Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co #6) Read Free Page B

being modest. Nate is head of security for the company.”
    “That must be a lot
of responsibility.”
    “It is, sir.”
    “You don’t have to
call him ‘sir.’ Everyone at the gym calls him Hunt.”
    “That has to be
earned, Jade. Mr. Anderson has not earned that right.”
    “No, I haven’t. But
you can call me Nate.”
    He nods. “Let’s
have a talk in my office, Nate.”
    “Daddy! We’re just
friends.”
    “The marks on your
neck, and the fact that you’re holding his hand tell me a different
story.”
    “It’s fine, J. Just
stay close, okay?”
    “I can take care of
myself, you know.”
    “I do know, but I didn’t come here to watch from the sidelines.”
    “This way, Nate,”
Mr. Garrett tells me, as we both pretend that I don’t know where
his office is.
    I let go of Jade’s
hand, flash her a smile that I’m not feeling, and follow him up the
rickety staircase. He’s out of breath by the time we get inside,
and I look away as he leans heavily on his desk. I’ll give him the
dignity he deserves. I owe him that, and so much more.
    “Are you really
expecting me to believe that it’s a coincidence that you ended up
working for the same company as my daughter?”
    “It’s the truth. I
had no idea until this morning when someone from WITSEC came to the
office. If I’d known, I would’ve asked to be transferred to
another location in the company.”
    “You do know now, and you’re still here, holding her hand and marking her.”
    “I love her.”
    “You’ve told her
that?”
    “No. We aren’t
there yet. I stayed away from her for the past couple of years
because I didn’t think I deserved someone as good as her.”
    “You don’t.”
    “She thinks I do.”
    “She doesn’t know
what you did.”
    “No, but I fully
expect you to tell her. I know she’ll never want to see me again,
but I won’t try and stop you from telling her.”
    “I’m not sure
that’s what she needs right now. She has enough to worry about.”
    “Your call. I-I can’t
tell her. I just can’t. I know that makes me a coward, and worse.”
    “What have you been
up to since I saw you.”
    “Well, you know I
fought.”
    “And won. Almost
every match. You were lucky to get the break you did, after well,
what happened. Although if the rumors I heard are true, your success
came with conditions. One that would be hard for anyone to handle.”
    “It came with a cost,
but yes, I guess I was lucky to still be breathing. When I turned
eighteen, I joined the military. I found my true calling there and
became part of Special Forces. I met Matt Corrigan, and our friend,
Aiden Ford. We served together, and forged a bond that went beyond
being fellow soldiers. They’re my brothers in every way that
matters. When Matt had to go work for his family’s company instead
of re-upping, we went with him.”
    “And you met my
daughter.”
    “Yes. She used a
different last name, and well, she was six when I last saw you. You
can’t really think I’d recognize her.”
    “No, I guess not. And
you looked me in the eye through all of that. I know you’ve had all
kinds of training, but I still think I’m a good judge of character.
Despite my past mistakes.”
    “You believe me.”
Thank God.
    “Yes. I do. Now what
are we going to do about my daughter?”
    “Nothing she doesn’t
want us to do, I can tell you that.”
    He actually chuckles.
“You do know her.
Just treat her right, and the past will stay in the past, Nate.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    “Hunt.”
    We shake hands and then
spend another half hour figuring out how I can help out around here.
Besides the obvious repairs that need to be done, he asks me to teach
some classes, and I readily agree. This won’t erase what I did when
I was sixteen, but helping him—and Jade—is the right thing to do.
And for once, I want to be on the right side of things.
    * * *
    Jade
    I’m more nervous
about Nate and my dad being up in the office talking than I was when
I was