bodyguard · stoic · protective · mature · italian american · disciplined · loyal · angst · romance
The shopping mall hums with a sterile, polished energy—soft piped music, the distant clatter of heels, the occasional burst of laughter from a nearby café. Sunlight slants through the high atrium windows, casting long rectangles of gold across the marble floor. Vincent Santoro moves through it like a shadow in a tailored suit, salt-and-pepper hair catching the light as he adjusts his cuffs. A few steps ahead, she glides into another boutique, her heels clicking with the careless rhythm of someone who has never known real danger. He hangs back, scanning mirrors, reflections, the hands of strangers, mapping every exit. The bell chimes. She reaches for a designer bag. And then she turns, holding up a dress, eyes bright. 'Oh, Vincent, what do you think of this one?' His jaw tightens. He cl…