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I’d brought a government black ops agent into my house. Holy fuck, Greyson’s going to shit a brick.
“Are you still active?”
“No. I was part of a certain sect of people who were taken from the recruitment pool. The government trained us, armed us, and housed us, but we didn’t work for them. We weren’t their weapons. We were ghosts.”
And ghosts could go anywhere, including onto Osorio soil.
“You worked with the cartel.”
“Surveilled some. Did contract work with them too, but it was mostly intel and recon.”
There was more he wasn’t saying, likely what his actual position was, but I wasn’t going to press. Mercenaries were notoriously tough to crack, and if Nate had things he’d done because he had to, that was his business.
“Why did you join?”
“I needed out of Seattle, and the military was the only way. At first, I was just happy to be free. Then I got chosen for the mercs, and it was all high-energy. We were keeping the peace. It felt right. Plus, if we survived, we got the same benefits as a veteran. If not, our families would’ve been supported, and they would have wiped our memory from the earth. It wasn’t a bad gig.”
Maybe not, but for someone who had people waiting at home, it sounded like torture. “Last time we talked, you sounded close to your mom. Why go into the Army if you had a family like that?”
“She’s got Alzheimer’s,” he admitted. “Late-stage now, but it started early. It came on when I was a preteen and got worse after we lost my brother.”
Thinking back to the file, I frowned. “I wasn’t aware you had a brother.”
“I don’t talk about him.” It was a huge oversight on our part, but the way Nate said it made it clear that the conversation was over. His brother was off-limits. As somebody who had lost her brother, I could respect that.
“As close as Mom and I were, the city only ever held bad memories, bad decisions, bad choices. I wanted a chance to do something good with my life, so I left. She understood, but we both knew I was always going to come home.”
“Even if it meant losing that part of yourself?” If people thought adjusting to civilian life after the military was hard, they couldn’t imagine coming back after being a contract killer. Everything was different.
There was no hesitation in Nate’s voice. Just surety. “Even if coming back meant giving up everything I’d earned.”
“Did you get out clean?” Leaving meant becoming the mark. Because of that, very few mercs “retired” from the company and survived. It was till death do you part always.
He shrugged. “Ish. My last contract was fulfilled, and considering my mom’s diagnosis, my superiors were good about letting me go. But I was told to keep my head down and go straight.”
Then he’d found me. A stop to help a car on the side of the road uprooted his plans to stay under the radar.
Guilt swarmed me, my new favorite companion, and I started thinking up ways I could fix things for him. “We can get you out of here if you need?—”
“I won’t leave the city, angel.”
“Because of your mom.”
“Because this is my home,” he corrected.
Not ready to wallow—that was a problem for when I was alone—I pushed on. “Do you see her often?”
“No.” Guilt was thick in his voice. I could understand why. “She doesn’t remember me. She was doing okay when I left, but when I returned, she was gone. I knew I couldn’t take care of her on my own, but the thought of leaving her again was too much. Finally, she asked to be put into a home. I only sent her because it was what she wanted. That’s where she’s been ever since.”
“Will the company use your mom against you?”
Something dark passed over his face, and then it was gone. “They could. That’s also why I don’t visit often.”
“Is she safe? We can get security on her.” I had more than enough favors to get some guards who weren’t connected to me. Nate’s mom would be safe.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got it covered. I talk to her caretaker daily to make sure they’re good. If something comes up, I’m sure I’ll find out.”
“That’s who’s been texting you.” He’d been getting a lot of messages. Considering he was a loner and we’d gotten him a new phone number, it hadn’t made sense to me. Nate keeping tabs on his mom was right up his alley, though.
