Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)

by Sharon Cummin

  Me: No way!

  Bridget: Yes way! I give them credit. He knew what he wanted and went for it. I say good for them. We should all be like that.

  Me: What does that mean?

  Bridget: Nothing. So, you obviously know a bit about me.

  Me: Why do you say that?

  Bridget: You gave me that card.

  Shit! Did she think I was a crazy stalker? It wasn't like that, but I didn't want to tell her Doug had told me about Gabe even though he didn't mean to.

  Me: What are you doing up so late?

  Bridget: The baby got up and I saw your message. What are you doing up so late?

  I hadn't even thought of an answer that didn't make me sound worse by the time she sent the next message.

  Bridget: Nice subject change by the way.

  When I read that, a smile crossed my face. The woman was something else. She didn't hesitate to say exactly what she thought. I was quickly learning that. I admit, I was kind of surprised. Seeing her that way after being so quiet at work was very unexpected. If she wanted to be cocky, I could be too.

  Me: Your ass woke me up. I thought it was work.

  Bridget: Sorry to disappoint you. I'll let you get back to sleep.

  I wasn't sure what to say to that. Had I hurt her feelings? I was just throwing back the same shit she was giving me. Before I could think of something to say, my phone dinged again.

  Bridget: Before I do, I have a question. You said you would have seen me there.

  Me: I did. Was that your question?

  Bridget: No. I'm not sure how to ask this.

  Me: Then don't.

  I didn't wait for her to respond before sending another message.

  Me: I'll tell you what. You show up next Monday, and I'll answer your one question.

  Bridget: Really?

  Me: I guess we'll see how badly you want to know. Goodnight, Bridget. The baby is adorable by the way.

  Bridget: How do you know?

  Me: Congratulations! I'll see you next Monday. Just go one time. If you don't like it, then don't go back.

  I put my phone down and closed my eyes. Doug and Gabby were married. That was some crazy shit. The dating world felt so different than when I was in high school. I was damn glad I had no interest in dealing with that again.

  Chapter 15

  Bridget

  The week seemed to fly right by. Doug and Gabby were busy with work and moving his stuff into the house. Gabby had decided to move one of the girls she worked with in Michigan into Doug's place and give her a job as her assistant. Between all of that, I'd barely seen Gabby at all. Doug checked on me often but never lingered around. He always had something to do. Since I was home, I kept up the housework and cooked as much as I could. I'd leave plates wrapped in the refrigerator for them if they were coming home late.

  I thought about the meeting that was approaching, way to quickly, over and over during that week. I'd need Gabby or Doug to watch the baby while I went, and I wasn't sure how to ask them to interrupt their busy schedules for me. I also wasn't sure I wanted them to know where I was going. Gabby would surely have questions.

  Sunday came and I still hadn't asked them. They were both home and didn't seem to be ready to run off anywhere. I cooked a huge meal for dinner and let them know when it was ready. It was the only time that week that the three of us were eating together. They were going on about how much they still had to move and what they were working on. I felt more like a third wheel than ever before. They were starting a new life together. It shouldn't have been one involving me and the baby. When the card and Derek popped into my mind, I thought about it and decided to skip the meeting. Then his words came to me again. If I went to the meeting, he'd answer my question, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't get that chance again. He didn't seem like the type of guy that sat around and talked about his life. I wanted to know why he'd had that card. I wanted to know how he knew about me and Gabe. I wanted to know why he was at that meeting. I only needed to go once to get my answers. That was what he'd said. I put my fork down on my plate and clasped my nervous hands together in my lap. Why the thought of asking Gabby and Doug for something was so hard for me, I didn't know, but it was. I didn't like having to depend on anyone. That wasn't who I was.

  “You okay?” Doug asked, pulling me from the internal battle I was fighting.

  I looked up to see concern in his eyes.

  “I'm good,” I said, as I got up and walked into the kitchen to grab a drink.

  I thought about Gabby. She was my best friend, but she was also Gabe's sister. I tried not to talk about him too much so I wouldn't bring her down with me. She'd lost her only family member she had left. She didn't need my sadness added to hers, so I kept a lot inside. Some days, it was very hard, but I put on a smile and kept moving the best I could. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad checking out the meeting, I thought. Maybe I could find a friend there, or maybe not. Either way, I only had to go once to get Derek off my back. I could deal with that.

  I walked back into the dining room and sat down at the table. Doug's eyes were right back on me.

  “I have a question,” I said.

  Gabby's eyes came up from her plate and straight to mine.

  “What is it?” Doug asked.

  “Do you think that one of you could watch Gabe for a couple of hours tomorrow night?” I asked.

  “What's up?” Gabby asked.

  That was the first of what I was sure was going to be many questions. I didn't want her to know. I'm not sure exactly why, but I didn't. I looked down at my plate, breaking eye contact with both of them.

  “I was thinking about checking out a support group,” I said, as I stared down at the food I was sure was going to swallow me up.

  I felt Doug's eyes burning a hole through me, and there was no way I was looking up at him. He didn't know. It was my head messing with me.

  “What kind of support group?” Gabby asked.

