Page 24 of Linc

“Alright, boys. Seems some shit went down in Texas.” He tilts his head in my direction, and I take over.

I tell them about seeing Charlie again and Jace coming into the bar while we were there.

“Seems he thinks she has something of his, and he wants it back,” I explain.

“What is it?” Knox, our VP and my actual blood brother, asks from his seat next to Ozzy.

“Not sure. She seemed confused about what he was talking about. The guy has obviously been using. He looked worse than when I had my run-in with him six years ago.”

“Yeah, and look where that got you,” Braxton, our Sergeant-At-Arms, supplies helpfully.

“Look I’m not saying I didn’t bring a whole bag of trouble back with me, but what the hell was I supposed to do? The guy came in, guns blazing. I wasn’t about to leave Charlie and Lucy because shit went sideways six years ago. There was no way, brother.” I couldn’t leave her the first time, and I sure as shit wasn’t about to leave her now.

“There’s one more thing.” Here comes the part that’s really going to ruffle some feathers. “Cillian Doyle is Jace’s cousin.”

Cash, our club’s treasurer, lets out a long whistle through his teeth. “Fuck.” He’s probably thinking about all the ways this could screw with our income.

A few of the brothers nod in understanding and a few more swipe their palms over their faces, their thoughts most likely headed in the same direction as Cash’s. The deal with the Irish has proven to be extremely beneficial for all of our bank accounts.

Ozzy leans back after I finish explaining the events of that night and contemplates the predicament we may have just found ourselves in.

“Alright. Obviously, this fuckwit being tied with the Irish complicates a few things. We need to know what he was after. Was it just a case of wounded pride, or does she have something that could take him or his cousin down? Linc,” he says, turning to me. “Are you willing to take responsibility for the girl and her friend ’til we get this straightened out?”

Jude scoffs next to me at the mention of Charlie’s friend.

“I’ve got it covered, Oz,” I reply.

“Great. You and Jude are on Charlie and Lucy duty until we figure a way to sift through this shitstorm.”

Jude’s head swings toward Ozzy. “Why me?” he groans.

“One, because Linc is your brother, and he needs the help.” Ozzy’s lips tip up in a devious smirk. “And two, I just like torturing you.”

Laughter roars from the brothers as Linc lets out a suffering sigh.

Ozzy slams the gavel on the wooden table once again, dismissing us from church. We all file out and head to the bar.

“Shot?” I ask Jude as he plops himself on the stool next to me.

“Yeah.” he nods. “Better make it a bottle,” my overly dramatic best friend says, grabbing the whiskey from the prospect’s hand.

This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

Chapter eight

Charlie

“Thisistheonlyroom we have available right now. Hope it’s up to your standards,” Stacia sneers in my direction.

The room is perfectly fine. A little dated, sure, with two twin beds and an old nightstand separating them, but it has a TV and a private bathroom, so I’m certainly not going to complain.

“It’s perfect. I probably won’t be spending much time in here, anyway,” I say back to her with a shit-eating grin on my face. I have no intention of staying anywhere else, but I’m exhausted on every level and sick of her attitude.

“Yeah, thanks, Stacy, you’ve just been so welcoming,” Lucy says in a dry-as-hell voice.

“It’s Stacia.”

“Sure it is, sweetie,” my friend replies.

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