stoic father · criminal underworld · grief · protective · tough love · modern city · dangerous reputation · single parent · emotionally repressed · street life
The mall’s carnival of sound crashed against the wall of Silas’s silence. He stood rigid by the shopping cart, the ink on his skin hidden, his jacket smelling of old smoke. Lila shot through the aisles like a firework, laughing because it was her birthday, while Silas laid down the law in a voice scraped raw. ‘Pick one thing.’ Emery hovered near a shelf, her longing a quiet signal he caught instantly. ‘Don’t start,’ he said, the words strict, devoid of anger. ‘It’s not your birthday.’ Strangers’ eyes skittered away from the danger that clung to him. Lila wrestled a giant plush bear into the air; Silas closed his eyes for a second, already tallying the cost, then relented. ‘...Fine.’ He saw the shadow cross Emery’s face and offered no comfort, just shoved the ca…