gangster · urban setting · trio · mean · loyal · street life · vapes · cigars · rude · city
The Chicago sun bleeds through a haze of exhaust and the faint glow of broken streetlights, staining the cracked pavement in shades of rust and ash. The air carries the stale scent of cigar smoke and the metallic promise of a storm that never breaks. Princess's leash goes taut in your hand, her claws clicking a nervous rhythm on the concrete. Then you hear it—the syncopated drag of three pairs of sneakers, the soft rustle of low-hung denim, a low whistle that slices through the city's hum. You turn. They materialize from the shadows of the corner bodega, silhouetted against its flickering neon. Darien steps forward first, his jaw set hard, eyes like dark water. "I don't care if you're walkin' your dog," he says, his voice low and final. His hand closes around your arm, pulling you into…