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Short filmTranscript
00:00I shove the stroller through the side gate like I'm out running a debt collector, which, technically, I am.
00:05The sun blasts the bright Los Angeles cul-de-sac, turning every surface into a spotlight on my panic.
00:12Sweat sticks my cheap t-shirt to my back as I drag the toddler twins behind me.
00:15They're bouncing with sugar highs from the cereal.
00:18I let them dump straight into their mouths because their mom's healthy snacks only rule means nothing when I'm in survival mode.
00:25The gate slams behind me.
00:27I jump.
00:28The twins cheer like, this is Disneyland.
00:30I'm not their regular babysitter.
00:32I'm the emergency backup.
00:34The friend of the friend of the sister.
00:36I only said yes because I needed the cash to keep my landlord from changing the locks on my apartment again.
00:41But now my day has gone off a cliff because inside that house behind me is a woman screaming at a man over speakerphone.
00:50A man whose name even I know.
00:52A man people whisper about at grocery stores.
00:55A man whose enemies tend to vanish.
00:56I didn't know I was babysitting for his sister until 20 minutes ago.
01:00And when I overheard the yelling, I did what any underpaid disaster magnet would do.
01:05I grabbed the kids and ran.
01:07The twins are giggling as we bolt down the blinding sidewalk.
01:11Their little legs pump like pistons.
01:13Where are we going?
01:14Juan yells.
01:16Away, I say.
01:18I'm focused on not getting arrested for kidnapping when my foot catches on a raised crack in the pavement.
01:23I lurch forward.
01:24Arms windmilling.
01:25Stroller tipping.
01:27The twins squeal like this is a roller coaster.
01:30I grab the stroller before it flips.
01:32And I'm so relieved I don't notice the luxury car pulling into the driveway I'm about to crash into.
01:37The sunlight flashes against the chrome.
01:40The engine growls.
01:42The car is matte black.
01:44Sleek.
01:45Quiet.
01:46Too expensive to exist this close to my bank account.
01:48I slam straight into the fender with the stroller.
01:51The toddler inside laughs.
01:53The driver door opens.
01:55And he steps out.
01:56The man is tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a fitted black designer shirt with the top button undone,
02:03sleeves rolled up to show forearms that look engineered, not grown, sunglasses hide his eyes.
02:09His jaw is sharp enough to slice me open.
02:11His presence hits like a punch.
02:13I know who he is even before he speaks, because I've seen his photo online.
02:18And because the air itself shifts around him like it knows better than to act normal,
02:22his name is Lorenzo Cade.
02:24West Coast Mafia turned Mafia Don.
02:27Owner of Jet Fleet's Beach Estates, a private island off Miami, a ranch in Texas.
02:33And apparently the patience level of a man who hates surprises.
02:36He looks down at the stroller mashed against his car.
02:39His voice lands low and calm.
02:42You're going to tell me why you just rammed a $200,000 vehicle with a baby on board?
02:46My throat locks.
02:47It was an accident.
02:49Everything is an accident with people who run that fast.
02:51It was a jog with a stroller.
02:55It's cardio with resistance.
02:58He takes off his sunglasses.
02:59His eyes are dark, assessing predator-focused.
03:02I hate that my stomach flips.
03:04I hate that heat crawls up my neck like I'm a teenager getting caught stealing gum.
03:08He steps closer.
03:10The sun sharpens every line of him.
03:12His shirt catches the light, fabric shifting over muscle.
03:15He smells faintly like cedar and money I'll never touch.
03:18One twin tugs my jeans.
03:21Miss Riley, is he a scary guy?
03:23I'm not scary, he says.
03:25The kid squints up at him.
03:27You look like you could lift a car.
03:30Lorenzo shrugs.
03:31I could.
03:32The other twin points at the dent I made.
03:35You should lift this one.
03:37A muscle jumps in his jaw.
03:39Not necessary.
03:40He tilts his head at me.
03:41Riley, hearing my name in his voice sends a jolt through my ribs.
03:45How do you know my name?
03:48My sister said she hired a new babysitter.
03:51Great.
03:51Perfect.
03:52Kill me.
03:53She did not mention, he continues, that you apparently flee her home like it's a crime scene.
03:59I straighten.
03:59I didn't flee.
04:01You huddled the rose bushes.
04:03They're too close to the walkway.
04:04They're ten feet away.
04:07They're aggressive rose bushes.
04:09He studies me like I am a puzzo heady, rather burn than solve.
04:12Why? he asks.
04:15Are you running down my street with my niece and nephew?
04:17His tone is calm, but the type of calm that makes my spine tingle with warning.
04:22I lift my chin, because your sister was yelling at someone on the phone and I didn't want the kids hearing it.
04:29His brows tighten.
04:30Yelling at who?
04:31I didn't stick around to get names.
04:33He steps closer until I feel his shadow even in the bright sun.
04:37You heard something you shouldn't have, probably.
04:39You panicked.
04:41I made a judgment call.
04:42You made a run for it.
04:44Same thing.
04:45His mouth twitches like he's fighting off a smirk.
04:48You could have stayed.
04:50I could have also set myself on fire.
04:53Both options sounded bad.
04:55He exhales once.
04:57Not frustration.
04:58Something like disbelief.
05:00Get them inside.
05:02No thanks.
05:02That wasn't a suggestion.
05:04I'm not walking.
05:05Back into a house filled with shouting.
05:08No one is shouting now.
05:09You don't know that I do?
05:11Because the phone call was with me.
05:14The ground tilts under me.
05:16She was yelling at you.
05:18Yes.
05:19And you want me to go inside with you?
05:21Yes.
05:22With the children.
05:24They're mine to protect.
05:26I fold my arms.
05:27They're mine until she pays me.
05:29The twins climb into the stroller like they're strapping in for a ride.
05:32One whispers.
05:33Loudly.
05:34He looks mad.
05:35Lorenzo crouches down to their level.
05:37I'm not mad.
05:38But I do need you inside.
05:41Your mom is waiting.
05:43The twins nod because they trust him instantly.
05:45Of course they do.
05:47He's the kind of man kids instinctively.
05:49Like even though adults instinctively panic.
05:51I keep my grip on the stroller.
05:53You're not in charge of me.
05:55He stands.
05:57Actually.
05:58Right now.
05:59I am.
06:00Nope.
06:02Yes.
06:03I don't answer to men in designer shirts who could bench press a yacht.
06:07He steps in front of the stroller.
06:08You do until I know why you've heard that phone call.
06:11My pulse spikes.
06:13I didn't hear anything useful.
06:14What did you hear?
06:15Your sister said your name.
06:17She said something about someone watching her.
06:20Then I heard crashing.
06:22Then I left.
06:24His eyes sharpen.
06:26Crashing.
06:27I thought she was in danger.
06:28She wasn't how was I supposed to know that.
06:30He looks at me for a long beat.
06:32The sun catches in his eyes like sparks.
06:34Show me exactly where you were standing.
06:36I'm not going back.
06:38He takes the stroller handles for me with one firm motion.
06:41Then I'll take them inside.
06:43And you will follow.
06:45I don't trust you.
06:46You trust me more than the street.
06:48That's debatable.
06:50He moves the stroller toward the house.
06:52I feel my chest lock.
