Merchant Venice Beach / Season 1, Episode 7
Midnight Deals
Episode 7: Midnight Deals The pier creaks under Sol’s boots, the wood slick with the night’s damp breath, salt and rot clinging to the air. Waves slap against the pilings below, a restless rhythm that matches the thud of his pulse. It’s five minutes to midnight, and the envelope—yellowed, edges frayed from too many hands—burns a hole in his jacket pocket. He doesn’t trust Marlowe, not after the last time, not after the way the man’s eyes darted like a cornered animal when he handed over the intel. But Sol’s out of moves, and the weight of Mira’s expectations, her quiet “Don’t screw this up” from earlier, sits heavier than the Glock tucked into his waistband. He stops near the end of the pier, where the lights flicker weak and orange, casting jagged shadows over the water. The boardwalk behind him hums with late-night stragglers—drunks laughing too loud, a busker’s guitar whining out of tune—but out here, it’s just him and the dark. He checks his watch. Two minutes. His fingers twitch toward the envelope, but he stops himself. Not yet. Marlowe’s late, or playing games, and Sol’s not sure which he hates more. A scuff of footsteps behind him snaps his head around. His hand hovers near the gun, but it’s just a kid, maybe sixteen, hoodie pulled low,...