Page 50 of Wicked Duty
“But not any longer since you work for Darren and he left?”
He hesitates. “No.”
Now, I’m the one chewing thoughtfully.
When I don’t come up with anything else to say, Callum continues. “My sister and I both went against our family’s wishes to explore our heart’s desires instead of joining the fold.”
“She became a teacher, and you became…hired muscle?”
“Close.” He gives me another unreadable, unamused look. “Military. Irish Special Forces.”
I almost drop my fork. “You’re asoldier?”
“Former soldier.”
“Well, that explains things.” No wonder he’s always so deadpan.
“Anyway,” he runs his tongue over his teeth, “Deirdre always dreamed of being a primary school teacher, and now she’s a wonderful one. All I’m trying to say is…it’s admirable that you’re in pursuit of your dream too.”
Those words jab me right in the heart.
Chapter 19
Lucy
A bittersweet sensation settles over me as the rest of my lobster sits forgotten on my plate. “Yeah, I’ve come a long way from stealing shoes and toothpaste, haven’t I?”
Callum’s gaze bores into mine. I can’t believe what I’ve just admitted, but there seems to be no way out of it other than sharing this story as quickly and unemotionally as I can.
“When I was in foster care, during the period when my sister and I were separated…I was placed with this one really awful woman.” I still remember her dismissive, disinterested, blank-eyed stare. “She used to spend all the money they sent for me on herself and her own kids. Got so bad one fall that I didn’t have a single pair of shoes that fit or anything to brush my teeth with.”
My body constricts beneath my skin at just the thought of that helpless desperation I lived through as a kid.
I see Callum’s shoulders tense a little too.
“I knew I’d be punished if I complained about it, so finally, I stole a pair of shoes…as well as some toothpaste from a kid with braces in my class. She kept a tube in her backpack because she was always brushing her teeth.”
Callum shakes his head, sympathy etched in every line of his face.
Instead of allowing him a chance to reply, I give us both a way out of this depressing detour into my past.
I shift a little in my seat, wishing the self-consciousness away. “Anyway, enough about that. You’ve told me about your sister’s dream. What about yours?”
Callum reaches for my hand and squeezes. Several seconds pass before he lets go. “My dream died a while ago.”
He doesn’t elaborate.
Now I’m the one who doesn’t know what to say.
I feel awkward as hell, wondering why I revealed a vulnerability of my own so easily, especially when he’s clearly not likely to do the same?—
“I didn’t have grand ambitions.” He sets his fork down before crumbling a napkin in his fist. “I didn’t want my face on a billboard like you, and I didn’t want to shape the minds of the young like Deirdre. I just wanted to…be of help to those who needed it.”
My heart stutters. Behind Callum’s carefully guarded eyes, I catch a glimpse of an emotion I can’t place. Hurt?
“But I’m not like you or Deirdre.” His tone grows heavy. “Even when I did my very best, even when I put every single thing on the line, I still couldn’t protect the people who needed it most.” He glares at the table, like he’s seeing all his mistakes dancing there in front of him.
Empathy lurches in my chest. My hand crosses the small distance to his clenched fist and settles on top of it. On impulse, I gently squeeze, just like he did with me.
