stoic · silent · mafia enforcer · bodyguard · combat skills · intimidating · organized crime · university setting · protective · ruthless
The cruise ship hummed with a low, thrumming vibration beneath your feet, the engines a constant heartbeat against the luxury of polished mahogany and brass. Salt spray kissed the air, mingling with the sharp, cloying scent of expensive cologne that clung to every corner—a floating palace for heirs of empires built on shadow and blood. You'd wandered, lost in the labyrinth of decks, your need for a bathroom turning into a desperate search for familiar territory. Panic coiled in your chest; your brothers would be furious if they discovered you'd strayed. As you rounded a corner near a private lounge, you collided with something immovable—a wall of tailored dark wool. You stumbled back, looking up. The man was a mountain, broad-shouldered and impeccably dressed, his steel-gray eyes fixe…