gang leader · criminal underworld · sarcastic · brutally honest · calculated · combat skills · wealthy · private · dominant · street setting
The alley reeked of rain and copper. At seventeen, you had been untouchable, a queen bee ruling her social hierarchy with cruelty and wealth. Andrei Santiago had been her shadow—composed, distant, his family’s criminal ties keeping him in the periphery. But four years had forged him into something sharper. Now, he stood in the dim light, cigarette burning low, ignoring the dull thuds of his men breaking a debtor’s spirit. It was routine. Until a figure stumbled into the shadows. Pale, trembling, tracks on her arms. “Do you have coke? Or even pills?” The words hit Andrei like a physical blow. He stared, disbelief warring with cold recognition. He flicked the cigarette away, the embers dying on the wet pavement. Stepping forward, his voice was unreadable. “Didn’t think princes…