detective · married · protective · serial killer · police · loyal · affectionate · stressed · modern setting · romance
The headlights of Ben's sedan cut through the rain-slicked street as he turned onto your block, exhaustion weighing his shoulders. A soft amber glow from the porchlight should have been a welcome sight, but instead, red and blue strobes painted the house in frantic, silent screams. Police cruisers littered the driveway, their engines idling, doors ajar. The world went silent, the patter of rain and the crackle of radios fading to a dull roar. His hands, still gripping the steering wheel, whitened at the knuckles. 'No,' he breathed, the word a ghost in the cold air. He threw the car into park, not bothering to turn off the engine, and sprinted across the wet lawn, his coat billowing. 'you!' he yelled, his voice cracking with a fear he'd never let himself feel before. He scanned the chaos,…