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Chapter 18: Edge

18

EDGE

T he 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?"

"It's true," Evie said. "She's pretty banged up and has a broken collarbone, but she'll be okay. It'll be a little while before she's back at work."

"Did they catch the son of a bitch who did it?" Buck asked.

Evie shook her head. "No. I was the one who found her, but whoever broke in was already gone when I got here."

"Well, you let us know if there's anything we can do," Walter said. "And give Irene our best."

Evie smiled. "I will and thank you."

The rest of the day was filled with similar conversations with Irene's regular customers. By the end of the day, I was exhausted.

"I don't know how you do this every day."

Evie chuckled. "I don't work doubles every day, and we had a lot more customers than we usually do. Tomorrow should be better."

She was wrong. The next day was just as busy as the first. The third day was slower, and I was thankful for the reprieve. Until two cops walked in shortly after the lunch rush was over.

"Have a seat anywhere you like," Evie said with a smile. "Can I get you a cup of coffee or something to eat?"

"We're not here to eat."

"Okay," Evie said slowly. "Is there something we can help you with?"

I got to my feet and rounded the counter to stand beside her while I waited to hear what they wanted. There were several possibilities, and none of them were good.

"We're looking for Marcy Wagner. We were told she works here," one of the officers said.

"She does, but we haven't been able to get in touch with her for several days," Evie told them.

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"She worked her shift the night before the break-in, so six days ago."

"What break-in?"

"Someone broke into the diner Sunday morning. The owner and two staff members were hospitalized," I told them.

"Was this reported to the police?"

I wanted to roll my eyes. How could they not know? "Yes, it was. There was a large response."

One of them jotted something on a small notepad before tucking it back into his pocket. "So, the last time anyone had contact with Marcy was the night before the break-in?"

"Yes, that's correct," Evie said. "Is something wrong?"

"Her family said they haven't been able to get in touch with her and asked us to do a welfare check. She wasn't at her home, so we're trying to track her down. Do you know where she could be? Or anyone we could contact who might know?"

Evie shook her head. "I don't have a relationship with her outside of work."

"What about you?"

"I don't know anything about her. I'm filling in temporarily until the owner is back on her feet."

They both nodded, and one of them placed a business card on the counter. "Thank you for your time. If you think of anything we should know, or if you hear from Marcy, give us a call."

"Do you think something happened to her?" Evie asked worriedly.

"It's too soon to say, but not being able to get in touch with someone for a few days isn't usually a good sign."

"I hope she's okay," Evie said after they left.

She wasn't, but I couldn't tell her that, and I hated it. I just hoped they wouldn't link Marcy's disappearance to Muzzle and in turn link Muzzle to the break-in. I wasn't worried about the connections going further than that. We were very careful and made sure to leave nothing behind that could connect us to Muzzle's disappearance, but Evie already felt guilty for what happened at the diner and didn't need to add anything to it.

"I'm going to call Irene and tell her about Marcy," Evie said.

"Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on the front," I told her.

I was fighting the urge to close my eyes and take a short nap when the bell on the front door rang. I looked up to see Walter and Buck walking toward the counter.

"Hey, guys. What can I get for you?"

"Nothing," Walter said, scanning the diner. "Is Evie here?"

"She's making a phone call in the office. Do you want me to get her?"

"No," he said and lowered his voice. "We came to talk to you. We saw that asshole that started trouble in here last week. He was in the parking lot of that abandoned warehouse over on Highway Fourteen talking to a group of men on motorcycles."

"You're sure it was him?" I asked. I had a feeling they were right, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Absolutely," Buck said. "I got a good look at him through the binoculars Walter keeps in his car."

"What about the men on the bikes? Were they wearing cuts?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, they were. I couldn't make out any of the words, because somebody doesn't know how to keep a car steady, but there was something that looked like an angry dog on the back."

"Don't blame your bad eyesight on my driving," Walter retorted.

"I see," I said and tried not to show any kind of reaction.

Walter gave me a knowing look. "We thought it was worth mentioning, and I can see that it was."

"Thank you. I really appreciate you guys looking out for Irene and Evie."

"We're happy to help," Buck said.

I waited until they were gone to stick my head into the kitchen and ask Byte to come out to the front. I wasn't surprised when Ranger came with him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

I quickly filled them in on what Walter and Buck told me, keeping my voice low so Evie wouldn't overhear us.

