Chapter 24
The desert evening stretched endlessly in all directions, painted in shades of amber and deep purple that seemed to fade into the starry sky.
The usual noise of the compound had fallen silent, no diesel engines rumbling to life in the motor pool, no shouted commands or rattling equipment that normally marked the transition from day to night operations.
There was just the low, hypnotic thrum of the backup generator and the distant chorus of night insects beginning their ancient ritual, a sound that seemed to rise from the desert floor itself.
Riley sat on the low concrete wall that marked the eastern perimeter of the mining site.
Her laptop was finally closed, her phone turned to silent.
The weight of the board meeting still pressed against her ribs in an uncomfortable reminder of the morning.
That was why she couldn’t stay in the office building.
The looks and questions were nonstop. Instead, she’d sought out shade and isolation.
For just a moment, she didn’t want to be where anyone could find her.
The site had been closed for the duration of the investigation.
This afternoon, she was asked to help transition new leadership and work with the local government to repair its trust in the company.
The aftermath of victory felt less like triumph and more like exhaustion.
She was also asked to continue the investigation she’d begun and was given IT support and a staff to help her compile the information.
The day had been fast-moving, exhausting, and an emotional rollercoaster.
The CEO was gone. Her father was finished.
His empire was crumbling under the weight of the evidence she had delivered to the board.
The criminal conspiracy was exposed, and its players were probably facing decades in federal prison.
Her name was cleared, her professional reputation not just intact but enhanced by her role in bringing down one of the largest, rare earth mineral trafficking operations in corporate history.
She rolled her eyes. At least that was what the pending press release she’d been asked to review had said.
She red-lined that portion as soon as she read it. She didn’t want notoriety.
She should have felt lighter. Should have felt the kind of relief that came with doing what was right.
Instead, she felt strangely untethered, as if removing her father from her life had cut away some anchor that had kept her grounded. Even when she'd hated everything he represented.
What now? She stared out at the desert landscape. Who am I when I'm not fighting to prove I deserve to exist in his world?
The sound of footsteps in the loose gravel pulled her from her thoughts. The approach was deliberate but unhurried, and she didn't have to look up to know it was Talon. His footsteps had become as familiar to her as her own.
He came to stand beside her, not immediately sitting or invading her space, just establishing his presence.
The familiar scent of him drifted over her.
Dust and a faint sulfur smell, which he’d told her was from weapons fire.
It was mixed with something that was purely him—clean, masculine, and reassuring.
His presence felt as physical as the concrete wall beneath her. For the first time since the board meeting ended, Riley felt something in her chest begin to loosen.
"You handled today well. Very well," he said quietly, his voice carrying the kind of professional admiration that meant more coming from him than it could from anyone else.
“It didn’t feel like it.” She shook her head and sighed.
"Twelve board members, federal-level evidence, career-ending accusations, and you never lost control for a second."
Riley gave a small, tired laugh that held more exhaustion than humor.
"I almost did. When he …” She looked out at the horizon and swallowed hard.
“In reality, I handled it like someone who didn't have time to overthink what I was doing. If I’d been given a couple of days to really process what I was about to say, I might have lost my nerve.
But finding yellowcake being smuggled just a few hours before the briefing … How could I not follow through?"
“That determination makes you a hero.” Talon sat down beside her and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into him.
“I destroyed my father on live video. I chose justice over family, truth over loyalty, and I'm still not sure if that makes me a hero or just another kind of monster.” She leaned back to see him better.
Talon's gaze swept over her face. There was something softer at the edges now, a gentleness that transformed into something more intimate. "You could never be a monster. Your father isn’t one either. He was wrong, and he was greedy. I’ve seen monsters.
I’ve helped people track them. He’s small time compared to some of the people in this world. ”
As they sat silent for a moment, Riley dropped her head to his shoulder.
The faint breeze was still hot, but it was welcomed, nonetheless.
“Thank you. That helps put all of this into perspective. I needed it. It’s all I can see or think about right now, and somehow it became … everything. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do. It’s easy to become swamped. But hey, the board was impressed with you. They offered you the CEO position." He chuckled. “That was a surprise.”
Riley nodded, her eyes still fixed on the dark horizon where stars were beginning to emerge like pinpricks in black velvet. "They did. Corner office, executive salary, control over a Fortune 500 company. Everything my father always said I wasn't smart enough or tough enough to handle."
She felt rather than saw Talon shift slightly, moving closer without moving her from where she rested against him.
"And you turned it down."
"Yeah." The acknowledgement came easier than she'd expected.
"I meant it when I told them no. I don't want that life.
Not the boardrooms or the shareholder meetings or the quarterly earnings calls.
Corporate politics involves compromise and the difficult choice between what's right and what's profitable. That's not who I am."
That's who my father is. She shivered as the ghost of the man’s ambition poked at the edges of her consciousness. And look how that ended for him.
Talon kissed the top of her head. The simple touch sent warmth spreading through her. It was a reminder that she wasn't alone in this strange, unanchored world.
He turned her and put his hands on her neck, rubbing the tight muscles in her shoulders.
“God, that feels so good.”
“I’m glad. What do you think you’ll do, then? Stay with SMH?”
Riley considered the question, watching the tip of her boot dangle and move slightly from the firm pressure of his hands on her neck and shoulders. It was a fair question.
"Field work, definitely," she said finally, the words feeling their way toward truth.
"Environmental compliance, social impact assessment, governance oversight. That’s where I belong.
Where I can see the actual impact of what the company does, good or bad.
But I want to have the authority to do something about it.
I may make that part of the condition of staying on after the entire investigation is complete. "
She glanced at him, a wry smile touching her mouth. “So, yeah. I think I’ll stay with SMH, doing something that matters.”
He stepped closer, the intensity in his eyes matching the steel in his voice. He dropped down for a kiss. “You’ll stay here, at this site?”
She chuckled. “You must be tired. I said I would.” Sighing, she closed her eyes. “But that will make it harder for us, won’t it?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before she gestured toward the compound around them, at the desert.
"Out here, when I write a report about environmental safety, it's because someone could actually die if we get it wrong.
When I flag a compliance issue, it's because real people, workers, communities, and ecosystems will suffer if we ignore it.
The work matters in ways I can measure and see and touch.
" Riley turned to look at him directly, seeing her own reflection in his dark sunglasses. "Does that sound naive? Idealistic?"
Talon took off his sunglasses and was quiet for a long moment, studying her with the kind of focused attention that made her feel like the most important thing in his life.
When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute sincerity.
"It sounds like someone who figured out the difference between existing and doing something worthwhile," he said. "That works for me."
Her eyebrow lifted, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth despite the emotional exhaustion that seemed to have settled into her bones so thoroughly that they ached. "It does?"
"It does," Talon said, his voice taking on precision she'd learned to associate with his most serious commitments. He gestured between them, a simple movement that somehow encompassed everything they'd built together over the past year and a half. "And we won’t lose this," he finished.
Something warm and hopeful spread through Riley's chest at the certainty in his voice, the matter-of-fact way he spoke about building a future around their respective commitments to his dangerous work in dangerous places.
"You make it sound simple," she said, and she could hear the hope creeping into her own voice.
Talon's smile was slight but genuine, carrying a rough edge that made her pulse skip in ways that had nothing to do with fear or adrenaline. “No.” He shook his head. “It won’t be simple, but here’s the thing.
We’ve been offered a four-year contract to train the SRF here in Burundu.
One of the conditions of the agreement is that my team becomes the core cadre. ”