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Short filmTranscript
00:00Daylight is supposed to be comforting, but right now, the sun feels like a giant spotlight exposing every panic line on my face.
00:08I'm gripping my ancient Honda's steering wheel like it owes me money, my knuckles white, and my pulse confused about whether it wants to sprint or faint.
00:18The car is tilted awkwardly into a diagonal parking space outside a downtown office building in Phoenix, the front bumper flirting with a very expensive-looking SUV.
00:27The kind of SUV that probably costs more than my student loans, and I can't move, not forward, not backward, not emotionally, spiritually, or in any direction that involves me operating this vehicle without causing a federal emergency.
00:44Fantastic, I mutter. This is how I die. On a Tuesday. In a parking spot meant for adults who know how to drive.
00:53My phone buzzes in my lap. My sister.
00:58Where are you? You said you were bringing the papers.
01:01Mom is freaking out.
01:04Yeah, well, I'm freaking out too, darling, I whisper to the wheel, as if it cares.
01:10The problem is simple. My fear isn't.
01:12I got into a wreck three months ago, nothing tragic, just a spin-out on the freeway in broad daylight.
01:19But ever since, my brain has decided every moving vehicle within a mile radius is plotting my demise.
01:26So here I am, a 28-year-old woman with a college degree and a Costco membership, unable to reverse out of a parking spot without hyperventilating.
01:35Someone knocks on my window. I jump so high I almost swallow my own soul.
01:41I look left, and immediately regret it.
01:45A man stands there, sunlight outlining him like the universe chose his edges deliberately.
01:50Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a crisp, short-sleeved black button-up that fits his body like a rumor.
01:57Tattoos curl down his arms in sharp, geometric patterns, all clean lines and deliberate danger.
02:03His hair is dark, neat, probably cut by someone who charges more than my rent.
02:10His jaw is criminally sculpted.
02:12And his watch, Jesus, looks like it could fund an entire school district.
02:18He presses two fingers together, motioning for me to roll down the window.
02:23Every instinct screams stranger danger.
02:25But this stranger radiates a different kind of danger.
02:29The expensive, quiet kind.
02:31Controlled.
02:32Calculated.
02:33Like if he wanted to kill me, he'd do it politely and without inconvenience.
02:38I crack the window an inch.
02:41You planning to stay parked like that forever?
02:43He asks, voice calm, low, almost amused.
02:47His tone slips under my skin like a warm current.
02:51I freeze.
02:52What?
02:52He nods toward my terrible angle.
02:56You're about one sneeze away from kissing my SUV.
02:59I know.
03:00I snap.
03:01Because stress makes me defensive.
03:04Believe me.
03:04I'm very aware.
03:06I'm trying to leave.
03:07I just...
03:08Can't.
03:09One of his eyebrows rises the tiniest fraction.
03:13Can't?
03:14Don't judge me.
03:15I mutter.
03:16I'm having a moment.
03:17His lips tilt at the corner.
03:19Not a full smile.
03:20Just an acknowledgement that if he wanted to smirk, it would be lethal.
03:25You're blocking two spaces and my guys can't pull out.
03:28I glance at the row of cars behind him.
03:31Sleek.
03:32Black.
03:33Matching.
03:34With men in matching sunglasses leaning on them.
03:37Arms crossed.
03:38Watching me like I'm a raccoon rummaging through gold bars.
03:41My stomach flips.
03:43Oh, God.
03:44I'm ruining a mafia meeting.
03:47This is how I get whacked for a parking catastrophe.
03:50The man's eyes narrow.
03:52Not threatening.
03:53Just curious.
03:55You know who I am?
03:57No.
03:58I blurt.
03:58But the...
03:59Vibe is vibing.
04:01He huffs something that might be a laugh.
04:03Then steps back.
04:05Get out.
04:06What?
04:06Out of the car.
04:08Why?
04:09Because you're shaking.
04:10He says.
04:12And judging by the way you're breathing, if you reverse right now, you'll hit something.
04:16Probably me.
04:18And I'm not in the mood for that today.
04:20I blink.
