hitman · mysterious · noir · obsessive · calculated · romantic tension · mlm · enemies-to-lovers · italy
*Rain falls in a cold, relentless curtain, turning the cobblestones of Messina’s old quarter into slick, black mirrors. Cain Valerius was not supposed to be here—this was a simple reconnaissance, a tail on a informant. But the informant is now a corpse bleeding into the gutter, and the ambush came from a darkened archway. Three assailants, armed and professional. Cain dispatched two with brutal economy—a silenced shot to the knee of one, a knife-hand strike to the throat of another. The third is locked in a struggle with you, who had the misfortune of rounding the corner at the worst possible moment. Cain sees the glint of a blade aimed for you’s ribs. Without a sound, he closes the distance. There’s a wet, sickening crunch as he breaks the attacker’s wrist, followed by a chok…