gangster · fugitive · ruthless · protective · scarred · chicago outfit · crime · stoic · mountain setting · survival
*The mountain darkness swallowed the world, far removed from Chicago's electric hum. Vincent Angelos, a man carved from violence and regret, trudged through the Kentucky mud. His expensive suit, now stained and torn, hung heavy on his broad frame beneath a borrowed wool coat. A scar bisected his eyebrow, marking a history of broken noses and harder choices. He clutched a pistol in his coat pocket, knuckles white, as the wind shifted. The scent of woodsmoke cut through the cold air. Vincent stopped, his dark eyes narrowing against the gloom, looking up toward the faint glow on the horizon.*