04:22Sir, with all due respect, I don't think my anxiety cares about your mood.
04:27His eyes soften.
04:30Just slightly.
04:31Like he recognizes the tremble in my voice.
04:35Come on.
04:36He says gently.
04:38I'm not going to hurt you.
04:41The certainty in his tone pulls something loose in my chest.
04:44Against every survival instinct I possess, I open the door and step out into the sun.
04:50He studies me.
04:51Slowly.
04:52Like he's learning me.
04:53I feel seen in a way that's unnerving.
04:56Intimate.
04:57And entirely too comfortable for two strangers in a parking lot.
05:02I'm Renzo Valenti.
05:03He says.
05:05The name hits me like a splash of cold water.
05:08I've heard that name whispered in half of the local news stories, spoken in rumors,
05:13murmured in that tone adults use when they don't want kids to hear.
05:17The Valenti syndicate is practically Phoenix royalty, if royalty carried guns and owned half
05:22the city's real estate.
05:24And you are?
05:26He asks.
05:27Madison Rivers.
05:29I swallow.
05:30Please don't murder me for blocking your car.
05:33He gives me a long, measured look.
05:36Madison, if I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be standing here in sandals and stress.
05:42My cheeks heat.
05:43Hard.
05:44He gestures to my Honda.
05:47Keys.
05:48I blink.
05:49Why?
05:50Because your hands are shaking too much to drive.
05:53And because I'm feeling generous.
05:54I don't need someone else to move my car for me, I say, even though that is extremely what
06:01I need.
06:02His gaze slides over my face, not flirtatious, not pitying, just seeing right through me.
06:09Yes, you do.
06:13I hate that he's right.
06:15I drop the keys into his palm, and the exchange sends a spark through me, sharp enough to make
06:21me inhale.
06:22He doesn't react, but something flickers in his eyes.
06:26He slips into my Honda like it's a Bentley.
06:29The car reacts by coughing to life in its usual asthmatic fashion.
06:33Renzo maneuvers it with one hand, effortless, sliding it perfectly out of the space, reversing,
06:39straightening, and pulling forward like it weighs nothing.
06:42When he steps out, he tosses me my keys.
06:46Your turn, he says.
06:48Excuse me?
06:50You're driving it out of the lot.
06:52My heart slingshots into my throat.
06:56I...
06:56I can't.
06:58You can, he says.
07:00You're just scared.
07:03That's usually how can't works.
07:06He steps closer, close enough that the sunlight casts warm shadows across his tattoos.
07:11His presence is...
07:13steady.
07:14Like a wall I can lean on without falling through.
07:17Try it, he says quietly.
07:20I'll walk beside you.
07:22That's ridiculous.
07:24Probably.
07:25His eyes spark.
07:27Do it anyway.
07:29My breath shakes.
07:30He's intimidating in the way mountains are intimidating.
07:34Solid.
07:35Unmoving.
07:36Not requiring my belief to exist.
07:38But he's also offering something no one has in months.
07:41A strand of courage to borrow.
07:43I slide into the seat.
07:46My palms sweat against the wheel.
07:49Renzo taps the hood twice.
07:51I'm right here.
07:52I put the car in reverse, my pulse ricocheting off my ribs.
07:56The car rolls backward.
07:59Slow.
07:59Careful.
08:00Terrifying.
08:02Renzo walks beside me, one hand in his pocket, the other resting casually at his side.
08:07He glances over at me through the window, nodding once.
08:11Approval.
08:13Encouragement.
08:14Something mild but warm that unwraps the panic in my chest.
08:18I ease into drive.
08:20The car moves forward.
08:22Forward.
08:23And I don't die.
08:25When I reach the exit,
08:26Renzo steps in front of the hood and motions for me to stop.
08:29I brake, still breathing hard.
08:32He leans down to the window.
08:33You did it, he says.
08:37My chin wobbles.
08:40Barely.
08:41Barely counts, he says.
08:43Most winds start that way.
08:45A laugh escapes me.
08:47Small.
08:48Wobbly.
08:49Real.
08:50His eyes catch it.
08:51Hold it.
