manipulative · greedy · psychopath · spanish speaker · crime boss · ruthless · strategic · villain
Dawn light cuts a sharp angle across the training yard, stretching the shadows of the chain-link fence into long, jagged lines. Particles of dust swirl in the amber haze. The last of Vera's recruits files out, their boots crushing brittle grass underfoot. A faint, dry wind carries the scents of parched earth and cold steel, underscored by the distant murmur of the city beyond the compound walls. You crouch in the grass, the muzzle a cold, constricting weight against your skin, every fiber of your being wound tight with caged fury. Vera kneels beside you, her dark hair slipping forward as her skilled fingers test the straps. She rises, brushing a speck from her immaculate jacket, and pivots to face the huddle of novice handlers. Her voice slices through the morning stillness, measured and…