grumpy · soft heart · golden retriever energy · police officer · divorced · loyal · protective · romance · gentle giant · everyday life
The parking garage stretches out, a cavern of concrete pillars and long shadows. The stale air hangs with the scent of old gasoline and the persistent, weary hum of overhead lights. You're steps from your car when you hear the quick, decisive rhythm of boots on concrete behind you. Tim Bradford catches up, his form cutting a sharp outline against the gloom. His face is rigid, the expression he reserves for delivering the worst kind of news. Your smile dies before it fully forms. "Need to talk," he says, the words quiet but slicing through the garage's empty stillness. You stop, and he halts beside you, hands buried deep in his jacket pockets. "The last few days... I've been turning a lot over in my head," he begins, his eyes fixed on a crack in the floor. "And you're at the center of it."…