Talon: You're not helpless, Riley. You're stronger than you know.
She was the strongest person he'd ever met, and he'd met some tough people in his line of work. ButRiley's strength was different—quieter, more resilient. She bent but didn't break.
Riley: How can you be sure?
Talon: Because I've seen you fight. And you're still fighting.
Every day she chose to get up, to try again, to push past the fear. Well, that was fighting. Every text she sent, every small victory she shared, every moment she chose connection over isolation—all of it was courage in action.
Talon staredat the questionable food options in the Istanbul airport. He was jet-lagged and slightly nauseous from the smell of whatever they were cooking at the food stand. His phone buzzed, and instantly, the day got brighter. Riley sent a happy face emoji. Just that, nothing else.
Talon: Delayed in Istanbul. Airport food is questionable at best.
He found himself sharing these mundane details with her more and more—not just the philosophical late-night thoughts, but the ordinary frustrations and observations that made up his days. It wassoothing, almost normal to include her in these things.
Riley: What are your options?
Talon: Something that might be chicken, something that's definitely not, and vending machine candy.
He could practically hear her laugh in his head. Of course, it was imagined. He didn’t know what her laugh was like, but in his mind, it was a soft, genuine sound.
Riley: Candy for dinner, it is.
Talon: You're a bad influence.
The best kind of bad influence. She made him remember that life didn't always have to be about missions and objectives and life-or-death decisions. Sometimes, it could be about choosing candy over questionable airport meat and finding joy in small ways. A lesson he’d failed to learn for so many years. His Grandpa Frank had tried to talk to him about it. His parents had, too, but he’d blocked the idea of a normal relationship. Talon blinked and looked at his phone. But this wasn’t a normal relationship, was it? It was safe because of the physical distance between them. Yet the emotional distance … well, that had disappeared.
Riley: I try my best.
She did. God, she tried so hard at everything—recovery, independence, connection, even making him smile from thousands of miles away.
March
Riley: Therapist says I'm making excellent progress.
Talon was in a tactical planning meeting with his team when the message came in, but he read it immediately anyway.Progress.The word made something warm and proud expand in his chest. Hell, yeah, she was making progress. He could tell in their conversations and the way she’d taken charge of her life and recovery.
Talon: That's great news. How do you feel about it?
He'd learned to ask that question. Riley was brilliant at downplaying her own achievements. She focused on what she still couldn't do instead of celebrating how far she'd come. He wouldn’t let her do that.
Riley: Proud, I think. It's been hard work.
Proud. Jesus, finally. She was finally letting herself feel proud of what she'd accomplished.Talonhad to excuse himself from the meeting because he couldn't focus on extraction routes when Riley was having breakthrough moments.
Talon: The hardest work usually is.
Riley: When do you come home next?
Home.The word was subjective. His parents’ house wasn’t his home anymore. The apartment he had was just a shell, but she didn’t want to know that shit. When was he returning to the States? God, he wished he could call her. But that would ultimately put her in danger. He was Black Ops, and he’d gained access to this secure connection for texting through his connections at Guardian. He wanted to call, but … He couldn’t without endangering himself, his team or her. So …When do you come home next?One week, but he couldn’t tell her that. He was never going to pigeonhole the team. They were lives he would never jeopardize.
Talon: Two weeks, if nothing hits the fan. Why?
Riley: Just wondering.
Right. Like he was “just wondering” when her next therapy appointment was or “just wondering” if she’d eaten properly or “just wondering” if she were having nightmares. They were both terrible liars when it came to each other.
It was0300 in whatever godforsaken time zone he was in, and Talon couldn't sleep. The latest mission had been a success, but it had also involved some close calls that had left him thinking about mortality and meaning. It was the kind of philosophical spiral that usually led nowhere good. So, he distracted himself by texting Riley.
