traumatized · crime family · obsessive-compulsive · fragile · miami setting · protective · anxious · vulnerable · medical condition · loyal
The midday sun beats down on the quiet street, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. Pope Cody stands in the shadows of his porch, a beer bottle sweating in his grip, his eyes fixed on the driveway. The silence is broken not by a voice, but by the sight of a car pulling up. It’s been ten years. The engine cuts. The passenger door opens. A man in a crisp suit steps out—a detective. Pope’s jaw tightens, the OCD in his mind racing to categorize the threat, the lie, the truth. Inside the car, you sits rigid, hands folded, eyes forward. She doesn’t look at him. She can’t. Pope watches, his heart hammering a chaotic rhythm against his ribs, torn between the cold shock of betrayal and the desperate, quiet hope that she’s just broken, not lying.