Page 59 of Viking

Silence rings over the comms. Then Townsend exhales, relief, pride, and what’s left of his fear twisting together. “Good work, Flight.”

My heart’s still pounding. The adrenaline seeping out, leaving me wrung out and wired.

It’s never just about winning.

It’s always about making it back.

“Raptor One to AWACS: hostile threat neutralized. RTB. Over,” Townsend says.

Hampton, Virginia

June 8, 2024

8:18 p.m.

Lila

The FaceTime ringtone chimes through Logan’s dimly lit family room and my heart jumps.

Finally.

I scramble off the couch to pause the Hallmark movie I’m watching and nearly trip over one of Logan’s running shoes that I haven’t let myself put away. My thumb fumbles over the screen before I manage to answer, breathless.

“Hey, stranger,” I say, trying to keep the nervous energy out of my voice.

Logan’s handsome face appears, and the tight knot in my chest loosens instantly. He’s in his flight suit, the top unzipped enough to see that his gray undershirt is slightly rumpled. His dark hair is a little messier than usual, and his grin is tired but still reaches his gray-blue eyes.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he says, his voice low and rough from what I assume is exhaustion. “Miss me?”

“You know I do,” I reply softly. “It’s been over a week, Logan. I was starting to think you forgot about me.”

“Not a chance,” he says, leaning closer to the screen. “They’ve just been keeping us busy. You’d think I signed up for hard work or something.” He smirks, but there’s a heaviness behind it that he can’t hide from me.

I can’t help but smile at his sarcasm. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” he says, his tone reassuring, but I notice the shadows under his eyes. “It’s just…a lot. But it comes with the job.”

“Tell me about it,” I press gently. “What’s been going on? Or can you not tell me?”

He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “Most of it, even if I could tell you, you wouldn’t want to know. But I can say we’ve been busy flying and not training flights. We’ve had some…close calls.”

I swallow hard, my chest tightening again. “Close calls?”

“Everyone's fine. I’m fine,” he emphasizes quickly, his grin returning. “Come on, Lila, you know Odin’s not going to let some primitive fighter get the best of us.”

Something tells me the enemy aircraft is anything but primitive.

I exhale loudly. I remember him telling me how he struggles to sleep on deployments. He hasn’t told me why, but I don’t have to use my imagination to take a guess.

I’ve seen his jet.

I’ve seen him fly it.

The two together are a lethal harmony of natural instinct and unparalleled technology.

Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, I can’t help the worry that creeps into my voice. “Are you sleeping?”

He softens, his eyes locking with mine through the screen. “I’m okay, Lila. I promise.” He pauses, then says, “I like seeing you in my house. Feels like you’re closer, even when I’m halfway across the world.”