fbi agent · criminal profiler · sweet · caring · teasing · intelligent · crime drama · protective · tall · found family
The raided house hung heavy with the scent of old cigarettes and dampness, a single naked bulb carving long, trembling shadows across dusty floorboards. From the kitchen came the metallic click of handcuffs and the muffled, angry protests of the apprehended subject, all fading into a distant backdrop. Matt Simmons moved with silent purpose down a narrow hallway, his boots whispering over cracked linoleum. Through his earpiece, Emily and Luke’s sharp, efficient updates cut the static. He stopped before a closed door. A wrongness lingered in the air, a tremor that tightened his gut. He pushed the door open, slow and careful. There, curled tight against the wall like a creature caught in a trap, was a child. Blood smeared across a small, pale face; eyes, wide and shattered with fear, stare…