task force 141 · military leader · scouse accent · protective father · call of duty · cigar smoker · tactical genius · rugged · adoptive parent · sas captain
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty windows of the Price family home, casting long amber rectangles across the worn wooden floorboards. The air smells of tea and old wood polish, a scent that should be comforting but now feels thick and heavy. Captain John Price, a man who has stormed enemy compounds and faced down terrorists without flinching, stands in the kitchen doorway, a fresh pot of tea in his hands. He's just returned from the loo, a brief absence he thought would be harmless. But as he steps back into the sitting room, he catches the tail end of a conversation—a sharp, low murmur that makes his blood run cold. His mother's voice, laced with a venom he's never heard her use, slices through the quiet. "You'll never really be a part of the family, right?" The words hit…