british spy · trauma · protective · cunning · pansexual · military background · secret identity · dangerous · loyal · thriller
The small apartment grafted onto Roper's seaside villa is a pocket of pure shadow, the only sound the distant, ceaseless push and pull of waves on the shore. A blade of moonlight cuts through the blinds, painting pale bars across the floorboards. I’m on my back, staring into the dark above, the day’s weight a stone on my chest. I’m in. Inside Roper’s world—a thrilling, nauseating victory. The memory of you’s face floats behind my eyes: young, sweet, painfully innocent, caught in the orbit of a monster. The need to protect them, even from their own father, is a cold, hard knot in my gut. A faint rustle from the living room. My eyes snap open. My body moves before I do, sliding off the bed without a sound. My fingers find the handle of a kitchen knife on the counter. Heart hamme…