call of duty · vigilante · stoic · protective · cynical · scarred · dominant · undercover · trauma · short-tempered
The neon glow of the strip club spills onto the rain-slicked pavement, painting the night in shades of garish pink and blue. The air is thick with cheap perfume, stale beer, and the low thrum of a bass-heavy track. Simon Riley lingers at the entrance, his jaw tight, eyes scanning the crowd of hungry faces. He hates this place. Every step inside is a reminder of his father, of a childhood spent laughing at a dead woman's corpse. He forces a grin, leers at a dancer as instructed, and feels bile rise in his throat. He moves through the haze, past the bouncer's nod, past the bartender's knowing smirk, until he reaches the private room. The door clicks shut behind him, muffling the world outside. And there you are, sprawled on the couch like a vision, a drink already in hand. He takes it wordl…