06:54I follow because I don't have a choice.
06:56Because he's right.
06:58Because I can't leave the kids.
07:01The front door opens.
07:03His sister rushes out.
07:05Face flushed.
07:06Hair wild.
07:07Looking like she's run through five emergencies since I left.
07:10She scoops up the kids and thanks me in a frantic tumble of words.
07:13Lorenzo watches me instead.
07:15Silent.
07:16Measuring.
07:17The twins cling to her.
07:19She ushers them inside, murmuring apologies and promises of ice cream.
07:25He closes the door behind them, leaving him and me alone on the porch in the sharp Los Angeles sunlight.
07:31Then he says the line that freezes me.
07:34You're not leaving until I decide what to do with you.
07:38His words lock around me before I can swallow them.
07:41The sun beats down on the porch, bright enough to sting my eyes, but his stare does more damage than the daylight.
07:46He doesn't move.
07:48Doesn't?
07:48Blink!
07:49Just stands there in that fitted black designer shirt with the top button undone like he's carved out of certainty and I'm the only variable he hasn't solved.
07:56I try to step off the porch, he blocks me with one shift of his body, he's not loud, he's not dramatic, but his presence snaps across my skin like static.
08:08You're staying here.
08:09No, I'm going home.
08:11You know, where rent is due and panic is free.
08:15His voice never rises.
08:17You heard something that puts you inside my world and people don't walk away from that until I say so.
08:23You're talking like you're in a movie.
08:24I'm talking like I run the city you're currently standing in.
08:28I press my tongue against the back of my teeth so I don't swear.
08:31I didn't hear anything worth caring about.
08:33You heard my sister scared.
08:35I heard her stressed.
08:37Stress doesn't make her scream.
08:39Okay, well, it made her scream today.
08:42He steps forward.
08:44The porch railing heats behind me from sunlight.
08:46I feel trapped, but not physically pinned.
08:49It's worse.
08:50I'm trapped by the intensity of a man who's used to people folding before he even speaks.
08:55I need to know exactly what you know, he says.
08:58You think I'm a spy?
09:00I'm a babysitter whose entire savings is a jar of quarters and expired coupons.
09:04He studies my face like he's checking for cracks.
09:07That phone call wasn't about you.
09:09I know, but you ran anyway.
09:11Because I'm not built for murder-adjacent drama.
09:14I panic.
09:15I freak out.
09:16I sprint with children.
09:18It's my brand.
09:20His jaw tenses.
09:22Listen, chew me.
09:24Until I figure out if what you heard puts you in danger.
09:27You're not leaving my sight.
09:29That sounds like kidnapping.
09:30That sounds like protecting my sister's kids.
09:33Babysitter from something she stumbled into.
09:35I didn't stumble.
09:37I tripped.
09:38Same thing.
09:39I hate when you say that.
09:41He ignores it.
09:42Come inside.
09:44No, Riley.
09:46The way he says my name, this time quiet.
09:50Like a warning softened by something.
09:52He doesn't want to admit prize under my ribs.
09:54I cross my arms.
09:56I don't trust you.
09:57You don't have to.
09:59You just have to stay.
10:00What'd I tell you?
10:01How about no?
10:02Again.
10:03He exhales once, slow.
10:05You think I'm the danger here.
10:07You are.
10:08I'm the one keeping danger away from you.
10:11The door opens.
10:12His sister, Harper, appears with one twin attached to each leg.
10:17She's calmer now.
10:18Hair retwisted into a bun, face flushed, but no longer panicked.
10:22Lorenzo, stop intimidating her, she says.
10:25I'm not intimidating her.
10:27You're blocking her from leaving like a very expensive wall.
10:31He doesn't step aside.
10:33Harper looks at me.
10:34Riley, I'm so sorry for earlier.
10:36That wasn't about you.
10:38I was arguing with Lorenzo over something stupid.
10:42I didn't mean to scare you.
10:44Her apology loosens something in my chest.
10:46But Lorenzo's stare tightens it again.
10:48I'm fine, I say.
10:50I just need to go home.
10:52Harper opens her mouth, but Lorenzo cuts in.
10:55She's staying.
10:57Harper frowns.
10:58Lorenzo?
10:58She heard the wrong thing.
11:00She heard me yelling at you.
11:01Not anyone dangerous.
11:04He doesn't blink.
11:05Not open for negotiation.
11:08Harper sighs Lorenzo.
11:09She's a civilian.
11:10She's my responsibility now.
11:12I choke on air.
11:14No.
11:14Yes, he says, without looking at me.
11:18Harper puts a hand on his arm.
11:21She's not built for this.
11:22She wasn't built to overhear that call either.
11:25But here we are.
11:27Harper looks at me with sympathy I don't want.
11:29Stay a little longer, okay?
11:31Until he calms down.
11:33He doesn't look like he's ever calmed down in his life.
11:35I say Harper snorts.
11:37Correct.
11:38Lorenzo's eyes flick toward her like he'd glare,
11:40but he can't because she's his sister
11:42and the twins are watching him like he is a super-ado.
11:46Harper ushers the kids back inside,
11:47but stops in the doorway.
11:49Don't bully her, she says.
11:51I'm not bullying her.
11:53You were born bullying.
11:55The door shuts behind her.
11:57Now it's just him and me again.
11:59He tilts his head toward the driveway.
12:01Walk.
12:02I'm not a dog.
12:03I didn't say heel.
12:05You implied heel.
12:06He gestures once.
12:07Firm enough to say he has zero intention of debating.
12:09We're not doing this on the porch.
12:11I weigh every bad option.
12:13Option A.
12:14Run.
12:15Again.
12:16Which will end with me getting dragged back
12:18by a man who probably runs faster than my Wi-Fi.
12:21Option B.
12:22Stay.
12:23Inside his world.
12:25On purpose.
12:26Option C.
12:27Say something stupid.
12:28I go with C fine.
12:30But I'm walking because I choose to.
12:32Not because you're bossy.
12:34He doesn't smile.
12:35But something in his expression shifts like
12:37I've surprised him again.
12:38Inside, the house is bright.
12:41Sunlight spills across the hardwood.
12:44Kids' toys litter the floor.
12:46Family photos line.
12:47The wall's vacations.
12:48Beach trips.
12:49Birthdays.
12:51Normal.
12:52Disarmingly normal for someone whose name makes grown men whisper.
12:56He leads me to the kitchen.
12:58It's spotless except for the fruit bowl overflowing with oranges.
13:02The windows blaze with California sun.
13:04Sit?
13:05He says.
13:06No.
13:07He pulls out a chair anyway.
13:09I don't obey commands.
13:10You obey logic.
13:12No evidence of that yet.
13:14He leans one hip against the counter.
13:16Arms crossed.
13:17The posture says he has all the time in the world.
13:20It also says, I don't.
13:22What exactly did you hear?
13:24He asks.
13:25I told you.
13:26Tell me again.
13:27No hemovies fast.
13:29Not aggressive.
13:30Just deliberate.
13:33He takes the chair.
13:34Turns it.
13:35And sits across from me.
13:37Legs spread.
13:38Elbows on his thighs.
13:39So he's eye level.
13:41I'm not asking for fun.
13:43He says.
13:44I'm assessing risk.
13:46For who?
