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“Charlie,” Ozzy calls in his deep voice. “A word.” He nods toward his office.
“Do you want me to go with you?”
God bless Lucy, but it’s time I start standing on my own two feet. Plus, he didn’t ask to speak to her, and if there was ever a timenotto piss off the MC president, now would be it.
“No, I’ll be fine.” I give her a weak smile. She doesn’t buy it for a second, not that I imagined she would.
Walking into his office feels like getting called to see the principal—if the principal was an MC president who had a way of looking at you that made you want to tell him every secret you ever had. What I don’t expect is for it to be so tidy in here. Everything has its place, and I can tell he’s been working on paperwork from the reading glasses placed on a stack. Huh. I don’t know why seeing those humanizes the intimidating man behind the desk, but it does.
“Linc told you we know what you have.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ozzy shoots me a wry smile. “No need to be formal, sweetheart. I just want to hear it from you.” He gestures toward the chair in front of his desk, and I take a seat.
“That night, when Linc was arrested, I didn’t really know what I took. I mean, I knew it was important to Jace, and it held some kind of evidence for something, but I didn’t know what exactly. I swear to you, I didn’t know the club was involved for sure until today.”
“But you had suspicions?”
I bite my lip, scared to be honest, but there’s no doubt in my mind Ozzy is the type of guy to see through lies.
“I did. He didn’t use your guys’ names, but he used initials. When Linc knew who Cillian Doyle was, I figured you had dealings with them. That’s why I didn’t say anything. I was afraid if anyone knew I had information on the Irish mafia, I would be turned over to them or something.”
Ozzy nods as I continue.
“I was scared. That’s my reason. The only thing I knew about Cillian was he’s related to Jace. The idea that he was anything like Jace scared the shit out of me. I thought if he ever found me, it would make my time with my ex look like child’s play.”
“You don’t have a very high opinion of most men, do you?” He tilts his head to the side and studies me. There’s sadness in his voice that surprises me.
“I haven’t met too many good ones.” It’s sad, but it’s my truth.
“Charlie, we aren’t going to hurt you or turn you over to the Irish or the Italians.”
“The Italians?”
Ozzy nods, irritation crossing his face. “Seems your ex made a deal with them. You and Linc for the notebook.”
I’m stunned speechless. “Why does he want Linc? This has nothing to do with him.”
He shakes his head. “This has everything to do with him. He’s the one who made it possible for you to run with that notebook. Your ex has a big score to settle with him because of what Linc did to him. Looks to me like he’s been biding his time, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. That the two birds are together probably has him thinking his job will be easier.”
“But why go to the Italians? His cousin is in the Irish mob.” I don’t know the inner workings of the mafia, but that seems like something that would be seriously frowned upon.
“Cillian’s boss said Jace hasn’t done any jobs for him for quite some time. He was getting into the product he was moving for his cousin. Being blood meant he wasn’t put down, but they knew they couldn’t trust him, so they cut him off. He’s lucky it didn’t cost him his life, but the stupid fuck doesn’t see it that way.”
“Makes sense. Jace always thought he was entitled to things that weren’t his.”
A dark cloud passes over Ozzy’s face. “That doesn’t happen here, and we don’t stand for that. Ever. You may have never known any man worth a shit, and I can’t tell you to believe the men in this club are. That depends on your idea of what a good man is. But I can tell you, not a man in my club or associated with my club would ever hurt a woman. If they did, they would answer to me, and I’m a firm believer in an eye for an eye.”
I hear the conviction in his voice, and the fact that his violent words bring me comfort surprises me. In a clubhouse full of men who live by their own rules in a brutal world, I feel safe. That’s certainly never something I thought I’d believe.
“Another reason the Irish decided not to get involved was because I assured them I would handle the situation. That means I need the notebook. That’s all the Irish care about. Well, that and finding Jace. He’s not only a threat to you but to their operations now. He crossed a line, and they want blood.”
“Okay,” I concede. “It’s with my things.” I stand and head to the door.
“All this other shit, we’ll figure out. Linc’s a good man. He just needed a minute to cool off.”
My eyes are downcast as I blow out a nervous breath. “I hope you’re right.”
