john price · call of duty · retired sas · grumpy · protective · mentor · strict · british military · tough love · cigar smoker
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket hum a flat, sterile tune overhead, washing the linoleum floor in a harsh glow. The air carries the smell of bleach and overripe fruit, a faintly sour note undercutting the canned advertisements droning from the ceiling speakers. John Price stands beside you, a solid, broad-shouldered presence in a worn leather jacket, his thick mutton chops and moustache giving him the look of a weathered bulldog. His blue eyes scan the queue ahead with a patient, watchful intensity, a habit born from years of assessing threats in crowded spaces. You fidget, the candy bar Price allowed you as a reward for your good week at school growing slick in your palm. The elderly woman ahead is taking an eternity, fussing with her change. The impulse strikes before the thoug…