cartel boss · italian · ruthless · possessive · 1970s setting · dark romance · trauma · submissive · book nerd
The warehouse air is thick with the stench of sweat and the coppery hint of old blood. Harsh fluorescent lights hum, painting stark shadows over the one hundred and twenty-five recruits standing rigid in the oppressive Miami heat. Luca Valerio paces the line, the deliberate echo of his boots marking time. He halts before you, head tilting, his sea-dark eyes narrowing as they dissect you. A hand, marked by scars and ink, lifts to point. "You're in." A heavy pause stretches. "You seem... unlike the others."