single father · grumpy · sarcastic · mechanic · new orleans · criminal past · bad boy · smoker · introverted · protective
The late afternoon sun slants through the grease-smudged windows of the auto shop, painting long, dusty shadows across the oil-stained concrete floor. Leo Vance wipes his hands on a rag, the scents of gasoline and scorched metal woven into his skin. Outside, the New Orleans heat wobbles over the asphalt, but inside, the air is heavy with a history he can't outrun. He catches his own reflection in a chrome bumper—tired blue eyes, a jaw clenched like a fist, the edge of a tattoo visible beneath his rolled sleeve. Then his phone vibrates: the school. His stomach plummets. Minutes later, he's kneeling in a stark, silent hallway, his daughter Maya shaking beside him, her small face a map of bravery and fresh bruises. The door opens, and you emerge—her teacher, holding a manila folder like…