13:47You?
13:48My heart trips?
13:50Why me?
13:51Because you ran with the kids.
13:53That makes you someone who cares.
13:55And people who care get used.
13:57I'm not useful.
13:58He scans my face like I'm lying and don't know it.
14:02You'd be surprised what people will leverage.
14:04Can I leave after I tell you?
14:06No.
14:07You're terrible at deals.
14:09I'm excellent at deals.
14:10You just don't like the terms.
14:13I push my hands through my hair.
14:15Lorenzo, he cuts me off.
14:17Don't say my name like that.
14:19Like what?
14:20Like I'm someone you're negotiating with if you're not negotiating, you're surviving.
14:23I freeze.
14:24He softens the tone.
14:26Barely.
14:27You didn't do anything wrong.
14:29But you're in the middle of something, and I have to know if anyone else knows you ever
14:33heard it.
14:34No one.
14:35You didn't call anyone.
14:36I don't have anyone to call.
14:38That admission hits harder than I intend.
14:40His eyes narrow with a different kind of interest.
14:42The kind that feels like he's memorizing my weak points.
14:45He leans back in the chair.
14:47You work other jobs?
14:48Whatever I can get?
14:50You in debt.
14:51That's not your business.
14:53It becomes my business when it affects your decisions.
14:55My decisions are fine.
14:57You ran with toddlers.
14:59I glare.
14:59I'm impulsive.
15:01Not incompetent.
15:02He considers that.
15:03Fair.
15:04It bothers me that he gives me that win.
15:06He rizzes from the chair, steps closer, rests one hand on the table near me.
15:11Not touching.
15:13Just proximity that does too much.
15:15You're staying here today, he says.
15:17No.
15:19Yes.
15:20I have a life.
15:21You have overdue bills and a landlord you're avoiding.
15:24I jolt.
15:25How do you?
15:26He doesn't flinch.
15:28I looked you up on the way from the car.
15:30That fast?
15:31I don't waste time.
15:33That's invasive.
15:34That's accurate.
15:36I shove my chair back.
15:37I'm leaving.
15:38He steps in front of me.
15:40Again, the sunlight hits his profile, outlining the controlled strength in every line of him.
15:45You walk out that door, he says quietly, and someone else might ask what you heard before I do.
15:51My blood goes cold even though the room is warm with sun.
15:54Is that a threat?
15:55It's a fact.
15:57Because of your family?
15:58Because of my enemies.
16:00His voice doesn't drop, doesn't dramatize.
16:03He's telling the truth, the way people say.
16:05The weather's hot.
16:06I grip the back of the chair.
16:08What do you want from me?
16:09He studies me in silence.
16:12The kitchen hums with sunlight and tension.
16:14Finally, he says, I want you where I can see you.
16:18That's controlling.
16:19It's temporary.
16:21How temporary?
16:23Until I say otherwise.
16:26That's not...
16:27He interrupts.
16:28You're not leaving this house today.
16:30I breathe through the panic, burning my chest.
16:33What am I supposed to do?
16:35Just sit here.
16:36You can sit in the kitchen, the living room, the backyard, anywhere I can stop someone from grabbing you.
16:42Do people get grabbed around you often?
16:45Often enough.
16:46I look at the front windows flooding the house with sunlight.
16:49Bright.
16:50Open.
16:51Exposed.
16:52If someone wanted to come after me, I say, they'd do it out there.
16:56He shakes his head once.
16:57They won't.
16:58Because they know this is my territory.
17:01And your territory keeps people safe.
17:03It keeps you safe.
17:04I cross my arms tighter.
17:06You don't even know me.
17:08He steps closer.
17:09I know trouble when it falls into my world and pretends it isn't trouble.
17:12I'm not trouble.
17:14You are exactly trouble.
17:16He says it like he already accepted the responsibility of dealing with me.
17:20I swallow hard.
17:21So what now?
17:23He gestures toward the hallway.
17:24Now you stay where I put you.
17:27And if I refuse, he meets my gaze without blinking.
17:31Then I pick you up and put you there myself.
17:35You said...
17:36I stare at him like he's grown a second head.
17:38The sun pours through the hallway windows, making everything sharp and overexposed.
17:43Which feels appropriate because my life is currently a blown-out mess.
17:46You're not picking me up, I say.
17:48You're assuming you get a vote.
17:50I back up until my shoulders hit the wall.
17:52You seriously think you can order me around like I'm one of your guys?
17:55You're more unpredictable than my guys.
17:58That's not a compliment.
17:59It's not an insult.
18:00He reaches for the doorknob leading to the backyard.
18:03Come on, I'm not going outside with you.
18:05Yes, you are.
18:06I need privacy.
18:08And inside this house, every wall has ears.
18:12Whose ears?
18:13Family.
18:15Staff.
18:16People who don't need to hear what you he about to tell.
18:19Me already told you everything.
18:21You told me the edited version.
18:23That was the version.
18:24He pushes the door open.
18:27The sunlight floods the hallway even more.
18:29The backyard is shockingly peaceful big lawn.
18:32Sparkling pool.
18:34Patio furniture positioned like a lifestyle ad.
18:36Sunlight reflects off the water so bright it looks like liquid glass.
18:40He steps out and waits.
18:42I stand there like a stubborn mailbox.
18:44Riley, he says, not raising his voice,
18:47I'm not going to drag you,
18:49but don't make me choose the option that comes after that.
18:51I mutter something unprintable under my breath and follow him outside.
18:55He closes the door behind us.
18:57The air is warm, the kind of warm that sticks to your arms even in the shade.
19:03The sun reflects off the pool and lights his whole face like he's been designed for daylight.
19:07He walks to the patio table and rests his hands on the back of a chair.
19:11Sit.
19:12No.
19:13He nods once, as if unsurprised.
19:16Fine.
19:17Stand.
19:18Tell me everything again.
19:20Slowly.
19:21I didn't hear anything new in the last seven minutes.
19:24What did Harper say before you ran your name?
19:26Something about someone watching her.
19:29His jaw locks?
19:30And then she yelled, I add.
19:32And then I heard something crash.
19:34And then I left.
19:36He studies me like he's replaying every second of what I said in his head.
19:40Did she say a name?
19:41He asks.
19:43No.
19:44Did she mention a location?
19:45No.
19:46Did she say anything at all before that yelling?
19:50I wasn't eavesdropping.
19:52I was packing diaper bags and bribing toddlers to wear shoes.
19:55He looks out of the pool, squinting at the glare.
19:58Someone's been pushing too close to my family.
20:02I don't know who yet.
20:03Harper's scared.
20:05That means someone crossed a line.
20:07And I'm somehow involved in this.
20:09You were in the house when it happened.
20:11And you think whoever crossed the line is going to...
20:14What?
20:14Track me down for hearing half a sentence.
20:18People have been killed for less.
20:20My stomach drops.
20:22That's comforting.
20:23I'm not trying to comfort you.
20:25No kidding.
20:26He steps closer.
20:28The sun lights the edge of his jaw,
20:30making him even more intimidating like
20:32he's built from the same material as the light,
20:34not just standing in it.
20:36I can't let you leave until I know who's after my sister,
20:39he says.
20:40That could take days.
20:41It won't.
20:43You sound very sure.
