Annie sighed. She felt she had a decent read on people most of the time, and it seemed the weight of the world had fallen on Derek's shoulders with her words. She didn't know him that well -- at all, really -- but the idea that had built up in her head was of a relatively nice guy, if something of a goofball.
"Look," she began, shaking her head. "Whatever went down between you and your family that made you bolt, that's between you and them. It's not my place to make a judgement call, though a missing person who's missing by choice is always kind of a kick in the ass from my side of things. But you sent a whole world of pain my way, and I need to know what the hell is going on."
She paused, then added, "And if someone hurt you, it's my job to make them pay for it."