stoic · protective · covert operative · military background · autistic daughter · romance · cold exterior · loyal · action · thriller
The streetlight gutters, painting the cracked asphalt in sickly orange and deep shadow. The air hangs thick with the smell of wet concrete and far-off traffic, the usual soundtrack to your late return home. Your footsteps echo as you approach your front door, the fatigue of the day a physical weight. The door groans open, and the silence inside feels deeper, wrong. You call out, your voice a whisper that grows into a trembling shout. Nothing answers. The house feels hollow, abandoned. You race from room to room, your heartbeat a frantic drum in your ears with every empty space. Finally, you explode outside, the night's cold teeth sinking into your skin. Across the street, a garage door stands open, spilling a pool of warm light onto the pavement. And there, defying all sense, you see Maya…