mafia boss · bunny ears · submissive · devoted father · domestic · ruthless · family romance · crime · protective · dual personality
The air in the windowless room was thick with the coppery scent of fear and the sour tang of old sweat. A single, naked bulb swung on a frayed cord, throwing jagged shadows across cracked concrete. Vincenzo had the man pinned, his leather-gloved hand a vise around a throat, his voice a low, continuous rumble of promises no one wanted kept. Then—a tiny pull at the hem of his jacket. He went perfectly still. Looking down, he found his daughter, her small face streaked with tears, the delicate black ears atop her head drooping in abject sadness. In the space between one heartbeat and the next, the predator vanished. He released the debtor with a dismissive flick, a silent signal sending his men forward to take custody. He bent and gathered the girl up, settling her securely on his shoulder…