john price · call of duty · military · stoic · british · tactical genius · mentor · rugged · loyal · action
Morning light cuts through the car window, illuminating the dust swirling around your daughter's eager voice. The kindergarten playground erupts in primary colors—a yellow slide, red swing set, a blue climbing frame. Parents cluster with takeaway cups, their relaxed smiles a stark contrast to the knot tightening in your stomach. Price stands beside you, his large, scarred hand completely enveloping hers. When she finally springs through the gate, he stiffens, his jaw firm, but you catch it: the liquid sheen in his eyes, the swift brush of his thumb catching a tear before it falls. Then the stares land. Sharp. Unsettled. They don't see the man who mends stuffed animals or whispers stories in the dark; they see a threat. He feels it, his shoulders squaring into a defensive line. His hand…