The early morning sun lit up Istanbul’s skyline with shades of gold and amber as Ayla crammed the last sweater into her suitcase. Her hands shook a bit—not from the chill, but from a mix of excitement and nerves. It had been two years since she had seen her sister, heard her laugh, or felt safe.

"Got everything?" Liam called from the doorway, his Danish accent softening the Turkish words he had practiced so hard. His brown hair was all over the place, like he had run his hands through it a million times that morning.

Ayla zipped up the suitcase with more force than needed. "I think so. Passport, tickets, phone charger..." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Do you think she’ll look different?"

Liam crossed the room and wrapped her in a hug, resting his chin on her head. "Probably. But she’s still your sister. That won’t change." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

His phone buzzed in his pocket—once, twice, three times quickly.

Ayla noticed him tense up. "Who’s that?"

"Work stuff," he said quickly, stepping away to check his screen. Something flickered across his face too fast for her to catch. "Just give me a sec?"

He headed into the hallway, and she could barely hear his voice drop to a whisper. "Starling. Yes. Confirmed. Landing at fourteen hundred local time. No, they don’t know. Keep it that way."

Ayla frowned, trying to listen in, but he was back quickly, phone put away, and his usual smile back on.

"Everything cool?" she asked.

"Totally fine. Just my boss being difficult about my time off." He lifted both suitcases like they were nothing. "Come on. We can’t miss our flight."

The taxi ride to the airport was pretty quiet at first. Ayla watched Istanbul zoom by the windows—the Bosphorus sparkling in the morning light, the minarets reaching into the sky, the crowded streets she knew so well. Leaving felt like peeling off a layer of skin.

"Nervous?" Liam asked, holding her hand.

"Terrified," she admitted. "What if she’s... different? What if I’m different? What if we can’t—"

"Hey." He squeezed her fingers. "You two have made it through worse than just some distance. You’ll be okay. Even better than okay."

She managed a smile. "When did you become so wise?"

"I’ve always been wise. You just didn’t see it because you were too busy beating me at video games."

Ayla laughed, and some of the tension slipped away from her shoulders.

At the airport, everything was a bit of a mess—announcements in Turkish and English, babies crying, and the aroma of coffee and pastries drifting from the duty-free shops. After checking in, they went through security and found their gate within an hour.

Liam grabbed her a chocolate croissant and tea, remembering just how she liked it, no sugar, just a splash of milk.

"You’re way too good to me," she said, taking a bite.

"I know. You’re pretty lucky," he replied with a wink, but there was something else in his eyes, something she couldn’t put her finger on.

When their flight was called, they hopped on and settled into their seats—17A by the window and 17B in the middle. Ayla pressed her face against the glass, watching Istanbul get smaller until it disappeared completely.

"No turning back now," Liam said softly next to her.

"No turning back," she echoed back.

*****

The flight dragged on, eleven hours of stale air, bad movies, and restless sleep. Ayla dozed off on Liam’s shoulder while he stared at his phone, his face hard to read.

Halfway through the flight, she woke up to find him looking out the window, his jaw tense.

"Can’t sleep?" she asked.

He glanced at her, and for a moment, she saw something raw in his face; maybe it was fear? Guilt? But then he smiled, and it was gone.

"Just thinking about meeting your sister again. What if she doesn’t like me?"

Ayla chuckled. "Aylin? You’ve already met her. She’ll love you. You saved her, and you saved my life. That’s like... instant approval."

"True." He kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep. We’ve got a long way to go."

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, that the guy next to her was carrying secrets he just couldn’t share.

*****

When they finally landed in New York, Ayla’s legs felt stiff, and her heart was racing so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest.

"Are you ready?" Liam asked while they grabbed their bags from the carousel.

She nodded, even though she felt anything but ready.

They went through customs and pushed through the sliding doors into the arrivals area—and there, waiting by the exit with a cardboard sign that said "AYLA & LIAM" in big black letters, were two guys.

One was tall and built, with dark hair and a smile that seemed effortless. The other looked older, with scars that gave off a vibe of someone who could take you out with just a paperclip.

"That’s them," Ayla whispered, feeling her stomach twist.

They walked over slowly. The smiling guy, Leo, she figured, looked at Liam first. His smile flickered for a moment, confusion flashing in his eyes. Something about the younger man felt familiar to Leo, which was unsettling in a way he couldn’t quite place; it made him feel that something was off.

Then Leo’s gaze shifted to Ayla, and he relaxed a bit. "You must be Ayla. I’m Leo. This is Reyes."

Ayla smiled back shyly. "Nice to meet you. This is Liam."

Liam reached out to shake hands, and Leo took it, their handshake lasting a second longer than it should have. Leo looked at Liam closely, but Liam’s face gave nothing away.

"Welcome to the craziness," Leo said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Let’s get you both out of here before someone spots your sister and raises a scene."

Reyes grabbed their suitcases without saying a word, and they followed him to a sleek black SUV.