"Sounds like the Mad Dogs are in town," Ranger said.

"My laptop's in the office. I can check the traffic cameras and confirm," Byte said.

"They showed up sooner than I thought," Ranger said.

"You think it's really them?"

"Sounds like them. Men on motorcycles wearing cuts with a dog on the back. Who else could it be?"

Byte returned a few minutes later and confirmed our suspicions. "It's them."

"How many?"

"I saw five on the cameras, but I bet there's more," he said.

"I'll call Phoenix and let him know."

Byte held up his hand to stop me. "I already did. He's going to send Flint out to ride around and look for their bikes at hotels and campgrounds. They're a long way from home, so they'll have to stay somewhere. He's on his way with a few other brothers in case they show up here."

"In case who shows up here?" Evie asked in a way that made me think she already knew who we were talking about.

I sighed. I didn't want to tell her because I didn't want to upset her, but she needed to know so she wouldn't be caught off guard if something happened.

"The Mad Dogs," I told her. "We just got word that they've been spotted in town."

A look of surprise mixed with fear washed over her face before she hid it. "Do you think they'll come here?"

"We don't know," I said honestly. "They could be here looking for Muzzle, or they could be here looking for you."

"About that," Byte interjected. "Phoenix wants Ink to take you back to Irene's for the rest of the day. If they show up asking about you, we'll tell them you don't work here."

"Do you think that will work?"

"It's worth a try," I said. "Besides, I don't want you here if they come here and start trouble."

She opened her mouth like she was going to disagree, but instead closed it and nodded. "When are we leaving?"

"Now," Byte said.

"I'll get my stuff," she said and headed to the break room. I followed along behind her.

"You okay, baby?"

She exhaled heavily. "Yes, and no. I knew this was a possibility, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. And I kind of feel like I'm running away to hide while you and your club clean up my mess."

"This is not your mess. You didn't ask for any of this, and you didn't do anything to cause it. Even if you and I weren't together, the club would still be involved because Irene is Byte's family."

"Yeah, but the only reason Irene was hurt is because of me."

"Wrong again. Irene was hurt because Muzzle was a piece of shit and chose to hurt her. He could've waited for you in the parking lot, but he didn't. He chose to be a monster, and his club will have to face the consequences."

"I'm not sure I agree with you, but you make a good argument," she said and kissed me softly.

Wrapping my arms around her, I held her against me for several long moments. "Try not to worry too much. We have plenty of experience dealing with situations like this, and they've lost the element of surprise."

"That's easier said than done."

"I know," I admitted and took a step back. "You should get going."

"All right but keep me updated."

"I will," I promised.

Ink appeared at the door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she said and gave me a quick kiss before she followed Ink through the back door.

I returned to the front to find Byte, Ranger, and Dice sitting around the front counter. "Well," I said and clapped my hands together. "What now?"

Ranger laughed. "Now we hope the dinner crowd doesn't show up before more help gets here. It's going to be a rough evening without Evie."

He was right. It took two of us to handle the same workload as Evie. She made it look easy and effortless when it most definitely wasn't.

Ink made it back to the diner a few minutes before Phoenix and the other brothers arrived. Everyone pitched in to help, and we made it through the dinner rush without too many hiccups.

Watching Carbon approach tables and take orders was quite comical. Some of the older customers were obviously terrified of him, while some of the middle-aged women stared at him with dreamy looks in their eyes. He didn't seem to find it as funny as we did, and I understood why after the last incident.

"I'm done," he said and tossed his pen and notepad on the counter. "I'll help in the kitchen, but I'm not waiting on any more tables."

"What happened?" I chuckled.

"Those women over there happened. One of them said she could see my nipple ring and reached out to touch it while her friend pinched my ass. They made me feel dirty, and not in a good way," he huffed. "Can you imagine what would happen if one of us did that to a random woman?"

"I'll be happy to kick them out," I said.

"Just have somebody else serve them," he said and started for the kitchen. He stopped and turned back to me. "But kick their asses out if they get handsy with anyone else. That shit is not okay."

I grabbed his discarded pen and notepad and walked over to the table. "Are you ready to order?" I asked politely.

