Page 53 of Grizz

I wince.“And then?”

“And then,” Tanner says, “Grizz didn’t hit him or throw down.He just… picked the guy up under his armpits and carried him like a misbehaving toddler out the front door.”

I almost bark a laugh but bury it with my hand over my mouth.“Oh my God.”

“It was majestic,” Tanner insists.“Sorta like watching a lion relocate an annoying cub.But uh… the New York gossip columnists did not see it that way.”

“Let me guess,” I say, dread moving through my stomach.“Bad headlines?”

“Front page of the ‘Scene & Scandal’ section,” Tanner confirms.“‘VIP Patron Removed by Vipers Forward in Physical Altercation.’Total nonsense.But Langley wasripshit.He hates anything that makes the team look like a PR nightmare.You’ve sort of gotten that memo, eh?”

Tanner claps me on the shoulder, oblivious to my rising anxiety.“But hey, that was last year.New season.New vibes.New babysitter—present company included.”

“Great,” I mutter.“Comforting.”

He grins.“You’ll be fine.Probably.”

Just as I’m about to respond, someone calls Tanner’s name from across the room.He lifts his glass in my direction.

“Go find your boy,” he says mischievously.

Then he disappears into the crowd, leaving me alone under the glimmering chandelier, surrounded by roulette wheels and cocktails and too much expectation.

I’m weaving through the room, still trying to absorb the sheer opulence of it all, when I spot Julian near the base of the grand staircase talking to a statuesque brunette who looks like she just stepped off the catwalk.I don’t want to intrude, but I do want to thank him for the invitation.

“Mr.Langley,” I say as I approach, offering a polite smile.His head turns my way, his hand coming to rest on the woman’s lower back.“Your home is… incredible.Truly.I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in New York… or anywhere, for that matter.”

He gives a small, deliberately modest shrug, the kind that pretends humility while radiating pride.“Ah, well… it’s just an old place with good bones.I’ve done what I can to keep it charming.”And yet, the faint sparkle in his eye tells the real story… he adores every inch of what he’s built here.Then ever the perfect host, he introduces me.“Daisy… this is Carolina Mellingham.”

I reach out a hand and she shakes it, the grip surprisingly firm as Julian says, “This is Daisy Turner.She works in PR for the team.”

Carolina inclines her head with an aloof smile, but before I can say anything else, Julian’s expression shifts, settling into that laser-focused seriousness I’ve come to recognize.He turns fully toward me, his voice dropping into a quieter and far less forgiving tone.

“Daisy,” he says, “you understand the importance of tonight, I assume.”

“I do,” I reply, trying to sound grounded, even though blood rushes to my head.

He nods.“Then let me make something very clear… we cannot have a repeat of last year.”

A prickle runs down my spine.“I heard about that,” I admit.

“This event,” he continues, “brings together every stakeholder in the Vipers organization—our players, sponsors, VIP ticket holders, league executives.I invite them into my home, my sanctuary, and I expect the evening to reflect the integrity of this franchise.”He pauses, his gaze heightened with authority.“I will not tolerate any behavior that compromises that, particularly tonight under this roof.”

“I understand,” I say, my palms warming.“I’ll make sure everything stays under control.”

Langley’s eyes narrow almost imperceptibly.“Make surehestays under control.”

My throat dries and Julian offers a clipped smile—a dismissal wrapped in civility—and turns back to Carolina.

And just like that, the success of the entire evening shifts squarely onto my shoulders and the reality of the task presses in.I move through the crowd, dodging servers with trays of champagne that never stops flowing, the giggling clusters of donors leaning a little too heavily on their drinks, the tables full of competition and adrenaline.The air feels charged, and all I can picture is Grizz in the middle of this, fueled by emotion, by instinct, by anything that might set him off.

I move through the room faster.The whole space feels electric, on the verge of erupting, and I can’t shake the sense that I’m running out of time.

That my entire job depends on me finding Grizz before disaster strikes.

Where is he?

I scan the bar.