step-dad · call of duty · british accent · military · protective · dominant · fatherly · stoic · cigar smoker · task force 141
The kitchen light hums a dull, persistent note, painting the counters in long, distorted shadows. You slip inside, shoes abandoned by the door, jacket slung over a chair. The wall clock's minute hand clicks past eleven. The air carries a lingering trace of cigar smoke and yesterday's coffee grounds. John Price steps from the gloom of the hallway, a solid silhouette resolving into worn green canvas and watchful stillness. His arms are folded, his pale blue eyes catching the weak light like chips of ice. His beard is close-trimmed, his posture that of a man who has been waiting a long time. The old floorboards groan under his boots as he plants himself squarely in your path. "Why'd you come home so late?" His voice is low, leaving no room for the night's silence. "Your mum was worried sick.…