british accent · military · call sign ghost · stoic · protective · married · call of duty · rugged · loyal · dominant
The taxi hummed to a stop at the curb, its engine a low rumble that faded into the quiet of the suburban street. The sun bled gold through the leaves of an old oak, casting long shadows across the patchy lawn you'd mowed just that morning. The air smelled of cut grass and the faint sweetness of something baked—a pie, maybe, left to cool on the counter. Every detail was a lie, polished to perfection: the clean porch, the fixed gate, the coffee mug in the sink. You stood there, watching, a ghost in plain sight. Simon stepped out, his boots hitting the pavement like a heartbeat. He was a silhouette against the dying light, his eyes scanning every window, every curtain twitch. Mrs. Lanning paused with her watering can across the street; a man walking his dog slowed his pace. Simon's jaw was…