He heads down Main Street toward The Lodge, phone still at his ear. I maintain distance, using the shadows between streetlights as cover. It’s almost embarrassingly easy—Ryder’s not paying attention to his surroundings, too wrapped up in his conversation.
“Everything has been set in motion, so it’s only a matter of time now. Once everything finally goes public, property values will tank.” He turns off the main road onto the path that leads behind The Lodge, into the wooded area where they host summer barbecues. “Then we swoop in, buy everything for pennies, and finally turn this town into something worth more than the dirt it’s sitting in.”
What the fuck is he talking about?
The trees swallow us both, the sounds of the small town fading behind. Ryder’s voice grows harder to hear as the path narrows, forcing me to close the gap between us. Pine needles cushion my footsteps, but a twig snaps under my boot.
Ryder stops talking mid-sentence.
I freeze, becoming part of the darkness. An old skill, rusty but not forgotten.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then Ryder sighs audibly.
“I’ll call you back,” he says into the phone. Then, without turning around: “You know, Ghost, small town life has made you soft. Your skills aren’t what they used to be.”
Shit.
No point in hiding now. I step forward, letting the moonlight filtering through the branches reveal my presence.
I cross my arms over my chest and stand a little taller. I doubt Ryder plans to get physical out here, but I want him to know I’m ready for it. “Maybe I’m just out enjoying the winter air.”
Ryder pockets his phone with a smirk, demeanor relaxed. “You think I can’t feel when someone’s watching me? We spent eighteen months in the same ranger unit, Ghost. Your tricks are my tricks.”
I grunt in acknowledgment. I’m not exactly happy with the reminder that Ryder and I used to be friends, close enough that we joined the military together in a program that ensured we’d stay together through training.
But we’d walked away from our service with very different perspectives than when we started.
“So,” Ryder spreads his hands, the gesture theatrical in the dim light. “If you’re out here to kick my ass, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I won’t make it easy.”
“Not interested in a fight.” The words come out clipped. “Just want to know why you’re back in town.”
Ryder sighs, sounding almost sad. “You know, if the Grayson Lambe I served with had asked me that, I’d have told him everything. That guy—I could count on him to do the right thing.”
“I haven’t changed.”
“Haven’t you?” Ryder gestures at my face, at the bandanna covering my scars. “Because that guy wouldn’t hide behind a mask. That guy looked death in the face and laughed.”
“That guy was an idiot who thought violence solved problems.”
“That guy was a warrior.” Ryder’s voice hardens. “A fucking legend. The Ghost who could move through enemy territory unseen. The marksman who never missed. The guy who pulled me out of that firefight in Kandahar when everyone else had written me off.”
The memories flash unbidden—blood and dust and the copper taste of fear. Ryder’s leg mangled by shrapnel. The weight of him as I dragged him to safety. The sound of his screams.
“That was a different life.”
“Was it?” Ryder steps closer. “Because I remember it like yesterday. You and me, back to back, surrounded by hostiles. You said something then—what was it?For the meek to inherit the earth, the strong have to ensure they survive in it.”
“And a lot of people died because of that philosophy.”
“Someone always dies in war, Ghost. The question is whether you’re the one doing the killing or the one getting killed.” He shakes his head. “I chose my side. Looks like you’ve forgotten that you did the exact same thing.”
“What are you doing here, Ryder?” I ask again, ignoring the bait.
A smile spreads across his face—the same smile he wore before missions, all teeth and no warmth. “Taking advantage of a business opportunity.”
“These are good people. They don’t deserve whatever you’re planning.”
“Deserve?” Ryder laughs, the sound echoing between the trees. “Nobody gets what they deserve, Ghost. You get whatever you can keep others from taking. That’s how the world works.”
