Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)

by Sharon Cummin

  “What's up?” he asked, the second I appeared in his doorway.

  I closed the door behind me, walked toward his desk, and sat down.

  “We need to talk,” I said. “What's your beef with me?”

  “My beef with you?” he asked.

  “Come on, Doug,” I said. “Cut the shit. Why would you tell Bridget to be careful?”

  His eyes widened, and he put down the pen that was in his hand.

  “It's not what you think,” he said.

  “Then what is it?” I asked.

  “Shit!” he said. “Is there something going on between you two?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “Not that it's any of your business though. We're in the same group, but you already knew that.”

  “Yes,” he said. “I just don't want her to get hurt.”

  “How exactly would that happen?” I asked, as I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. “What the fuck have I ever done for you to feel the need to warn someone away from me?”

  “It's not like that, Derek,” he said. “It's not you.”

  “You need to explain that shit,” I said sternly.

  “I can't,” he said.

  I shook my head. Then I slammed my hands down on the arms of the chair and pushed my body up onto my feet.

  “Fuck!” Doug hissed.

  “When she walked into my office the other day, she was upset, and it was your fault. I didn't like that shit one bit, and I need it not to happen again. So, you can either tell me what the fuck is going on, or you can leave my name off your fucking lips. I've got enough of my own shit to deal with. I can't have someone trashing me for no reason. If you have a reason, then let's hear it. If not, then knock the shit off. I introduced her to that meeting to help her, and that was it. I don't like that you're making me regret it.”

  “Sit down,” he said.

  When I narrowed my eyes at him, he motioned to the chair I'd just gotten up from.

  “Come on,” he said. “Hear me out.”

  I sat down, again rested my elbows on my knees, and leaned my chin on my hands.

  “I don't know how to explain it,” he said, as he closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “I've known Bridget since college. I met her the day I beat the shit out of her boyfriend.”

  “What?” I practically growled out. “You two had a thing too.”

  “No,” he said, as he shook his head. “Gabe was in a class with her. They'd talked on and off a bit during the class. He noticed she had a mark on her face one day, but he didn't think anything of it. Then it happened again, but the bruise was bigger. When he finally figured it out, he came to me and John and asked for our help. Her man was hitting her. Long story short, when he confronted the guy, I fucking lost it. I ended up beating him bloody. Neither Gabe nor John even had a chance. Knowing he had the balls to touch a woman was bad enough, but seeing his cocky ass smirk sent me over the edge.

  “Her man fucking hit her,” I snapped out, as I got right back up on my feet.

  “Yes,” he said. “We kind of took her into our group after that. She was closer to Gabe than me and to me than to John. When college was over, she went home to her shitty parents. When he started the company, he wanted her here. She gets weird around guys, she always has. Between Gabe and me, we watched out for her, him more than me obviously. I had no idea there was anything between them. I was really worried about her when Gabby's ex was around. I knew it scared her, so I asked you to keep someone down there with her. She doesn't like being around guys, it makes her nervous.”

  “She jerks and tenses up when a guy walks close to her,” I said.

  “Not you,” he said.

  “What?” I wasn't sure I'd heard him right.

  “She doesn't tense up around you. She never did. Not even that first day,” he said. “You're fucking scary. That's what Gabby says. Bridget should have been terrified, but she wasn't. I could see it, and I still can.”

  “So you warned her to be careful with me,” I said. “Don't you think that's a little shitty?”

  “I don't know a huge amount about your past, Derek,” he said. “I know you lock that shit up. I also know that you're not interested in being with her or anyone else because of what happened to you. I see how she is with you. She trusts you.”

  He looked at me with sincere concern in his eyes as he sat there thinking for a moment.

  “More than Gabe,” he said, when he finally spoke again. “I know you enough to know you're not going to be there for her like that, and I don't want her to get hurt. She's been through enough. The poor girl didn't even know he loved her when he died. Then she found out she was pregnant. She's been hurt enough, Derek. I don't want it to happen again. If she gets close to you, and you bail, she's going to hurt again. I can't help it, I don't want that for her.”

  “I don't either,” I said honestly, still reeling from knowing some fucker hit her twice.

  “Did she invite you to the party?” he asked me.

  “She invited all of us,” I answered.

  “You're not a couple, are you?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered.

  “I don't think you should go,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, shocked by what I'd just heard.

  “I don't think you should come to the party,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I just don't think it's a good idea,” he said in a calm tone, like he was telling me about the weather and not pretty much trying to lay down the law with me.

  I took a deep breath in and held it for a long while before releasing it.

  “You do know there are other guys in the group, right?” I asked.

  “I do,” he said. “They aren't you.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I snapped, as I leaned my fists down on his desk, doing my best to control my temper.

  “It will just complicate things for her. She was Gabe's woman. Gabby's going to start asking her questions about the two of you. You have no intention of being with Bridget, that I know. She likes you, Derek. I can tell. She's never acted the way she does around or about you with anyone, and I mean anyone, not even Gabe. You coming to our home would only make it worse. You're going to hurt her, and I'm not going to stand by and watch it happen.”

  I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and took another deep breath in and then out. Then I looked down at him.