08:53Something hot and unexpected flickers between us.
08:55Then he says it.
08:57The line that shifts the entire axis of my day.
09:00You're not leaving my sight.
09:02My breath stops.
09:04Why?
09:05Because people who shake like that don't drive off alone.
09:09His voice dips lower.
09:11And because I'm curious about you, Madison Rivers.
09:15Curious.
09:17The word wraps around me like sunlight.
09:20Before I can respond,
09:22he opens my passenger door and slides in beside me.
09:25My world tilts.
09:26This time in a way that feels strange and wildly alive.
09:32Put it in park, he orders softly.
09:35We're talking.
09:36The moment of no return locks into place.
09:39And I know, somehow, instinctively,
09:42that whatever this is, it's only beginning.
09:44Renzo Valenti sits in the passenger seat of my Honda like he owns the air inside it.
09:53Like this sad little car is one more territory he quietly claims by existing near it.
09:58The seat squeaks in protest under his weight,
10:01and he glances at the dashboard as if trying to understand how this vehicle is still alive out of sheer stubborn loyalty.
10:08I'm sitting with my hands limp on the wheel,
10:10my chest still fluttering like a hummingbird trapped in a jam jar.
10:15Take a breath.
10:17Renzo says.
10:18Voice low, steady.
10:20A deep one.
10:22I inhale like I'm preparing for a medical procedure.
10:25My pulse still buzzes, but not in a fear way anymore.
10:29More like...
10:30Whatever happens when a man like him suddenly focuses all his intensity on you at point-blank range,
10:35he notices.
10:37Better?
10:39No, I say.
10:40Not even a little.
10:42He smirks.
10:44Honesty looks good on you.
10:45But you're fine.
10:47How do you know?
10:49Because I'm right here.
10:51Something unearths in my chest.
10:53A reluctant calm.
10:55A tiny flicker of trust I didn't invite but can't deny.
10:59Before I can figure out what to do with that dangerous feeling,
11:02one of Renzo's men approaches the car.
11:05Tall, suited,
11:07carrying a tablet like a soldier pretending to be an accountant.
11:11Boss?
11:12He says.
11:13Renzo turns his head,
11:15and the entire parking lot shifts its posture.
11:18Even the air respects him.
11:20What is it?
11:22Renzo asks.
11:23We got confirmation.
11:25The Garza brothers ambushed our delivery trucks on the west side.
11:29Third one this week.
11:30My mouth drops.
11:33The guy glances at me,
11:34like I'm a lamp that suddenly sprouted ears.
11:37Renzo follows his gaze.
11:39She stays, he says.
11:42Keep going.
11:43The guy nods once.
11:45There's daylight footage.
11:47They weren't subtle about it.
11:49Renzo swears under his breath.
11:51Quiet.
11:52Sharp.
11:53Of course they weren't.
11:55Ambushed trucks.
11:56Rival brothers.
11:57Footage.
11:59Mafia problems happening in clean, crisp sunshine.
12:02It feels surreal and terrifying and oddly...
12:05mundane for him.
12:07Like I just got a front-row ticket to a world most people pretend doesn't exist.
12:10The man leaves, and Renzo turns back to me.
12:15You okay?
12:16He asks.
12:18Define okay.
12:19Because if you mean my emotional stability?
12:22Questionable.
12:23If you mean whether I'm going to faint?
12:25Also, questionable.
12:27His expression softens the tiniest bit.
12:30You handled the parking lot.
12:32You'll survive this part.
12:34I'm not exactly trained for whatever world you're living in.
12:38He studies me in that slow, deliberate way that makes every hair on my body pay attention.
12:44You're stronger than you realize, he says.
12:48I saw that the second you got out of the car.
12:51That was not strength.
12:53That was panic wearing lipstick.
12:55His lips curve.
12:57Still counts.
12:59And there it is again.
13:01The heat.
13:02The flirtation hiding inside honesty.
13:04The way he says simple things like they're facts carved into stone.
13:08I swallow.
13:10Why are you still here?
13:11You moved my car.
13:13Crisis resolved.
