Page 63 of Edge

“Yep,” he said simply. “You ride with Irene. I’ll be right behind you.”

“All right, now that we’re behind closed doors, will somebody please tell me what actually happened?”

Dice chuckled, but it was Ink who answered. “Your girl put two bullets in the man who attacked you.”

Irene huffed. “I know all that. Tell me what happened after.”

“You know he was my father, right?” I asked quietly. At her nod, I continued. “Well, uh, he died, which sounds like a good thing, but he was the vice president of an outlaw motorcycle club in Georgia, and that’s the reason for all of this,” I said and waved my hand to indicate our security detail.

“Ah, now things are starting to make sense. So, y’all are expecting his club to come looking for him?”

Ink and Dice nodded.

“There’s more to it than that,” I said, and inhaled deeply. I didn’t want to tell her the rest of it, but she deserved to know. “Muzzle came looking for me because he thinks I wronged him and his son. Supposedly, his son knew where he was going and why. When Muzzle doesn’t return, it’s very likely someone will come looking for him, and me.”

“Your brother, right?” she asked.

I couldn’t stop the look of disgust that formed on my face. “Technically, yes, but I never refer to him that way. We have different mothers and didn’t grow up together. He’s a piece of shit, and the world would be a better place if he wasn’t in it.”

Irene reached over with her good arm and patted my hand. “Noted. One down, at least one to go.”

“I’m so sorry you got caught in the middle of my mess.”

“Well, I’m not,” she said vehemently. “You ended up where you were supposed to be—with people who can help you. A broken bone and some bumps and bruises are a small price to pay for your safety and freedom.”

Placing my hand on top of hers, I gently squeezed. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Let’s hope you never have to find out.”

Once Irene was settled at home, we started going over the details for the next few days.

“Has anyone heard from Marcy?” I asked. “I’ve called and left several messages, but she hasn’t responded to any of them.”

“I’ll try calling her,” Irene said and reached for her phone. Moments later, she lowered the phone and shook her head. “It went straight to her voicemail, which is apparently full.”

“Crap. I could cover her shift, but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself all day,” I said.

“I’ll be fine,” Irene insisted.

“I’m sure you will, but you won’t be by yourself,” Byte told her. “Annabelle and Macy volunteered to keep you company tomorrow.”

“I see,” Irene said and gave him a pointed look. “And how many of your boys will be here?”

Byte shrugged. “A few, but they can stay outside.”

“Oh, please. They’re welcome in my house anytime.”

“Okay. So Evie will work a double tomorrow while Annabelle and Macy stay with Irene. Ranger and Byte will man the kitchen while Dice, Ink, and me help wherever we’re needed,” Edge said.

“Sounds like a plan,” I said.

18

EDGE

The first day running the diner was much busier than I expected. Several customers were waiting at the door when we opened, including two Evie introduced as Walter and Buck.

“What happened?” Walter asked as Evie poured them each a cup of coffee. “We came by for lunch yesterday, but the place was closed. Gus told us somebody broke in and attacked Irene the day before. Is that true? Is she okay?”

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