Page 42 of Tormented Hearts

“You mentioned a Ranger unit. Or did the security agency train you? “

He didn’t talk about his past experiences much. He’d had more than his fair share of jobs, pivoting in his career several more times than most people his age usually did. But after all he and Sinead had been through together, he didn’t hold back.

“I joined the Army right out of high school. Trained to become a Ranger. I did two tours overseas.”

Her brows rose, and she swept a look over his body as if searching for scars. He was one of the lucky ones—his scars were all on the inside, and he had been able to find ways to deal with them.

“When I came out the other side, I went to college.”

Her shapely brows lifted higher. He didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated that she was surprised that her bodyguard was educated.

“What did you study?”

The water started to simmer, and he used his handkerchief to pull the metal pot off the flames. “Criminal justice. Graduated magna cum laude, if you’re keeping score.”

That earned the smallest flicker of a smile—there one heartbeat and gone in the next, as if he caught her trail of thought and she didn’t like being called out on it.

“I am, actually.” She popped another nut in her mouth.

He opened a pouch of dehydrated food and poured the water in. “After that I joined the FBI.”

She stilled, another nut halfway to her lips. “You were FBI?”

“For a little while.” He poked the fire with a stick, and sparks scattered upward. “Then I accidentally became a mercenary.”

She tossed her head as a full belly laugh burst out of her. “I’m not sure I should believe you. That’s a big resume. And you’re what—thirty?”

“Thirty-three.”

She shook her head. “You seriously did all that?”

“I seriously did.”

She studied him. “How does one accidentally become a mercenary?”

“I joined the FBI because I thought I’d be doing some good in the world. But I couldn’t stand all the red tape. I was headhunted by a group. I did some research on them and I thought they were doing good works for the world too.” He said it simply, without any drama in his tone, though the experience actually carried more importance than he let on.

“I’m listening.” She abandoned her stash of nuts and sat like a quiet squirrel, eyes shiny in the firelight.

“I took a job that looked clean on paper. Then another. Same story. Each one made sense in the moment, but six months in, I wasn’t sure where the lines started to blur. Suddenly, I found myself standing in a place, taking an order that I never intended to take.”

He stared into the fire.

“We were contracted to secure a mining site in Uganda Officially, we were there to protect company equipment and personnel. Then villagers started showing up. Families. They said the company had taken their water and pushed them off the land they’d worked for generations.”

His jaw tightened.

“Our orders weren’t to help them.”

He looked away.

“Our orders were to keep them off the property.”

Silence settled between them.

“Nobody fired a shot that day. Nobody died. But I watched hungry parents standing behind a rope line while men with money decided they didn’t matter.”

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw.