“Always wanted to keeppeople safe,” he began, shrugging. “When I was eighteen and fresh outta highschool, the army seemed like the place for that. Like I could go and fight thegood fight and give everyone I cared about a chance to life in peace. I’m not…positive that eighteen year old me was the smartest guy.”
“Is that why you quit?” Iasked, and then immediately regretted it. What the hell happened to neutralterritory?
“You felt that scar thatcurves around my waist, right?”
A lump formed in my throatas I remembered. I’d known, somehow, when I touched it that it wasn’t an ordinaryscar. There’d been something about it.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I didn’tmean to flinch away from it, I was just afraid it’d bother you.”
“I barely noticed,” Graysaid, and it sounded a lot like a lie. He’d remembered that I’d felt it. If he’dbarely noticed, he wouldn’t have been so sure I’d remember, too. “I guess you’veheard on the news, y’know, reports of IEDs killing however many soldiers?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Is thatwhat happened?”
This was definitely not safeterritory, but we were pulling into the underground parking lot now, and Grayseemed towantto talk about this. Maybe he was like me. Maybe he’d never had thechance to say these things to someone who hadn’t been there.
I’d listen to him. He’dlistened to me, and I owed him at least that much.
“Kind of. I was a Ranger.Best of the best, they say, but don’t ever repeat that in front of a SEAL,” hesmiled wryly. “Special ops, y’know? We were doing recon. Me and my best friend,Logan, plus Fox and Lucas.”
“Was Fox a Ranger, too?” Iasked, curious about the man who’d rearranged my books for me.
“He was SAS. British specialforces. We always got along well, so… we were a team. Lucas was Canadian, even.”
“Was?”
“Well, I guess he still is.Haven’t talked to him in a few months, but he didn’t sound like he was planningon renouncing his citizenship. He works as a mercenary now. Private militarycontractor, I should say.”
I nodded, trying to absorball this information. I wanted to listen to Gray as patiently and warmly as hehad to me.
There was a pause as Grayreversed into my parking spot, which felt a little like showing off in thenarrow, poorly-lit underground lot.
“I can’t tell you whathappened, exactly,” Gray continued.
“National security?” Iasked.
“That, and I don’t know,” hesaid. “The last thing I remember is Fox nudging a door open with his foot. Onceupon a time I was told it’d all come back one day, but it hasn’t. Not that Ineed it to. Next thing I remember I was waking up in a field hospital, Dochovering over me with his eyebrows practically touching in the middle. I lost akidney and a chunk of my liver, which I hear you need.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, unsurewhat else to say. I’d been through some shit, but this was… different.Different in a way I couldn’t quite explain even to myself.
Gray seemed to be at peacewith it, though.
Maybe there was hope for metoo.
“Anyway, that was a one-wayticket to a medical discharge. Fox and Logan, too. Fox is practically deaf inone ear, but he does have a really sexy scar running through his lip.”
“Like the one through youreyebrow?” I asked.
“That one’s a little older,but yeah. Glad you think it’s sexy.” Gray grinned.
I suddenly hoped the parkinglot was too dark for Gray to notice the way my ears were burning. But hewassexy. Everything about him was.
He’d even managed to makenearly getting killed sound kind of hot.
“Ready to go back in?” Grayasked, nodding toward the elevator.
Taking a deep breath tobrace myself, I unclipped my seatbelt and got out of the car, stretching as Iwaited for Gray to join me.
We walked in silence to theelevator, and I watched the lights blinking on and off as it seemed to crawlits way to the basement.
