Page 18 of Echo’s Secret

The waitress is a woman named Claire—mid-forties, sharp eyes, been working here since Mac opened the place years ago. She sees my cut and nods a greeting.

"Usual spot, Echo?"

I nod. She gestures to a booth in the back corner, the one with a clear view of the entrance and exits. Old habits from my time on the streets before the club. Always know where the exits are. Always position yourself so nobody can sneak up behind you.

Hannah slides into the booth across from me. Claire brings coffee without being asked. Hannah wraps her hands around the mug like she's trying to absorb its warmth.

"You come here a lot?" she asks.

"Few times a week. Food's good."

Claire drops off menus and disappears. Hannah doesn't even look at hers. Just keeps holding that coffee mug like it's the only thing keeping her grounded.

"Order whatever you want," I tell her. "It's on me."

"Wesley—"

"Hannah. Order food. Argue about who pays later."

She opens her mouth. Closes it. Opens the menu and scans it quickly. Claire comes back and Hannah orders pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, basically half the menu. Good. She needs it.

I order my usual. Claire takes the menus and leaves us alone. The place is mostly empty at this hour. A few truckers at the counter. An elderly couple in a booth by the window. Nobody paying attention to us.

Hannah takes a long drink of coffee and sets the mug down.

"Okay," she says. "The whole story. How you ended up here. Don't leave anything out."

I lean back against the booth. Think about where to start.

"You remember when I aged out of Sacred Heart?"

“Yeah. They gave you a duffel bag and fifty dollars and told you good luck."

"Right. I didn't have anywhere to go. No family. No friends who weren't still in the system. Spent the first six months bouncing between shelters and cheap motels. Picked up work where I could, you know? Construction, warehouse jobs, anything that paid under the table."

Hannah nods. She knows this story. It's the same story every kid who ages out of the system has. Different details, same ending.

"I was nineteen when I met this guy named David. He was ex-military. Saw me getting into a fight with these guys who tried to rob me outside a liquor store. Stepped in. Helped me take them down."

"And?"

"And he bought me dinner afterward. Asked me what my plans were. I told him I didn't have any. He said he had a friend who ran a security company, always looking for people who could handle themselves in a fight. Got me an interview."

Claire brings our food. Hannah immediately starts eating like she's starving. Which she probably is.

I continue while we eat. "Security work led to private investigation work. Investigation work led to surveillance. Turned out I was good at it. Watching people. Seeing patterns. Staying invisible. Made decent money for a few years."

"How'd you end up in Millhaven?"

"Job went bad. Client wanted me to find dirt on his wife so he could avoid paying alimony. I found dirt on him instead. He was abusing her, and I gave her the evidence. Got fired. Word got around that I couldn't be trusted to do what I was paid for."

"Good," Hannah says fiercely.

Yeah. I've never regretted that choice.

"Couldn't get work after that. Ended up drifting. Hit Millhaven three years ago because I heard there might be work. Met Phoenix in a bar. We got to talking. He told me about the club he was building and asked if I was interested."

"Just like that?"