“It beats carrying around an eighty-pound rucksack and drinking piss warm water from a Camelbak.” Clint’s voice held a hint oflonging.
“The MREs and camel spiders,” Cord chimed in. “You miss it.” Adrenaline junkies each and every one of them, they’d savored the primal satisfaction that came from living life on theedge.
Something Cord might never get the privilege of doingagain.
The ache in his chest nearly took him to his knees. He quickly shoved the thought to the back of his mind and soldiered on. Thoughts of failure led to failure—his father had taught him that since birth, and the Marines had then drilled it intohim.
Clint cleared his throat, drawing him away from the shadowedmemories.
“Looks like a state of the artfacility.”
Cord glanced at the cracked brick and mildew stains along the side of the hospital. “It’s not Walter Reed, but it gets the jobdone.”
Clint tucked his hands behind his back and continued to stroll. Cord matched his pace, grateful for the time to walk off thecramp.
“They got gooddoctors?”
“The best,” Cord answered honestly. Half of them were veterans themselves, and all of them had hearts forservice.
“Goodfood?”
“You remember your cafeteria food right about fourth grade?” Cordasked.
“And you wanted us to eat therewhy?”
“Thought you could use the experience to toughen you up some. You’ve gone a little soft around the edges.” His leg twisted, stopping him in his tracks. Cord grabbed for the corner of the building, swallowing back the nausea rolling up his throat. Shit, it was enough to take his breathaway.
Clint could’ve done something stupid like offer to help him walk, but he held the silence instead. Cord was starting to remember why he liked the guy so much. The man knew when he should keepquiet.
It was something that Cord couldn’t even say for his teammates. Not that any of them had lingered on their visits. Cord couldn’t blame them. This was the place where soldiers were put out to pasture. And it forced those who were still healthy and whole to face up to the fact it could have just as easily been them to lose a limb or get blownup.
Besides, the rest of his team had gone allBrady Bunchand started making babies with all theirwomen.
“How bad does it hurt?” Clint askedquietly.
Cord managed a grimace and stayed hunched over, kneading the knot with all his strength. “What makes you think ithurts?”
“Cut the shit. A blind man could see you’re inpain.”
A rash of anger swept through Cord, demanding an outlet, so he grabbed the loose hemline of his pants leg and yanked it up. Bright sunlight glinted off the metal prosthetic attached to his knee. Cord made a fist and knocked on his new shin. “It don’t feel a damnthing.”
Clint cursed under his breath and paced away. “You know, I don’t remember you being sostubborn.”
Cord dropped his pants leg, hiding the metal once more. He sucked in a breath and worked to stand up straight. “I don’t remember you much at all. Why are you here? What do youwant?”
Fury jingled the change in his pockets harder and tapped his foot on the sidewalk. A nervous air shimmered off him just like the midday heat shimmered off the sidewalk beneath theirfeet.
“A really good friend of mine asked me to stop by and offer you a job.” Fury’s quiet tone sliced through hischest.
“A civilianjob?”
The implications were as clear as freshly sproutedgrass.
This better not be his commanding officer’s way of breaking a fucking medical discharge to him gently. Months of agony and pushing himself past his limits to prove he was still Marine material and all for nothing. For a scrap of a paycheck and a Purple Heart that would do nothing but sit on the shelf and collect dust—useless, just likehim.
“Yeah, we started Fury Security a while ago, and I’m here to offer you ajob.”
“We—as in your brothers?” Cord couldn’t help the cruel twist of his lips. He needed to lash out and Fury was the only one within firing range. “Aren’t you worried about the reputation of your company if you go around hiring cripples? Hell, the military doesn’t think I can handle a weapon, why the hell shouldyou?”
