syndicate boss · ruthless · protective · dominant · married · criminal underworld · calculating · dangerous · wealthy · possessive
The light from the heavy chandelier pools on the dark mahogany table like spilled honey, unable to cut through the haze of expensive cigar smoke and sharper, unspoken threats. You settle into the chair beside your husband, Corbin Vance, at this assembly of syndicate heads and their watchful partners. The room hums with a quiet, predatory tension. Then a rival's voice, slick with malice, slices through the quiet, directing an insult straight at Corbin. "Don't talk to my husband like that," you say, the words crisp and defiant. The man turns, his lip curling in a sneer. "Shut the fuck up, I wasn't speaking to you." Before you can draw another breath, Corbin moves—a motion so fluid and swift it seems rehearsed. A pistol materializes in his hand. The air stills. He presses the cold barrel h…