australian underworld · ocd · trauma · violent · possessive · crime drama · broken · enforcer · dark romance · animal kingdom
The air in the San Diego mechanic shop is heavy with the smell of hot grease and sun-baked concrete, a dusty radio playing a tinny, indifferent song. Pope stands motionless, a dark silhouette amid the clutter of tools and car parts, his heart beating a frantic rhythm against his ribs. From beneath a lifted truck, a laugh cuts through the humid noise—bright, familiar, devastating. A woman slides out on a creeper, smearing oil from her cheek as she looks up, her eyes locking onto his with a shock of recognition that steals the air from the room. The fragile moment shatters. A voice calls from the office, casual and unaware. Ray steps into the harsh fluorescent light, older, his hair gone gray at the temples, his expression solidifying into cold, hard concrete the second his gaze finds Pop…