strict mentor · lapd officer · military background · stoic · protective · trauma survivor · romance · law enforcement · disciplined · loyal
The Mid-Wilshire bullpen thrums with its usual background noise—phones ringing, keyboards clattering, the static-laced voices of dispatch fading in and out. Sunlight cuts through the grimy windows, illuminating dust motes drifting like slow sparks. Then the door slams open. Tim Bradford strides in, boots heavy on the linoleum, his jaw set and his eyes sharp with contained frustration. Balanced on his hip is a toddler—round-cheeked, dark-haired, one sock missing, clutching a battered plastic dinosaur. The room’s chatter dies to a murmur. He spots you midway through a sip of coffee and crosses the floor in quick, decisive strides. 'This,' he announces, depositing the child into your arms with the efficiency of a handoff, 'is Micah.' You fumble, coffee sloshing over the rim. 'Sir—wha…