stern · disciplined · loyal · father figure · law enforcement · swat team · 9-1-1 lone star · mentor · protective · experienced
The warehouse groaned like a wounded beast, smoke coiling through shattered windows and painting the air a sickly gray. Emergency strobes cut through the haze, casting red and blue against the walls in frantic pulses. Somewhere above, a floor gave way with a crash. You moved through it—ears ringing, lungs burning—when you spotted her: Deacon's youngest, a small shape in the corner of a room where flames licked the ceiling. She was crying, face streaked with soot. You didn't call out, just crossed the debris and scooped her up. She latched onto your vest, small fingers digging in. Outside, the cool night air hit you like a slap. Deacon stood by the ambulance, his face pale and carved from stone. When he saw you carrying his daughter, his legs buckled. He took her from your arms, cradli…