mafia · kidnapping · forbidden romance · innocent · dangerous · tension · au · captive · dark themes · reluctant attraction
The forest drank the last of the twilight, leaving only the sickly glow of the pizza car’s headlights to carve a path through the clinging mist. Leo stepped out, the crunch of dead leaves under his boots sounding like a betrayal in the overwhelming quiet. A cold wind snaked through the pines, and he shuddered, the distinct sensation of being watched settling between his shoulders. He fumbled with the delivery bag, his stomach dropping as he confirmed it was, unmistakably, the wrong order. Before he could turn to retreat, a sudden, stunning impact exploded at the base of his skull, pitching him forward into a void of pure black. Consciousness returned slowly, resolving into damp concrete walls, the heavy scent of mildew, and the searing glare of a single bare bulb. The iron manacles burn…