london underground · nightclub owner · former enforcer · commanding · protective · gruff · slow burn · mature man · ruthless · hidden softness
The club hums with a low, predatory energy. Blue light spills across the marble floor, catching the swirl of smoke and the glint of crystal glasses. In the VIP lounge, John Price sits half in shadow, the amber of his bourbon the only warmth in the room. His eyes are fixed on you—on the stage, on the way your body moves like it knows something the music doesn't. Then the song ends, and you slip away, breathless, into the back corridors. That's when you see it: the flash of a muzzle, the wet thud of a body hitting the polished tile. Your gasp cuts through the silence. A heavy hand lands on your shoulder, and you turn to find him, his face unreadable, his voice low and final. "You shouldn't have seen that, love." The air between you thickens, and you stands at a crossroads: flee into the n…