Page 78 of Conquering Oz

Garner looked over at the younger guy, who seemed to have lost his confidence. His gaze shifted around the room. There was no negotiation on this, and Garner knew it. He turned his back on Rob and headed toward the elevator. Rob rushed forward but slammed into Ridge, who blocked his path. When he fell back, Cyrus gripped his shoulders, giving him a hard shove forward, which landed him on the floor at Caine’s feet. His head of security pulled out a large knife from the sheath at his belt. Rob’s eyes widened, and he tried to scramble away, but there was no place to go. Oz’s men had him surrounded.

“Oh fuck, I didn’t know we were getting entertainment.”

Oz ignored Gent’s comment.

Caine gripped Rob’s hair, yanking his head back as he held the knife to his throat. Oz circled the table, eyeing the man. He was young, making a name for himself, maybe not knowing all the players involved. He’d made a grave mistake. And now he’d pay for it.

Oz stepped up next to Caine and glared down at Rob. His eyes welled, tears streaming down the sides of his face. His throat bobbed, and he mustered enough courage to say, “I fucked up. Won’t happen again.”

Oz eyed the man. “No, it won’t.”

He walked away listening to the sound of gurgling in the background.

Chapter Fifteen

“One jar of the pickled okra, two of those jalapeno jellies I like, and please, please, please, don’t forget my bread.” Madalyn paused, then gasped. “And those pretzel things that are dipped in icing.”

Elodie weaved through the small crowd in line at the coffee truck, balancing her phone against her ear. The street was a madhouse. It always was at the Saturday Farmers Market, but it was usually quieter at this time of the day. She’d taken a later lunch to make the trip over, but time was limited with Charley’s shift ending in thirty minutes. If Madalyn tried to add one more thing to her list, Elodie was going to cut her off.

This was Madalyn’s thing, not hers. Elodie wasn’t a huge fan of the crowds. But being stuck at home meant the market was another thing her best friend had to give up. She hooked her bag over her arm and spotted the bakery tent. Thankfully, it was right next to the jelly stand. That would save her time.

“And…”

Oh hell no.She’d be there for the next hour if she stayed on the phone any longer.

“Gotta go, Madz. I’ll drop your stuff off on my way back from my uncle’s house tomorrow.”

“Wait, wait, I want to ask you something.”

“It better not be to add to your list ’cause I can only carry so much.”

Madalyn chuckled. “No, I wanted to invite you and Oz to dinner on Friday.”

Her friend had been asking to meet him for weeks. Elodie was more than willing, but Oz had a rough schedule, especially on nights the club was open.

“Fridays are hard with the club and everything.”

“Then ask him what day is good, and we’ll do it then,” Madalyn said.

“What about Chris’ schedule?” Elodie asked.

“I’ll make him take the night off.” Madalyn’s sharp response surprised her.

Elodie’s brows shot to her hairline. “I thought he wanted to get as much OT as possible and nights pays more, right?”

There was a long stretch of silence.

“Madz?”

“I want to meet Oz!” Madalyn snapped. “You’ve been with him for weeks, and I still haven’t met him. I already know how into him you are. What if I hate him? Then you’ll be forced to break things off.”

Elodie snickered at the joke. She had no doubt her friend would like Oz. Even if their personalities didn’t mesh perfectly, Madalyn had always fed off Elodie’s energy when she was happy.And I’m happy with him.

“I’m doing you a favor here, Elle.” Her voice softened. “I just really want to meet him.”

“I’ll talk to him tonight.”

“Okay. Have fun at the market.”

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