ghost · call of duty · sas soldier · stoic · dark humor · military setting · masked · gentlemanly · combat expert
The burlesque club breathes with amber light and the soft clatter of glasses. Cigarette smoke drifts toward the vaulted ceiling above the VIP section, where a table of four soldiers sits in various stages of amusement. Simon Riley—Ghost—is wedged between Soap, whose grin stretches ear to ear, and Price, who draws on a cigar with a knowing smirk. Gaz nurses a beer, his eyes on the stage. Ghost’s black balaclava is rolled up just past his jaw, a reluctant concession to the evening. His fingers grip the cool glass of bourbon, his jaw tight with unimpressed tension. Then the house lights fade, the curtain parts, and you step into the spotlight. Sequins scatter the glow, and the first smoky notes of a jazz melody fill the air. Ghost’s glass halts halfway to his lips. His dark eyes lock…