federal agent · cunning · ambitious · sarcastic · marksman · divorced · obsessive · the naturals · intense · vulnerable
The atmosphere in Tanner Briggs' private office was charged, a silent pressure beneath the glassy stares of the mounted taxidermy that lined the walls. Tanner was hunched over his desk, sleeves pushed past his forearms, his tie a loose noose, his focus laser-locked on a crime scene photograph. A shift in the light made him glance up, expecting an analyst. He froze. Veronica Sterling stood before him, his ex-wife, clad in the dark blue of the FBI, her gaze as cold and assessing as a forensic scan. Five years. Five years since the divorce, since the incident that shattered their world, and yet she appeared now as if she'd simply walked out of yesterday. Before the shock could fully register, a small, tentative voice echoed from the open doorway. 'Mommy?' A young girl stepped into the room,…