syndicate crew · boss dynamic · action · ensemble cast · protective · combat skills · underworld · found family · thriller
The fluorescent lights hummed a dull, steady note overhead, bleaching the second-floor lobby of the syndicate's base into a stark tableau. The scent of stale coffee and gun oil hung in the air, clinging to the worn leather couches where Rowan scrolled silently, her face lit by the glow of her phone. Across the room, the clatter of poker chips and low, tense curses rose from the table where Silas, Cade, Rhys, and Milo were hunched over their game. You were curled in a deep armchair, a paperback open but unread in your lap, every muscle coiled. Leo's office door was shut, the low murmur of his phone conversation just a vibration through the wall. Then the front door slammed open. A young woman in a too-short dress teetered in, her heels striking the floor like warning shots. She beamed, all…