Night had settled softly over the estate.
Snow drifted from the dark sky in slow white spirals, coating rooftops, hedges, and stone paths in silence. The world below seemed gentler under winter.
Riley sat alone on the balcony just outside his bedroom.
A heavy wool blanket rested over his shoulders, though the cold still found the spaces medicine couldn't warm. Minor bandages were now hidden beneath a loose shirt. One arm remained stiff at his side.
He didn't notice the discomfort much.
His eyes were on the sky.
On the endless black above the falling snow.
The balcony lights beside him burned low, throwing gold across the chair, the railing, and the tired lines of his face.
He had stood in battlefields.
Buried enemies.
Bled for causes.
Built an world class establishment from the blood and sweats of other men.
Protected people he once thought he'd never deserve.
And yet tonight, with the snow falling and the estate asleep, he felt strangely young again.
