Clearly, she thinks I’m someone I’m not.
The question is… who?
“I don’t have a boss,” I tell her. “I’m new in town.”
She looks at me again. “How do you know Emily?” she asks cautiously.
“I’m her husband,” I reply.
“You are?” an incredulous voice bleats from behind me. I turn and find myself staring down at the petite waitress who’d passed me a minute ago with the overloaded tray.
“Yeah.”
“Can I have five minutes, Ruby?” she asks, the woman standing at my shoulder.
The woman sighs. “Fine, but be quick about it. We’re understaffed as it is.”
The waitress gestures for me to follow her, and we move into a corridor with a door to the right that leads to the kitchen. She hurries past the kitchen and further down into the corridor until the noise lessens.
We’re standing right outside the staff bathrooms when she turns to me.
“I’m Sara,” she says. “Are you really her husband?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want with her?” she demands.
Her voice is strong for such a small person. I know she’s nervous of me, but there’s a determination in her eyes that impresses me at the same time.
“I want to make sure she’s safe.” It’s an honest answer.
She studies my expression for a long time. “What’s her name?” she asks.
“What?”
“You say you’re her husband,” Sara says in a measured tone. “Then you’ll know her real name. It wasn’t Emily.”
“You’re right,” I say. “It’s Esme.”
I see the flash of recognition in her eyes. She seems to relax a little.
“She saved my life,” Sara whispers. “Right here.”
I don’t like the sound of that. “What happened?” I ask.
“There was a group here for dinner. A bunch of mafia guys with tattoos and bad attitudes. Kinda like you—no offense. One of the men followed me back here and… he was going… he was going to…”
“I get it,” I cut in. “You don’t have to relive that.” My stomach is curdling in anger already.
It’s bad enough that they—whoever “they” are—touched this sweet, innocent young woman.
But if they laid a hand on my wife…
“Yes,” Sara gulps. “I thought I was alone, but Esme was in the bathroom. She came up behind him and bashed his head in. She was so pregnant. Ready to pop. But she risked herself for me.”
“What happened after that?” I ask urgently.
“She told me to go back inside,” Sara admits. “She told me she needed to leave town.”