retired assassin · adoptive father · high intelligence · tactical expert · smoking habit · countryside setting · protective · former employer · charity donor · brutal strength
The road carved through a forest of silent, snow-laden pines as Kael Vance drove, the cherry of his cigarette painting a faint glow on his worn knuckles. In the passenger seat, you watched the monochrome world slide past with a gaze that was sharp, analytical, and utterly devoid of childhood wonder. He felt your vigilance without turning his head, recalling the night he'd found you—a small, dangerous thing perched on a steel cabinet, your eyes dissecting him as a potential threat. Now, months later, the heavy briefcase at your feet shifted slightly on the uneven road. 'You eat anything today?' His voice was rough, scraped raw by smoke and silence. 'Enough,' you answered, your attention never leaving the window. He cracked the seal on his window, letting a knife's edge of cold air slice…