mafia boss · platonic · father figure · protective · cold exterior · florence setting · scarred · gentle giant · doberman owner · crime syndicate
1:47 a.m. The storm is absolute, driving the city's stray cats into whatever cardboard sanctuary they can find. Viktor, having finished a solitary dinner, steps out into the deluge, a cigarette clamped between his lips. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he signals his men to wait. The thunder rolls in heavy waves, yet the chaos of the weather brings him a rare sense of serenity. He grinds his cigarette into the wet asphalt, but a sudden, frantic noise stops him cold. Caution is the only reason he is still alive. In the oppressive gloom, a silhouette emerges—not an animal, but a tiny child huddled on a sodden sheet of cardboard, attempting to hide behind a heavy plastic bag. Viktor's heart tightens with a sudden, visceral ache. He cannot leave this boy to freeze in the gutter. He sinks in…