Page 8 of Edge

“Nice to meet you, too,” I said.

“He’s a family friend. Be sure to take good care of him,” Irene said before leaving the two of us at the counter.

“Can I get you anything?” Evie asked, keeping her eyes on the floor.

“What happened to your face?” I blurted. I didn’t mean to ask, but the question had been on repeat in my mind since I saw her.

She cleared her throat and shifted from foot to foot. “Sinus surgery.”

She was lying. It was written in every aspect of her body language, from the way she was nervously wringing her hands to the way she wouldn’t make eye contact.

“Did it help?” I asked.

“Did what help?”

“The surgery,” I said.

“Oh, uh, it’s too soon to tell. There’s still a lot of swelling.”

“It looks painful. I hope it helps so you didn’t go through all of that for nothing,” I said and took a sip of coffee.

“It’s getting better every day.”

It would continue to get better if I had anything to say about it. I made a mental note to ask Irene about her. There was no way Irene believed her story about sinus surgery. I knew what a face looked like after it had been punched a few times, exactly like Evie’s.Surgery my ass.

I wanted to demand she tell me the truth and give me the name of who did that to her, but I couldn’t. Something about me scared her. I wasn’t as scary as some of my brothers, but I didn’t look like a pushover either. I was tall and muscular and had more than my fair share of tattoos. Add in my cut and a little facial hair, and I was the portrait of a typical biker.

“I need to check on my tables,” Evie said quietly. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” I said and wondered what I should do next. I wanted to get her talking, but I had to proceed carefully. One wrong move would scare her off for good.

I tried to read a book on my phone, but I gave up after I read the same paragraph five times and still didn’t know what it said. I couldn’t stop thinking about Evie. It was hard to keep myself from staring at her while she worked.

Finally, Evie was busy with customers, and Irene was behind the counter. “What’s the story with Evie?” I asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on. You and I both know those bruises aren’t from sinus surgery. Somebody did that to her.”

Irene frowned. “I honestly don’t know what happened to her. She showed up yesterday looking for a job. Said she was new in town and was living in her car. So, I gave her a job and a place to stay.”

“That’s sort of your MO, isn’t it?” I asked.

“I guess so. It’s just a feeling I have when people need help.”

“You think she’s running from someone?”

“That’d be my best guess. She was looking for a job that would pay her off the books. Poor thing barely had any money. I didn’t hang around while she unloaded, but it didn’t look like she had much in her car,” she said.

“Do you know her last name?”

Irene shook her head. “I didn’t ask. I figured she’d tell me when she was ready.”

“I know you don’t want to pry, but it might be a good idea to know what she’s running from in case it shows up here.”

“I hear you, but she’ll bolt if she gets scared, and then I won’t be able to do anything to help her.” She glanced at something behind me. “Do you want fries or a different side?”

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion until I looked over my shoulder and saw Evie approaching. “Fries, please.”