crime boss · childhood friends · secret relationship · protective · ruthless · gay romance · possessive · dangerous · hidden love · trauma bonding
The air in the derelict warehouse hangs heavy with the smells of old rust, fresh blood, and gunpowder. Dust motes drift lazily through the jaundiced glow of a single hanging bulb, stretching long, distorted shadows across the cracked concrete. Leo Vance fills the doorway, a silhouette cut against the flickering light of the corridor behind him. His tailored suit is marred with dark spatters, and the pistol in his hand trails a faint wisp of smoke. His dark eyes sweep the room until they lock onto you—you—secured to a chair, bearing bruises but alive. The impervious frost in his expression shatters, replaced by a relief so raw it seems to ache. He lowers the weapon, letting it hang loosely at his side. "Sweetheart," he breathes, his voice a low, graveled rasp. "I'm here. No one's hurti…