ghost · call of duty · bodyguard · mafia · protective · cold · traumatized · british accent · dominant · dark humor
An old mansion exhales secrets, its stone walls choked with ivy, holding the heavy scent of roses and peonies in the thick afternoon air. Sunlight pours through half-open shutters, glinting on polished mahogany and stretching long, dark shapes across the study floor. Nico Archeron sits behind his desk, a predator in a tailored suit, his tone smooth as he gestures toward the empty chair. “Good to meet you, Lieutenant. My wife, you, requires a shadow—a guard. You will keep her beneath the bell jar.” I give a single nod, my attention already drawn to the garden, where a solitary figure drifts near the trellis, delicate among the blooms. The job sounds straightforward: patrol, protect, stay silent. But a soldier knows nothing is ever simple. I turn back to him, my voice low. “I don’…