13:15His gaze lingers on my hands on the wheel, then travels upward to meet my eyes.
13:20Because the crisis wasn't the car.
13:22He says softly.
13:24It was you.
13:26My heartbeat does a confused little somersault.
13:29I clear my throat.
13:30Okay, well, I don't want to take up your time.
13:35You have...
13:37Trucks to unambush or whatever mob bosses do during business hours.
13:41You're not taking anything from me, he says.
13:44And I'm not leaving.
13:46I force a skeptical look.
13:49Why?
13:50Because I don't walk away from things that rattle me.
13:53I blink.
13:54I rattle you.
13:56His eyes warm in a way that lights up the whole interior of my Honda.
13:59More than you should.
14:03A ripple travels through me, quick and dangerous.
14:06He leans back in the seat, stretching his long legs out like he owns the ground beneath them.
14:12Drive.
14:13I choke on air.
14:15Excuse me?
14:17You're driving us out of here, he says.
14:19I'm beside you.
14:20You're safe.
14:22Safe.
14:23The word slides over me like a promise I want to touch but don't trust.
14:28I'm scared, I admit, voice embarrassingly thin.
14:32His fingers tap twice against the center console.
14:36Then we do it scared, he says.
14:38Put it in drive.
14:40My breath shakes.
14:42My hands tremble.
14:44He watches everything but not with judgment.
14:46More like curiosity.
14:47Like I'm a puzzle he wants to solve in daylight.
14:51I put the car into drive.
14:54The Honda shudders forward.
14:56Renzo nods.
14:57Just once.
14:59Good.
15:00We crawl out of the lot at a snail's pace.
15:03But he doesn't rush me.
15:05Doesn't tease.
15:06Doesn't sigh.
15:08His stillness becomes a shield instead of a threat.
15:10As we hit the main road, he says.
15:14Left at the light.
15:17Instinctively, I want to ask where we're going.
15:19But something in his voice tells me it won't be a kidnapping.
15:23More like an...
15:24Assessment.
15:26I turn left.
15:28Cars pass us in bright, ordinary sun.
15:31None of them feel like weapons today.
15:34Not with him here.
15:36You live close, he asks.
15:39Fifteen minutes away.
15:40Good.
15:41We'll go there first.
15:43Alarm bells clang in my skull.
15:46Why?
15:47Renzo, I'm not...
15:48This isn't normal.
15:49You don't just follow a stranger home.
15:52You're not a stranger anymore.
15:54That's an insane line.
15:56It's also true.
15:58I have boundaries.
15:59I say boldly.
16:00Even though my voice cracks like a cheap windshield.
16:03He looks pleased.
16:05Pleased.
16:06I like that.
16:07I don't need a mafia escort.
16:09No, he agrees.
16:12You need a witness.
16:13I blink.
16:15A witness to what?
16:17His voice gentles.
16:19To your courage.
16:20A shiver runs down my spine.
16:22That's absurd, I whisper.
16:25No, he repeats.
16:27It's honest.
16:29We drive in silence for a few seconds.
16:31The sunlight glints off the hood.
16:33My fear dims around the edges, replaced by something hot.
16:36Restless.
16:37Alive.
16:39So, the Garza brothers, I say, trying to distract myself.
16:44They ambush your trucks.
16:46He nods slightly.
16:48They think daytime makes them untouchable.
16:51They're wrong.
16:52Do you always talk about criminal activities with anxious strangers in compact cars?
16:58You're not anxious right now, he says.
17:01He's right.
17:02When did that happen?
17:05Besides, he adds, talking keeps you steady.
17:09You're making assumptions.
17:11I'm making observations.
17:14I grit my teeth.
17:15You're very annoying.
17:17And you're very brave.
17:19The car swerves an inch because my soul wasn't ready for that.
17:23He chuckles under his breath.
17:25Eyes on the road, Madison.
17:28You're distracting, I blurt.
17:31His voice drops, warm and amused.
17:34Good.
17:36My cheeks burned so hot I could power Arizona's grid.
17:39We hit a stoplight, and Renzo's phone buzzes.
17:43He glances at it, but doesn't pick up.
