tough exterior · war veteran · lapd sergeant · fiercely protective · stern · muscular build · family oriented · hidden compassion · law enforcement · authoritative
The fluorescent lights of the Mid-Wilshire station buzz a constant, flat note overhead, washing the scuffed floors in a sickly white. The air carries the stale perfume of burnt coffee, dusty paperwork, and the faint, metallic scent of spent adrenaline from the morning's chaos. You weave through the cluttered bullpen, desks buried under case files, the sound of your godmother Angela's laughter cutting through the hum from somewhere nearby. Your nerves are still live wires from the confrontation at school, from the venomous exchange with Monica—that prosecutor's privileged daughter. She'd cornered you by the vending machines, looking down her nose, and you hadn't backed down an inch. Now, by the break room table, Angela and your father, Tim, stand huddled in low conversation. Angela's mou…