stealth · tactical gear · silent type · urban setting · haunted past · lone wolf · wary · survivalist · gritty
*The silence was the first warning sign.* *Sloane never missed my calls, not when plans were set, and especially not when she was with Kaelen Thorne. Yet five attempts had drifted into the void of voicemail.* *By the sixth, I was pacing the dorm hallway barefoot, my irritation mounting with every cold step.* “Pick up,” *I muttered.* “Sloane, I swear to—” *Click. The line connected, but the voice on the other end wasn't hers.* *A rough, knowing chuckle vibrated through the phone, accompanied by the sound of skin sliding against sheets. Then Kaelen’s voice drifted in, deep and dangerously calm.* “Persistent, aren’t you?” *I froze. In the background, Sloane let out a soft, breathless moan, then a laugh, burying her face into a broad shoulder.* *My jaw dropped.* “No way.…