His gaze lifted, focusing on the flowing river. “I ran a crew of security contractors for a private military company. When Hawk and I joined, it was a decent place to work, but the ownership changed, and the missions changed. On my last job, we provided security for a CEO inspecting his factories in a third world country.”

Audrey frowned. Factories in third world countries weren’t always good places.

“At the fourth factory, we were ambushed. By the factory workers and the villagers, too.” His mouth tightened. “I lost three men in the first few seconds. The last two of us were shot up, but we got the CEO out alive—along with a villager. I needed to know who’d ordered the killing.”

“Did the CEO have a rival or something?”

“No.” His grip tightened on her hair. “As we were driving away, I asked the villager why they’d attacked us. Turns out the CEO had a habit of helping himself to any pretty woman working in the factories, especially the young ones. The month before, he’d raped the headman’s twin daughters.”

Oh, God. Gabe was a protector down to his bones. “What did you do?”

“The CEO was babbling scared, and he admitted it.” Gabe’s eyes held a darkness she hadn’t seen before. “We turned around, dumped him and the villager outside the factory, and we drove away.”

After a pause, he said quietly, “The factory burned down that night; his body was found inside.”

Her skin felt cold. Clammy. The world seemed an uglier place than a few minutes ago. And she knew how ugly life could get. Look at her own past. “Did your company say anything?”

“I quit. They hadn’t told me that the CEO might require far more than standard protection because I’d have asked why. They knew about his…habit and knew none of us would’ve taken the job—not even the worst of my men.”

His company had betrayed him. “The ambush. That’s where some of your scars are from?”

“Hip and shoulder, yeah.”

That’s why he limped sometimes when he was tired. “Add Mako’s death in, and you didn’t want to be around people any longer.” She closed her eyes, still feeling sick. “I don’t blame you.”

He was quiet, his gaze on the water. Eventually, he started to play with her hair again.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the shadows had lifted from his face.

“I feel like a wimp,” she said. “I’ve always been nervous around people, but not for any particular reason. Not like yours.”

“You’re trying, Goldilocks. That counts.” He gave her hair a light tug.

“I might venture out, but it doesn’t take long before I want to run back to my cabin and away from everyone.”