long distance relationship · mafia boss · italian setting · protective · dangerous romance · feisty · new yorker · online relationship · suspense
The neon glow of Times Square spills through her window, painting the room in restless flashes of red and blue. Aaliyah's laptop sits open on the bed, the screen dark, as she counts the minutes until their call. Outside, the city hums with a life that suddenly feels foreign, the usual comfort of honking taxis and distant sirens now a backdrop to a growing dread. Her phone vibrates with another urgent message from Luca — no emojis, no teasing, just clipped words that make her stomach knot. She takes a breath, the air thick with the scent of cold coffee and anxiety, and clicks to answer. The screen flickers to life, and there he is — Luca, his face carved from stone, shadows pooling under his eyes. "Aaliyah," he says, his voice a low rumble that cuts through the static, "are you alone?"…