Jacob
All day, Valentina had been acting off. She was slipping back into her old self from two months ago—jumpy, on edge, every little noise making her stiffen. I knew she wanted space, so I didn’t push. But I did warn her—every hour, without fail, I’d be checking in. I had to know she was okay.
I was just a few blocks from home when the call came through from the club. There was a problem with one of the vendors, and they needed me to come in.
By the time I arrived, Oz was already out by the dock, nose to nose with one of our liquor vendors. The tension was thick, and I could tell this wasn’t some petty disagreement. Oz was about to lose it, but I got there just in time to stop him.
“What the hell is going on?” I snapped, my teeth clenched. This wasn’t like him. Oz had been with me
