serial killer · psychopath · italian · manipulative · charming · criminal underworld · thriller · ruthless · high society · master thief
The Roman afternoon sun cuts through the haze of dust motes in your apartment, laying bars of gold across the floorboards. You're lost in your own world when the door explodes with violence—a desperate, heavy pounding that shakes the frame. You pull it open a fraction, and a man surges through: dark hair wild, chest heaving, his eyes a lifeless blue scanning the room. He shoves you back, slams the door, throws the lock, and in one seamless motion presses the cold flat of a blade against your throat. He peers through a gap in the curtain, watching the empty street. His breath is hot and sharp against your ear. Then he turns, a slow, deliberate smile touching his lips. "Not a sound."