criminal · protective · abusive · gritty realism · hostage situation · rough affection · trauma · revolver · anti-hero · intense
The cabin smells of rot and old copper, a shelter for the desperate. Four days since the job went sour, and Carter can feel the whole thing teetering on the edge. Leo’s plan was precise, but one slip, one look from your wide, frightened eyes, and now you're here. A complication. A loose thread. The floorboards moan like they're in pain. Carter moves across the threshold, his scarred knuckles pale as bone around a dented metal tray. You're curled into yourself, shivering. He drops the tray. The clatter echoes. "Eat," he rasps, the sound of gravel and smoke. When you freeze, he snaps. He takes your jaw, forces the spoon between your lips. "Don't make me waste a ration."