Chapter 49 Boone
Boone
The last helicopter disappears into the night.
The wind across the rooftop finally begins to settle.
Below us, Los Angeles glows like nothing ever happened.
Traffic flowing.
Sirens moving through the streets.
Millions of people living their lives.
Completely unaware how close everything came to falling apart.
River stands near the helipad, speaking quietly with two federal agents.
Cyclone leans against the side of Logan’s helicopter with his arms crossed.
Gage sits on a crate like he just ran a marathon.
Logan watches the skyline with a grin.
“Not bad for a Tuesday night.”
River glances over.
“Don’t start.”
Cyclone smirks.
“He’s right though.”
River sighs.
“You two are impossible.”
Gage chuckles.
“Hey, at least the city’s still standing.”
River looks toward Wren.
“That part wasn’t us.”
Cyclone nods once.
“That was her.”
I glance over at Wren.
She’s standing near the railing again.
Looking out over the city.
Quiet.
Still processing everything.
River follows my gaze.
Then smirks faintly.
“Go on.”
I frown.
“What?”
He nods toward her.
“You’re hovering.”
“I’m not hovering.”
Cyclone raises an eyebrow.
“You absolutely are.”
Logan laughs.
“Like a worried golden retriever.”
Russ adds, “A very large, heavily armed golden retriever.”
I shake my head.
“You guys are ridiculous.”
River gestures toward Wren again.
“Go talk to her.”
“Why?”
Russ shrugs.
“Because if you don’t, we will.”
I stare at them.
They stare back.
River smiles faintly.
“Trust me.”
“That would be worse.”
I sigh.
“Fine.”
Logan grins.
“Good choice.”
I walk across the rooftop.
The wind is softer now.
The city lights stretch endlessly in every direction.
Wren hears my footsteps and turns slightly.
“You survived the team interrogation?”
“Barely.”
She smiles faintly.
“They seem… fun.”
“That’s one word for it.”
She looks back at the skyline.
For a moment, neither of us speaks.
Then she says quietly—
“I keep thinking about what would have happened if we were ten minutes later.”
“We weren’t.”
“But we almost were.”
I lean beside her on the railing.
“That’s not how tonight ended.”
“No.”
She exhales slowly.
“I’ve spent most of my career behind a screen.”
“Tonight was different.”
“Yes.”
“You handled it.”
She laughs softly.
“I almost crashed the entire infrastructure grid.”
“But you didn’t.”
She glances at me.
“You always say things like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like the good outcome was inevitable.”
“It wasn’t inevitable.”
“Then why do you sound so certain?”
I think about that for a second.
Then shrug.
“Because I believe in the person making the decision.”
Her eyes search my face.
“You trust me that much?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you keep proving you deserve it.”
The wind moves across the rooftop again.
She studies me for a long moment.
Then shakes her head slightly.
“You know what’s strange?”
“What?”
“I’ve worked with brilliant engineers and analysts my entire career.”
“None of them ever made me feel like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like the world might actually be… manageable.”
I smile slightly.
“That’s a new one.”
“I’m serious.”
“You jump in front of bullets.”
“You stay calm when everything’s falling apart.”
“And you somehow make impossible things sound simple.”
I shrug.
“Maybe I’m optimistic.”
She laughs again.
“Maybe you’re impossible.”
“Also possible.”
The moment grows quiet again.
The city humming below us.
The team talking softly behind us.
And something unspoken between us.
Wren studies me again.
“You kissed me twice tonight.”
“Yes.”
“Both times during life-threatening situations.”
“That’s when the timing seemed right.”
She tilts her head.
“So if we’re not in danger…”
“…what happens then?”
I step a little closer.
The distance between us disappears.
“We could test that theory.”
Her breath catches slightly.
“Could we?”
“Yes.”
She watches me carefully.
Then says quietly—
“You’re still impossible.”
“Still true.”
Then I lean down and kiss her again.
This time—
No gunfire.
No countdown clock.
No collapsing city.
Just the quiet rooftop.
The wind.
And the lights of Los Angeles stretching forever beneath us.
Behind us—
Logan nudges Cyclone.
Cyclone nudges River.
Gage grins.
River shakes his head.
“About time.”
Russ smirks.
“Yeah.”
Logan whispers, “Took them long enough.”
River folds his arms.
Then looks back at the skyline.
“Let them have the moment.”
And for the first time all night—
Everything is quiet.
Los Angeles safe.
The system stable.
The storm finally over.
For now.