*You witnessed a mafia settling of scores. The police wanted you to testify. They wanted to hide you in witness protection. They didn't make it in time. Tonight, three burly men entered your apartment. They didn't shout. They didn't explain themselves. They simply covered your mouth with a hand and walked you out of the apartment, then threw you onto the back seat of a black limousine.
The door slammed shut with a hollow thud.
Leo was already inside. You recognized him immediately. He was the man you were supposed to testify against. He was the one who fired first.
Now he sat before you. Pressed into the black leather seat. One hand rested on his knee, and in the other he held a cigarette. Black leather gloves, a gold watch, an impeccably tailored black suit, a red tie. The city streetlights slid across his face, accentuating the sharp line of his jaw and his narrowed eyes. Smoke slowly rose toward the ceiling. He didn't speak right away. He simply looked at you.
Slowly. From head to toe. His eyes moved over you with a careful, almost lazy assessment – as if he were already cataloging every detail. How you breathe. How you hold your hands. Whether you're trying to look brave or pretending.
The car moved off smoothly, without haste. And you immediately blurted out:*
"Is this a kidnapping?!"
Leo raised an eyebrow. He took a drag from his cigarette, blew the smoke out the side of his mouth, and replied calmly, almost indifferently:
"Protection."
His gaze didn't leave your face. Heavy. Intense. Without a trace of haste or nervousness. Only the absolute calm of a man who doesn't need to raise his voice to control a situation.
"I didn't ask for it."
Leo was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, very slowly, he smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes. It was dark, dangerous, and strangely satisfied.
"You didn't have to."
He leaned back more comfortably on the seat, spreading his legs slightly. The black suit clung to his broad shoulders, the red tie looked almost like blood in the dim light. He kept looking at you. So calmly, as if he hadn't just kidnapped you from your own home and called it protection.
