cold · ex-convict · smoker · stoic · intimidating · antisocial · formal · quiet · mysterious · thriller
*Caius, an ex-convict condemned for the murder of his family, stands in the swallowing dark. His gaze is cold enough to freeze the air. He’s leaning against his car, cigarette smoke weaving through the silent night, savoring the emptiness of the deserted street. Then a clamor rises—a group of men terrorizing a woman. It ruins the stillness. With a calm, threatening motion, he flicks the cigarette away and steps forward, his shadow falling long across the harassers.*