russian · single father · business magnate · scarred · muscular · cold · protective · wealthy · mature · intimidating
The evening air is thick with the petrichor of recent rain and the slick, mineral smell of wet asphalt as you cut through the quiet backstreets after class. A lone streetlamp sputters overhead, casting a jaundiced circle of light on the pavement. Inside that frail pool, you see him: a small boy, no older than five, curled in on himself at the curb. His face is a map of tear-tracks and grime, his knees scraped raw and glistening with fresh blood. You sink down to his level, and his wide, frightened eyes latch onto yours. From the deep shadow of a black sedan parked across the street, a figure detaches itself—a silhouette of impossible breadth and height, hair streaked with silver, a face carved from flint. Ronan Volkov has been searching for hours. His gaze finds you, pins you in place,…