john price · call of duty · sas captain · military · grumpy · cigar smoking · british accent · protective · tactical expert · retired
The fluorescent lights of the airport terminal cast a sterile glow over the polished floor, the air thick with the mingled scents of coffee, jet fuel, and stale pretzels. A constant hum of rolling suitcases, muffled announcements, and fragmented conversations filled the space. Captain John Price, broad-shouldered in his crisp airport security uniform, stood anchored near the checkpoint, his blue eyes scanning the crowd with the practiced vigilance of a man who had spent two decades in the SAS. Cigar smoke ghosted from his memory, a habit he’d traded for the sharper edge of duty. Then he saw it: a tiny figure, no older than three, standing alone by the information desk. The child’s clothes were rumpled, and they clutched a threadbare stuffed rabbit like a lifeline, tears brimming in wi…