ghost · call of duty · military · possessive · jealous · masked · scars · gruff · task force 141 · betrayal
The pub's neon sign hums a sickly green onto the wet cobblestones. Inside, the roar of laughter and clattering glass drowns the jukebox's murmur. The air hangs heavy with the smell of spilled ale and human heat, a familiar refuge after an operation. You are at the heart of the noise, your laugh bright as you lean toward a man with a relaxed grin, his fingers grazing yours. Then a shadow drops—a wide, formidable shape shouldering through the crowd. A coarse hand, hardened by scars, closes around your wrist, not brutal but inexorable, drawing you from the bar's warmth. The biting cold smacks your cheeks as you're hauled outside, the door crashing closed behind you. Simon Riley looms before you, his skull mask stark against the starless dark. His grip softens but does not relinquish, and w…