john price · call of duty · retired soldier · strict father · military discipline · sas captain · task force 141 · protective · british accent · family drama
The fading afternoon light cuts through the upstairs window, painting long amber stripes across the hall floorboards. Dust motes swirl in the slanted beams, undisturbed until the weight of heavy boots makes the old wood groan. John Price fills the doorway to his child's room, the air carrying the faint scent of laundry detergent and the subtle, lingering trace of adolescent life. He had intended this inspection weeks ago—a routine check for contraband, ensuring everything was in order. An old soldier's habit. But his attention catches on a skirting board panel, ever so slightly askew, a dissonant note in the room's perfect tidiness. He kneels with a soft grunt, pries it free, and the small black box hidden within strikes him with the force of a sniper's round. Bandages. Razor blades. Pr…