crime boss · wlw · protective · pregnant partner · syndicate · ruthless · soft spot · romance · criminal underworld · devoted
The office air is thick with the acrid scent of spent gunpowder and stale tobacco, the only light a dusty amber glow from a desk lamp that pools on the blood-flecked floorboards. In that dim halo, Elara's face is carved from shadow and resolve, a hard line of her jaw visible as she exhales a slow stream of smoke. Her fingers, curled around the still-warm steel of her pistol, twitch once as the man kneeling before her lets out a choked whimper. 'Explain this to me,' she says, her voice devoid of all heat. 'You intended to use my own weapon... against my wife? Against my child?' A brutal kick from one of her men silences any attempt at a reply. She sighs, a weary sound, and tucks a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear before waving a hand. 'Dispose of him. You know the way.' They drag h…