Page 62 of Her Mercenary

We watched a duo of birds flutter from bush to bush in front of us, blazing yellows and reds, a few minutes of silence passing as we contemplated the things we’re not supposed to do.

“So, you just came to America with nothing?” I asked.

“Yep. Not even a single suitcase. I got my green card, enlisted in the Navy. Was eventually promoted into special ops. This is when I learned Oisin’s son, Conor, had taken up his father’s sword, so to speak, and was slowly growing the Cussane Network into a global business. And just like that, I was back in the game, reaching out to old drug connections back in Ireland, gathering intel, sliding back into that world. I became obsessed all over again.”

Roman stared at his hands, his eyes unfocused.

“This was when Astor recruited me. I was twenty-one and have worked for him ever since. Then I quickly realized that working for Astor gave me access to endless resources, so much information, and that’s when my search really picked up steam. I began using my missions to investigate the Cussane Network on my own, to track the son of the man who killed my mother.”

He was lost in thought for moment.

“Then on a mission in Mexico, I stumbled onto an opportunity to participate in a sale—”

“Of humans?”

“Yes. I bought a girl that day.” There was a hint of shame in his eyes. “I paid a lot of money for her. Then I bought another, and another, and I realized the amount I spent on the girls started giving me notoriety. I wore black suits to every sale, fully immersing myself into this character I’d created. This is when I met Lucas Ruiz, an undercover agent for the Mexican government. He’d lost his sister and two cousins to the sex trade. We began sharing information—bonded, you could say—and we’ve worked together ever since.”

“What did you do with the girls? After you bought them?”

“I sent them to a rehabilitation shelter in the US.”

“And how are they now? The girls?”

Roman shrugged.

My brows popped. “You don’t know?”

“No.”

“You never followed up?”

“No.”

“You saved these girl’s lives, and you’re not the least bit curious how their lives turned out?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care.”

“You just don’t want to get involved past the mission. It’s too emotional for you.”

“You’re too emotional for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Roman, I’m sure they’d love to see you. To thank you. And whether you realize it or not, I’m sure you would get some sort of closure from seeing the good work that you did.”

He shrugged again.

“Does Astor know that you’ve been using his company to advance your own personal vendetta?”

“I think he has an idea. My connections in the human-trafficking community are no secret—which is why I was hand-selected for your mission. But no one knows why, about my mom, and exactly how deep my connections run. He’s never asked—and my ulterior motives have never ruined one of my ops or affected them negatively. I’ve done my jobs to the best of my ability, and that’s all that matters to Astor. This is a side thing I do.”

A moment passed.

“I want to help,” I said.

He frowned at me. “Help what?”

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