That was why Valentin kept the story to himself.
In prison, he met three men who had worked at The Cracked Heart, then called Ang’s Place, before they were locked up. The men had been coerced into taking drugs into Warburton Province by the club owner’s son, Bergam, and had gotten caught. According to them, Ang had been horrified to discover that his son was using the club as a front for multiple criminal enterprises not just drug trafficking, but also illegal gambling and moving stolen merchandise.
The men were released a year before Valentin, and they told him to look up the club when he got out. Valentin never intended to take them up on the offer, but when he left prison to find nothing but Antoni, Decoy, and sorrow waiting for him, he’d made his way to Ang’s, stopping only briefly to have a bunch of zinnias tattooed on his shoulder.
By the time Valentin arrived, the owner had removed the illegal dealings from his club. Bergam still hung around, his father hadn’t totally disinherited him, but it was Valentin who earned Ang’s trust and loyalty. The old man had been happy to give Valentin a job and teach him the ropes of the nightclub industry.
A few months before he died, Ang discovered Bergam was involved in the drug trade again. He removed him from his will and left the club to Valentin. Initially, Valentin was unsure, but then he realized that this was his opportunity to establish himself in business. Even if he never saw Zeller again, he still wanted to keep his promise to better himself.
“I guess I’ll head down to the floor,” Asher said. “The night is young, and I’m in the mood to pull.”
“I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Valentin replied wryly, thinking of how often he’d caught Asher flirting with Xan lately.
“Text you later?”
“Yep.”
Opening his messages again, Valentin studied the two photos. The couple in bed. The couple out for a run.
Decoy jumped onto the desk. Absently, Valentin stroked his soft fur.
He looked at his phone. He petted the cat.
He could have a life, maybe. He could have a life even if he still had a past.
Chapter Forty-One
Wes
Wes opened his door the Thursday after the party and the sight of the omega on his doorstep made him smile. The man was a super-sized version of Ryde.
“Welcome,” he said, ushering in Calder and Zinn. He’d been wary of any initial awkwardness and was relieved to discover there was none.
Calder and Zinn seemed comfortable as well.
“Thanks for having us,” Calder said, settling his hand on Zinn’s lower back. “Smells delicious.”
“Assa made butternut squash ravioli.”
“My specialty!” Assa called out, giving them a wave from the kitchen as they moved into the dining alcove.
Zinn held up a tote. “I brought your albums. I put little stickies on the ones I’d like copies of, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“None at all,” Wes said. He’d come home from the university Sunday night, after getting called in for an emergency meeting,to Assa’s news that he’d dropped off photo albums for Zinn to look at.
Assa told Wes that he and the omega had a great conversation that included him making Zinn aware of the couple’s polyamory. Zinn had revealed that he was newly pregnant with Calder’s baby.
Wes had not been surprised that his husband visited Zinn. The connection they’d made after Ryde’s party was undeniable. Even now, with Assa in the kitchen, Wes sensed the invisible link between the two men.
The point was proven a minute later when Assa came into the room. He slipped his arms around Zinn from behind, squeezing the omega’s back to his front. Zinn covered Assa’s hands with his own, hugging them to his chest.
Wes looked over to gauge the alpha’s reaction, but Calder appeared unbothered by the closeness between his omega and Wes’s husband.
Assa pulled away and turned Zinn to face him. “I’m so glad you’re back in our home,” he said. “Wes and I have so much we want to tell you, things we’ve been talking about since Saturday. I’m sure you and Calder are in the same boat?”
“That’s an understatement,” Zinn replied as the four men sat at the table.
Once they’d situated themselves, Wes motioned encouragingly for Assa to speak.