“Please?” I asked.
“You sure know how to push all of my buttons,” he finally replied.
“You don’t say? Well, ditto.”
He chuckled, then his tone grew somber. “His name’s Deryk. Well, it’s Bull, now, thanks to you. He was just past the two and half year mark in the Navy when his long-term girlfriend committed suicide while away at college.”
Not what I’d been expecting. I sucked in a breath. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah. He did some digging and found out she was raped. She turned in the attack, but nobody believed her. She never told Bull about it, I think that’s the worst part for him. Some asshole in his unit mouthed off, saying she was probably a slut who deserved it. Bull put the guy in the hospital. He served a few months. The Navy wouldn’t let him back into the service afterward, on account of him lacking the proper amount of remorse for his actions.”
“In other words, he’d do it again if he got the chance,” I guessed.
“Bingo. When I told him why you’re helping Havoc, he volunteered to keep an eye on you.”
I peered at Deryk through the binoculars again. “He still shouldn’t be out there in this weather.”
“Well, I’m not calling him off, so you do what you need to do. Goodnight sweet cheeks.”
He hung up.
We really needed to discuss his phone etiquette, and his use of pet names. Not tonight, though. Dinner was getting cold, and so was Deryk. I slid on my rain jacket, flicked up the hood, and headed across the street.
When Deryk saw me approaching, he headed for his bike. Adjusting my course, I intercepted him.
“Deryk, right?” I asked.
He stared at me, obviously unsure whether or not he should answer.
I rolled my eyes. “I just got off the phone with your asshole boss. It’s cold and wet out here and I made enough dinner both of us. Come in, eat, and get warm.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think I should.”
Time to change tactics. “I have a back door, you know. If someone sneaked into my house through the back and you were out here in the front, you’d probably never even know it.”
That got his attention. He perked right up and pulled out his cell phone. “Let me just text Link and make sure it’s all right.”
He had to check with Link before he could eat and get warm? Ridiculous. Folding my arms across my chest, I waited.
“Link says it’s okay,” Deryk finally relayed. “But he’s calling me Bull.”
“Uh… sorry about that,” I said, heading back to my place.
“Wait, why are you sorry?” he asked, following me.
