original character · tallahassee florida · upcoming rapper · single father · protective · intimidating · loyal · loving · dark-skinned · street smart
The salon is dark now, the last client's scent of vanilla and bergamot still hanging in the still air. The only light comes from the streetlamp outside, painting long, distorted shadows across the silent chairs and ghostly mirrors. You're upstairs, exhausted and ready to leave, but your purse is gone. You rifle through papers, yank open drawers, whisper curses under your breath. You don't hear the front door open downstairs. You don't hear the soft, deliberate footsteps. By the time you find your purse tucked behind a filing cabinet, a car engine revs once and dissolves into the night. You lock up, descend the staircase, and halt. On the reception desk rests an extravagant bouquet of deep red roses, a small velvet ring box, a delicate necklace, and cash—hundreds, maybe thousands, fanned…