"You should get that checked," Marco said again, his tone light, but his eyes sharp enough to slice steel. "Looks like you're hiding something."
Jenny Parker didn't flinch.
She couldn't.
Not when San stood beside her, one hand still resting on her arm, the other now clenched at his side. The rain slicked down his dark hair, shadows etching hard lines across his cheekbones. Every part of him was coiled—ready to strike, or defend.
"Marco," San warned, voice low. "Back off."
Marco raised his hands, mock-innocent. "Just an observation."
Jenny tried to look fearless. "A bracelet," she said, eyes steady on Marco's. "Electrostatic therapy. Helps with anxiety."
A lie. Smooth. Too smooth.
Marco smiled like a shark. "Of course. You'd be anxious in this house too."
San stepped forward, blocking Marco's view of her. "Enough."
Their eyes locked. Silent war. Brother against brother.
Jenny stood between them, breath shallow, wondering how quickly she could destroy the wire if needed—and if it would even matter. If Marco had seen enough, she was already on borrowed time.
Marco's voice softened. "I'm just looking out for you, fratello."
But San didn't budge.
And that's when Jenny realized something chilling: Marco hadn't said anything to the others yet. He hadn't exposed her.
Why?
Because he was playing a different game.
He wanted leverage.
Back inside, Jenny excused herself and fled to the powder room. She locked the door and pulled back her sleeve. The transmitter's red light blinked faintly—still active. Still recording.
Her fingers trembled.
She put it off and dropped it in the sink.
I'm losing control.
The words echoed in her head like thunder. This mission was spiraling. Fast. She'd made the fatal mistake every undercover operative was warned against.
She'd gotten too close.
Too close to San's world. Too close to him.
Jenny took some water in her hands and sprinkled on her face. Then returned to the hallway.
On her way back, there was San patiently waiting for her .
"You okay?" he asked.
No. "Yeah."
He nodded toward the back garden. "Come with me."
They walked in silence. The estate behind them glowed golden through arched windows. Rain still kissed the earth, the scent of wet stone and roses clinging to the air.
"Marco saw something," San said finally. "Tell me the truth."
Jenny looked up at him, the man she was supposed to ruin. The man she might be falling for.
And she lied.
"Nothing illegal. Nothing dangerous. Just… a tool my therapist gave me. I panic sometimes."
San's jaw twitched. "Is that what this is? A panic response?"
She was silent.
His thumb lingered beneath her eye. "You're scared."
"I'm not."
"You are," he whispered. "But I don't know if it's of me or of yourself."
Her throat tightened. "Maybe both."
And just like that, the tension snapped.
San cupped her face and kissed her—not gentle, not patient. It was a lot, all teeth, tongue and she tried to gasp for air in his mouth as she grabbed his shirt and leaned towards the stone wall.
His hands caressed her waist, her hips and the heat between them was like that from sitting close to a lit chimney.
Jenny moaned softly as the sound was lost in the rain. She had let herself free from every thought of the mission or any other thing .
She kissed San like she had nothing left to lose.
And maybe she didn't.
He leaned back and said "Tell me the truth"
"What truth?" she breathed.
"Don't lie to me again."
The words were a blade.
Jenny froze.
She looked at him surprisingly, "What do you mean?"
" I want to trust you. I want to feel safe with you". He responded
She held his hand and asked if they could have a little conversation trying to move on from the initial conversation.
She took him outside with the breeze so cold, fresh and soothing, they talked about anything and everything, exchanged intense yet soft glances at each other. Jenny saw herself opening up about the pretty moments that existed in her childhood. Of course she didn't tell him about the difficult moments like the one about her father.
She talked about how happy her life was as a kid and sooner than later San had already started talking about a few happy moments he could remember from his childhood
He talked about how he thought he could have lived a different life, a normal life if he had been born into a normal family.
Jenny noticed how he struggled to hide what he actually felt. How he had to concede his true feelings because he had been forced to lead an empire he didn't want to just because he wanted to prove to his brothers who always looked down on him how better he could be. How he had to do it to protect himself, his mother and how he had to make his father proud .
When they were done , they parted and Jenny returned to the safe house.
Nora was at the door and she gave a slight smirk,
"Rough night?"
Jenny didn't answer. She walked past her, tossed the ruined transmitter onto the table, and poured herself a drink.
Colhart wasn't there. Yet. But his voice echoed in her head.
"Trust no one. Not even yourself."
Nora leaned against the counter. "Berlin's moved up. New orders. Wheels up at dawn."
Jenny didn't give a response.
"What are you hiding"
Nora hesitated. "There's chatter. Someone's on to us."
Jenny's heart sank. "Marco."
"Maybe. Or someone else. But you need to be careful."
Jenny drained her drink. "I was careful. That's the problem."
At 3:00 AM, Jenny's burner phone buzzed.
Unknown number. One word.
RUN.
She stared at the screen, cold washing through her veins.
Then—glass shattered downstairs.
Jenny grabbed the gun under her bed and ran to the hallway.
Too late.
The door exploded inward.
Two men in black burst through—armed, masked, efficient.
Nora screamed.
Jenny fired once. Hit one in the shoulder. The second slammed her against the wall.
Her head cracked back. Stars danced in her vision.
She kicked, punched, and tried to break free.
Then a voice—low, smooth, terrifyingly calm.
"Don't hurt her. She's worth more alive."
She blinked.
And saw him.
Marco.
Standing there with blood on his sleeve and smiling like the devil himself.
"I knew it," He said , stepping into the room.
"You were hiding something."
He raised a gun. Pointed it at her.
Jenny couldn't breathe.
Marco grinned. "Let's see if San will still love you when he finds out who you really are."