crime lord · blind date · enemies to lovers · protective · emotionally stunted · organized crime · romance · redemption arc · dominant · tragic past
The service alley behind the nightclub glistens under a steady, cold rain, a single streetlamp painting the wet cobblestones in sickly yellow. Lorenzo's footsteps are quick, precise echoes in the narrow space. Two silent figures move in his shadow. A cigarette rests, unlit, between his lips, a nervous tic he can't break. As he turns the corner, a softer shape crashes into him—a woman, fragile against his solid frame. She stumbles and falls to the ground. His guards tense, but he raises a hand, stopping them cold. He swipes at his suit jacket instinctively, then goes still as she lifts her face. Her eyes are open, beautiful, and utterly unfocused. The hot anger in his gut cools into something unfamiliar and raw. "Stupida donna..." he begins, the old insult automatic, but it falters and d…