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“Gideon?”
He shook himself from the memories. “By the time I was free to do what I wanted, I was too old for royal guard training. So I finished up my degree.”
“They probably would have made an exception.”
“Maybe so, but there were other ways I could make a difference. So I did.”
“Yes, you have…but, Gideon… I just… I’m torn between wanting to hug you and wanting to slug you.”
He grinned. “So nothing’s really changed.”
Anger sparked in her eyes. “Don’t joke. I’m still infuriated with you.”
“I know. Eve, what I did… None of it was intended to hurt you.”
“I know that. Even though I still don’t know the full story, I know there was no malice or ill intent behind it. It doesn’t negate the fact that you’ve been lying to me for years.”
No, it didn’t. And there was still so much more to tell her. That first confession had been the easy one. The rest would be harder.
A bell chimed, and she gave a quick glance to her phone. “My physical therapists are on their way up.”
“You want to wait until you get done with them to finish this?”
“No. Continue. What did you do after college?”
It was going to take a whole lot more time to explain everything, but he didn’t argue. “In my senior year at university, I was recruited by the DGSE.”
“The Directorate-General for External Security,” she murmured. “French equivalent of the CIA. Right?”
“Yeah. I worked with them for almost two years.”
“Why didn’t you stay with them?”
“I clashed with a couple of senior officers. We didn’t see eye to eye on how I handled some things, and it was suggested I could use my talents elsewhere.”
“You got fired?”
“In a manner of speaking.” It had been a contentious ending. He couldn’t say he hadn’t been the biggest cause of it. Back then, diplomacy hadn’t been one of his strengths. He’d been a hothead, filled with high ideas and no patience for bullshitters. That had been a bad combination when dealing with career intelligence officers who’d forgotten what it was like to serve on the frontlines, or never had.
“It was for the best. I had made some contacts and started working with a small group of high-impact mercenaries. Did that for almost a year, and then…” He trailed off, hesitant to bring up what was the most horrific experience of her life and another defining moment for him.
“And then?”
“I was just coming off an op when the news hit that the US Embassy in Paris had been attacked, and several hostages had been taken, including Princesse Evangelina Wellingsley.”
“Gideon,” she whispered. “You were there?”
He took a breath, cleared his throat, and said, “I was the one who found you.”
Any color that had remained in her face was now gone. “How did you… Why did you…”
“I knew I wouldn’t have any authority to get involved, so I went directly to your father.”
“You got in to see the king just like that?”
He glossed over the difficulty, as it wasn’t pertinent. “A friend of mine was a royal guard at the time. I contacted him and asked if he could get me in for five minutes. It took some doing, but your father was, needless to say, beside himself and, I think, willing to try anything at that point. I told him who I was and that if he would make the call to get me into the action, I would save his daughter. You were my only priority.”
“But why, Gideon? You didn’t even know me.”