  “I don't know,” I said, as I grabbed my fork and moved my food around to try and calm myself. “It's a new mom thing of some sort.”

  I heard Doug clear his throat, but I was not going to look at him.

  “Sure,” Doug said, just as Gabby was starting to say something. “Of course we can. Maybe it will help. Maybe you'll find another mom to talk to.”

  He stressed the word mom, and my eyes shot up to his. There was something there, I knew there was. What was his deal, I wondered?

  “You can talk to me,” Gabby said.

  “You want to talk about how much Gabe drinks and how many times a day he shits?” Doug asked her with a smile.

  “Fine,” she snapped.

  His eyes were looking right into mine, and I swear he knew I was full of shit. He couldn't have, but it sure felt like it.

  “It will be good for you,” he said.

  When I narrowed my eyes at him, he quickly looked away. What the heck was he up to? That fucker found a way to avoid me the rest of that night and the next day. He'd even offered to do the dishes so I could relax in my room after dinner. That was not like him. What did he know, I wondered over and over?

  The next evening, I sat in my car, staring at the building in front of me. It was the first time I was away from Gabe, and it felt weird. I kept looking in the mirror only to see an empty spot where his seat would be sitting. A woman had just parked her car next to mine and walked into the building. Had she lost her spouse, I wondered? I hadn't. Gabe wasn't my spouse. He wasn't even my boyfriend officially. When a truck parked two spots over and a bigger guy with tattoos and muscles got out, I couldn't help but wonder if there was another kind of meeting in the same building. Then I thought about it. Had he lost a spouse as well? With each car that pulled in, I found myself getting more nervous. There were more men than women walking into that building. I didn't belong there. I needed to get out of there and get back to where I did belong. I wanted to go home to my baby boy. Just as I started my car, my phone dinged. Shit! Was it Doug? Was Gabe okay? I
hurried to grab it only to find a text from Derek and couldn't help but smile at his words.

  Derek: Are you seriously about to ditch me again? You do know being in the parking lot and leaving doesn't count as coming, right? Get your ass out of that car.

  “Why are you so damn determined?” I asked the empty air around me.

  I shut my car off, grabbed my phone and keys, and got out, as I shook my head. When I got to the door, it opened before I could even reach for it. I couldn't help but look over the big man standing in front of me. Gabby had a point there. When a giggle came out of me, I hurried to stop it.

  “What?” he asked.

  When I didn't answer, he shook his head.

  “Fucking Gabby must be rubbing off on you,” he said sarcastically.

  “No suit tonight?” I asked with a smile.

  “Very funny,” he answered, as he narrowed his eyes at me. “Don't think I wear them because I like them. It's business. Were you really going to bail?”

  “I was,” I answered honestly.

  “Don't worry,” he said with a smile. “We don't sit around and cry the whole time, and we don't talk about how much our kids shit either.”

  My eyes widened as the words left his mouth, and his smile grew even more. The fucker knew he got me.

  “Doug,” I whispered, and he nodded.

  When I took a step away from him, he reached out and grabbed my arm.

  “You're staying,” he said.

  “You're bossy,” I replied, as I placed my hands on my hips.

  He shook his head.

  “I have something to say before we go in there,” he said with his hand still on my arm.

  All joking had left his tone. He was back to serious Derek.

  “Okay,” I said nervously, totally unsure what he was about to say.

  “What happens here stays between us,” he said.

  “Like what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?” I asked with a smile.

  He let out a huff.

  “I'm sorry,” I said, feeling bad for joking about something he obviously meant to be serious.

  “Doug is a friend, but he doesn't know everything about my life,” he said. “Gabby knows nothing about me. Most of my guys at work don't know shit about me either. Even the people here know only what I've choose to tell them. I'd like to keep it that way. My life is mine. I keep my shit to myself.”

  “Why did you invite me here?” I asked, torn between feeling irritated that he'd think I'd run my mouth about his life and curious to know why he was even bothering to invite me if everything was such a secret.

  “Gabe was a good man, and you were obviously his woman,” he said, as he let go of my arm. “I know how much I count on the people here, and I figured maybe you could too.”

  I nodded and quickly looked away from him.

  “Hey,” he said, as he took my chin and brought my eyes to his.

  He'd taken his glasses off, and it was the first time I was actually seeing his eyes. They were absolutely beautiful, and when they looked into mine, it fucking rocked my world for just a moment. I couldn't explain it. All I knew was that it freaked me out.

  “I didn't mean,” he began, but I cut him off and pulled my eyes away from his.

  “I get it,” I said. “I'm going to ask the same as you. Gabby and Doug don't know everything about my life.”

  “Agreed,” he said, as he took a step away from me.

  He started walking, and I followed behind him, getting more nervous with each step we took.

  “How is it that Doug didn't know the baby was Gabe's?” he asked, as he looked at me from over his shoulder.

  That man didn't waste time with small questions. He shot right for the big dogs. Maybe I'd use his method when asking him questions too.

  “I don't think so,” I said. “I believe we had a deal. I showed up, so I'm expecting a few answers of my own before you get anything out of me.”

  Derek let out a laugh, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

  “You are so Gabby's friend,” he said, as he opened the next door and motioned for me to go in.