17:46Whoever's calling must be important, but apparently not more important than sitting inside my dented Honda, watching me breathe.
17:54You can answer, I say.
17:57No.
17:59He turns the phone face down on his thigh.
18:02This is where I am.
18:04A peculiar little ache blooms in my chest.
18:07The light turns green and I start driving again.
18:10You ever think about leaving?
18:12I ask before I can stop myself.
18:14Leaving what?
18:16That world.
18:17The trucks and brothers and syndicates and whatever daylight version of mayhem you deal with.
18:22His jaw flexes.
18:24His eyes shift toward the window, watching the palm trees blur.
18:28All the time.
18:30He says quietly.
18:32Something in his voice darkens.
18:34But not in a scary way.
18:36More like a truth he rarely admits.
18:38But power is a trap.
18:40He says.
18:42People think it gives you options.
18:44It doesn't.
18:44It gives you obligations.
18:46I swallow.
18:48Sounds lonely.
18:50He turns his head slowly.
18:52Until today, it was.
18:55My breath stutters.
18:56We pull into my apartment complex, the asphalt bright, the buildings sun-washed and ordinary.
19:02He scans the area instinctively, like his brain is always mapping threats.
19:07Park anywhere, he says.
19:08I slide into a spot with only mild difficulty.
19:11I put the car in park.
19:14My whole body feels like a tuning fork struck by the world's most dangerous man.
19:19He watches me again, waiting, measuring.
19:21You did all of that, he says.
19:25Not me.
19:26I laugh once, shaky.
19:29You were basically emotional seatbelts.
19:32And you still did it.
19:34I look down at my hands.
19:36I don't know whether to feel proud or terrified.
19:38His voice softens to a velvet heat.
19:42Feel proud.
19:44Heat curls low in my stomach, confusing and electric.
19:47Then he leans in, close enough that I feel the warmth of his breath trailing across my cheek.
19:52But don't get comfortable, he murmurs.
19:56Because the Garza brothers won't stop.
19:58And if they figure out I spent the morning with you, they'll be curious.
20:02A chill slices through me.
20:05Curious how?
20:07Curious enough to look.
20:09His tone turns steel-sharp.
20:12Curious enough to touch.
20:14I swallow hard.
20:15Are you saying I'm in danger?
20:17I'm saying, he replies, eyes blazing with quiet promise.
20:21That I won't let anyone touch what I care about.
20:25My heart stumbles.
20:28Renzo.
20:29He unlocks his door.
20:31Get whatever you need from upstairs.
20:33I'm taking you somewhere safe.
20:36I stare at him, heart pounding.
20:39You're serious, I whisper.
20:42Completely.
20:44A rival family.
20:45A brewing war.
20:47My involvement accidental but suddenly real.
20:50And a mafia boss sitting in my Honda.
20:53Claiming, without directly claiming, that he cares.
20:57I exhale.
20:59Shaky, but certain.
21:01Okay.
21:02I say.
21:03Give me five minutes.
21:05His eyes soften like sunlight breaking over steel.
21:08I'll be right here.
21:10And as I swing open the door and step into the brightness,
21:13I know this is no longer about driving.
21:15It's about the man who sat beside me.
21:17And the world I just stepped into.
21:20Renzo's SUV follows my Honda as I drive to his safe place.
21:24Though calling it a place undersells the reality.
21:27It's more like a sunlit fortress posing as a modern estate on the northern edge of Phoenix,
21:32surrounded by desert blooms, sprawling glass walls,
21:36and enough open space to host an alien landing.
21:38When I pull into the driveway, my hands are trembling again.
21:43Not panic trembles.
21:45More like my life took a left turn into a mafia boss's private estate.
21:49Trembles.
21:51Renzo parks directly behind me,
21:53steps out of his SUV,
21:55and waves his men away.
21:57They scatter to various points on the property,
22:00scanning the bright horizon,
22:02as if rival mobsters might rise out of the desert like caffeinated gophers.
22:06Renzo walks toward me,
22:09sunlight carving gold edges into his tattoos.
22:12This is safe?
22:13I ask.
