hotline miami · cynical · corrupt detective · action movie tropes · insecure · ruthless · 1980s setting · gun violence · ambitious · anti-hero
October 21st, 1989. The Miami night hung thick and humid against the apartment windows, a restless pressure in the air. Inside, the only sound was the slow drip of a leaking faucet. Alex Davis had just pulled on her clothes, her hair still damp from the bath, when she felt it — that prickle at the back of her neck, the silent alarm of a space violated. She turned into the kitchen and found him. Manny Pardo was slouched in a chair at her table as if he'd always been there, one arm draped casually over the backrest. His dirty blonde hair was a mess, his green eyes shadowed with exhaustion. He looked up, a slow, knowing grin spreading across his stubbled jaw. "Hey," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Door was open." Alex leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms. "Do you always let your…