Page 13 of Edge

“Okay,” I whispered. I trusted Irene. If she said it was safe, then it was safe, but I was still scared to go inside.

Steeling myself as best as I could, I got out of the car and walked inside, glued to Irene. A tall man with reddish brown hair and kind eyes immediately came over to greet her. “You made it,” he said and wrapped her up in a hug. “And who’s this?”

“This is Evie. She works at the diner with me. Evie, this is Byte. I’ve known him since he was a kid.”

“Evie,” he said, like my name sounded familiar to him. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” I blurted the words so fast they almost ran together.

“She’s a little nervous,” Irene said, causing me to almost die on the spot.

“First time at a biker clubhouse?” he asked.

No, it wasn’t,which is why I was terrified to be there. “Uh, yeah,” I said.

He gave me an appraising look. “We’re not like some of the other clubs.”

When I only blinked in response, he added, “That’s a good thing.”

“That’s what Irene tells me,” I said.

“Make yourself comfortable and help yourself to drinks and snacks. Gabby should be here soon,” he said and excused himself to the kitchen.

“Gabby’s his girlfriend,” Irene explained. “She just finished college, and this is a surprise party for her. Her brother-in-law and grandfather are also club members.”

“What did she get her degree in?”

“She’s a nurse and just finished the requirements to become a nurse practitioner. I think Byte said she has one more exam to take before she gets her license.”

“Really? That’s impressive.” From what I knew of motorcycle clubs, the women weren’t exactly career oriented.

“Yeah, it is. She had a rough go of it for a bit. A girl was stalking her and shot her and the doctor she was training with. It was a mess, but they both survived and got right back to work.”

“When did that happen?”

“Around three months ago. Not long after you started working at the diner,” she said. “Do you remember the couple that came in and caused a scene? The one I was going to kick out, but they left before I could.”

“Yes, I remember them. That happened on my second day at the diner.”

“The girl is the one who shot Gabby. You want something to drink?”

“Sure,” I replied distractedly.So that’s why Edge was at the diner.He showed up not long after the arguing couple left and stayed for the rest of the day.

“He was watching over you,” I accidentally said out loud.

“Yeah. Byte sent him. I told him he didn’t need to worry about me, but that boy is protective as hell over the people he cares about.” She laughed. “Listen to me. He’s been a man for a long time now, but I suppose I’ll always think of him as a boy.”

“Seems like he’s special to you.”

“He is,” she confirmed. “I met him right after my husband died. I took one look at him and knew he needed help. Little did I know, he helped me as much as I helped him.”

“How did you help him?” I asked.

“I had a feeling he had just come from a bad situation. I gave him a job and a place to stay. Helped him get on his feet. I never asked him what happened, just like I’ll never ask you, but I’m happy to listen if you ever want to tell me.”

I stared at her in shock.

“What?” she said and shrugged. “After Byte, it sort of became my thing. Actually, he helps out from time to time.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “He can make IDs and do all kinds of stuff with a computer. If you ever need anything in that department, he’s your guy.”

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