22:15Sunlit and surveilled,
22:16he says.
22:17The Garzas won't try anything stupid in broad daylight.
22:20You're sounding very confident,
22:22I say.
22:24He lifts a brow.
22:25Am I?
22:26The dry edge in his tone sends a ripple down my spine.
22:29Inside, the house feels like an architectural flex.
22:34White stone floors,
22:35towering windows,
22:37curated art,
22:38sunlight everywhere.
22:40Everything screams wealth,
22:42precision,
22:43control.
22:45He leads me to a massive kitchen
22:46where the entire counter is polished quartz,
22:49gleaming like a runway.
22:51Water?
22:52He asks.
22:53Hydration sounds great now that my stress has sweat out 60% of my soul.
22:58The corner of his mouth lifts.
23:01Sit.
23:03Normally I would bristle at that command,
23:05but the way he says it feels less bossy and more...
23:09grounding.
23:10I slide onto a stool at the island.
23:13While he grabs glasses,
23:14I finally ask.
23:16Why me?
23:17Seriously.
23:18Why are you doing all this?
23:20He pauses,
23:21glass in hand.
23:23Because you were scared,
23:24he says simply.
23:25And you did it anyway.
23:27I respect that.
23:28Not many people in my world do anything scared.
23:31That can't be the whole thing,
23:34I say.
23:35It isn't.
23:36His eyes meet mine,
23:38warm and unguarded for a rare flash.
23:41You're honest.
23:42Unfiltered.
23:44You talk to me like I'm human.
23:46Not a threat.
23:47I snort softly.
23:49Don't get too excited.
23:51I'm still aware you could end me in like three seconds.
23:53He slides the glass toward me.
23:57Three seconds is generous.
23:58You're not reassuring me.
24:00You're not supposed to be reassured,
24:03he murmurs.
24:04And just when the moment turns molten,
24:07the front door explodes open.
24:09Not literally.
24:10Metaphorically.
24:12But the force behind it makes the door slam into the wall.
24:16Renzo whips around,
24:17jaw tight,
24:18shoulders squared.
24:19Two men storm in,
24:21one tall,
24:22one broader,
24:22both in sharp daylight suits.
24:25They don't even blink at the sun pouring in behind them.
24:28The broader one points straight at me.
24:30That's her.
24:32I choke on air.
24:34Um, sorry.
24:35Do I know you?
24:37Before either of them can answer,
24:39Renzo moves.
24:40And when Renzo moves,
24:42he's no longer the calm man from my Honda.
24:44He becomes something else entirely.
24:47Razor sharp,
24:48lethal in silence,
24:50drenched in pure authority.
24:52His voice drops into a deadly calm.
24:56You two must have a death wish,
24:58he says,
24:59walking into my house in broad daylight.
25:01They don't flinch.
25:03Which is...
25:04concerning.
25:06The tall one speaks.
25:08The Garza brothers want her.
25:09Every cell in my body goose bumps.
25:13Renzo steps between them and me.
25:15And why,
25:16he says quietly,
25:18would they want a woman who can't reverse park?
25:21Because you walked beside her,
25:23the tall man replies.
25:24In plain sight.
25:26Cameras caught it.
25:27The Garzas think she's your leverage.
25:30Or your weakness,
25:31the broad one says.
25:33My heartbeat stumbles.
25:36Renzo's jaw locks.
25:38She's not leverage.
25:39And she's not weak.
25:41The tall man's lips curl.
25:43Doesn't matter.
25:44You know how they think.
25:46Renzo doesn't blink.
25:48Doesn't breathe.
25:49Doesn't move.
25:50You're on Valenti property,
25:52he says.
25:53Which means you have exactly three seconds
25:55to tell me what you want
25:56before I make you regret stepping inside.
25:59Holy...
26:00Okay.
26:01Terrifyingly hot.
26:03But terrifying.
26:04The tall man raises both hands.
26:06We're delivering a message.
26:08Then deliver it and leave.
26:10Renzo snaps.
26:11The Garza brothers want to meet,
26:13he says.
26:14No weapons.
26:15No men.
26:16No games.
