Page 57 of Out of the Shadows

“They sure did.”

“But you said no.”

“I didn’t like the idea of working for one agency. Especially for the paltry amount of money they were offering.” She shot him a cocky grin. “Since I was better than anyone either agency had on staff, they really didn’t have a choice but to let me do contract work.”

“How was it working for the alphabets?”

“Boring, mostly. But I managed to keep it entertaining. When I got access to their systems, I was able to peek into a lot of interesting information. Of course, I covered my tracks well, because with those alphabet agencies—boring assignments or not—you can never be too careful with them.”

He squeezed her hand. “See, a freaking genius.”

Bumping her shoulder against his, she returned the squeeze. “What about you? What’s your family like?”

He gave a slight shake of his head and a look she couldn’t decipher flashed over his face. “My mom took off when I was a baby, so growing up it was just me and my dad. Just aboring, regular childhood.” Gavin’s jaw tensed, then he let out a chuckle that held no humor. “That’s a lie. I mean, I suppose he did the best he could, but honestly? He was a drunk. He’d get sober for a little bit and things were good. Then he’d fall off the wagon and things were... not so good. He struggled.”

Her stomach dropped, and her heart broke for him, for the child he’d been. She knew it hadn’t been just a struggle for Gavin’s father, but for him too. From the little he’d said—and hadn’t said—she imagined his upbringing had been tough, chaotic.

It explained a lot though. Made her see the man beside her a little clearer. Her admiration for him grew because the Gavin Frazier she knew was the epitome of dedicated and determined. He had a drive and focus that was unmatched. And that was all his own doing.

Unsure if she was overstepping, she asked, “What happened to him?”

“A couple weeks after I graduated from basic training, he was driving drunk and hit a tree. They told me he died instantly.”

Gavin’s flat, lifeless tone had her pulling them to a stop. Before she could second-guess herself, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured with her cheek pressed against his chest.

For a moment, he was tense in her arms. Then he let out a deep exhale and embraced her back, the rigidness in his frame easing. “Thanks, B,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “My dad was an only child and was estranged from his parents long before I came along. So there’s no extended family or anything. It’s just me now.”

With her arms still around him, she tilted her torso slightly away to meet his somber gaze. “You’re wrong.” His eyes narrowed in obvious confusion, and she rushed on, “It’snot just you. You may not have any family by blood anymore, but the family you’ve built, that you’ve created at Hudson Security?Weare your family, and we’ll always have your back.”

The edges of his lips kicked up, and some of the heaviness around them lifted. “That’s kind of you to say.”

She wagged her finger at him, tsking. “Not kind. Just facts.” Stepping away, she retook his hand and continued walking. “And since we’ve established that I’m the genius here—those were your exact words, yes?”

He shook his head. “Freakinggenius, B.”

“That’s right.” She shot him a smug grin. “I’m a ‘freaking genius’ so you can’t argue with me on this one. Got it?”

He brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Wouldn’t dream of it, honey.”

She ignored the giddy feeling at his sweet gesture as they followed the descending trail back into the forest. After a few moments of comfortable silence, she let out a content sigh. “This is really pretty, Gavin. Thank you for bringing me out here. It’s... peaceful.”

It was his turn to give her a cocky smile. “Have I converted you into being a nature-loving outdoorswoman?”

She snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t mind going hiking again.” Her eyes narrowed. “But only easy trails like this.”

“Even though you wanted to kill me at the start of the hike.”

She tapped her lips with her finger. “I forgot about that.”

“Too late. What do you say we make this a regular lunchtime activity?” He stopped and unzipped his pack. “I figure we have another couple of weeks or so before the weather turns to complete crap.” He pulled out a foil-wrapped something and handed it to her.

“What’s this?”

“Lunch. Turkey and cheddar hoagie. Lettuce and mayo, no mustard or tomatoes.”

“You made me a sandwich?” She stared at him for a moment. “How did I not know you were this sweet?”

He made a face. “I’m not sweet.”

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