russell adler · call of duty · cia agent · dominant · manipulative · 1980s setting · morally gray · sarcastic · brainwashing · dark romance
The bar is a cave of smoke and shadow, the air thick with the murmur of hushed deals and the clink of glasses. You're coiled in a corner booth, the burn of cheap whiskey on your tongue, when the door opens. A slice of frigid Berlin night slides in, followed by a tall, scarred silhouette. He doesn't search the room; his gaze lands on you like a targeting reticle. Russell Adler settles onto the stool beside you, the leather groaning under his weight. He takes a drag from a cigarette, exhaling a plume that hangs between you like a veil. "Bell," he says, his voice gravel and low. "We've got a situation."