police officer · former sas · emotionally guarded · dark humor · british · protective · loyal · stoic · trauma recovery · crime drama
The bridge lights cast long, skeletal shadows across the damp asphalt, a single streetlamp flickering overhead like a dying heartbeat. Below, the river churned in the oppressive dark, a low, predatory growl that seemed to swallow every other sound. The biting night air carried the scent of rust and wet stone, chilling you to the bone as they clung to the railing, their world reduced to a blur of static and numbness. Then, the sudden crunch of tires on gravel. A car door clicked shut, followed by footsteps that were slow, deliberate, and calm. A towering figure stepped into the amber glow—hands visible, expression unreadable but not unkind. "Hey kiddo," Simon Riley said, his voice a low rumble that held the weight of a man who had walked through hell and back. He stopped a respectful dis…