Page 81 of Conquering Oz

They’d always sent a driver to pick up Sal from the center. Outside of the confines of the senior home, Oz had a crew specifically meant to protect Sal when he ventured out. For a long time after his retirement, Sal accepted the added protection without argument. But a few years ago, he’d refused, deeming it unnecessary. Oz, Rogue, and Trey disagreed. Arguing with Sal was an uphill battle. Oz resigned to let the matter rest to respect Sal’s wishes.Kind of.He was still assigned a crew, but they were never to approach Sal or let on that he was being watched. They took undercover to a new level.

“How’d he get here?” Rogue asked.

“Car service. Security called it in, and Cy has been waiting at the back entrance.”

Oz gave a curt nod, dismissing Ridge. The man turned and stepped back, staring down the hall.

A few moments later, Sal stepped through the door. He slapped Nash on the arm as he passed. It was a universal greeting from Sal.

“Good. You’re all here.”

Oz eyed the man as he made his way to the bar in the corner of his office and made himself a drink. Oz shared a look with Trey, but no one spoke a word. Even Rogue. It wasn’t unusual for Sal to call a meeting, but Oz always knew about it ahead of time.

Sal waved them over to the seating area at the opposite end of his office. Nash started to retreat to the door.

“Nash,” Sal called out and waved him forward. “Join us.”

Nash shifted his eyes to Oz. He wasn’t going to argue. If Sal wanted him to stay, Oz had no issue with it. Had there been a fourth spot in the ranking in the Underground, it would’ve belonged to Nash. Oz nodded and Nash walked to the door and closed it. He walked over to where they’d all gathered but Nash kept about ten feet away near the wall.

There wasn’t assigned seating, but everyone had their usual spot. Oz sat in the chair, glancing between the three men.

“So?” Rogue’s brows shot up to his hairline. “What the fuck is this all about, Sal?”

Sal smiled, taking a lingering look at each of the them. “The mind is an incredible muscle, isn’t it?”

Rogue snorted. “Ah, Jesus fucking Christ, are you losing your goddamn mind?”

Sal chuckled, glancing over to Rogue. “Have you ever thought about it? All the things you’ve done, places you’ve been, sights you’ve seen, and you don’t think about them after a while. Some you forget, but then something or someone comes along, and everything clicks in place. Something you couldn’t recall and suddenly you remember it all as if it happened just yesterday.”

Oz shared a look with his brother and then Trey. They were just as perplexed by the conversation as Oz. If he didn’t know better, he’d be concerned. It wasn’t far-fetched to think Rogue might’ve been onto something. Sal was getting older, and it was a natural progression for the mind not to work as well as it once did. Sal had been fairly healthy, but he’d had a car accident a few months back.

“What’s going on, Sal?” Trey asked, intently focused on the older man they all considered a father figure.

“Usually, I have a way with the ladies. Most like me.” Sal’s lips twitched as he stared down at the glass in his hand. Heswirled the whiskey but didn’t take a sip. “But not all. Ran into Elodie again. You remember, from the restaurant?”

Just the sound of her name had Oz on high alert. He tensed, grasping tightly to his glass. He eyed Trey and Rogue seated across from him. Trey’s main focus was Sal, but Rogue was staring back at Oz. His brother was looking for some type of direction. Where the hell was this going? Most times, Oz had some insight on how Sal’s mind worked. He also had more intel. While Sal had taken all three of them in, there was no denying the stronger connection between him and Oz. A father-son bond built on trust and loyalty. Oz had never had that or any semblance of that kind of relationship. Until Sal.

Trey gave a curt nod. “I remember.”

“For the last few months, ever since I met her, I couldn’t shake this feeling that I knew her from somewhere.” Sal sighed. “I never forget a beautiful woman, but I couldn’t for the life of me place her face, though it was so familiar. I knew I’d seen those eyes before.”

Oz placed his glass on the table and clasped his hands. He wasn’t sure if the others had caught it, but Oz wasn’t letting it go.

“Youknew, as in you now know?” Oz asked.

Sal stared at his glass, and the room was drowned in silence.

“This life has no room for regrets. Been telling you boys that since the day you started with me. You do what you have to do and make peace with it in time. Or don’t. But regrets and second-guessing have no place in the Underground,” Sal shook his head.

Oz watched as Trey and Rogue shared a look. Sal wasn’t saying anything they hadn’t heard on repeat since they joined the Underground. But Sal’s tone was different. It lacked the usual conviction and sternness.

“Sal, with all due respect, cut the fucking philosophical bullshit and tell us what fucking happened,” Rogue said.

While his brother’s delivery needed polishing, Oz shared the same thought. Sal’s connection to Elodie couldn’t be found in records or even their own memories. There was nothing tying her world and the Underground together. Yet, they were missing something.

“Do you know her?” Oz asked.

Sal smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

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