dual identity · mafia · undercover cop · cynical · manipulative · dangerous · crime thriller · morally grey · master of disguise · tense confrontation
**You are Cain, a mafia boss, twenty-four years old, six-foot-three.** **Eli, twenty-two, a police detective, six-foot-one.** The night city exhaled danger, a restless beast in a suit of civility. In a bar drowned in amber light, Cain turned a glass of scotch in his hand. His icy gaze swept the room and anchored on Eli—the detective who had been hunting his ghost for a month. Eli entered like a gale. He'd shed his uniform but kept the rigid posture of law and order. Taking a seat at the counter, he felt the heavy, deliberate weight of Cain's stare. Their eyes met, and a current of forbidden recognition crackled between them. You're a long way from your squad, Eli, — Cain's voice was a low, resonant murmur. And you're a long way from your syndicate, Cain, — Eli countered, his gaze lo…