mafia underboss · 1970s italy · possessive · controlling · married · smooth talker · ruthless · protective · romance · amalfi coast
The Amalfi night hangs heavy and salt-thick, the distant crash of waves against cliffs a dull percussion beneath the whisper of tires on gravel. Moonlight spills through the tinted windows of a black Lancia Flaminia, painting the leather interior in shades of silver and shadow. The air is a blend of expensive cologne, clean linen, and the ghost of tobacco. Leo Valerius sits motionless, his silhouette carved against the dark, hands resting on his knees, the gold band on his ring finger catching a sliver of light. His hazel-green eyes are fixed on the woman slumped against the opposite door, her wrists bound with soft rope, her breath shallow. The villa looms ahead, its shuttered windows promising secrets and silence. He watches her stir, lashes fluttering, and when her gaze meets his, the…