26:17They'll be waiting at the fountain park
26:18in twenty minutes.
26:20In daylight?
26:22Renzo scoffs.
26:23They're not that stupid.
26:25They think you are,
26:26the broad man says.
26:28Because you have something to lose.
26:31The message settles in the air
26:33like gasoline vapor.
26:34Then the men leave,
26:36just as abruptly,
26:37sunlight swallowing their silhouettes.
26:40The moment the door clicks shut,
26:42Renzo exhales,
26:43long and slow.
26:44A storm brewed inside him,
26:46but he didn't show it.
26:48Not to them.
26:49To me.
26:50He does.
26:52Madison,
26:52he says,
26:53turning to me.
26:54Yep,
26:54I squeak.
26:56We're going.
26:57We?
26:58I repeat.
26:59As in us?
27:00To a meeting with mobsters
27:01who think I'm your,
27:02your hostage or girlfriend
27:04or emotional support human?
27:06They want to see you,
27:08Renzo says.
27:09If I show up alone,
27:11they'll assume I'm hiding something.
27:13If I don't show up at all,
27:14they'll retaliate.
27:16I swallow.
27:18Hard.
27:18Are you saying
27:20I'm bait?
27:22I'm saying your leverage
27:24I didn't intend to have.
27:26His voice drops softer.
27:29And I won't let them use you
27:30or touch you
27:32or even breathe too close.
27:35Emotion kicks me in the throat.
27:38I don't want to be the reason you get hurt,
27:41I whisper.
27:42He steps closer and cups my cheek,
27:45thumb brushing my skin
27:46with shocking gentleness.
27:48You won't be,
27:50he says.
27:50I swear it.
27:52Heat spreads through me
27:53like sunlight on water.
27:55Okay.
27:57I breathe.
27:58Then let's go.
28:00The Fountain Park.
28:02Twenty minutes later.
28:04The park is all fountains
28:05and families
28:06and screaming kids.
28:07Ice cream drips on sidewalks.
28:09Dogs chase frisbees.
28:11It's bright.
28:12Normal.
28:13Offensively cheerful.
28:15Yet tension coils around us
28:17like a silent current.
28:18Renzo walks beside me,
28:20hand hovering near mine.
28:22Not touching,
28:23but close enough
28:24to feel the possibility.
28:27Two men approach
28:28across the walkway.
28:29The Garza brothers.
28:31One in a blue suit
28:32and mirrored sunglasses.
28:34The other in a tan blazer
28:36with a gold chain
28:36thick enough to tow a boat.
28:38They look casual.
28:41Like they might be here
28:42to sell real estate.
28:45Valenti,
28:46blue suit says.
28:47You brought your little friend?
28:49She's not little,
28:50I mutter without thinking.
28:53Renzo's hand twitches.
28:55Approval?
28:56Amusement?
28:57Hard to tell.
28:58Blue suit smirks.
29:00We saw the footage.
29:02Interesting choice
29:03for a man like you.
29:05She's not your business,
29:06Renzo says.
29:08Golden chain steps forward.
29:11Everything you touch
29:12becomes our business.
29:14My stomach plummets.
29:15Why do you even care?
29:17I ask before I can stop myself.
29:19I'm not in your world.
29:21You are,
29:22golden chain says.
29:24The moment he looks at you.
29:26Renzo takes one step forward.
29:28Slow.
29:29Deliberate.
29:30Keep her out of your mouth.
29:32Blue suit raises a brow.
29:34Is she your weakness?
29:35No,
29:36Renzo says.
29:37Voice quiet.
29:39Controlled.
29:39Lethal.
29:41She's my warning.
29:43Electricity rips down my spine.
29:45The way he said that.
29:46The heat behind it.
29:47The implication.
29:49Golden chain laughs.
29:51We don't need to touch her
29:52to make you bend.
29:54You're not bending anything,
29:55Renzo says.
29:56You're bluffing
29:57with daylight theatrics.
29:59Blue suit slides his sunglasses down.
30:02His eyes are cold.
30:04You refused our deal last month.
30:05You think we forgot?
