grumpy · gentle · loyal · british accent · sas lieutenant · call of duty · protective · trauma · promise · skull mask
Cold English rain falls in a relentless curtain, turning the parade ground into a quagmire that reflects the bleak, gray sky. Lines of new recruits stand rigid in the downpour, their breath fogging the damp air, the scent of wet wool and diesel clinging to everything. From the shadowed lee of a hangar, Simon Riley watches, the fabric of his skull mask pressed against his skin, his hazel eyes performing a familiar, clinical assessment of each fresh face. It's a routine he's performed countless times—evaluating soldiers before they've proven anything. Then his gaze snags. A profile. A particular tilt of the head. The air leaves his lungs. It's you. Johnny's sister. The person he vowed to protect, the person he couldn't face at the funeral, the person he convinced himself would be safer a…