A Lesson of Intensity: Season of Desire Part 2 (Seasons Quartet) Read Online Free PDF Page B

flourished too. Then my superior officer gave me an interesting talk – a word in my ear, if you like – and when the opportunity came to volunteer for the Special Forces, I took it. The recruitment process was the hardest thing I’d ever done but I was determined that they were going to select me. I did all the physical stuff even though it was gruelling – the runs weighted down with equipment, the river swims, the night missions – but the hardest thing was the interrogation. Thirty-six hours of it, to see if I had the mental toughness to survive being in enemy hands.’ A distant look comes into his eyes and I guess that he must be back in whatever place it was that they handed out the treatment he can’t forget. He shakes his head slightly and looks back to me. ‘But I survived it and I got in. And there I was in 22 Special Air Services Regiment.’ He smiles. ‘And lucky for us, I was assigned to the Mountain Troop, which meant I was trained in mountaineering, arctic survival and altitude techniques. I’ve been put through the toughest possible training in Germany and Norway, and climbed the most dangerous mountains in the world.’
    ‘Very handy,’ I say, smiling back. ‘And what happened then? After you’d joined the regiment?’
    He looks almost dreamy for a moment. ‘I loved it. I loved my mates, the camaraderie, the bond we all shared. I relished the challenges and pushing myself to the limit. The work was almost like a game to me, like a boys’ own comic, full of mad adventure and strange locations. Yeah… it was great…’
    ‘So why did you leave?’ I ask.
    His expression grows darker suddenly. ‘I got tired of it. Burnt out. I lost the joy in it, and once you do that, you risk getting scared and you can’t ever be scared. I didn’t want to go that way, so I left.’
    ‘Just like that? You simply got tired of it?’ I can’t help thinking there’s more to the story than he’s telling me. It’s obvious that he loved the SAS. Why did he give it all up?
    Miles sighs shortly. ‘If you must know, it was after a stint in Afghanistan. We were sent out there to deal with Taliban resistance in the mountains. I spent two years out there and by the end of that, I was finished. I’d had enough, simple as that.’
    ‘Why did you decide to become a bodyguard?’ I’m looking at him in a new light now. I knew he was strong but I had no idea how skilled and highly trained he actually is. This man has been in situations I can’t even imagine. It seems ridiculous that someone with his abilities spends his time looking after pampered girls like me and my sisters. My high-handed attitude towards him now seems even more unforgiveable than ever.
    Miles shrugs. ‘It seemed like a good stop-gap while I decide what I want from life. One of my mates did it and recommended it – easy work for very good money, with some travel and comfortable lodgings thrown in. Plenty of ex-servicemen go into security. We’ve been trained to be the best in the world, and people like your father need us for their protection. So… here I am.’
    ‘That’s it?’
    ‘Aye.’
    ‘Your entire life told in about ten minutes?’ I make a face. ‘I don’t believe it. What about a wife or a girlfriend? What about family?’
    His face takes on a closed expression. ‘No wife, no girlfriend either right now. My family consists of my old ma and pa, still happily married after forty years, my brother and his wife and kids, a few cousins I used to see if I went back for Christmas, which wasn’t often. That’s plenty enough for me, thanks. I like to travel light.’
    There’s more to it, I know there is, but I can’t press him any longer. I’ve have a feeling I’ve gone far enough already and, as my new resolution is not to throw my weight around, I don’t think I can insist on it. Besides, he’s already told me how much he hates interrogation. So I decide on an unaccustomed path for me: I’ll bide my time. I’ll just have