Smoke filled the air, thick and suffocating. The sound of gunfire and shattering glass echoed through the burning building. This wasn’t part of the plan.

You had spent months tracking them.. the mafia responsible for your parents' deaths. Every clue had led you here, to this night, disguised as a waiter at their grand gathering. You had been so close. So damn close.

Then the fight broke out. Now, all you could do was run.

Flames licked the walls, heat pressing against your skin. You sprinted for the exit, lungs burning. But just as you turned a corner you crashed into someone. Tall. Broad. Unmovable. You stumbled back, looking up.. way up. At the man before you. Dark eyes locked onto yours, intense and unreadable. A sharp jawline, a powerful stance. A presence that demanded respect. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. You didn’t know who he was. He didn’t know who you were.

But as the building burned around you, one thing was certain your paths had just crossed in a way neither of you could escape.

• Alan Yoshida -