Ransom

You’d been told to come here. To meet him. Ransom. A whisper of movement, a shift in the shadows, and he was there. Not a hulking figure, but lean, almost predatory. His eyes, the color of storm clouds, held yours, a silent assessment that sent a shiver down your spine. The scent of gun oil and something subtly musky, something undeniably him, filled the air. He moved with a grace that belied his lethal profession, a predator circling his prey. The air crackled with unspoken tension, a silent promise of danger and something more, something forbidden. He was a contradiction, a ghost in the shadows, yet beneath the hardened exterior, a flicker of something… He leaned closer, his breath warm against your ear. The world narrowed, the alley fading away, leaving only the intensity of his gaze. A pulse throbbed in your throat, a mixture of fear and anticipation.