20:44I don't guess.
20:46I find answers.
20:49Great.
20:50Go find them.
20:51Without meaning he doesn't move.
20:53Doesn't blink.
20:54I told you we'd do this together now.
20:56I laugh once.
20:57Sharp.
20:58Why would I team up with you?
21:00His reply is immediate.
21:02Because you already did.
21:04No, I didn't.
21:05You saved Hoppa's kids.
21:06That wasn't about you.
21:07Everything involving my family is about me.
21:10Well, that's narcissistic.
21:12He leans in, eyes dark but steady.
21:15You heard something dangerous.
21:17You ran.
21:19You protected two kids who aren't yours.
21:21You didn't think.
21:22You acted.
21:23People like that don't get left alone.
21:26I don't need your gratitude or your oversight.
21:28This isn't gratitude.
21:30This is strategy.
21:31I'm not your strategy.
21:34You are now.
21:35I rub my forehead.
21:37The sunlight is too bright.
21:39His presence too heavy.
21:40My nerves too raw.
21:41You're exhausting.
21:43And you're underestimating how serious this is.
21:46I laugh again.
21:47But this time it cracks.
21:48I'm literally a babysitter who ate leftover toddler waffles for breakfast.
21:53I don't have the bandwidth for mafia threats before noon.
21:56His eyes flicker.
21:58Not with amusement.
21:59With something like respect.
22:01You keep your humor under pressure.
22:03It's not humor.
22:06It's survival.
22:08We have that in common.
22:09That line hits strange.
22:10Like a door opening where I didn't expect one.
22:13I cross my arms.
22:15So what's the plan?
22:16Don Lorenzo?
22:17He ignores the jab.
22:19Harper told me why she hired you.
22:22I don't like where this is going.
22:23You need money.
22:25Everyone needs money.
22:26You need it.
22:27Urgently.
22:28That's none of your business.
22:30It is now.
22:30I don't want your charity.
22:31I wasn't offering charity.
22:34I was offering a deal.
22:35I tense what deal?
22:36You stay under my protection until I find who's targeting Harper.
22:41That's not a deal.
22:42That's captivity with snacks.
22:44Let me finish.
22:46I wait.
22:47Arms cross so tight they cut into my ribs.
22:49He continues.
22:51I need a cover.
22:53Someone unconnected to my world.
22:55Someone who can move with me without setting off alarms.
22:58I blink.
22:59Move with you?
23:01As in physically?
23:03Be beside you?
23:04Yes.
23:05I don't even know you.
23:06That's the point.
23:08Why me?
23:08You're not in any crew.
23:10You're not connected to any rival.
23:12You're invisible.
23:13That's rude.
23:14It's accurate.
23:15I grind my teeth.
23:17I don't want a job with you.
23:18It's not a job.
23:20It's a temporary alliance.
23:22It still sounds like a job.
23:25He tilts his head.
23:26You'd rather go back to your apartment and hope no one followed you from my sister's house.
23:29That's not logical.
23:31He says.
23:32I hate his logic.
23:33I hate that it's airtight.
23:34I hate even more that I know I'm out of options.
23:38He watches me wrestle with the decision.
23:40You're asking me to be...
23:42What?
23:43Your partner?
23:44I finally ask.
23:46My cover?
23:47For what?
23:48He gives me a long stare.
23:49A wedding.
23:50I blink.
23:51A wedding?
23:52You want me to go to a wedding with you?
23:54Yes.
23:55That's your dangerous alliance pitch.
23:57He doesn't crack a smile.
23:59This wedding is going to be filled with the people I need to question.
24:03I can't walk in alone.
24:04You could take literally anyone else.
24:06Anyone else would draw suspicion?
24:09I draw suspicion.
24:11Not the right kind.
24:12My voice rizzes.
24:14I'm not walking into a mafia-infested wedding with you.
24:17You will.
24:18No.
24:19Yes.
24:20He steps closer against sun behind him, heat radiating off his skin like he's made of the
24:24same material as tension.
24:26You stay under my supervision, he says.
24:29You act like you belong with me.
24:31You hear what others don't.
24:33And in exchange, I keep you alive.
24:35Alive, I say.
24:37Stunned.
24:38He nods once.
24:39I don't exaggerate.
24:41I swallow hard, he adds.
24:43And I'll pay you enough to fix whatever mess you're in.
24:45I freeze.
24:46He watched that land.
24:48I told you I'm not taking charity, I repeat.
24:50It's not charity.
24:52It's payment for a partnership.
24:54Partnership with a mafia don't.
24:56Yes.
24:57That's insane.
24:59So is running down a street with toddlers.
25:02I shove his shoulder.
25:03He doesn't move an inch.
25:06You're impossible.
25:07You're out of options.
25:09He's right.
25:10And he knows he's right.
25:11And the worst part is, I know he's right too.
25:14Fine.
25:15I snap.
25:16What do I have to do?
25:17His satisfaction barely flickers across his face.
25:20We'll stop with rules.
25:22Of course we will.
25:23Number one.
25:25You don't leave my sight unless I say so.
25:27I roll my eyes.
25:29Fantastic.
25:30Number two.
25:31You don't talk about what you hear.
25:33I don't even understand what I hear.
25:34Good.
25:35Keep it that way.
25:36And number three.
25:37I ask.
25:38He watches me long enough that I feel heat crawl up my neck.
25:42Number three.
25:42You act like you're with me.
25:44Meaning.
25:45He doesn't answer.
25:47He lets the sunlight do half the talking.
25:49Then he says the line that binds the whole act together.
25:53Meaning.
25:53Riley.
25:54That when we walk into that wedding tomorrow.
25:56Everyone who matters will believe you're mine.
25:58I wake before he knocks.
26:00Because my nerves don't let me do anything else.
26:02Sunlight blasts through the guest room window like it's interrogating me.
26:06I sit up fast, still wearing the tank top.
26:08And shorts I crashed in.
26:09My brain runs the alliance terms on loop.
26:13His rules.
26:15His control.
26:16His expectation that I walk into a mafia stacked wedding on his arm and pretend I belong.
26:20He doesn't wait for permission.
26:22He walks in like the room is an extension of his territory.
26:26Black designer shirt.
26:27Toppy button and then sleeves rolled once.
26:30He looks like daylight was built for him.
26:32He doesn't comment on my half awake state.
26:34He only drops a garment bag on the chair.
26:38Wear that.
26:38I stand.
26:39You're dressing me now.
26:41People at this wedding read everything.
26:43Clothes included.
26:46This is manipulative.
26:47It's survival.
26:48I unzip the bag.
26:50A simple cream dress.
26:52Fitted but not obscene.
26:54Sun friendly.
26:56Expensive.
26:58I hate that it's beautiful.
26:59I hate that it makes me feel seen.
27:01He checks his watch.
27:03We leave in 20.
27:03I fold my arms.
27:04You ever say, please?
27:07Not in this lifetime.
27:09He leaves the room without waiting for a response.
27:12I get dressed fast.
27:13The fabric slides against my skin like it was made for me.
27:16I hate the feeling.
27:18It makes me aware of every inch of myself.
27:21And that's a liability around him.
27:23I step out into the hallway.
27:24He looks up from checking his phone.
27:26His eyes track me once.
