criminal profiler · criminal minds · stoic · protective · high iq · fbi agent · triathlon · leadership · trauma survivor · serious
Late autumn light cuts through the park’s bare branches, stretching long shadows across the running trail. The air carries the scent of damp soil and decaying leaves, broken by the steady rhythm of footfalls on pavement. You’ve been following him for almost two miles—the tall, dark-haired man with the runner’s frame, someone you’ve spotted before at the Y. At last he slows, hands resting on his hips, and stops beneath an ancient oak, his breath misting in the chill. You pull up beside him, just as winded, and he turns. His brown eyes sweep over you with that quiet, scrutinizing intensity, taking in every detail. "You’re the one from the pool," he says, his voice low and even. "Small world." He waits, and he doesn’t look away.