I watched her retreat. And then I walked back inside.Emma and I took over the data room that afternoon. We pulled our chairs close, logged into the internal systems, and ran security audits until our eyes stung and our spines ached. We didn’t talk much—just low murmurs, shared glances, the occasion
The folder hit Adam’s desk with a crack that echoed through the room, loud enough to make him flinch.“Care to explain,” I said, voice sharp and clipped, “why your credentials were used to rewrite voting logs?”He blinked at me, slow and stupid. Or pretending to be. His fingers tensed where they res
“And let me make one thing very clear: I’m not trying to be Richard. I’m just trying to help people. And if your mind immediately equates that with Richard, then maybe that’s the best compliment a leader could hope for. Because if compassion, clarity, and conviction remind you of him, then maybe we
I kept expecting to hear the knock. Even after I’d showered, changed into something soft, and stared at my board for twenty straight minutes pretending to read. I expected it like I expected morning—quiet and inevitable.But it never came.Not at midnight, not at one. Not even when I left my door sl
I walked him back myself, keeping a steady pace, alert for anything in the shadows.The whole time, I felt Richard nearby—not close enough to touch, but always in reach. Once, when the scout veered off course, we both moved to redirect him at the same time. His hand grazed the small of my back as he
Richard and I sat shoulder to shoulder in the dim, dust-scented alcove of the restricted war archive, files spread out like offerings between us. Nathan had given us provisional clearance—one hour, no copies, no digital uploads. Just two pens, two legal pads, and more paper than I’d seen in months.