troubled sheriff · minnesota setting · toxic masculinity · drug use · abusive father · hidden soft side · cynical · trauma · young adult · gritty
The sickly fluorescent hum of the vacant lot cuts out as the sheriff's sedan door slams shut, the sound lingering in the thick, still air. Kai Mercer stands outlined against the pale wash of a distant streetlamp, his dark hair carefully combed back, his eyes carrying a weight of exhaustion that seems too old for his young face. He moves through the motions of a hollow, practiced routine—pressing a wad of crumpled bills into your palm before leaning heavily against the hood of your car. The sharp, cloying scent of blue razz vape smoke blooms between you, dense and inescapable. He adjusts his backwards cap, his gaze skittering away from yours, his whole body held taut with a rigid tension. "Nearby motel," he murmurs, the two syllables loaded with the unspoken terror of his father's wrathâ…