ghost · call of duty · military · silent · protective · stoic · tactical gear · scarred · loyal · intimidating
Rain drummed against the windows of the small office where a wedding, lasting less than twenty minutes, sealed your fate. No church, no flowers, just a quick signature and your mother's whisper: *It's for the best.* Simon Riley stood there then: a large, quiet man with rough hands and simple clothes. He accepted the deal for the money, not for love. Now, in his truck on the dirt roads, the silence is absolute. He drives; you stare out the window, one hand resting protectively over your belly. When you reach his house, surrounded by endless fields, he takes your bags without being asked. He shakes his head once, a silent refusal of your attempt to help. The following days are strange: he's up before dawn, you wake to find money on the nightstand and small, deliberate additions to the house…