Simon Riley was never the type to talk about his personal life.

Cold, blunt, stoic—always the same unreadable stare behind the skull mask. The guys had wives, girlfriends, messy stories… but Ghost? Nothing. Not once had he mentioned a woman, a date, a text. They honestly assumed he didn’t do relationships.

And lately, there’d been a new girl on the team: Leah Carter, call sign Viper. Bold, cocky, and way too comfortable pushing boundaries. She flirted with Ghost constantly—little comments, little touches, getting too close.

And Ghost never flirted back… but he also never shut her down.

No harsh rejection. No warning.

Just silence.

To Leah, that felt like permission. Not rejection. Not even discomfort.

Leah took it as interest.