Page 53 of His Master

“They would definitely stop coming in if Victory Holdings ended up being investigated by federal agencies for fraud and racketeering,” I snapped right back.

Vivien was silent for a while, which I took as a good sign.

“I’m on a plane right now, heading back to Barrington,” she said at length. “I don’t trust the two of you to sort this out on your own. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and I am going to protect my interests.”

Another shoot of hope sprouted in me.

“Where are you right now?” I asked, leaning into the table, where my phone sat face up so everyone could hear the conversation.

“About thirty-five thousand feet in the air above the ocean,” Vivien replied. “And about two hours out from Barrington.”

“Okay, Vivien, listen to me,” I said, bracing myself for the biggest gamble of this entire situation. “Please, do me this one favor. Instead of coming here to Barrington, land in Norwalk instead. I’ll pick you up at the executive airport and explain the whole situation to you. I don’t know what your father has told you, but I can just about guarantee it’s either false or misleading.”

“How do I know you’re not the one telling me lies to get your own way?” Vivien demanded.

I rubbed a hand over my face, more frustrated than I wanted to be. At the same time, I felt a pulse of Simon’s hopeful calm reaching into me, giving me strength and keeping my head clear.

“You don’t,” I told Vivien. “You just have to trust me. Have I ever lied to you before? Have I ever led you in the wrong direction?”

“You’ve never led me anywhere,” Vivien replied, more thought than annoyance in her voice.

“Exactly,” I said. “I’ve let you do your own thing, have as much or as little involvement in the workings of Victory Holdings as you’ve wanted, and I haven’t questioned you or judged you for any of it.”

Again, Vivien was silent for a long time.

Finally, she sighed and said, “I’ll meet you at Norwalk Executive Airport. I’ll give you the time that the drive back to Barrington takes to tell me your side of the story. And then I’ll talk to my father and see whose version of all this I believe more.”

“Thank you,” I said, heavy with relief.

Vivien had already ended the call, which was typical Vivien.

“Yeesh,” Hayden said, eyeing my phone as if it might be as toxic as Vivien herself. “She’s a peach, isn’t she.”

“She is who she is,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair and resting a hand on Simon’s head for comfort.

“Will she side with your uncle and help him get rid of you or will she see sense and truth?” Mason asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” I said.

We were all silent for a few seconds as each of us absorbed the content of the call and the bigger picture of the situation we were all in. It was such a confused, monumental jumble of family feud and cold, corporate maneuvering that I didn’t know how to even begin to tackle the mess.

My emotions were tugged in an entirely different direction when Simon lay his head on my thigh, glancing up at me with sweet trust. That simple gesture sent my heart ricocheting around my chest.

I smiled at him, resting my hand on his cheek and stroking the side of his face for a moment, then brushing back his hair with my fingers. I wished he were naked so I could soothe myself by looking at his beauty. I didn’t even need to fuck him, necessarily, although I’d never say no to burying myself in him. I just needed Simon’s calm, innocent, devoted presence to give me strength.

I’d almost forgotten we weren’t alone when Mason spoke.

“You’re going to need to leave for Norwalk almost immediately if you want to get to the airport around the timeyour cousin does. If she’s two hours out from Barrington, she’ll almost definitely get there before you, one way or another.”

I drew in a breath and pulled my eyes away from Simon.

“You’re right,” I said. “Fortunately, there won’t be much traffic at this time of night, but it’ll still be a drive.”

“You should take our car,” Hayden said, sitting suddenly straighter.

Simon lifted his head and glanced across at his brother with a frown. “Your car? Won’t you need it?”

“Not tonight,” Hayden said. “But if the police are looking for you, if they think Victor has kidnapped you, they’ll be out searching for Victor’s car, and they’ll probably be watching the road to Norwalk.”

---