the situation isn’t perfect, if you have the opportunity to spend time with the woman you claim you can’t have, take it. Situations change, and something is often better than nothing at all. And most of the roadblocks that exist are of our own making.”
It seems like he’s about to get too philosophical for me, so I hold up a hand to stop him and say goodnight. But I’m considering his words as I walk down the hall. He’s right. I know he is. But it doesn’t stop me from feeling like I’m entirely too messy for Grace or Lili.
For starters, I kidnapped Lili after sleeping with her. That doesn’t exactly scream stand-up guy who belongs with a sweetheart like Grace.
Plus, I’ve promised to keep her out of my illegal dealings, and my wife can’t exactly be completely shielded from those things?
Wife? “God damn it, Victor. Get your head on straight,” I mutter to myself.
The pep talk doesn’t work, and I slam my fist into the wall outside of the suite I once shared with Lili and Grace.
“Thanks for not doing that to my face,” Tyson says from behind me.
I scowl at him, but he retreats into the kitchen before I can correct my earlier mistake of not punching him.
It’s clear I’m not going to be productive here, so I head for my car so I can drive home and talk to Lili about filing for a divorce.
As I’m opening my car door, Matteo pulls in and climbs out of the SUV with Skylar who is looking upset, so I close the door again and go to them.
“Everything OK?” I ask.
She gives me a sad smile. “I just heard how long Bryce is going to prison for in the UK, and I’m not handling it well. I thought I’d moved on from being upset about losing him, but I was wrong.”
My heart aches for her. It’s a feeling I’m uncomfortable with.
“Is there anything I can do?” I know there isn’t. Her brother is spending a long time in prison because of his role in a massacre at what was supposed to be Tobias and Bellamy’s wedding in London. It was that incident that led to our discovery of Phineas Draven being involved.
Skylar shakes her head as a fresh wave of tears stream down her cheeks. “Maybe a hug?” she asks after a moment of awkward silence.
I open my arms begrudgingly and pull her close. She cries against my chest while Matteo glares at me.
“Don’t tell anyone about this, Kitten,” I murmur against her hair, trying to lighten the mood. “Can’t let people think I’m going soft.”
She laughs and shoves at my chest. “I don’t think there is any danger of anyone believing you would ever go soft, Master Victor. Thanks for the giggle.”
I reach out and tug a lock of her long blond hair. “You got it, hotness. Now get inside and let Matteo fuck the sad out of you in his office. I have an appointment.”
Her mouth drops open and Matteo growls at me, but I walk to my car, feeling a little lighter than when I first stepped into the parking lot.
All of my colleagues have made complicated relationships work. Grace has been my friend for years, and all we’re doing now is expanding the boundaries of our relationship. It doesn’t have to be anything more complicated than exploring what we do and don’t like with each other.
Lili, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.