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"I'll do Jeremiah Washington. He's younger, with more recent service." She put in the number, but her call went to voicemail, so she hung up. "I don't think it's worth leaving a message. I'll try him tomorrow." She let out a weary sigh. "It feels like we're on a never-ending treadmill of circular questions, doesn't it?"

"I agree." He shut down his computer. "It's been a day. We should relax."

"Let's see what's on the TV." She got up from the table and flopped down on the large, plush sofa in front of a massive television screen.

A few moments later, Tyler joined her. "Anything look good?" he asked.

"There are a ton of sports on, if you're that kind of guy."

He smiled. "What exactly is that kind of guy?"

"You know. Someone who knows the players on every team in every sport in every season, and Sunday is often dedicated to game day."

"I like sports, but I'm not that dedicated. I'm guessing you're not a fan."

"My dad was the guy I just described, so I have watched many sporting events in my life. It was the only way to feel close to him on the weekends I was with him. Basketball was the most fun. It was fast, and the score changed all the time. The team could be losing in the third quarter and then win it at the buzzer."

"Basketball is fun," he admitted. "I played when I was younger. I also played football. Where I grew up, football was the king of sports."

"Friday night lights," she murmured.

"Yep. Friday nights were very big in my world. What did you do when you were at your mom's house?"

"We did not watch sports ever. She liked movies more than television. What she really enjoyed was shopping. We went out every weekend to the malls to check out sales and try on clothes. Actually, she usually tried clothes on, and I told her how great she looked. Not that she didn't look great. She's an attractive woman. But I always thought she wore clothes like armor. When she was dressed, she was in control of her destiny. Which meant she was never just sitting around in sweats like I'm doing now. She was always fashionable, even when we were alone."

She took a breath, then said, "I never really thought about how much my weekends were shaped by my parents. You'd think because I wasn't with them all the time, that I would be the focus, but I often missed birthday parties and sleepovers, because they didn't want to take me or had something else planned."

"And you never complained, did you?"

"I was very obedient," she admitted. "Also, maybe smart enough to know there was no point. Even when I got very upset about missing something, and they'd eventually cave in and take me, they were so unhappy about it that it made the rest of the weekend a disaster. It was easier just to go along. I learned early on that their love was conditional. So, I didn't test it." She paused. "I sound like such a wimp."

"You sound like a survivor."

"That's a nicer name for my people-pleasing ways. I'm guessing you didn't have the same desire to please your parents?"

He grinned. "I did not. I've always been independent, and as my brother used to say, I tend to have to learn things the hard way. I'm not big on advice."

"It's kind of ironic that you went into the Army, when you had so little interest in rules and structure. How on earth did you even survive basic training?"

"It wasn't what I expected. But I also have a problem admitting when I'm wrong, so I couldn't quit. I couldn't go home and have everyone say they told me so. I decided to stick it out and be the best damn soldier I could be so that I could be the one giving the orders. However, that took years longer than I thought, and I never really got there. But along the way, I learned that I could contribute in other ways besides leading."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I got along well with people. I could find allies in enemy territories, and that sometimes gave me access others couldn't get."

"I can see that. You can be charming when you want to be."

"I'd been in the service about six years when I was deployed to the Middle East. We were sent to a small, hot, dusty desert town to police a neutral zone, and I met a woman there who was a teacher. She had so much working against her. No one wanted her to teach, especially not the men. She did a lot of it in secret. But she wanted the girls to have a chance at a better life, to understand that not everyone lived the way they lived."

"She sounds incredible, but I get the feeling this story doesn't have a happy ending."

"It doesn't. But Amaya taught me that the battle was about more than just the soldiers fighting each other; it was about people who needed protection, education, and understanding. She died doing all those things, and she inspired me to do better going forward. She was the kind of hero that no one would ever know about, but I knew, and I felt a responsibility to carry on in her place."

"She inspired you."

He nodded. "She did. I wish I'd had the chance to tell her that."

"Sometimes, we don't get the chance to say the right words," she murmured, thinking about how many times she'd heard people lament that fact as a loved one passed away too soon. "Speaking about getting a chance to say what needs to be said, have you gotten any updates from Zane on Megan's condition?"