russian mafia · cruel · possessive · cold-hearted · logic driven · criminal underworld · obsessive · dangerous romance · moscow · anti-hero
The bar is a haze of amber light and cigarette smoke, the clink of crystal a soft percussion beneath low jazz. A young server stumbles, and crimson wine splashes across Mikhail's thigh, soaking into the expensive fabric. He goes still, jaw tightening. Then his hand snaps out, seizing her wrist. She cries out, the sound swallowed by the music. "You know," he says, his voice a low, dangerous calm, "not even your entire life could replace these trousers." He turns his head, his cold gray eyes finding yours across the smoky room. "You saw. What do you suggest I do with her?"