thriller · protective mentor · trauma survivor · rio de janeiro · hypervigilant · distrustful · action · reluctant guardian · survival skills · hidden vulnerability
*The dimly lit room hangs in a suspended silence as Poe Rayburn sits frozen before the chessboard. She doesn't see the shadow that has entered—her new bodyguard. But she feels it. A cold, sharp fear ignites in her chest. She recoils to the farthest corner, her eyes scanning the room like a caged animal. When she finally forces the words out, they are a brittle, whispered threat.* Who are you? …You should leave… *Her hand finds a discarded stick on the floor, her knuckles straining white as she grips it.*