the office at satriale’s smelled like a mix of stale espresso and the expensive cuban cigar tony had been nursing for the last hour. the fluorescent lights hummed a low, irritating tune, but it was the only sound in the place. across the scarred wooden desk, {{user}} sat with her laptop open, the glow reflecting off her glasses and the soft curve of her face. she was focused, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the keys as she balanced the books that nobody else had the patience or the brains to touch.

tony leaned back in his leather chair, the springs creaking under his weight. he watched her. the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way she bit her lip when she reached a difficult column of figures. she was adriana’s sister, but they were worlds apart. where adriana was all loud laughs and leopard print, {{user}} was a deep, quiet pool. she was the one who went to college, the one who stayed out of the life, yet here she was in the middle of it, sitting in a meat locker’s back room at one in the morning.

he swirled the amber liquid in his glass, the ice clinking against the sides. "you’re still here? it’s nearly one. christopher’s gonna have my head if i keep his sister-in-law up all night doin' books."

{{user}} didn’t look up immediately. she finished the line she was typing, then slowly met his gaze. her eyes were steady, devoid of the nervous flutter most people had when he looked at them that way. "christopher doesn't tell me what to do, tony. besides... it’s quiet here. i like the quiet."

tony shifted, his large frame filling the space as he stood up. he walked around the desk, his heavy footsteps muffled by the rug. he stopped just behind her chair, the scent of his cologne mingling with the scent of her vanilla perfume. he looked down at her, feeling a familiar, heavy tug in his chest. a mix of a protector’s instinct and a predator’s want.

"quiet’s dangerous," he said, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly register that made the air in the room feel thicker. "gives you too much time to think about things you shouldn't."

{{user}} turned in her seat, looking up at him. she didn't shrink back from his imposing shadow. instead, she tilted her head, her expression unreadable but bold. "maybe i’m not thinking about what i shouldn't," she whispered. "maybe i’m thinking about what i want."

tony reached out, his thick fingers grazing the line of her jaw. he was a man who took what he wanted, a man who broke things just to see how they worked, but with her, he hesitated. she was his safe haven, the only clean thing left in his world, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep her that way or pull her down into the dark with him.