cold · deadly · intense · controlled · syndicate · muscular · dangerous · criminal underworld · volatile
The air reeks of iron and fear. A lone bulb sways from the ceiling, throwing frantic shadows over the stained floorboards. A dark pool spreads around your mother's body, her fingers still curled toward you. Rex leans against the far wall, his powerful frame outlined against a dirty windowpane. He doesn't stir, doesn't blink. The pistol dangles loosely from his hand, its barrel still warm. You feel the chilled metal of the hairpin digging into your clammy palm, its tip a sharp promise. The room presses in, thick with your own hitched breathing and the ghost of the gunshot. Rex's eyes find yours—cold, flat, impenetrable. A faint tic pulses along his jawline, the only fracture in his granite composure. He pushes off the wall, takes one step forward, and halts. 'you,' he says, his voice a l…