  “I fucking know whose woman she was. I've never given you a reason to talk about me like I'm some scum that's out to hurt someone. You don't know shit about me, and I don't appreciate you sitting there acting as if you do. I keep to myself for so many reasons, one of them being other people's shitty judgment. Do not sit there and tell me what's good for her. She needs to run her own life, and you and Gabby need to let her. It is her decision who she talks to. Telling me I shouldn't come, without her knowing you said it, is one shady ass move on your part. I'm going to turn around and walk out of your office, but I'm not doing it because you won. I'm doing it for her, my friend, and also for my company. I know you care about her, but you sure have a funny way of showing it.”

  I walked toward the door and swung it open.

  “By the way,” I said, stopping for just a moment. “I've already been in your home.”

  I slammed his door behind me hard and walked toward the elevator, more upset than I'd been in five years. I couldn't get around the thought of someone hitting her. I also couldn't stop hearing the asshole say our home. He'd just fucking told me not to come to the party, the one our entire group would be at. He'd also pretty much told me I wasn't good enough to be her friend.

  When the elevator doors opened, I walked in as if I was on auto pilot. I went back to my office, grabbed my keys and my phone, and walked out without a word to anyone, not even my brother. When I walked through the lobby, I felt her watching me.

  “Derek,” I heard her, but I couldn't stop.

  “Have to go,” was all I said.

  When I
got into my truck, I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. Maybe he was right, maybe I needed to walk away from her all together, even as a friend. I didn't want to be with anyone. I loved my wife, and she was gone. I needed to concentrate on my little girl. She was who mattered. I didn't want to hurt Bridget. I'd never do it on purpose. I needed to leave her alone.

  I walked into the house and straight to my room. Then I fell onto my bed and sent a message to Jean letting her know I was home but wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be out for dinner. When my phone dinged, and I saw a text from Bridget, I shut the phone off. I knew I couldn't leave it on. If I did, I knew I'd text her back, and I couldn't do it.

  I stared up at the ceiling for hours. I could hear Jean and Jenny playing and talking and knew it was the right thing to do to let Bridget go. I couldn't hurt her.

  Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her in my office, looking more upset than I'd seen her look yet. I couldn't be the reason she looked like that again. I needed to leave her alone. She'd be just fine without me. She had Gabby and Doug.

  When I looked over and saw that it was three o'clock in the morning, I knew I wasn't going to work. I turned my phone on, ignoring the messages I so badly wanted to check, and sent my brother a text. Then I turned the damn thing back off and put it back on the nightstand.

  I woke up to the sound of pounding. Jean will get it, I thought to myself, as I closed my eyes again. Then the pounding came again. I waited, hoping they'd either go away or Jean would shut them up, but it didn't happen. The pounding came a third time. It was already ten o'clock, and I'd felt like I'd just fallen asleep. I pushed off the bed and got to my feet. Then I made my way down the stairs to find a note from Jean saying they'd gone to a museum and would be back around dinner. When the fucking pounding came again, I was pissed. That shit hurt my ears. Whoever it was wasn't giving up. If it was one of the guys fucking with me, I was going to kick an ass. I grabbed the door and swung it open, instantly closing my eyes from the sun.

  “What the fuck is so important?” I snapped, as I opened them again and squinted to see who it was.

  Bridget stood in front of me with the most pissed off look on her face. She reached her hands up and pushed on my chest, causing me to take a step back. Then she walked right by me and into my house.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she yelled, as she turned around and my heart sank seeing the tears in her eyes.

  Everything, I thought. Everything is wrong with me. I was still half asleep from getting only a few hours at the most. My mind was a mess from thoughts of someone putting their hands on her, the words Doug had said to me, and the thought of him trying to protect her the way he was. I wanted to tell her to leave. I knew it was the right thing to do. She needed to go. It would have been best for both of us. There was only one problem, I didn't want her to.

  Chapter 34

  Bridget

  I wanted to talk to Derek again to try and convince him not to talk to Doug, but I knew it was a lost cause. The one thing I'd learned about Derek in the almost year that I'd known him was that he always got his way. He wasn't an asshole exactly. He just didn't give up when he felt strongly about something.

  I knew Doug wouldn't be back until Thursday, so I had two days before I needed to think about the situation. Sure enough, Thursday morning, my stomach was a ball of nerves. What would he say? How would Doug react? Would he tell Gabby?

  “Good morning,” I heard, as soon as the front door opened.

  Just hearing his voice had my stomach relaxing a bit.

  “Good morning,” I said. “Have a great day.”

  “Always,” he said, as continued right by me toward the elevator.

  The minute that same door opened and Doug walked in, I felt the tension hit me again like a ton of bricks. I'd pretty much avoided seeing Doug since I'd taken him lunch just three days before. It was pretty easy considering he was gone two of those days. I saw him stop in front of me but didn't look up.

  “Good morning,” I said, as I went right into telling him what he needed to know for the day.

  When I stopped talking and finally looked up, he nodded but said nothing else before walking away toward the very same elevator Derek had taken not long before.

