Page 111 of Conquering Oz

She glanced over at the bathroom door then down at Oz.

“Don’t you want to know?”

He’d seemed more eager than her, if that was possible.

“Yes.” He paused, releasing her. “Sit down.”

Elodie slowly stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed.

“You asked about the Underground.” Oz was silent for a brief second. “I met Sal when I was about fifteen. Heard I could make some money with minimal risk, so I took a few jobs. Mostly transferring small amounts of cash. After a while, I started moving product and took any job Sal would trust me with.”

“What was the money for?”

“Survival. There’s no parting gift when you age out of the system at eighteen. And I had Rogue and Trey to take care of.”

“You mean, foster care?” She knitted her brows. “What about your parents?”

His demeanor shifted, and his eyes darkened.

“Degenerates. Cruel, abusive, and not fit to be anyone’s guardians. Rogue and I were relieved when social services removed us. And if you’re familiar with the system, then you can imagine how bad it must’ve been for us to be happy to leave our home.”

This was the most he’d opened up to her. He was volunteering the darkest parts of his life.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

There was a long stretch of silence. Oz wouldn’t want her pity or sympathy.

“When I turned eighteen, I took Rogue and Trey, and we left. Sal didn’t want to take them on, at first. They were young, and itwas a risk. Told Sal, I wouldn’t leave them behind. If he wanted me, he had to take them too.”

“Package deal.” She whispered.

Oz nodded. It explained their loyalty to Sal. It also showed the type of man Oz was from the beginning.

“So how did you go from teenage dealer to” —she pointed at Oz— “this.”

“Worked my way up the ranks, as did Rogue and Trey. Unlike other guys under him, we were indebted to Sal. Unwavering loyalty. He knew it. When Sal stepped down, I stepped up along with Rogue and Trey.”

“You felt like you owed him?”

“We do owe him. He took us on when everyone else turned their backs. Gave us something we’d never had,” Oz paused. “A family. Treated us like sons. Still does.”

Elodie swallowed the knot in her throat. She was getting a different perception of Sal through Oz’s eyes. Her life, even with her trauma, had been so different from Oz’s. It was hard to fathom.

“Thanks for telling me.”

Oz angled his head. “You get to choose, Elodie. You have no obligation. No matter what happens from here on out, you will be protected, supported.” Oz stared back at her. “Loved. With or without me.”

That was why he told her. Oz was giving her his past before she made a choice for her future.

She pushed up from the bed. She walked the short distance to Oz and sat on his lap. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist, hugging her close.

“With you,” she whispered.

****

Oz wasn’t ready to let her go when she untangled herself from his hold. But he loosened his grip and watched her stand. She stopped next to his chair, staring at the bathroom door.

“Are you nervous?” she asked.

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