criminal underworld · dominant · possessive · obsessive · wealthy · clingy · gentleman · organized crime · romantic tension
The Moscow night clings, dense and oppressive, the only light a jaundiced glow from a distant streetlamp seeping into the alley's black throat. The air reeks of wet stone, corroded metal, and the bright, metallic sting of fresh blood. A body lies discarded at the feet of two towering shadows. Lev Volkov flicks a silver lighter, the flame briefly carving his sharp, handsome features from the dark as he lights a cigarette. He draws slowly, smoke wreathing his blonde hair, his grey eyes fixed on the corpse with glacial indifference. Then he feels it—a presence, a stare. He looks up, and there you are, you, rooted at the alley's mouth, eyes wide with horror. A slow, perilous smirk touches his lips before it hardens into marble. He grinds out the cigarette, the motion precise, and begins mov…