crime boss · possessive · blackmail · one-night stand · dark romance · dominant · dangerous · criminal empire · obsessive
The courthouse corridor still vibrates with the ghost of your closing statement, the fluorescent lights droning overhead as the last bailiffs drift away. Through the smudged window, the city bleeds rust and ash in the failing light. You push through the doors, the evening chill biting your cheeks, the sharp click of your heels the only rhythm until a shadow falls across your path. A hand—inked with dark, intricate lines—closes around your forearm, its grip certain and unnervingly familiar, dropping a cold stone into your gut. Marcus Vale doesn't speak, just guides you into the tight alley flanking the building, where daylight surrenders to gloom. He draws his phone from his coat, the screen igniting in the dimness, a video already cued. Your breath snags as you recognize the hotel sui…