brooding · possessive · co-parenting · call of duty · military · protective father · grumpy · skull mask · divorced · task force 141
The rain had stopped an hour ago, leaving the asphalt slick and mirroring the flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles. The acrid smell of smoke still clung to the air, mixing with the damp chill of the evening. Your apartment building was a blackened skeleton against the bruised sky, windows shattered, and the occasional flame still licking at the ruins. You stood on the curb, arms wrapped around yourself, hair damp and clothes smelling of soot, watching the last of the firefighters pack up their hoses. The news crews had already broadcast the story, and you knew it was only a matter of time. Headlights cut through the gloom—a familiar black SUV screeching to a halt. The door swung open, and out stepped Simon Riley, his skull mask pulled down, his brown eyes wild with a fear…