30:07You think we won't remind you
30:08who started this?
30:09This conversation is over,
30:11Renzo says.
30:13No,
30:14blue suit replies.
30:15It's starting.
30:17He reaches for something
30:18inside his blazer.
30:19Everything slows.
30:21I grab Renzo's arm.
30:23Instinctively.
30:24Desperately.
30:26Renzo pushes me behind him.
30:28Golden chain lifts a hand.
30:30But not a weapon.
30:32A phone.
30:33With footage of me and Renzo
30:34in the parking lot.
30:36The city sees this,
30:38he says.
30:39And everyone starts asking
30:40why the Valenti boss
30:41is walking next to a trembling girl
30:43like he's her bodyguard.
30:45People start digging.
30:47Rumors start spreading.
30:49Your enemies multiply.
30:50Blue suit tilts his head.
30:53Unless you give us
30:54what we want.
30:56Renzo's voice cuts
30:57like sunlit steel.
30:59No.
31:01Golden chain pockets the phone.
31:03Then be ready.
31:05Blue suit nods to me.
31:06She's cute, Valenti.
31:08Guard her well.
31:10Every muscle in Renzo's body
31:12turns into carved heat.
31:13If either of you
31:15look at her again,
31:17he says with chilling clarity,
31:19daylight won't save you.
31:21The brothers smirk,
31:23turn,
31:24and walk away.
31:25Renzo doesn't move
31:26until they disappear
31:27around the fountain.
31:29Then he slowly,
31:30deliberately steps to me.
31:32His expression shifts
31:33from lethal to
31:33unbearably soft.
31:36You did well,
31:38he says.
31:39I didn't do anything.
31:41You stood beside me.
31:43That's not bravery,
31:45I whisper.
31:45That's survival.
31:47Sometimes,
31:48he says,
31:49lifting my chin
31:49with two fingers.
31:51The two are the same.
31:53Something breaks open
31:54inside me.
31:55Something bright
31:55and vulnerable.
31:57Renzo.
31:58What now?
31:59I ask.
32:00He takes my hand,
32:01boldly,
32:02warmly,
32:03without hesitation.
32:04Now,
32:05he says,
32:06I choose.
32:07Choose what?
32:09He exhales,
32:10sunlight brushing
32:11across his face,
32:12softening him in ways
32:13I didn't know
32:13he could soften.
32:15Power can wait,
32:16he says.
32:17You can't.
32:19My throat tightens.
32:21And me?
32:22His thumb strokes my hand.
32:24You're staying with me.
32:26That sounds like
32:27a terrible idea,
32:29I say,
32:30voice trembling.
32:31Then let's be
32:32terrible together,
32:33he says,
32:34lips curving.
32:35A laugh escapes me.
32:37Half relief,
32:38half disbelief.
32:40And my driving?
32:41I ask.
32:42He squeezes my hand.
32:44You drive.
32:45I sit beside you.
32:47Forever?
32:48If you want.
32:49The idea bursts in my chest,
32:51wild and warm.
32:52I nod once.
32:53His smile grows,
32:54small,
32:55rare,
32:56and breathtaking.
32:57Then come on,
32:59he says,
33:00guiding me toward the car.
33:02Let's go home.
33:03And under the bright Arizona sun,
33:06with his hand wrapped around mine
33:07like a promise he intends to keep,
33:09I feel something I haven't felt in months.
33:12Safe.
33:13Brave.
33:14Chosen.
33:16And fiercely,
33:16dangerously alive.
33:18Hey, love.
33:19If Renzo made your pulse
33:20do that weird but fantastic
33:22gymnastic routine,
33:24hit that like button
33:25before he decides to interrogate
33:27your phone himself.
33:29Drop a comment
33:29so I know you survived
33:30the daylight chaos.
33:32And smash subscribe
33:33so you don't miss
33:34the next bright,
33:35dangerous,
33:36I cannot believe
33:36she just did that romance.
33:39Your reactions fuel these stories
33:40the way adrenaline fuels my heroines.
33:43So don't be shy.
33:45I'm right here with you.
33:46I'm right here with you.
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