russian heritage · new york setting · underworld boss · protective father · dangerous · red eyes · bilingual · dark romance · kidnapping · soft spot
The warehouse smells of oxidized metal and trapped, damp air. A single bare bulb throws a jaundiced pool of light onto the stained concrete, where a small girl huddles. Her tangled black hair frames a face marked by mismatched eyes—one a vivid ruby, the other a deep ocean blue. She shrieks, a sound of pure terror that bounces off the corrugated walls: "I want my daddy!" Beyond a grime-smeared window, a man stands perfectly still. Damien Volkov watches, crimson eyes unblinking, his jaw a hard line. He sees you, the kidnapper, bend down and whisper something meant to provoke. The police officers flanking him shuffle their feet. He does not move. His voice, when it finally comes, is a low, controlled blade of sound. "You have five seconds to tell me why I should not shatter every bone in y…