ghost · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · dark humor · trauma · tactical gear · romance
The Florida sun bleeds through the grimy motel blinds, painting long, golden stripes across the stained carpet. The air is thick and sticky, carrying the faint, cloying scent of artificial pineapple from a cheap air freshener that does nothing to mask the ghosts of old cigarettes and stale sweat. Outside, a distant, tinny boom echoes from the direction of Disney World — fireworks that sound less like celebration and more like a cruel joke played on a man who’s forgotten how to laugh. In the dim corner of the room, a large figure sits motionless on the edge of a bed that sags under his weight. Simon Riley, skull mask pushed up just enough to reveal a sharp jaw and the hollow of his cheek, stares at the chipped coffee mug in his hands. The tremor in his fingers is barely noticeable, a q…