  I had no idea when Derek was going to talk to him or what he was going to say, and there was no way I was going to send a text or call to ask him. Maybe he'd forgotten all about it, I thought. It had been two whole days, and he'd had time to calm down. He'd also been working on another case with the police, so maybe that had pulled his mind away from Doug and the conversation he wanted to have with him.

  As the day went on, I thought I was in the clear. He had forgotten. I hadn't heard from him or from Doug, so I was pretty sure it was safe.

  I was looking down at my desk, not long after lunch, when a very pissed off Derek stormed right by me. I called out to him, but he didn't stop. Instead, all I heard were the words “have to go” thrown out from over his shoulder. Not one minute later, Drake took off for the front door. I watched him swing it open and look out into the lot.

  “Shit!” I heard him snap out.

  As he walked back into the lobby, I looked at him and knew something was definitely off.

  “Everything okay?” I asked calmly, trying not to let my concern show.

  “I have no clue,” he said, as he shook his head.

  “Is he okay?” I asked, as I pointed toward the front door.

  “I don't know what happened,” he said, sounding totally confused. “He told me he was going to talk to Doug about something. I'm not sure how much time passed, but it wasn't that much when he came back looking more pissed than I think I've ever seen him. He walked into his office. Then he walked back out again. He never said a word to any of us. I had no idea he was even leaving or where he was going.”

  The poor guy honestly looked lost.

  “I can't imagine what Doug could have said to piss him off,” he continued, as he shook his head again. “I wonder if Doug doesn't want the company here anymore. What else could it be?”

  Drake knew I went to the meetings, so he knew that I talked to Derek outside of work. He was the only one at work that knew besides Taylor and Doug I guess. I knew Derek being pissed probably had something to do with me. Their short meeting wasn't on Doug's calendar, and he hadn't called me to tell me he was meeting with Derek. The only thing left to think was that Derek had gone to Doug to talk about what I'd said to him. I looked at the worry on Drake's face and felt so damn bad. I didn't want to tell him what had happened, but I couldn't let him think their company was in danger. There was no way.

  “It's not about the company,” I said.

  “What?” Drake asked.

  “I think whatever happened had something to do with me,” I said softly.

  He walked closer to my desk.

  “Are you okay, Bridget?” he asked. “You look upset.”

  “I think it has something to do with that whole lunch thing on Monday,” I said, as I looked up at him.

  “Shit!” he said. “I'd forgotten all about the little show the two of you had put on for us.”

  “He wasn't very happy that Doug had told me to be careful with him,” I whispered. “He said he was going to talk to him, but I thought he'd forgotten about it.”

  “Derek doesn't forget anything,” Drake said, as he pushed off the counter he'd leaned on in front of my desk. “Not when it comes to you.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Not a thing,” he said. “I have to get back to work. I doubt he'll be back the rest of the day. I'll give him some time before I call him. I'm not about to get an ass chewing because of Doug. As long as the company is safe, we'll figure it out.”

  “I'm sorry,” I said, as he walked toward the elevator.

  “It's not your fault,” he said, as he stepped into it. “My brother just needs to get his head out of his ass.”

  Then he was gone. I sat at my desk trying to figure out what had
happened. Doug hadn't called me to say anything, and his schedule was pretty clear, so I wasn't expecting to hear from him about work. When Derek didn't come back after a couple of hours, I decided to send him a text.

  Me: Are you okay? What happened? Please tell me that had nothing to do with me.

  By five o'clock, I hadn't heard back from him. I picked Gabe up, went home, made dinner, fed him, and went to my room. Doug and Gabby still weren't home. I knew they were working on some stuff that had to do with trying to grow things, so I figured they were probably staying late at work.

  Once Gabe was in bed for the night, I got into bed and grabbed a book to read. It was nice having the house to myself for a bit, but it felt weird. Part of me missed the noise, but another huge part of me was enjoying the silence. Being that I hadn't heard from Doug since Derek was in his office, I was hoping I'd be fast asleep by the time he finally came in.

  I put my book down on my nightstand and picked my phone up one more time to see if Derek had messaged me, but he hadn't. Was he at home, I wondered? Was he okay? Was their talk really that bad? Was he pissed at me? Damn! He could have been mad at me. His company was in Doug's building, and he did a large amount of work for that building and Doug. What if me telling him what Doug said hurt his business in any way? He'd be really pissed, and it would be all my fault. I shouldn't have told him. I was just so pissed that I couldn't stand it, and he was the one I talked to about stuff like that. Shit! One more text, I thought. I'd just send one more message.

  Me: Are you okay, Derek? I know you're probably so mad at me. I should never have said anything. I asked you not to talk to him. Please let me know that you're okay.

  I put my phone back in its spot and closed my eyes. When I woke to the sound of my alarm beeping, I grabbed the phone to shut it off. There was still nothing from him. Panic began to set it, but I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to text or call Jean, but I couldn't. She'd already seen me react in a very unreasonable way the night he hadn't show up for the meeting. There was no way I could have her seeing me act like I was losing it over him not texting me back. She'd really have some interesting thoughts of me if I did. I'd see him at work, I thought. The man never missed a day, and if he was out, working on a case, Drake would know.