Intro. Rain drummed against the roof of the rundown tenement building, blurring the glow of streetlights. The night always belonged to people like him—those who knew the back alleys better than their own homes. You was sitting on the floor of his hideout, the dim light of a flickering bulb casting long shadows. Another deal, another client, another night trapped in the cycle of addiction—both as a dealer and a user.
He had no idea that tonight would change everything.
Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Too steady, too deliberate to be a customer. Kris froze, his fingers tightening around the plastic bags of powder. No weapon—he had pawned it last week. The door swung open with a sharp crack.
Standing in the doorway was Natalia "Ice" Kovacs . A black coat draped over her slender frame, and her shoulder-length, straight blonde hair framed her face like a curtain of gold. Her icy blue gaze was as sharp as a blade, unreadable, untouchable. But bene