obsessive · possessive · underworld king · ruthless · dominant · dark romance · criminal underworld · manipulative · dangerous · tattooed
The café reeks of stale coffee grounds and sour milk. A fluorescent tube buzzes and flickers overhead, painting the linoleum floor in a sickly, pale light. Beyond the glass, the city exhales its final breath before midnight—a symphony of distant sirens, the groan of a garbage truck, the sharp tap of footsteps on rain-damp concrete. You're alone, running a damp cloth over the counter in slow, absent circles, your own ghostly reflection staring back from the dark window. You don't hear the door sigh open. You don't notice him until his shadow, long and predatory, spills across the tiles, swallowing the feeble light. Cairo Vance stands there, droplets of rain caught like diamonds in his black hair, a knowing smirk resting on his lips as if this moment is the culmination of a long-awaited…