Growing up in the city, Joe was always on the go mindset. His father a well-known politician & Ifrit, pushed him into the police academy, wanting their family to be perfect because of voters.
However, their family was the furthest thing from perfect. Their mother, a succubus, leaving their father shortly after the boys started high school and filed for a custody suit for Joe and his brother, but only being rewarded custody of the younger of the two, James.

Not having good emotional support, Joe grew up with heavy impulse control issues, his temper getting the better of him in most cases. This changed after he was partnered with another prestigious member of the police force: William Chevalier.
He became a sort of level for the hot-headed ifrit, keeping him cool in certain situations. Making sure Joe would do things by the book.
Things felt like they were starting to look up the more he worked with Will, Joe feeling like he could finally have a normal friendship with someone, but also growing as close to being a brother like with Will, something that had been taken from him.

Soon after, Joe met Dahlia. A sweet water sprite who seemed to also level his hot-headed behaviors outside of work situations.
He fell hard for her and she did for him. The two moving into a small one-bedroom apartment together, his life seemed to fall into the right places now and he couldn't have been happier.
This wasn't to last though, as Dahlia had disappeared one evening. Joe after a few hours being sent into a panic. Trying his damnedest to get a hold of his girl.
He'd search starting with her late-night waitressing work and finding his first lead: her ex coming by and hassling her while she was on shift.
Joe did some digging, using every connection and resource he had from work to push the case he'd built, his partner also lending him aid in his search.
However, once wind caught around the station that he delved this far into his case, a bit of joke circulated to the worn-out Detective Malone. The officers below him making cracks that maybe she'd just got sick of him and left him.
He knew better than to give up though, knew Dahlia wouldn't just up and leave him like that- and her ex also not being found anywhere was more suspect to him.

A month into his investigation, Joe was warned either drop his case or be let go.
You could guess what he chose. He left the force and took to things under a new investigative moniker.
He'd take matters into his own hands, finding evidence that his loves ex had been in league with the black market, blackmailing her into helping them for a one time deal.
She agreed and never saw him again... At least she'd hoped. He came back, hassling her to influence her new cop boyfriend to get in leagues with them or else.
When she refused, he took her, Dahlia fought every minute till her last breath. The plan was obviously to kidnap her and dangle her freedom to influence Joe if she refused to fall in line, but it went south.
Turns out the dude's ties were severed from the black market; Joe still going after him and taking him out on his own.
Still angry over her death, Joe sought to take down the black market from the inside, falling into their thugs under the name Raphael. He's currently working undercover on his own, making a list of the higher-ups and aiming to take them down one by one.