27:28Head to toe.
27:29Fast and sharp like a scan.
27:31Nothing seductive.
27:33Only assessment.
27:34But it hits like heat anyway.
27:36Good, he says.
27:37You look like someone no one would underestimate.
27:40That's not what dresses normally do.
27:42You're not in a normal situation.
27:44We walk out to the driveway.
27:46The sun blasts the concrete.
27:48One of his cars waits sleek.
27:50Too shiny.
27:51Too smooth.
27:52One of those rumor-priced machines with leather
27:53that probably costs more than my rent for a decade.
27:56He opens the passenger door.
27:59I pause.
28:00You're expecting me to ride with you?
28:02Yes.
28:03No backup car.
28:05Backup cars draw attention.
28:06There will be mafia bosses inside that wedding.
28:09Don't they already expect attention?
28:11He looks age me.
28:13Sit.
28:14I sit because arguing burns energy I don't have.
28:17He drives with calm precision.
28:19No music.
28:21No talking.
28:22Just some lit L.A. sliding by.
28:24Streets hot enough to shimmer.
28:26Palm trees cutting shadows that look like stripes.
28:28I break first.
28:30I don't know the cover story.
28:31We improvise.
28:33That's a terrible plan.
28:35Only if you're bad at lying.
28:36I am terrible at lying.
28:39That's why people will believe you.
28:40I pinch the bridge of my nose.
28:43I swear you enjoy making my life harder.
28:46He doesn't smile.
28:47You're the one who ran with kids.
28:49This is the consequence.
28:50You're blaming me for saving toddlers?
28:53I'm blaming you for stepping into my world before you knew what it cost.
28:56I glare at the window.
28:58I didn't step in.
28:59Your sister pulled me in.
29:02And I'm pulling you back out.
29:04After this.
29:05That last part lands heavier than it should.
29:08Like he's promising something he doesn't want to promise.
29:11We pull into the venue and outdoor estate, drenched in sun, flowers everywhere, bright stone arches, fountains throwing sparkles into the air.
29:19Guests are already mingling, dressed like they walked out of a streaming service drama about rich, dysfunctional people.
29:25He steps out first.
29:26Then he comes around to my door and waits.
29:29Not gentlemanly.
29:32Strategic.
29:33Checking the perimeter.
29:34When I get out, he places his hand lightly on my lower back.
29:38Not possessive.
29:39A signal to everyone watching.
29:42The message is clear.
29:44I'm with him.
29:46My pulse jumps.
29:47This is too convincing.
29:49It has to be.
29:50He scans the crowd.
29:52Faces turn toward him instantly.
29:54Some nod with cautious respect.
29:58So, Miluk, away.
30:00He leans down slightly.
30:01Stay close.
30:01I wasn't planning to wander off into the mafia buffet.
30:05We walk inside the courtyard.
30:07Sunlight reflects off every polished surface.
30:10People keep their distance from him in a way that feels choreographed.
30:13He's the calm center of a circle.
30:15Everyone pretends not to notice.
30:17A man in a pale suit approaches tall, blonde, too smooth.
30:24He grabs Lorenzo's shoulder like they're old friends, but Lorenzo's jaw tightens.
30:29Lorenzo, the man says, didn't expect you here.
30:33You should expect me everywhere, Lorenzo replies.
30:36The man's eyes flick to me.
30:38And you brought company.
30:41Lorenzo doesn't blink.
30:42She's with me.
30:44The man studies me like I'm a new flavor he doesn't trust.
30:47Nay might open my mouth, but Lorenzo answers first.
30:50Riley.
30:51The man's smile twitches.
30:53Cute.
30:53Let's hope she's not fragile.
30:55Lorenzo shifts barely, but I feel the warning in his posture.
30:59She's not your concern.
31:01The man taps his glass against Lorenzo's shoulder once, too familiar, then drifts away.
31:06I exhale when he's gone.
31:09I hated him.
31:10You should.
31:11Friend of yours?
31:13Enemy of convenience?
31:15We move on.
31:16Sunlight pours across the tables.
31:18Laughter rings too loud for people who all distrust each other.
31:22I stick tight to Lorenzo's side.
31:23He moves like a shield, absorbing attention, deflecting threats by existing.
31:28Eventually, we find a quiet corner near a sprawling lemon tree, throwing bright yellow shadows on the grass.
31:33This wedding feels like a trap, I say.
31:36It is.
31:37You brought me anyway.
31:39That's why I stare at him.
31:41Explain?
31:42He keeps his gaze on the crowd.
31:45Everyone here thinks they know my next move.
31:48Showing up with someone no one recognizes disrupts that.
31:51So, I'm...
31:52Chaos.
31:52Chaos.
31:53Exactly.
31:55That's insulting.
31:56It's effective.
31:57I look at him.
31:59At the tension in his jaw.
32:00At the way he tracks every person in a 15-yard radius.
32:03At the control, he wears like a second skin.
32:06He's built for this world.
32:08I'm not.
32:09But somehow, I'm standing next to him like I belong.
32:12We head toward a cluster of guests.
32:15He exchanges polite, stiff greetings.
32:17I stay quiet, scanning faces the way he told me, acting like E.M., part of the picture, pretending my knees don't shake.
32:25Then I catch something.
32:27A woman two tables away, staring at she was not at Lorenzo at me.
32:31Sharp eyes, sharp eyes, tanned skin, perfect hair, watching like she's cataloging details.
32:37I whisper.
32:38She's staring.
32:40He follows my gaze without turning his head.
32:42Describe her.
32:43Tan dress, dark hair, mouth like she bites lemons for fun.
32:48Selina Vance.
32:50You know her?
32:50She has a habit of studying people she wants leverage on.
32:53My stomach tightens.
32:54So she wants leverage on me.
32:56No, he says.
32:58She wants leverage on me.
33:00She thinks I'm leverage.
33:01Exactly.
33:02Well, that's fantastic.
33:03Won't act here.
33:05That's comforting.
33:07How?
33:07It's not meant to be.
33:09We move again, deeper into the reception area.
33:12Lunch is being set out.
33:14Glasses clink.
33:14Bright sun bakes the stone patio.
33:17Then a loud crack explodes from the far side of the courtyard.
33:21Not a gunshot glass breaking.
33:23A server dropped a tray of champagne.
33:26Guests gasp and spin toward the sound.
33:29Lorenzo's hand goes to my arm instantly, pulling me behind him with zero hesitation.
33:33I jerk slightly.
33:35It's just, no.
33:37His voice slices through the noise.
33:39That was a test.
33:41A test of what?
33:43Your reaction.
33:45My proximity.
33:46Who?
33:47No, tshus.
33:48I scan quickly.
33:50The blonde man watches us.
33:52Selena watches us.
33:54Till others track us from the opposite fence line.
33:57They all saw the same thing.
33:59Lorenzo's shielding me.
34:00He releases my arm slowly, eyes flicking across the crowd with lethal focus.
34:04We leave.
34:06We leave, he says.
34:07I blink.
34:08Already?
34:09Shh.
34:10The wrong people notice the wrong details.
34:13What details?
34:14That you matter.
34:16My stomach flips.
34:18I don't matter.
34:19You do now.
34:20We head toward the exit.
34:22His pace is sharp.
