Page 51 of Linc

She ends her text with a smiley face.

The next morning, Linc is called to church. Before we part ways, he leaves me with a scorching kiss that holds wicked promises of things to come.

I find Lucy in the kitchen pouring coffee for a couple of the guys who look a lot worse for wear.

“I take it you won.” I smile, coming to stand next to her.

“Of course, I did.” She winks and hands Barret and Wyatt a cup of strong black coffee. “They’ll learn, eventually.”

Both men let out a grunt of appreciation and head to the meeting with the other brothers. We take our cups out into the main room, settling into one of the large leather couches.

“So,” she says, nudging my arm. “You spent another night in your biker’s bed. He must really be something else.” Her eyebrows wiggle up and down as she smiles at me.

There is absolutely no way to keep the grin off my face as I sip the magic bean juice, otherwise known as coffee.

“Ladies don’t kiss and tell.”

“True, but we do.”

I laugh at her insistence. I’ve never been with anyone since knowing Lucy, so confiding in my best friend about my love life is completely new territory for me.

“Pretty soon, you’ll be throwing bunnies out on their asses like Tanya when one tried to get too close to Trick.”

It hits me then. A memory from the notebook. O and T. Ozzy and Trick. That’s what it has to be. It would be too much of a coincidence for itnotto be them.

Trick was the president of the club when Linc went to prison, and Ozzy was the vice president. They already said they had dealings with the Irish. That means not only was Jace keeping tabs on the mafia but also on a criminal motorcycle club. I have evidence in my possession that any number of their enemies or the D.A. would love to get their hands on.

I need to give him the notebook. It’s bad enough I’ve kept it from him this long, especially after yesterday when he opened up to me about so much. It’s not like he’s going to hand me over to the Irish with the notebook now, right? I know this thing between us is new, but I know I can at least trust that.

“Lucy, I think I figured something out.”

“That I’m a total genius, and you should always take my advice, especially when it comes to men?”

“About the notebook,” I whisper.

That wipes the smile off her face, and she listens intently to my suspicions.

“I have to tell him, right?”

Lucy sways her head back and forth, considering my question.

“Do you trust him enough to tell him the truth? That you know a lot more about the Irish and his club than what you’ve been letting on.”

I think about that for a moment. “Yes, I do. He’ll know I didn’t have any clue how involved they were, and I think it would be worse if I didn’t tell him. It’s not like Jace is going to give up. The longer I hold on to it, the more trouble the club could be in because of me.”

“Then I think you have your answer. These guys seem pretty reasonable, aside from Jude,” she grumbles. “As long as you’re straight with them about what you figured out, it’s not a stretch to think they’ll handle the Jace situation.”

I think about last night when Linc told me he was keeping me. He wouldn’t say it if he didn’t mean it. I have to trust him to know I would’ve never done anything with that damn notebook to hurt him or his brothers.

“Well, isn’t this cute?” Stacia calls as she walks to the couch Lucy and I are sitting on. “I hope you’re ready to get kicked out on your asses. Word around is you brought trouble with you, Charlie. Ozzy isn’t going to be too eager to clean up your mess now that the Italians are involved.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Lucy sneers.

“They’re in a meeting right now, trying to figure out what to do with you. I don’t know the specifics, but if I was you, I’d pack my shit and hit the road. There’s been enough problems with the Italians in the past, and Trick and Ozzy have worked hard to keep the peace. No way is he going to let you come in and ruin it.”

Lucy stands from her seat. “Shut your dumb mouth, bitch. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Linc wants her here, and Ozzy okayed that decision. Seems you’re the only one who’s got a problem with it, and I highly doubt he takes advice from you.”

“Fuck you, bitch. You think you and your friend are so superior to any of us just because she’s sleeping with one of them,” she yells, pointing at me. “You’ll both be gone like yesterday’s trash soon enough. Just wait ’til they get out of church.”

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