Merchant Venice Beach / Season 1, Episode 4
Blood on the Boardwalk
Episode 4: Blood on the Boardwalk The salty tang of ocean air stings Mira’s nostrils as she keeps her gaze forward, her sneakers slapping against the cracked concrete of the Venice Beach boardwalk. Her heart thumps hard, a frantic rhythm under her ribcage, but she doesn’t dare turn her head. Not yet. Sol’s voice still hums in her ear, low and tight, a warning wrapped in gravel. “Don’t look now. But we got company.” She can feel the weight of eyes on them, predatory and unblinking, somewhere in the crowd of sunburned tourists and street vendors hawking tie-dye shirts. The late afternoon sun glares off the water, a blinding sheet of gold, and the heat presses down like a heavy hand on her shoulders. “Keep walkin’,” Sol mutters, his arm brushing hers as they weave through a knot of skaters grinding along a low wall. His fingers twitch near his waist, where she knows the blade hides under his faded black hoodie. She nods, barely a tilt of her chin, her own hand grazing the strap of her backpack. Inside, the weight of their last gamble sits heavy—a small, tightly wrapped package she’d rather forget about. But forgetting isn’t an option. Not when Darius’s shadow looms over every step they take. The boardwalk buzzes with life, a chaotic pulse of...