Page 50 of Tormented Hearts

He glanced back to check on Sinead. Her head was down, her focus on placing her feet on the mix of rock and roots on the trail. And her lips were moving.

She was muttering under her breath.

She hadn’t done that since their first days together.

“You good?” he tossed over his shoulder.

“Yes.”

Since it wasn’t a response of “fine”—a telltale sign she was not—she must be all right. He continued on, picking his way along a trail pioneers navigated centuries ago.

Maybe it was coming to terms with his own past that made him feel lighter. Or helping her to find her own peace. Maybe it was the two orgasms she’d given him.

Either way, he felt as if he could walk to Canada with Sinead.

He caught her muttering again and tried to pick up the words, but her voice faded. They could take a break, but they’d already burned through a longer lunch just so he could let her have a rest. If he pushed a little farther, they could stop soon.

“You know what’s crazy?” he said, mostly to keep her mind off whatever was bothering her. “People have been chasing this legend for a hundred fifty years. Explorers, treasure hunters, probably even members of the McCrae and Callahan families. Who knows if any of them got this close.”

She didn’t answer, just kept walking. He sent another glance over his shoulder to see her lips moving on some private complaint.

He held a heavy branch out of her way so she could duck beneath it. She did so without speaking, and he gently released the branch in a rustle of leaves.

“It’s not even about what’s actually at the end of the trail,” he went on. “It’s the mystery for me. Something’s been sitting out here for over a century, and we get to be the ones who solve it.” He shot her a grin over his shoulder. “And I get to do it with you.”

They made it through the thick cover and into a spot in the woods where sun broke through the tree canopy, dappling the ground in patches.

He stopped, looking around.

“My mom would call this a fairy glen.” The words trickled out of him without thought.

Sinead stepped up beside him and took in the lush ferns and spots of sun highlighting some of the fronds. “Sounds like your mom is a bit of a dreamer. I’m surprised.”

He looked at her. “Why does that surprise you?”

She shrugged. “She raised a son who lives by rules and training.”

His lips twisted. “My brother went into law. I guess you could say my mom has enough free spirit for all of us. Life is tough for a single mom of two boys and she made small things more special with her view of the world. Still does.”

Sinead’s eyes were softer, as if she was seeing his mom through his words. “I’m glad you have her. Do you see her very often?”

“I visit at least once a month. She lives east of here.”

She moved into a patch of sunlight and tipped her head back to stare up at the opening in the brilliant green canopy. The light kissed her face in gold, and his chest tightened.

If someone told him two months ago that guarding a woman like Sinead was in his future at Black Heart Security, he would have laughed.

“What would she say about you being my bodyguard on an expedition to find some legendary treasure, if that’s really what we’re meant to find?” Sinead swung her gaze to his. From several feet away, their eyes connected in a long beat.

His throat was tight too when he swallowed. “She would tell me not to screw it up.”

She issued a soft laugh, and the moment faded as they started walking again.

The trail quickly went from packed dirt to loose scree again, and the ground shifted under every step.

To add to the peril, roots crossed the path like tripwires, half hidden under drifts of dead leaves, and Hawk kept throwing looks over his shoulder to check on Sinead. She let out a curse and he twisted to see a root caught her boot, but this time she freed it without help.

The incline didn’t let up either—a long, grinding climb through switchbacks that never seemed to crest.