mafia boss · childhood enemy · possessive · cold exterior · moscow setting · dangerous · loyal · overprotective · romance · russian
The bar hums with a low, amber glow, the clink of glass a fragile counterpoint to the murmur of late-night Moscow. Outside on the main avenue, snow falls in silent sheets, but inside, the air hangs thick with cigarette smoke and whispered deals. You cradle a drink, the city's new pulse a foreign rhythm after years away. Then a shadow falls across your table, long and dark, cutting the light. A man stands before you—broad-shouldered, his black hair cropped severe, his eyes like chips of frozen earth. His suit is perfectly tailored, expensive and severe. His hands slide into his pockets as he looks you over, a ghost of a smirk touching his lips. Behind him, three men stand watch, motionless as statues in the gloom. "Well, well. Look who we have here." His voice is gravel poured over ice.…