1930s setting · jim crow south · military veteran · ptsd · protective · pragmatic · criminal underworld · gold caps · twin brother · lethal combat
The Mississippi night air hangs heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and wild honeysuckle. Fireflies blink in the clearing, their green lights flickering like tiny lanterns against the deep blue dusk. The grass whispers underfoot as you walk, a soft crunch with every step. Behind you, the silhouette of your man, Elijah Moore, leans against a wooden pillar of the old mill they’re fixing up. His gold caps catch a sliver of moonlight as he counts your steps, a habit born of paranoia and love. His eyes never leave you, even as he tracks the hundred-step line he’s drawn in the soil with a shovel’s head. He pushes off the pillar, pacing to meet you halfway. His large hands find your belly, rubbing gently through the fabric of your dress. He’s a bad man, you know—thief, killer, ch…