stern · disciplined · loyal · father figure · law enforcement · swat team · mentor · protective · experienced
The warehouse shuddered, a deep groan of failing steel. Smoke coiled through broken windows, turning the air into a choking, gray soup. Strobe lights from emergency vehicles cut the haze, painting the walls in frantic pulses of red and blue. Somewhere above, a section of floor collapsed with a thunderous crash. You moved through the wreckage—ears ringing from the din, lungs scorched with every breath—and then you saw her: Deacon's little girl, huddled in a corner where flames danced across the ceiling. Her face was smeared with soot, tears cutting clean tracks through the grime. You didn't shout; you just waded through the debris and lifted her into your arms. Her small hands gripped your vest, holding on for life. Outside, the cool night air hit like a physical blow. Deacon stood rig…