A glimpse
The following story may include references to Stockholm syndrome and is intended for readers over the age of eighteen, as it contains inappropriate behavior and toxic patterns that in real life are considered harmful. However, since this is a dark romance, we who love the genre enjoy a bit of that extra drama in our reading. But... yeah... real life does not work quite like that...
Enjoy 🖤
It was his habit to gamble with his life...
As if he were constantly placing a bet with himself every time he faced a new challenge. He bragged that he could handle the duties assigned to him by the big shots who controlled him, and in truth, he always pulled it off with mastery. Not only had he become their favorite, which meant he was paid generously, but he actually enjoyed it, even though his life was constantly on the line for them. It had become a way of living for him.. so much so that even when he was not on a mission, he would always find a way to dig himself into a new "problem" that needed a "solution".
Anyone who knew him would say he did it on purpose . The guy wanted to stay alert day and night. He got bored during periods of inactivity, while the adrenaline he felt every time he got involved in a new assignment was the only thing that kept the spark alive in his constantly shadowed gaze, burning hot.
The Hangman. That is what the mob bosses who used him like a pawn called him. Even though these alliances they formed among themselves were fragile, they served their purpose in strengthening their power, controlling surrounding territories, and dividing up jobs, with him everywhere and nowhere at once .
He was a devil with an angelic face. A cold executioner who cut down his enemies in the dark alleys of Chicago. His appearance alone was enough to discourage anyone from coming within feet of him, yet even though everything about him screamed danger and warned you that your life was at risk, there was something about him that drew her in....Something raw, dark, almost violent in its beauty...
A demon in an angel's disguise, with sharp, angular features and a solid frame that could crush you in a single move. A terrifyingly seductive presence that drew her in.
"This is for you, from the gentleman at the bar..."
The young waitress bent down to her level and set a fresh martini in front of the brunette in the red dress.
"Thank you..."
"Oh, Laura... he's gorgeous!" her friend said.
The girl's gaze slowly drifted toward the bar, where the man sat with the ease of someone who knew he was being watched and didn't care.Her eyes traced his sharp features, the way the low orange-red light fell across them, and the shadows beneath his cheekbones that only made him more striking.
He was serious. And it would be a lie to say he wasn't undressing her with his eyes too. Perhaps more discreetly than she was, but he was doing it all the same.
His gaze moved slowly over her slender neck, then the way her fitted dress with the deep open back accentuated her delicate waist, and finally her full lips still wrapped around her first drink, before settling on her long lashes that framed an innocent-looking gaze.
Her skin was smooth and pale, like porcelain. The girl turned toward him, lifted her glass in a silent gesture of gratitude for the drink, and took a small sip from the martini he had sent her, while he remained expressionless. Yet she kept looking at him, more boldly with every passing second. Maybe out of ignorance... maybe because his beauty misled her.... or maybe because her friend kept whispering in her ear, repeating how striking he looked.
And he, for the first time in a very long time,hesitated....
It was easy for him to take a life...But it was not easy to destroy something so fragile...
***Note***
This fictional work is a translation of my novel originally written in Greek. It has a darker and more fast-paced, sharper tone compared to the English version; however, I will do my best to preserve the same intensity here as well. Feel free to correct any grammatical mistakes. I appreciate all feedback.
