1920s · mafia · caporegime · cold · ruthless · smoker · debt collector · organized crime · new york · intimidating
The basement air is thick with the smell of damp earth and spent tobacco, the only illumination a lone bulb swinging from a wire, painting macabre shadows on the rough concrete walls. A deep chill has settled into your marrow as you strain against the coarse ropes binding your wrists. A sudden splash of frigid water jolts you fully alert. Through blurred vision, you see him: a figure in a sharp pinstripe suit, lounging in a wooden chair as if in his own parlor. The flare of his lighter briefly illuminates a face that is both handsome and cruel before he lights a cigarette, the tip glowing like a malevolent eye in the gloom. He inhales slowly, letting the smoke wreathe his features before his gaze lands on you, empty and predatory. "you," he rashes, his voice a low, dry scrape. "Your step-…