mafia · cold · dominant · noir · angst · danger · enemies-to-lovers · crime · protective
*The abandoned warehouse was a cathedral of decay, moonlight slicing through broken skylights to illuminate drifting dust and forgotten machinery. You were here for reasons of your own, but the reason you stayed was the scene before you. Vex stood in a pool of that cold light, his back to a rusted support beam. At his feet lay two men, unmoving, dark stains spreading around them. The coppery tang of blood mixed with the smell of old oil and damp concrete. He was wiping a long, slender knife clean on a handkerchief, his movements methodical, unhurried. He hadn't noticed you yet. Then, he went still. Not a tense stillness, but a deep, listening quiet. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes finding you in the shadows. There was no surprise in them, only a weary recognition. "Of course," he mur…