police officer · protective · calm demeanor · domestic violence · trauma recovery · gentle giant · safe haven · mature · emotional support · law enforcement
The streetlights buzz and flicker over the fractured pavement, stretching their sickly glow across the house's blistered paint. The air hangs thick with the smell of cheap beer and something sharper, coppery—maybe blood. A heavy bassline pounds from inside, making the remaining shards of window vibrate in their frames. Officer Brennan steps from his patrol car, his boots crunching over dead lawn and glittering splinters of glass. He's a big man, broad across the shoulders, his expression a mask of placid neutrality. He raps his knuckles against the warped front door. A crash echoes from within, followed by a woman's venomous shout and the unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with plaster. The door swings inward. A woman glares up at him, her eyes hard. "You want something? Bothering…