Page 26 of Winter’s Fire

Her lips quirked in a mischievous grin—it matched the alluring twinkle in her eyes. “Any recommendations?” She sipped her tea again.

Sure—me.

Where in fuck had that come from? He really needed to get his shit together. “Tell me why you volunteered for this. You’re a secretary—why in God’s name would you want to go into the field?”

Something about the subtle change in her expression set tendrils of unease writhing in his gut. Something else told him, if he was going to be around this woman for any length of time, he’d better start getting used to it.

“It’s a bit of a long story—sure you want to hear it?”

“I’m sure. Tell me.”

“When I was growing up, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school, unlike most of my friends. I used to listen to the boys’ war stories when they were home on leave, but with the four of them serving, and Mum waiting so long for me to come along, I sort of felt I should choose a more… girly job. So instead of joining up, I nagged them into teaching me all they could.

“I tried a few different office jobs before I fell into being a secretary—that particular boss didn’t want what he called a ‘traditional’ secretary. When Adam started talking about the unit and his plans to apply when he finishes his time in the Army, that was it. It finally made sense of all the pestering I’d done.”

She drank some more tea, as if fortifying herself to continue the story. Then she shot him a frown. “Sorry, I’m sure this is really boring.”

“Not in the least. I’d like to hear the rest.”

“There’s not much more. I looked into it, and found out about the requirement for military experience. Even if I didn’t have Mum to consider, I still didn’t have the patience to join up and serve long enough to acquire it. Doesn’t mean I don’t have suitable skills, though.”

“Suitable skills? You intending to spell-check the enemy to death?” He suppressed a smile at the way Lucy appeared to be weighing up whether or not to throw the mug at him.

“My brothers, remember? Adam got me fit, and then there’s everything else all the others have taught me—still are teaching me, when they can.”

“All the others? How many brothers do you have?” She almost made it sound as if they were an army in their own right.

“Including Adam—four. And they’re all on active service. Adam’s Army, like I said. Ben and James are Royal Marines Commandos, and Sam’s in the Royal Navy.”

All of a sudden, Logan experienced a crystal-clear vision of where this conversation was headed. “What exactly have you learned from them?”

“Ben—Adam’s twin—taught me hand-to-hand combat, including how to fight dirty if I have to. And when he comes home on leave, he makes a point of ensuring I haven’t forgotten any of it. Sam and James are the other set of twins. James is an expert in firearms, and he also makes sure I keep my skills sharp.”

“Okay. What about Sam?” Logan was swiftly coming to the conclusion that the Winter boys were a bunch of badasses he’d welcome on his side in any conflict, even the ones who weren’t Royals. And two sets of twin brothers? Mama Winter had to be a force to be reckoned with as well, keeping that lot in line. Probably explained where Lucy got it from.

“He’s a medic. He’s taught me how to deal with pretty much any injury you’re likely to encounter in a battle situation. I may not be quite the full-on expert they are, but what I lack in depth, I make up for, at least in part, in breadth.”

“I know you mentioned this to Sir Guy, but does he know the details?”

“Not as far as I know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.”

Logan agreed. Sometimes, the old man seemed to have an almost supernatural way of finding things out. Either way, it looked as if his plans for the firing range and the self-defence session would have to adapt to this new information.

“I can show you what I can do, if you like, and if we have time?”

In a race between common sense and his instinct to protect, common sense won by a nose. Even though he balked at the idea of relying on her in a crisis, should one arise, it was only sensible to acquaint himself with her capabilities.

“We have time. So, how’d you end up working for Sir Guy?”

“A ridiculous amount of luck was involved. I joined the civil service and job-hopped my way into the right area. The vacancy as Sir Guy’s PA came up, and I applied. Figured I’d bide my time and grab the first opportunity I could to prove I have something more to offer the unit—didn’t expect anything like this.

“I want to make one thing clear, though. The priority is getting Diana back. My goals come a long way after that.”

“What if it doesn’t work out the way you want?” With luck, it wouldn’t, because with luck, they wouldn’t be in a situation that called for those skills, and she could go back to a nice, safe position.

“Then I go back to my old job and find a different way to make a difference. I can do this, Logan. I know you all think I’m a control-freak pen-pusher, but please don’t let that blind you to what I’m capable of. Let me prove I can be more useful to you than just as a smokescreen.”

Chapter 8