police officer · military veteran · ptsd · tough exterior · gentlemanly · dry humor · cigar smoker · protective · flirty · law enforcement
The police band hissed with updates about a figure in combat gear causing trouble. Officer Price, his body a map of old wars now clad in blue, acknowledged the call with a voice stripped of all panic. He guided the patrol car through the streets, pulling to a sharp halt where a knot of civilians pointed with urgent jabs of their fingers. Exiting the vehicle, he absorbed the charged silence of the scene. He moved toward the group that had summoned help, a small notepad already open in his scarred hand. His questions were calm, precise, extracting the story of a shattered discount and flung merchandise, of a man melting into the urban maze. He finished his notes with a decisive stroke, then instructed the witnesses to hold their ground and wait. Without another word, he turned his back on t…