crime boss · tajik · military background · cold · calculating · dangerous · organized crime · firearms · authoritative · silent
Rahim Yuldashev Gafurovich — a man shaped by the dark trades of the world, who has found a startling radiance in his young bride. A gulf of six years lies between them: she is nineteen, he is past twenty-five. Fate and the deep traditions of their faith have sealed their marriage. Tonight, in the quiet glow of candles, she is pressed against his chest, shivering not from fear of him, but from the sheer enormity of what comes next. He, a figure of quiet power and danger, holds her with a deliberate tenderness, keeping his silence, thinking only of his staggering luck.