“Uh…” She scanned the paper. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“He helps with security at the Copper Penny,” Bull chimed in.
Lily let out a sigh of relief. “Security. We can do that.” She pointed at a posting. “Here. There’s a security guard opening at UW. It’s only temporary, but it would get your foot in the door and give you some experience.”
“I’ll check it out,” I replied, more to make her feel helpful than anything. The college would no doubt run a background check, and my recent stint in the slammer would most definitely throw up some red flags. “Thanks Lily.”
She smiled. “It’s nice to be able to help one of you guys for a change. What about you, Bull? What are you good at?”
Bull’s gaze cut to me. “My situation is complicated.”
“So? Uncomplicate it for me,” she replied.
“Maybe some other time. I thought you came for self-defense training. When are we gonna get to that?” he asked.
“You need self-defense training?” I took the paper from her, folded it, and set it on the table. “Why? What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Lily brought out the protectiveness in all of us. She was a sweet kid with a good heart, and life had shit all over her. I had her back now, as did every other member of the club. “Did someone hurt you?”
She frowned at Bull. “No. I’m fine. Nothing’s happened. I just thought it would be a good idea for me to know how to defend myself, in case something ever does happen.”
It was a good idea, but the randomness of it made me leery. “You’re sure nothing’s going on?”
She beamed me a smile. “Yes. I promise.”
“What do you know about self-defense?” Bull asked. “Did you take any training?”
“My training was more hand-to-hand combat related. Have you considered getting a carry concealed permit, Lily?”
“For like… a gun?” Her eyes widened.
I nodded. “Yeah. We could take you to the range and teach you how to shoot.”
“No.” She shook her head vigorously. “No guns.”
“Maybe some pepper spray and a taser then?” I asked.
“I could do that, but I also want to learn some fighting techniques. There’s a class going on at the gym down the street, but it’s like two hundred dollars for six one-hour classes, and I don’t want to fork out the money for it.” She focused on Bull. “I also don’t want to make a big deal about this; can’t you just teach me some punches or kicks or something?”
I rubbed the back of my neck and considered how best to word my thoughts. Lily didn’t need any reminders of what she’d gone through, but she needed to really think about this and be safe. I still wasn’t convinced that her sudden interest in protecting herself was all that random. Most likely she was fighting her own battle with PTSD and needed a way to regain some semblance of control. Understanding her struggle, I didn’t want to give her a false sense of security with a few kicks and punches. “Two hundred isn’t a bad price for six classes taught by trained professionals.” My savings had dwindled, but between what was left and my monthly checks from Uncle Sam, I still had plenty to keep Lily safe.
“I’ll help,” Bull added. “We can split the cost.”
Lily threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t want to go to self-defense classes.”
Bull’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as he looked to me like I had the secrets to the confusing feminine mind. “But—”
“I wantyouto teach me.”
He turned to face her, resting his hand on the back of the sofa. “I don’t know the techniques. Improper training is a good way to get yourself hurt.”
She leaned closer to him. “What are you, eighty? We have the power of the internet at our fingertips. We’ll watch a few how-to videos and be fine. This is gonna be fun. Something we can do together.”
Ah-ha. It had been months since I’d had sex and years since my last relationship, but I wasn’t completely oblivious to the opposite sex. Lily was wearing makeup and perfume, not a lot, but she usually didn’t wear any. Her cold-shoulder blouse was much nicer than the baggy sweatshirts she normally wore. She looked up at him like he hung the moon, and I realized the girl didn’t give one damn about self-defense. Reassured that her sudden interest in self-defense had more to do with getting close to our youngest member than avoiding danger, I decided it was time to make my exit.
“You know… I just remembered a phone call I need to make.” Standing, I collected my newspaper, folding it and sticking it under my arm.
Confusion filled Bull’s eyes. “But… aren’t you gonna help us?”
Lily’s expression fell for a fraction of a second before she managed to paste on a smile. “We didn’t mean to run you off. If you’d like to stay and help me, you’re welcome to.” Her eyes told a different story, begging me to leave. The girl was definitely trying to get herself a bite of Bull meat, and who was I to stand in the way of young love?
