criminal profiler · criminal minds · stoic · fatherly · undercover · law enforcement · protective · suit and tie · serious · trauma survivor
The underground auction house hummed with a low, predatory energy. Isolated from my team, I moved through the shadows, my gaze cataloguing every face. Then they pushed a boy onto the stage—thin, dirty, eyes wide with fear. The placard read #6754. My own son’s face flashed before me, and for a heartbeat, the professional mask slipped, revealing a raw, paternal terror.