Page 39 of Just One Silver Fox

“What are you going to do?”

“Whatever Pierce wants me to.”

“But what kind of things? Would you be a bodyguard?”

“Maybe. Probably some security work. Maybe some re-con. I don’t really care. Every day will be a new adventure.”

“Why did he hire you? I mean, I would, but Pierce always seems to have a big plan.”

“Somehow, he found out that I’d made the cut for the Marine Raiders.” Nate shook his head. “I have no idea how he discovered that.”

“You mentioned that before. What are the Marine Raiders?”

“A special operations force. You apply and are tested, then go back to your unit to await the results. I’d just heard that I’d been accepted for the next round of training and was waiting for orders when everything went boom.” He waved the Hook and made a face. “It was bad timing, that’s for sure.”

“And you couldn’t continue?”

“I’d never meet the physical requirements without my hand. The bar is high.”

She looked at the Hook. “You must have been disappointed.”

“That’s an understatement. I was devastated.” Nate spoke lightly but Sonia guessed it had been really hard for him. “You know, Damon would have known I’d been accepted, because he was my commanding officer. Maybe he told Pierce.”

“I forgot that you’d served with him.”

Nate nodded. “You know, I did talk to Damon about two months ago. He wanted me to do a podcast about weightlifting for vets and people with special needs.”

“What you used to teach at the club. Why didn’t you do that?”

“Not my thing. I’m happier with hands-on, plus I’m not that photogenic.” He smiled, proving those words wrong, then nudged Sonia. “What about you? Why aren’t you doing a podcast? I thought they were offering all the instructors that opportunity.”

“The partners are. Cassie asked me right away.” Sonia tried to change the subject. “Damon doesn’t say much but he fixes things for people. I could see him talking to Pierce about you.”

“He takes care of his team,” Nate said with a nod. “That was always his thing. I should call him up and ask him, and say thanks if it was his doing.”

Sonia smiled. It was so like Nate to make sure people knew he appreciated their efforts on his behalf. “So, Pierce just offered you a job?”

“No, there was a test.” Nate’s smile was filled with enough satisfaction to light the neighborhood. “It totally rocked. It was like a mini version ofMission Impossible—get to the target without being caught. I loved it.”

Sonia was surprised. “With weapons and everything?”

“Paint guns. The pellets can hurt, depending where you take the hit, but they aren’t lethal. It was completely awesome.” He turned that sparkling gaze on her and Sonia felt a simmer in her veins. “And what about you? Whynotdo the podcast? I think you’d be great at it.”

Sonia dropped her gaze. “There are a lot of yoga instructors online, even at F5F.”

Nate shook a finger at her. “But you’re a great teacher. There was always a waiting list for your classes at the club. You care about people, Sonia, and it shows. They respond to that, and they would online, too. You’d have a fan club in record time.” He looked down when she didn’t reply, obviously thinking, and Sonia wondered what he’d say. When he did speak, she was surprised. “Was that thing with leaving your family part of the reason you didn’t do the podcast right away?” He fixed her with an intent look and Sonia felt caught. “Because you didn’t want to take the chance of them finding you?”

Sonia nodded once, knowing she shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d figured it out. “Part of it. I don’t want them back in my life. They’re toxic.” She said this last with too much heat and knew he noticed.

“But you can’t hide forever,” Nate said. “It’s been years. You have to step out and live your life.”

“I know but it’s scary.”

“And your interest in therapy and listening is probably why people loved your class so much. You could offer yoga and a bit more.”

“How so?”

“A lot of people come to F5F to get in shape, but have deeper reasons for being out of shape in the first place.”

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