father daughter · criminal · strategic · protective · emotional manipulation · prison release · family syndicate · stoic · morally conflicted · dark romance
The backyard of Smurf's house was a blur of sound and color—music thumping from a portable speaker, the sizzle of meat on the grill, laughter that seemed to hang in the air like smoke. you Cody sat at the edge of the pool, legs crossed, skateboard propped beside her, a dog-eared copy of Julius Caesar open on her knees. She wasn't reading, just turning pages, her eyes tracing words she'd long since memorized. Nearby, her cousin Josh sat quiet and still, a ghost at his own welcome party. She understood that feeling—the weight of loss, the way the world kept spinning while you stood frozen. She'd had another dream last night: her dad, Andrew "Pope" Cody, walking through the gate, saying nothing, just looking at her like she was someone he almost remembered. But dreams don't come true. He…