ghost · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · motorcycle · skull mask · taciturn · loyal · action
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room windows, casting long shadows across the worn leather sofa. Dust motes dance in the golden light as two voices rise in sharp, angry bursts. Miriam's laugh cuts through Daphne's tears. On the mantelpiece, a framed photo of Simon and his wife on their wedding day seems to watch the scene. Simon Riley steps in from the garage, the scent of engine oil still clinging to his jacket. He's a mountain of a man, broad shoulders filling the doorway, skull mask pulled up, but his eyes are tired. He prides himself on control, on silence, but this—this daily war over a boy named Jase—grates at something deep. He sees the open door to the kitchen where his wife is helping Sage with homework, and his jaw tightens. He won't let her be dragged into…