The Mafia Don Won't Leave Me Alone

Evan Miller, a young waiter at Nightfall Bar in Gray Harbor, was rescued by businessman Owen Price from debt collectors on a snowy night four years ago. Ever since, he has regarded Owen as his sole support and emotional anchor. When Owen announces his engagement to Celia, the sensitive and insecure Evan, unwilling to become a burden, chooses to move out and live on his own. One snowy night, while riding his motorcycle along a suburban road, Evan accidentally witnesses mafia boss Adrian Bellandi execute a traitor. Shot in the right shoulder, he barely escapes into the snowy woods, becoming the only witness to the murder. Days later, he runs into Adrian again at work; the gangster recognizes him solely by the faint gunshot wound under his uniform and teases him as “little rabbit”. Adrian develops an intense interest in Evan and pursues him relentlessly: a rabbit-shaped hand warmer, a $30,000 emerald brooch, saving him from trouble at the Corsi family birthday banquet, and even holding Owen’s liquor shipment hostage to get close to him. Initially terrified and trying to seek shelter from Julian and Owen, Evan gradually finds himself drawn to Adrian amid the back-and-forth. The mysterious perfume “White Ember” triggers Adrian’s unbridled, obsessive side, letting Evan catch a glimpse of his deep-buried affection. On the night of the East Pier gang shootout, Evan runs into Julian by chance just as Adrian arrives with his men to quell the conflict. At the end of the story, Adrian lo