Having picked up Evie’s penchant for following directions, she’d presumably changed the number weeks earlier.
“I thought we were past the bullshit,” Digger grumbled. “You know all you’d have to do is ask, and Shadow would have the woman’s number for you in a handful of seconds.”
“Okay, fine.” He blew out a breath. “You want the truth? Here it is. I gave Evie my number three weeks ago, and she hasn’t texted or tried to call even once.”
“So?”
Beckett frowned. “So…if she wanted to talk to me, she would’ve reached out by now.”
And damn if that annoying little fact didn’t burn his ass far more than it should.
“Maybe she’s been waiting foryouto make the first move.”
“Kind of hard to do if I don’t have her number.”
“Call Shadow right now and ask for it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“She was a hostage, Dig,” Beckett practically yelled. “The woman was held captive in that fucking cave by those sadistic assholes who thought it was perfectly acceptable to beat her, starve her, and treat her and those little girls worse than fucking dogs. I’m sure the last thing she wants is to talk to a guy who’s a constant reminder of the worst experience of her life.”
The truck’s interior grew quiet as they covered another half mile of pavement. When Digger decided to resume speaking, the former SEAL surprised the hell out of Beckett yet again.
“Do you like this woman, yes or no?”
“I barely know her.”
“Not what I asked.”
The man was like a dog with a freaking bone. “Sure. Yes. I like her.”
“Then you should tell her.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Actually, it is.” Digger waited a beat. “The phone number, the fact that she was a hostage, or even that it was our team who rescued her…those are all just a bunch of excuses. The truth is, you’re scared of being rejected, so you’re choosing to reject the notion altogether. But I’m telling you, if you don’t at least try, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Beckett studied his friend closely. There was an unmoving expression spread across Dig’s masculine, scruff-covered face. His taut, sinewy forearms shifted with the slight twists and turns of the wheel. And the man’s gray-blue eyes stared through the lenses of his tactical shades.
From the outside, the guy looked like the same crabby-assed Digger he and the others knew and loved. But for the first time since knowing the surly bastard, Beckett began to realize there was much more beneath his friend’s cold and calculated exterior.
There’s a story there, somewhere. And one of these days, I’m going to pry it free.
“You don’t think Owens will be pissed if he finds out I used company resources for personal business?”
“Another excuse.” Digger turned his disappointed stare Beckett’s way. “Seriously, Bones. Do you not remember Falcon and Apollo both going apeshit and doing whatever they could to find their women when they were in trouble?”
“Well, yeah, but that was different. Both Avery and Nicki had gotten snatched up again. Of course, Boss is going to let us use whatever means necessary to rescue the innocent. I mean, it’s kind of what we do. But Evie hasn’t been kidnapped again, so this would purely be me wanting to contact her for my own personal interest.”
“Don’t be a smartass, and who the fuck cares? So you want to check up on a woman you rescued. Make sure she’s doing okayafter having the shit scared straight out of her. You really think Owens will have a problem with that?”
The man had a point. And the more he talked, the more Beckett began to really listen.
“So it’d just be like a follow-up call,” he mused. “Good customer service.”
“Exactly. Besides…” Digger flipped his blinker, checked the rearview, and quickly changed lanes to take the next exit. “What’s the worst that could happen?”