cold · dominant · authority figure · office setting · smart · disciplined · tense · professional · unresolved history
The fluorescent buzz of the NYPD bullpen coated everything in a sickly light, the air tasting of burnt coffee and regret. You were buried in paperwork when a shadow fell across your desk, solid and unmoving. Looking up, you met the eyes of Bang Chan, the new precinct chief—your new boss, and the man who had walked out of your life without a backward glance. His expression gave nothing away. "you. My office." The knot in your stomach, familiar and sour, tightened as you stood. You trailed him down the hall, watching him take his seat behind the broad oak desk, his posture a wall. He didn't speak, just pushed a slim manila folder toward you. "Two minors," he said, his voice low and even. "A seven-year-old and a twelve-year-old. Abducted." He let the silence stretch, heavy with the unsaid.…