"Aye," Butcher says carefully, watching her wrap herself up in it. The only reason he looks amused is because he considers himself absolved. Right or wrong, that's the truth. Sure, there were loads of things he'd done as a boy that he wasn't proud of, but most of it was done in the name of protecting his brother. As an adult, his record with women is less spotless. Sometimes sex was the quickest or only way to get something. When you're on a warpath, it takes more than things like keeping promises and being considerate to keep a person in line.

Raynor's not even the one he did the worst. Before he met Becca, Billy was a very, very different person. He was supposed to get her back or die before he had to deal with any of that. Now, in this new place and its terrible quiet, he may be paying the piper.

"I ain't gonna argue with ya. We do hateful shite because we get away with it. Don't need to be in a boys club like the military to see that."