Page 30 of Devlin

As the others dispersed, Mia realized only she and Devlin remained. She turned to him, crossing her arms. "We have to work together. It’d be easier if you didn’t glare at me all the time."

"I don’t glare at you all the time."

"Only when I’m near another man, right?"

Devlin exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, I guess so."

Mia arched a brow. "You know that's fucked, right? You, of everyone in the world, have no right to wonder who I might be knocking boots with."

"I know," he admitted, his voice low as his face contorted in a wince. "Believe me, I’ve reminded myself of that every day for ten years."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "And whose fault is that?"

"Mine. All mine." His jaw clenched. "And I’ve felt it every single day."

A heavy silence stretched between them.

"Are you dating Robert?" he asked at last.

Mia’s mouth opened in disbelief. "I can’t believe you’re asking me that."

"I just want to know."

She inhaled deeply, steadying herself. "No. I am not currently dating Robert. Or anyone else, for that matter."

Devlin nodded, but his gaze remained intense. "Have you dated him before?"

Exasperated, she nodded. "Yes. Several years ago. It lasted six months. I ended it. We stayed friends. There, are you satisfied?"

"Not even close." His voice was raw.

She bristled, but before she could snap back, he continued, "I have no one to blame but myself for pushing you away. I’d like to say I’m glad you found companionship, but the truth is, it hurts."

Mia’s anger faded slightly as she snorted. "I appreciate your honesty."

His gaze softened. "We need to talk."

She sighed, wanting to continue to deny him the chance. But part of her was curious…what could he possibly say after all this time?"Okay, this evening," she said, her body weary. “I have a full day ahead of me and need to concentrate. I know you have work to do, too. But I’ll set time aside for you to finally unburden whatever the hell you think you need to tell me."

Once again, he surprised her when he stepped close, reached down, and wrapped his fingers around hers just long enough to give a little squeeze. Then he stepped back and inclined his head. "Okay, let's check the food coming in and out."

As always, just like in the past, her heart clenched at just the touch of his fingers. As she walked toward the loading dock, she was acutely aware of the man following and of the past still lingering between them.

13

Devlin didn’t push Mia any further. Instead, he stayed by her side, his eagle-eyed gaze scanning the operation as the day unfolded. His admiration for her only deepened as he watched her move seamlessly between roles. One moment, she was the no-nonsense professional, tracking lists of food and trucks, and issuing orders to drivers with unwavering authority. The next, she was in the villages, overseeing food distributions, her face lighting up as she greeted the refugees with a warmth that never felt forced.

She was everywhere at once, ensuring the camp’s food supplies for over a hundred thousand refugees ran as efficiently as possible without losing sight of the people it was meant to serve. She spoke to the men with respect, gave the women reassuring smiles, and knelt to embrace the children who ran into her arms, their laughter ringing out like a balm against the hardship that surrounded them.

“She’s wonderful, isn’t she?” Enock’s voice cut through Devlin’s thoughts.

Devlin turned to the man at his side, Moses’s second-in-command. He gave a slow nod, his gaze drifting back to Mia. He noted the way Enock watched her, and the admiration in hisexpression was clear. Possessiveness twisted in Devlin’s gut, but he didn’t sense any deeper interest from Enock—just respect. That eased something inside him, if only slightly.

Still, Devlin remained suspicious. Whoever was behind the thefts had connections and resources. But Enock exuded the same trust and ease around the refugees that Mia did. The people weren’t afraid of his uniform or the gun holstered at his hip.

“Have you worked here long?” Devlin asked.

“Five years.” Enock nodded. “When I was a child, I watched the police officers in town.” He chuckled. “I liked their uniforms. I liked the way the ones in charge carried themselves. They’d smile at us, and I knew then that I wanted to do the same one day.”

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