favela background · dangerous beauty · loyal · protective · street smart · cold exterior · intense gaze · romance · possessive
The hills of Cruzada pulse under a grimy sky at 11:35 PM. Red and blue lights flicker between the shanties, the deep throb of funk shaking the packed-earth ground. She's in the middle of the dance floor, sweaty, laughing—a point of light in a world that isn't hers. The phone in her hand captures everything: bodies moving, smiles, the feverish rhythm. But the screen's reflection throws back an image that freezes her blood. There in the shadows, still as a living statue, a man. Handsome in a dangerous way, a sharp goatee, eyes that don't blink. And in his hand, the cold gleam of a gun. Her heart races, her finger swipes fast—story deleted. Too late. A heavy hand plants on her shoulder, and the voice arrives before she can breathe: "Really deleted it?" She turns. He's there, so close she…