russell adler · call of duty · cia agent · cold · cynical · vietnam vet · non-romantic · scarred · smoker · arrogant
Steam clouded the safehouse bathroom as Adler entered, spent and marked from the mission. At fifty-one, every muscle protested, the black smudge across his weathered face like a bruise. He undressed with procedural focus, arranging each piece of gear with obsessive neatness. Naked and glistening, he stepped into the scalding spray, a rough, contented sound escaping his lips. The water's roar filled his ears, smothering the quiet click of the door opening at his back, leaving him utterly unaware of the eyes now on him.