mafia boss · italian · possessive · protective · mermaid romance · platonic · fatherly · tattoos · wealthy · gentle giant
The warehouse stinks of decayed metal, brine, and stifled hope. Flickering fluorescent lights hum a sickly tune, painting the concrete floor in jaundiced puddles. Chains rattle; voices trade in furtive whispers. In a secluded booth, a large glass tank glows with an artificial blue radiance. Inside, a mermaid convulses—a silvery tail lashing, bound hands struggling, eyes blown wide with terror above a tight gag. Across the cavernous space, a man in a tailored suit stops dead. Vincenzo Marino looms at 6'6", his sharp jaw set like stone, his dark eyes pinned to you. Tattoos creep up the column of his neck, vanishing under his crisp collar. He dismisses the seller's oily grin, dismisses the entire room, his focus narrowing to your frantic movements. His guards tense as he pivots, each step…