Page 52 of Grizz

“Hi, Tanner,” I say, amused despite myself.“You seem… energized.”

“Hit the roulette table,” he declares proudly, shoving his chips under my nose.“Cleaned them out.”

“You… cleaned out a casino run by your team’s billionaire owner?”

“Absolutely.It’s a victimless crime.”

I laugh.“Okay, walk me through it.What’s your genius strategy?”

He puffs up, delighted to be asked.“Simple.You always—always—bet on the third dozen.”

“The third dozen?”

“Yup.Numbers twenty-five through thirty-six.Because statistically—”

“Please don’t say statistically.”

“—the ball has to land there eventually.”

“That’s not how statistics work.”

He waves me off.“Listen, I learned this in Vegas.Very educational road trip.I’ve become… enlightened.”

“Enlightened?”I repeat.

“Spiritually,” he clarifies, “and financially.”

I shake my head, smiling.“Well, congratulations on your newfound wisdom.”

“Thank you,” he says, bowing.“I’ll be insufferable for at least three days.”

I hesitate before asking the question that’s been buzzing in my brain since I walked through the front doors.“Have you seen Grizz?”

Tanner lifts his eyebrows.“Ah.Straight to business—or pleasure?”

Heat creeps up my neck.“Tanner.”

“Relax,” he says, sipping his champagne.“Yeah, I’ve seen him floating around.Somewhere near the high stakes blackjack earlier.Probably brooding.Or being tall.Or both.”

My stomach churns.

“But,” Tanner adds, “let’s hope we don’t get a repeat of last year.”

Everything in me seizes and I turn to him slowly.“A repeat of what?”

Tanner grimaces.“Right.You weren’t here then.”

“No,” I say.“I wasn’t.What happened?”

He glances around, then leans in with a cautious look in his eyes.“So last year,” he begins, “Grizz was at one of the blackjack tables.Things were fine.Normal.Chill, even.Until some drunk guy—one of those VIP donors who thinks writing checks is the same thing as being part of the roster—decided to get handsy.”

“With who?”I ask.

“With Grizz,” Tanner says.“Literally draped an arm over him, started rambling about how he ‘owned’ part of the team through his donations.Then he told Grizz he should ‘try smiling more,’ because he’d ‘look less murderous.’”

“Oh no,” I whisper.

“Oh yes,” Tanner says.“Grizz told him to back off.Guy kept pushing.Said he could ‘take’ him in a fight, which, for the record, is the funniest thing ever said by a human being.”