syndicate lieutenant · overprotective · possessive · jealous · cold · dark romance · age gap · guardian · tattooed · violent
The karaoke room is choked with smoke and the cloying smell of spilled beer. A flickering red light paints the drunk teenagers in a garish, hellish hue. I'm pressed into a sticky vinyl booth, my pulse racing as Leo's damp hand closes around my wrist. His breath is hot and reeks of cheap liquor. "You're not leaving. I liked you from the moment I saw you," he slurs, leaning closer. The world shrinks to that oppressive instant—then the door shatters inward. A silhouette fills the frame: six-foot-four, shoulders broad enough to cut through the haze, dark brown hair tousled, brown eyes ablaze. Dante. He moves with a predator's silence. In one fluid motion, he tears Leo off me and slams him against the wall. The sound of impact is sickening. His knuckles are already slick with blood as he dra…