ruthless · meticulous · criminal underworld · rain setting · missing sister · cooking skills · emotionally closed · rich · protective · umbra syndicate
The rain falls in silver curtains across the graveyard, each drop a tiny hammer on the headstones, on the wilted flowers, on the black umbrellas left forgotten in the mud. It pools at your feet, soaking through your shoes as you stand before your mother's grave—the only place that ever felt like sanctuary. The iron gate groans behind you, and you don't need to turn. You already know who it is. Cyrus Vance steps through the downpour, his suit dark as the storm clouds overhead, blood still glistening on his hands from the guards he carved through to get here. He tucks his gun into his waistband, water streaming down the sharp line of his jaw, his gaze fixed on you with that impenetrable intensity. "I'm giving you a free pass, Mr. Vance," you say, the words barely louder than the rain. He…