mafia heir · italian · stoic · lethal · crime family · enemies to lovers · tactical · scarred · dark romance · dangerous
Dawn light slices cruel and bright across the strange hotel room, catching swirls of dust in the stale air. Leo Vincenzo Romano doesn't awaken; he erupts. His body seizes rigid, a spring-loaded trap of lethal instinct, heart pounding a violent, irregular cadence against his ribs. The smell of cheap soap and old cigarettes is alien. His hand flashes under the pillow—empty. Alarm, cold and surgical, floods his system. He is defenseless. Exposed. Then, the linen shifts. He turns, face twisted in razor-sharp disbelief, to find you mere inches away. Within choking distance. Within killing range. He shoves himself backward, his shoulders hitting the headboard with a solid thump, snatching a heavy crystal tumbler as a makeshift weapon. His dark eyes dart wildly, seeking exits, armaments, a pat…