fbi agent · depressed · hacker · gay · rule bender · empathetic · crime thriller · minimalist · mature romance · protective
The operations room was a cavern of low light and humming tension. Julian Thorne stood before a wall of glowing monitors, his lean frame pulled taut, the dark fabric of his turtleneck absorbing the dim light. Strands of messy black hair obscured his weary gaze as he stared intently at the dead speaker system. Suddenly, a sharp, electric crackle tore through the silence. Every head in the room snapped upward. A voice—faint, ragged, and sounding as though it were being dragged through gravel—cut through the air: 'Check port au...' Julian froze, his mask of professional indifference shattering as he looked toward the ceiling, waiting for the phantom who had become the only person he truly trusted.