"Yes, please," one lady said. "I'll have one of you with a side order of your friend."

"Actually, we're going to share," her friend said. "There's plenty of you to go around."

"Get out," I said calmly.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"You heard me. Get out."

The one lady huffed. "You can't be serious?"

"No, lady. You can't be serious. Why the hell do you think you can come in here and sexually harass the staff? It's inappropriate to make lewd comments to the employees, and it is absolutely not okay to touch people without their permission. Now, you can kindly exit the premises on your own or I can have the police escort you."

The woman slammed her palms onto the table and pushed to her feet. "You better believe Irene will hear about this."

"She probably already knows," I grinned and pointed to the cameras mounted on the walls. "They record audio as well as video, and she's been watching the feed from home all day."

As if on cue, Byte approached the table with his cell phone in his hand. "Okay, it's on speaker," he said.

"Gertrude, you get your ass out of my diner right now!" Irene yelled through the phone. "You, too, Hester."

They glanced from the cameras to the phone before they grabbed their purses and hightailed it out the front door.

"They're gone," Byte said.

"Good," Irene said. "I can't stand those bitches. I'm sorry they caused trouble, but I sure am glad to have a reason to keep them from coming back. It seems like you guys are doing okay otherwise."

"We are," I assured her. "How's Evie?"

"Pissy, because she's here and not there, but she's fine. I'll let you get back to it," she said and ended the call.

I shook my head and laughed. "She's something else."

"Yep," Byte agreed and shoved his phone into his pocket.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. It was busy, and we had to bust our asses to keep up, but we didn't have any other issues. The Mad Dogs didn't show up, and I wasn't sure if we knew where they were. I'd been too busy to ask.

"Did Flint locate where the Mad Dogs are staying?" I asked Phoenix while we were closing the diner for the night.

"Yeah. They're at some fleabag motel on the outskirts of town."

"How many are here?"

"Looks like only five," he said. "I've got him and Diesel keeping an eye on them. They'll let us know if they go anywhere."

"Is that the plan? To watch them?" I asked.

"For now," he said. "There's no sense in causing trouble or drawing their attention to us if we don't need to. It's possible they're here looking for Muzzle and will leave when they don't find him."

He was right. It was possible, but I had a feeling that's not what would happen.

My thoughts must have been written on my face. Phoenix clapped me on the shoulder. "But we're going to be here for a few days in case they don't."

"Where is everyone staying?"

He grinned. "Luca's place. He also offered his assistance if needed. Trust me. The Mad Dogs don't have a clue what they're up against."

The next morning, Evie stayed home with Irene while we opened the diner. I didn't like leaving her, but I knew it was safer for her at Irene's house. Dash and Duke were there with our two newest prospects, Falcon and Mason, as well as Annabelle and Macy. With Flint and Diesel watching the Mad Dogs, we'd have plenty of time to get more people there if they started moving toward Irene's place. But knowing all of that didn't stop me from worrying. It had been years since we'd had problems with another club, and the Mad Dogs had a reputation for being ruthless.

Phoenix pushed through the swinging door with his phone pressed to his ear. "They're on the move," he said quietly. "Stay vigilant."

The following fifteen minutes were a special kind of torture I hoped to never experience again. I wanted to follow Phoenix and demand to know more details. I also wanted to call Evie and warn her. Instead, I was forced to smile and make small talk with customers while taking their orders.

After what seemed like an eternity, Phoenix came back to the front. "It looks like they're leaving town."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. There was no way they were leaving town.

"Flint said they left the motel and got on the highway, heading south. I told them to follow them for a while to make sure."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would they leave so soon?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I don't know, but I can't say I'm sad to see them go."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I was glad they were leaving town, but something about it wasn't sitting right with me. If they came to Cedar Valley to find Muzzle, why would they leave without answers? From what we'd been told, they hadn't really looked for him. I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it seemed too good to be true.

Flint called two hours later to tell us they were still headed south and hadn't made any stops.

"We'll hang around for another day or two to monitor things, but I don't think they're coming back," Phoenix said.

"Maybe we should talk to the guy who got into it with Walter and Buck," I suggested.

"I don't want to risk him telling the Mad Dogs we were asking about them, and I don't think he'd tell us anything anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

I didn't like it, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

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