34:24Controlled.
34:25Halfway across the courtyard, a man steps into our path.
34:29Brought shoulders.
34:31Too casual smile.
34:33Dark glasses.
34:34Don't, Kate?
34:35He says.
34:36Leaving so soon.
34:38The party hasn't even started.
34:41Lorenzo stops.
34:42His body turns slightly, positioning himself between me and the man.
34:47Move?
34:48You brought someone new?
34:49The man continues.
34:50People are curious.
34:52Curiosity gets people buried.
34:54The man smiles.
34:55So does paranoia.
34:58Lorenzo steps forward once.
35:00The man steps back.
35:01Not much, but enough to expose the truth.
35:04He's scared of Lorenzo.
35:06Of what might happen in broad daylight with a hundred witnesses, the man lifts his hands.
35:12Fine.
35:13Go.
35:14We move past him without another word.
35:16At the car, Lorenzo opens my door.
35:19Urgency wrapped tight around every movement.
35:22Once inside, he grips the steering wheel.
35:24Jaw locked.
35:25I study him.
35:26What happened?
35:28He pulls onto the road.
35:29Your face showed too much when the tray broke.
35:32I was startled.
35:33They read that as vulnerability.
35:35I am vulnerable.
35:36And they'll use that.
35:38I grip the door handle.
35:40So what now?
35:41He drives faster.
35:43Sunlight blurs across the windshield.
35:45His voice stays even.
35:47Now we change the terms.
35:49You're not temporary anymore.
35:51My breath stops.
35:53Meaning what?
35:54His eyes stay on the road.
35:56Meaning, you're staying with me until this is finished.
35:59No arguments.
36:01New exits.
36:02The ride back feels like getting pushed toward a cliff I didn't see coming.
36:06Sunlight slants across the dash in long, bright bars, turning the inside of the car into a white-hot interrogation room.
36:12Lorenzo drives without speaking, his jaw locked, his focus unbreakable.
36:19Like the road is an enemy and he's dissecting it.
36:21When we pull into the driveway of his sister's house's temporary safe ground, I get out before he even kills the engine.
36:27My chest is tight.
36:29My pulse is a drum.
36:31I whirl around.
36:33You can't just decide I'm not temporary.
36:35He shuts his door, steps into the blazing light, and stands there like he's carved out of the sun itself.
36:42I did decide.
36:43That's not how my life works.
36:45That's exactly how your life works now.
36:48I'm not property.
36:49You're a liability with a target painted on her back.
36:53Stop talking like I'm part of your ledger.
36:55His voice drops.
36:57Controlled.
36:58Hard.
36:59You were fine, as long as no one noticed you.
37:01But they noticed you today.
37:03You reacted.
37:04They saw it.
37:06They understood it.
37:07Understood what?
37:09That you affect me.
37:10I freeze.
37:11He says it like a death sentence.
37:13Not tender.
37:15Not soft.
37:16Not romantic.
37:18A complication.
37:19A weakness.
37:20A pressure point other people can now use.
37:23And suddenly everything that happened in the courtyard snaps together.
37:26The blonde man watching us.
37:27Selena Vance, staring like she was sketching me into a blueprint.
37:31That server dropping the tray and half the guests watching for my reaction, not his mind.
37:35Because I was standing too close.
37:38Because he put his hand on my back.
37:41Because he pulled me behind him without hesitation.
37:43Because I mattered in a room where everything that matters becomes ammo.
37:48I swallow hard.
37:50So what?
37:51Now I'm stuck with you forever.
37:53No.
37:54He says, just until this threat is gone.
37:58Define.
37:58Gone.
37:59When the person watching Harper's Handled's...
38:02Handled how?
38:03Handled.
38:04That's as much detail as I'm getting.
38:07He walks to the front door.
38:09I stay rooted on the driveway.
38:11Heat radiating off the pavement.
38:13My head spinning heat turns back.
38:15Inside.
38:16No.
38:18Riley.
38:19I cross my arms and plant my feet.
38:21You can't keep dragging me like a pawn.
38:23I'm not dragging you.
38:24You're controlling every second of my life.
38:26Because you don't understand the stakes.
38:28Then explain them.
38:30He steps toward me.
38:31Every stride precise.
38:34Sunlight cuts across his shoulders.
38:36Making the black designer shirt glow against his skin.
38:39He stops close.
38:41Too close.
38:42Close enough that I smell cedar again.
38:44Clean and sharp.
38:46You want the truth?
38:47He asks.
38:48Yes.
38:49You're the only person outside my family who's seen what Harper is dealing with.
38:53That puts you in a category of danger you don't have a name for.
38:56I'm not part of your world.
38:57That doesn't matter anymore.
38:59I never ask to be part of it.
39:01You run with kids who aren't yours.
39:03Stop using that as an excuse for everything.
39:06It isn't an excuse.
39:08It's the reason you're still breathing.
39:10People like you get targeted first.
39:13People like me.
39:14People who show they have a heart.
39:17That line cracks something in me.
39:19I didn't want cracked.
39:20He continues.
39:21Voice lower.
39:21I can protect people who expect danger.
39:24I can't protect the ones who don't.
39:27So now you stay close.
39:28You stay quiet.
39:29And you do what I tell you.
39:31I don't take orders.
39:32You will if you want to live.
39:34I almost choke on anger and fear tangled together.
39:37You can't keep me here.
39:39You think so?
39:40That's kidnapping.
39:41That's prevention.
39:42You're not listening to me.
39:44He narrows his eyes.
39:45And you're not listening to reality.
39:48He rizzes up my spine.
39:50The argument is hitting a breaking point.
39:52I shove past him, heading toward the side of the house.
39:55He grabs my wrist, not hurting just enough to stop me.
39:58I spin on him.
39:59Let go.
40:00He does immediately.
40:04But the damage is done.
40:07His eyes darken.
40:08He sees something, some flicker of fear, frustration, or rebellion in my face.
40:14I'm not your enemy, he says.
40:16You're not my friend either.
40:17A long beat passes, he nods once.
40:20But the movement looks like it hurts.
40:22Fine.
40:23If you want space, you'll get space.
40:25He steps back.
40:26That should comfort me.
40:28It doesn't...
40:29Inside, Harper tries to diffuse the tension with warmth and food and offers of iced tea in
40:34the sunlit kitchen.
40:35The twins run circles around the island like caffeinated landmines.
40:39But Lorenzo is a shadow, even in the Brighouse quiet.
40:42Watching, pacing mentally, he gets a call.
40:45One word on the screen makes his shoulders stiffen.
40:48He goes outside to take it.
40:50I shouldn't follow.
40:51I follow anyway.
40:53He stands in the backyard, sun glaring off the pool, one hand on his hip, phone to his
40:58ear.
40:58His voice slices through the air.
41:00Not yelling.
41:01Worse?
41:03Controlled?
41:04Deadly.
41:05I told you not to touch her.
41:08My blood chills, even though the heat is thick.
41:11He listens.
41:12Then why did Selina look at her like that?
41:14Silence.
41:15She wants leverage, he says.
41:18Leverage she thinks she can use against me.
41:20My throat tightens.
41:22He listens again.
41:23Then...
41:24Then I'll move first.
41:25He hangs up.
41:26I step closer.
