Page 100 of No Good Deed

“I’ll let it go.” He grins. “But just so you know, I’m a talker, and listening to my stories is part of the job.”

“I’m good with that,” I say with a laugh.

I just got a job. I came here to see Tara and ended up getting a job. Maybe that’s why I had that nagging feeling to come here. Maybe it had nothing to do with Tara. Maybe I somehow knew I needed to come here to get a job.

Tara comes back, holding a plate. “Here’s your burger. Oh, I forgot your water.”

As she goes to the water dispenser and fills a glass, I notice a dark bruise at the base of her neck.

She brings me the water. “Need anything else?”

“What happened to your neck?”

“Nothing.” She puts her hand where I saw the bruise.

“There’s a dark spot there. It looks like a bruise.”

She shrugs. “I probably slept funny and it left a mark. I have to go take an order. Let me know if you need anything.”

“You see that?” I say to the old guy as Tara fills a glass with soda at the machine. “You see that bruise on her neck?”

“Yeah,” he says, buttering his toast. “That didn’t come from sleeping.”

“How do you think it happened?”

“I have a guess, but can’t say for sure.” He takes a bite of his toast, keeping an eye on Tara as she races behind the counter. “How well do you know this girl?”

“We went to grade school together. When I moved back here for college, I saw her at a friend’s house and found out she lives around here. We hung out a few times.”

“She got a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, I grew up with him. I can’t stand him. He doesn’t treat her right, but for some reason, she’s still dating him.”

“Maybe she doesn’t have a choice.”

I look at the guy. “What do you mean?”

“Some guys will threaten a girl, scaring her into staying with him. I used to see it all the time in the courtroom. The guy thinks he owns her and threatens to harm her if she tries to leave.” He shakes his head. “It’s more common than you think.”

I considered that might be happening with Tara, but then convinced myself it wasn’t. It didn’t seem like something Troy would do. Why would he force Tara to stay with him when he could easily get another girl?

Tara goes up to someone at the counter and takes their order. She drops her pen, and when she bends down to pick it up, the back of her shirt rises, exposing part of her back. It’s black and blue everywhere I can see. She stands up and yanks down her shirt, then continues to take the order.

How did she get bruised like that? It looks like she fell down the stairs, but she doesn’t take the stairs. She always takes the elevator.

I wait for her to finish taking the order, then get up and go behind the counter and follow her through the door that goes to the kitchen.

“Tara,” I say.

She turns around. “Jake. You can’t be back here.”

“What happened?” I walk up to her. “Why is your back all bruised? And don’t lie to me. I saw it when you bent over.”

“I fell. In my apartment. I tripped over something.”

I go behind her and lift her shirt. Her whole back is bruised.

“Jake, stop it!” She yanks away from me and pulls her shirt back in place. “Get out of here! You’re going to get me in trouble!”

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