  The second I stepped through the doorway, my feet stopped. There were more people than I expected in that room, and over half of them were men.

  Chapter 16

  Derek

  Bridget stepped through the door, and I ran right into the back of her. She'd stopped and wasn't planning to move. I was pretty sure if I hadn't been right behind her, she would have bolted. I leaned down close to her ear and whispered.

  “I've got some questions about you too.”

  She turned her head and slowly looked up at me. I could feel her back against my chest and couldn't believe she wasn't moving away. At the same time, I was trying to keep my mind off the warm feeling spreading through my chest that didn't belong there. I hadn't felt that shit in years and wasn't about to start.

  “What?” she asked in a whisper of her own.

  “Nothing,” I said, as I took a step around her. “Come with me. Everything's going to be fine. I promise you that this is a safe place. I'll be right there every second.”

  She nodded and walked behind me, and she kept her eyes on me the whole time. I could feel that shit. The girl was more nervous than I had been when I'd first come there. I wouldn't have thought that was possible, but she was proving me wrong.

  I sat down and pulled the empty chair next to me a bit closer. Then I motioned for her to take the seat. Not for one second did I miss her scoot that chair even closer to mine when her ass landed in it. I looked over at her and saw her looking down at the ground.

  “It'll be fine,” I whispered, as the people around us talked to each other. “They won't pressure you to talk or anything. You could come here every week and never say a word, and they'd still welcome you. Believe me, I know.”

  She looked over and up at me slowly, so damn unsure of everything around her. Stephanie walked to the front of the room and looked over at me with a smile and a nod. She started the meeting not once drawing attention to Bridget. A few minutes later, the door opened and I noticed Bridget look back to see who walked in. She turned to me with her eyes wide open, and I nodded. Then she leaned a bit closer.

  “He's one of your guys,” she whispered.

  “He is,” I said, letting her know she was spot on.

  Taylor walked over and sat in the empty chair on my other side. I knew what was coming before his ass even leaned toward me.

  “Not a word,” I snapped in a very stern yet whispering tone.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, and I turned my attention back to the front of the room and then to Bridget. She'd taken her eyes up from the floor and was watching the interaction between the person speaking and everyone else. I noticed her watching closely when one of the newer women began talking about her feelings and how much she missed her husband. She didn't get too deep, but I could see Bridget connecting with the situation. Men and women began speaking up about how they felt the same way, letting her know that she wasn't alone. I did what I did best, I kept my mouth shut and listened.

  Everyone was done talking about what they wanted to say to the group, and people began moving around the room to talk to each other. One of the guys began walking toward me, and I moved a bit closer to Bridget.

  “Hey, man,” he said. “How's it going?”

  “Great,” I said. “How was your week?”

  “It was okay,” he answered. “I thought about what you and Jenny did and decided I need some time with the kids. We went away for a couple of days. They argued, but I know they had a good time. I was thinking about getting a few of us together to do a day thing at an amusement park or something. You think you'd be interested?”

  “Sure,” I answered. “Sounds fun. Let me know when so I can make sure to let my brother know I won't be working.”

  “You want in?” he asked, as he turned to Taylor.

  “Jenny,” I heard Bridget whisper so quietly I almost laughed.

  “S
ure,” Taylor answered. “TJ would love that shit.”

  “TJ,” I heard her whisper.

  Then the guy turned back to me.

  “Would your friend,” he began, but I cut him off.

  “Bridget,” I said, as she quickly leaned in closer to me. “Her little guy is a newborn. He's not ready for that yet.”

  “Bridget,” the guy repeated. “It's nice to have a new face around. These two are getting old.”

  “Screw you,” I said with a laugh. “Go bother someone else. I want more than just you and Taylor there. TJ tortures Jenny. She needs more than just your girl there to help her.”

  He shook his head and walked away. As soon as he was gone, Stephanie walked over and extended her hand toward Bridget.

  “My name is Stephanie,” she said. “I run the meetings. Derek mentioned he was bringing a friend last week, and I was sad you hadn't been able to make it. It's nice to see you made it this week.”

  “I'm Bridget,” she said, as she reached out to shake Stephanie's hand. “If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. He was a little pushy, so I agreed to come one time in exchange for some information.”

  “Very smart,” Stephanie said with a smile. “Bargaining for something in return. If you can get information out of him, I'll definitely give you credit for your skills. I hope you'll join us again. We usually just talk as a group for a bit before everyone breaks off to talk about whatever they want with each other. Sometimes we all need a bit of advice, and sometimes we just need to vent about our kids. Occasionally, we need to deal with our feelings, and that's okay. The point is that we have each other. Each person here has lost a spouse.”

  “I wasn't married,” Bridget said, which shocked me.

  “Not all of us were. Some were just significant others,” Stephanie said. “Most of us are single and raising our kids, and others have found a new love but still come for the support. We're a close group, and we like to spend time together. We have meetings without the kids, but we get together so the kids can play often. Some of us barely ever share, and some of us share all the time. It just depends on the person. Even those that don't still feel the support of the group. It's totally up to each individual. We're all a team here.”