41:27Move how...
41:28He turns slowly.
41:30The sun hits his face, highlighting the exhaustion he never shows.
41:35Riley, he says.
41:37Someone at that wedding recognized your reaction.
41:40That means one thing.
41:41What?
41:41Someone thought you were worth investigating.
41:44Fear spikes like a needle under my skin.
41:46Why?
41:46I'm nothing special.
41:49That's what I wanted them to believe.
41:51Then they believed wrong.
41:52He shakes his head.
41:53They saw the way you looked at me.
41:56My voice fractures.
41:57How did I look at you like you trusted me?
42:01I don't trust you.
42:03You do, he says quietly.
42:05Even when you don't want to.
42:07The ground shifts under me.
42:09I want to deny it.
42:10I want to scream at him.
42:12I want to say he's wrong.
42:14But something inside me knows he isn't.
42:17He steps closer.
42:18That's why they think you matter.
42:21I swallow hard.
42:22What does that mean for me?
42:24It means, he says, that if they can't get to me directly, they'll come after you.
42:30The words slam into me.
42:32So you're saying, I whisper, I'm bait.
42:35No, he says, you're a pressure point.
42:38And now you have to choose whether to cut me loose or pull me closer.
42:41His jaw clenches.
42:42There's no choice.
42:44You already made it.
42:45He nods once.
42:47I did.
42:48I step back.
42:49So what's the decision?
42:50He meets my gaze.
42:52You're staying with me.
42:53Not here.
42:55Not under my sister's roof.
42:57With me, my breath stops.
42:59At your house.
43:02Yes.
43:03No.
43:04Yes.
43:05That's necessary.
43:06I'm not moving into your world.
43:09You already did.
43:10I won't survive in it.
43:11Oh, make sure you do.
43:13I shake my head, heat burning behind my eyes.
43:15You don't get to decide.
43:17He cuts me off.
43:18You're not safe anywhere else.
43:20I don't want to be protected by you.
43:22His voice lowers.
43:23You're lying.
43:24I'm not.
43:26You are.
43:27I'm telling you, he steps closer until the sun warms both our faces.
43:31You're scared and you're angry and you don't know who to trust.
43:35But you trust me anyway.
43:38I feel the truth hit like a weight on my chest.
43:40He adds.
43:41And that makes you vulnerable.
43:43And that's why they'll use you.
43:44My voice shakes.
43:46Then maybe I should just disappear.
43:48He moves so fast, I barely see it.
43:50He grabs my face gently but firmly, forcing me to look at him.
43:54Don't you ever say that again?
43:56His answer is a soft, dangerous growl.
44:00Because losing you is not something I'm willing to consider.
44:03Silence, heat, sunlight, everything stops.
44:08I pull back, breathless and angry at myself for being breathless.
44:12You don't get to say things like that.
44:14I said it because it's true.
44:16It complicates everything.
44:18It clarifies everything.
44:21I shake my head.
44:22No.
44:24No, Lorenzo.
44:25If I stay with you, I lose my freedom.
44:28You stay alive.
44:30That's not living.
44:32He breathes out, low and slow like he's fighting something he doesn't want to say.
44:36Then he says it anyway.
44:37You can hate me for this later.
44:39But today, you don't leave my side.
44:41I take a step back.
44:43He lets me go.
44:45The distance between us feels like a wound.
44:49I whisper, this isn't protection.
44:51This is a cage.
44:53He looks away.
44:54Jaw tight.
44:55It's both.
44:56He admits.
44:57And in the morning, he says, we face the fallout together.
45:02Morning hits hard and bright.
45:05Sunlight pouring through the giant windows of Lorenzo Cade's private estate like it's trying to expose everything we've been avoiding.
45:10I barely slept.
45:12I'm sitting on the edge of the guest bed in a t-shirt that isn't mine, staring at the sunlit marble floor and wondering how my life turned into a pre-disaster highlight reel.
45:20He knocked once at dawn, didn't wait for an answer, and said, we leave in an hour.
45:26Leave to where he didn't say.
45:27Now, he's waiting for me downstairs.
45:30When I step into the hallway, the house is too big, too quiet, too warm with light that bounces off glass and polished stone.
45:37His world looks beautiful in a sterile way, like wealth curated by someone who doesn't sleep long enough to enjoy any of it.
45:43I take the stairs slowly.
45:45He's in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, sunlight cutting across his shoulders and turning his black designer shirt into a contrast that makes him look even more unreal.
45:54He watches me the second I walk in.
45:57No softening.
45:58No smile.
46:00Just a heavy, assessing focus.
46:03You ready?
46:04He says.
46:04It's not a question.
46:06He doesn't do questions.
46:07I don't even know what we're doing.
46:09We're ending it.
46:10Ending what?
46:11The threat?
46:12That tells me nothing.
46:14He grabs keys from the counter.
46:16His movements are precise, quiet, controlled like always.
46:21You wanted the truth?
46:22You'll get it out there.
46:24I cross my arms.
46:25Tell me here.
46:27No.
46:28Why not?
46:29Because walls hear things.
46:31He walks past me, expecting me to follow like I'm an extension of his momentum.
46:36I force myself to keep pace.
46:38Outside, the sun is blinding.
46:41The driveway hot enough to shimmer.
46:43One of his cars white sleek.
46:45Armored without looking armored.
46:46Engine purring under the hood.
46:48When we get in, I grip the door handle.
46:50Are we walking into danger again?
46:52Yes.
46:53You need to work on your communication skills.
46:56I don't lie.
46:57That's my communication skill.
46:59He drives us through the bright sprawl of coastal Santa Monica, taking side streets, switching lanes with the confidence of someone who owns every intersection.
47:09Where are we going?
47:10I ask.
47:10Neutral ground.
47:12That sounds like a trap.
47:15It's where people go when they want to pretend they're civilized.
47:19That doesn't make it better.
47:21His eyes flick toward me.
47:23You stay close.
47:24You let me talk.
47:26You do not react.
47:28I reacted last time because a tray exploded.
47:31You reacted because you care.
47:32I hate the way that lands.
47:35I can stop caring.
47:37No.
47:38You can't.
47:39We drive into a coastal estate nothing like the wedding venue.
47:42This one is minimalist.
47:44Sunlight blazing over white stone and sand-colored walls.
47:47No guards at the front.
47:49No obvious weapons.
47:52Too clean.
47:53Too bright.
47:54I whisper.
47:55You bring enemies to places like this?
47:58I bring messages to places like this.
48:00He gets out.
48:02I follow because staying in the car feels worse.
48:05Inside, the foyer is all sun-washed glass and beige furniture.
48:09A man waits near a long table of fruit and bottled water.
48:12It's the blonde man from the wedding.
48:14He smiles like a shark learning to mimic human cheer.
48:18Lorenzo, you came early.
48:20I don't waste time.
48:22The man glances at me and you brought your...
48:24Lorenzo cuts in.
48:25Don't finish that sentence.
48:28The man lifts his hands.
48:30Relax.
48:31I'm greeting your guest.
48:32She's not a guest.
48:34She's under my protection.
48:36The man smirks.
48:37That's what I meant.
48:39Lorenzo steps forward.
48:40Stop pretending you don't know why I'm here.
48:43The blonde man shrugs.
