Page 3 of Conquering Oz

“Yeah, he’s worried about the baby and my discomfort. Do you know how frustrating it is to have a man as gorgeous as Chris and not be able to bang him?” Elodie held it together untilMadalyn’s brows furrowed and her lower lip curved into a pout. “And I’m horny!”

Elodie burst out laughing, earning her a sharp glare from her best friend.

“You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I am.” Elodie grabbed her friend’s shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “And I’m sure as soon as you have the baby, he’ll start banging you again. Three months really isn’tthatlong.”

Madalyn scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Says the woman who’s getting laid regularly. How is the eighteen-year-old, by the way?”

Bitch!

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” Elodie squinted, shaking her head. “For the record, he’s twenty-four, not eighteen. And trust me, if I could go back in time, that night would look a lot different.”

Elodie had engaged in a few longer relationships in the past. She’d even lived with a boyfriend for a short while. However, none of her relationships had staying power. Once her mom got sick, she’d abandoned the idea of dating. She’d had too much on her plate taking care of her mother. After her passing, dating was the last thing on Elodie’s mind. The prospect of getting close to anyone was daunting.

In the last two years, she’d had a change of heart.Sort of.She wasn’t interested in a commitment, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t date and have fun. She kept everything casual.

“Why? Elle, you’re in your slut era. Embrace it,” Madalyn teased.

While Elodie wouldn’t have referred to it by that term, it wasn’t far from the truth. She hadn’t slept with every man she’d dated, but she’d indulged when it felt right. Some choices had been better than others. And some she regretted. Twenty-four-year-old Dalton was on the top ofthatlist.

It was time to shut down this conversation. Elodie leaned down, kissed Madalyn on the cheek, and straightened.

“I’m out.”

“Drive safe,” Madalyn said.

Elodie was halfway across the room.

“Wait, I almost forgot.”

Elodie spun around to see Madalyn pushing up from the couch. Every instinct had her wanting to rush over and help, but she was met with a warning scowl. Elodie stayed rooted in her spot and held up her hands. Madalyn walked over to the table and pulled out a notebook, ripping a few sheets out.

“I asked Chris about that guy.”

Who?“What guy?”

Madalyn widened her eyes. “The mafia one.”

Oh, that guy. Elodie’s chest tightened, and her heart rate spiked, but she steeled her features. She’d casually mentioned it to her friend in hopes Madalyn would ask her husband. Elodie sold it as a local lore of an organized crime boss. Elodie didn’t know if any of it rang true. She’d done research on the man in question but hadn’t come up with anything concrete to prove her suspicions. After all, the idea of an actual mafia in Lawry seemed outlandish. It sounded more like a plot in a movie than a factual possibility.

But the memory doesn’t lie.If she hadn’t seen him with her own eyes, Elodie might not have bought into it. But she had, and had been given a formal introduction, confirming his identity. They had history. A painful one.I know what I saw.

Elodie brushed her hand through her hair, trying not to seem too eager for the information. “Did you tell Chris that I was asking?”

Keeping secrets from Madalyn wasn’t something Elodie usually did. But it was more than a secret. It was a pact formedyears ago with the one person she’d vowed never to betray—her mom.

Madalyn stilled, glancing over her shoulder. “You told me not to. We were watching some gangster movie, so it was perfect timing. He didn’t give up much, but I jotted down everything he said. You know this guy’s like eighty, right?”

I know.Unbeknownst to her friend, Elodie had started her research on this man months ago and knew a lot more than she’d shared with Madalyn. It was mostly basic information she’d found on the internet. It wasn’t enough. She’d recruited Madalyn to slyly interrogate her husband. Being a police officer with the Lawry police department, he’d have insider information only privy to the authorities. Not that she’d thought he’d share, but Madalyn could be persuasive.

Madalyn offered her the three lined sheets. For a small amount of information, Madalyn was providing a lot.

“You took actual notes?”

Madalyn snorted. “I’m house-bound, Elle. I’ve got nothing else going on.”

The corner of her mouth curved as her eyes scanned the paper.One step closer.Elodie shoved the papers in her bag and hugged her friend again.

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