48:45Then, say it.
48:46Your people followed my sister.
48:48I don't have people who follow sisters.
48:50You do when you want to pressure me.
48:52The blonde man's expression never changes.
48:55But something in the room dusts the temperature.
48:57The brightness.
48:58The ease.
48:59You're accusing me.
49:01The man says, I'm stating a fact.
49:03Lorenzo replies, do you have proof?
49:06Lorenzo gestures lightly toward me.
49:08They recognized her fear.
49:10The man looks at me again.
49:12This time, sharper.
49:13He's studying the way I stand.
49:15The way I breathe.
49:17The way I keep glancing at the exit.
49:19A woman like her shouldn't be near this business.
49:21He says, she's near me.
49:23Lorenzo replies, that's the problem.
49:26Lorenzo moves closer.
49:27Your problems aren't mine.
49:29The blonde man smirks.
49:31But they can be.
49:33Lorenzo's voice lowers, don't make me repeat myself.
49:36The man shrugs.
49:38If I wanted to send a message, I'd send a louder one.
49:41You already tried?
49:42Lorenzo says.
49:43A woman enters through a side door.
49:46Selina Vance.
49:47In daylight, she looks even more surgical.
49:51Dark hair shining.
49:52Tan dress perfectly pressed.
49:54Eyes raised.
49:55She stands beside the blonde man like an extension of his power.
49:58She looks at me first.
50:00Not at Lorenzo me.
50:01Then she smiles faintly.
50:03She's pretty.
50:04Lorenzo shifts.
50:05It's small, but it's enough to tell me he hates that comment more than any threat they've thrown.
50:10Selina steps closer.
50:11Sunlight glinting off her earrings.
50:13You caused a stir at the wedding.
50:15She sees to me.
50:16I dropped nothing.
50:18I didn't even do anything.
50:21You reacted, she replies.
50:23That's not illegal.
50:25In our world, it's information.
50:28Lorenzo cuts in.
50:29Stop talking to her.
50:31Selina ignores him.
50:32Do you know how dangerous it is to be emotionally readable?
50:35Lorenzo steps between us.
50:37Talk to me, not her.
50:39Selina laughs softly.
50:40You're protective.
50:42Cute.
50:43He doesn't flinch.
50:44Say what you came to say.
50:47The blonde man leans against the table.
50:49Fine.
50:50We wanted leverage.
50:51We took a shot.
50:52You brought something unexpected into your orbit.
50:55You touched my family, Lorenzo says.
50:58The man shrugs.
51:00Barely.
51:01You followed my sister.
51:03Lightly.
51:04You tried to unsettle the girl standing next to me.
51:07Selina tilts her head.
51:08She unsettles you.
51:10That was the point.
51:12The room goes silent.
51:13Hot.
51:14Bright.
51:15Suffocating.
51:16Silent.
51:17Lorenzo steps forward.
51:19This ends today.
51:21The blonde man smirks.
51:23What are you offering?
51:24Lorenzo doesn't blink.
51:26I'll let this go.
51:27Once.
51:29With conditions.
51:30I don't take conditions.
51:32You will now.
51:33The blonde man straightens.
51:35And if I don't, then this doesn't stay civil.
51:39Lorenzo replies.
51:40The blonde man glances at Selina, then at Lorenzo again.
51:44What conditions?
51:45You leave Harper alone?
51:46You leave the kids alone?
51:48You leave Riley alone?
51:50Selina nods at me.
51:51That last one stings more than the others.
51:54Lorenzo's voice stays low.
51:57You stay away.
51:58And what do we get?
51:59The blonde man asks.
52:01You get the chance to keep breathing.
52:03Selina laughs lightly.
52:04You're dramatic, Lorenzo.
52:08He doesn't smile.
52:09You have no idea.
52:12The blonde man looks at the two of us, measuring angles, searching for weakness, trying to decide
52:17if whatever risk he wanted to take is worth taking now.
52:20Finally, he lifts his hands.
52:22Fine.
52:23We're done.
52:25Lorenzo nods.
52:26Once.
52:27Selina tilts her head at me as we turn to leave.
52:29Be careful with him, she says softly.
52:32He breaks what he protects.
52:33Lorenzo stops walking.
52:35But I don't let him turn.
52:37I grab his sleeve.
52:38Let's go.
52:39He looks down at my hand.
52:41Then at her.
52:42Then he turns back toward the door.
52:45We step outside into the blinding sun.
52:47The brightness hits me like relief, like air, like escape.
52:51He doesn't speak until we reach the car.
52:53Then he says, don't listen to her.
52:55She knows you.
52:56She knows nothing about me.
52:58She said you break what you protect.
53:00He breathes once, sharp.
53:02She wanted to hurt you.
53:04It worked.
53:05He turns fully, facing me in the sunlight.
53:08I don't break things I protect.
53:10I fix things I care about.
53:12That's not better.
53:13It's the truth.
53:14And what am I, his jaw tightens?
53:15Someone I protect.
53:16That's it.
53:17A bit passes sunlight, burns between us.
53:21No, he says.
53:22That's not it.
53:24His voice changes.
53:26It drops.
53:27Not dangerous.
53:29Not cold on.
53:29You walked into danger.
53:31You didn't choose.
53:32You trusted me anyway.
53:34You stood next to me when you shouldn't have.
53:36That means something.
53:37I swallow hard.
53:39What does it mean?
53:40It means you're not walking away.
53:42I need my life back.
53:44You will have one win.
53:45When this stops being a cage and becomes a choice, I stare at him.
53:50He waits.
53:52For once, he gives me space.
53:55Then I say the only thing that feels true.
53:57I don't want to run anymore.
53:59His eyes soften barely, only enough for me to see it, because I'm standing this close.
54:04Then don't.
54:05I'm not promising anything.
54:07I'm not asking for promises.
54:09Then what do you want?
54:11He holds my gaze like he's anchoring something that's been drifting too long.
54:14I want you safe.
54:16That's it.
54:17And I want you beside me.
54:19I breathe out.
54:20That sounds like the beginning of something messy.
54:22It is.
54:24And dangerous.
54:25Also true.
54:27And complicated.
54:29He nods once.
54:30Very.
54:31I take a slow breath.
54:33Then we start from clarity.
54:34I say, clarity.
54:36He repeats.
54:37I'm not your weakness.
54:39No.
54:40I'm not leveraged.
54:42Correct.
54:42I'm not cargo to be moved around.
54:45Never.
54:46And I'm not staying because you decided I stay.
54:49His job.
54:50Then tell me why you're staying.
54:52I look at him in the sunlight.
54:53This man who terrifies everyone, who guards his family like a fortress, who lets no one
54:59near him unless he chooses it.
55:00I'm staying.
55:01I say quietly.
55:02Because, despite everything, I choose to.
55:06Something shifts in his eyes.
55:08Something real.
55:10He steps closer.
55:12Then we move forward.
55:13He says, not as protector and liability.
55:17Not as Doan and civilian.
55:19Then, what?
55:20As equals.
55:21I let out a breath that feels like stepping into my own skin again.
55:25And after that, he gives the closest thing he's given to a smile.
55:29Barely there.
55:30Barely allowed.
55:32After that, he says, we see where it goes.
55:35We see where it goes.
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