The Line Scott Drew

Randy did not like being summoned. He liked arriving when he chose, not when someone else decided. Scott’s message was nothing but a place and a time, no greeting, no reason, just coordinates like an order.

Randy went regardless.

He had known Scott Baley’s name for years, the way you know the name of a man who keeps showing up in the same rooms, bidding on the same deals, smiling like he is not trying to take food off your plate. Randy had never liked him. Not because Scott was loud. Scott was quiet, yet he still got what he wanted.

The parking garage was nearly empty, his footsteps carrying across the concrete. The air smelled stale, like a place cars passed through but people didn’t stay.

His phone stayed in his pocket. No calls. No backup. If Scott wanted a show, Randy would not feed him one.

Scott waited beside a dark car, sleeves pushed up, hair still damp, as if he had come straight from a shower and did not care who noticed. He did not straighten when Randy approached. He only watched, calm, like he had been listening for Randy’s footsteps.

Randy stopped a few feet away. “You picked a depressing place.”

Scott’s eyes stayed steady. “It is quiet.”

“Quiet is where people hide lies,” Randy said.

Scott shrugged. “Then you should feel at home.”

Randy took one step closer to test the distance.

Scott did not move.

Randy’s smile thinned. “You wanted to see me.”

“I wanted you to hear me,” Scott said.

Randy tilted his head. “And what exactly do you think you can say that you haven’t already shown, Baley?”

Scott pushed off the car slowly. No rush. Just presence. “Stay away from her.”

Randy blinked once. “That is your opening?”

“It is the only one you need.”

Randy looked past him at the empty level. “You are either brave or foolish.”

Scott’s mouth moved slightly. “Pick one. It will not change anything.”

Randy stepped closer until there was barely a space between them. Scott still did not move.

Randy let his voice drop. “Do you think she is yours now because she stood beside you for the cameras?”

Scott’s jaw tightened, then released. “I think she is herself. That is what you cannot stand.”

Randy’s nostrils flared. “Careful.”

Scott answered without heat. “You first.”

Silence stretched. Randy studied Scott’s face, looking for the crack, the need to win. He found none.

Randy said, “You have been waiting for this.”

Scott’s eyes held his. “I did not plan her wedding. That’s all you.”

Randy’s mouth twitched. “I planned what I needed.”

“And you assumed she would cooperate,” Scott said.

Randy scoffed. “She would have, if she had stayed in her place.”

Scott’s voice cooled. “That place exists only in your head.”

Randy took a slow breath. “You speak like you care.”

Scott did not deny it. His hand rested on the car door, casually, but his knuckles were white. “I care enough to stand here.”

Randy smiled again, smaller. “So you admit it.”

Scott’s eyes did not drop. “I do not hide.”

Randy’s gaze sharpened. “How long?”

Scott answered after a beat. “Long enough.”

Randy’s smile faded. It was not a number. It was a door that would not open.

Randy circled slightly. “You watched her while she was with me.”

Scott’s voice stayed level. “I watched you.”

Randy’s laugh came quick and sharp. “That is worse.”

Scott shrugged. “You are so easy to read.”

Randy’s mind tried to picture Freeda at that entrance, the way she had stepped forward alone. Not pleading and not shrinking. That look in her eyes had been new. It annoyed him more than the cameras. He had almost married her, expecting softness. Instead, he found teeth.

Randy’s eyes narrowed. “Then read this. She walked away from me, and she will pay for it.”

Scott’s gaze hardened. “You mean you will make her pay.”

Randy’s mouth tilted. “I make people uncomfortable.”

Scott didn’t blink. “You drain accounts. Close doors. Corner people. Same thing.”

Randy leaned in again, close enough that Scott could smell his cologne. “And what will you do about it?”

Scott’s eyes stayed on his. “I will not let you corner her.”

Randy’s smile returned, cold now. “You cannot be everywhere.”

“I do not need to be,” Scott said. “I need you to hesitate.”

Randy’s brows lifted. “Hesitate.”

Scott nodded once. “Because you are not used to someone saying no and meaning it.”

Scott’s lips pressed together. “You are not the only man who can plan.” Try me tonight.

Randy’s jaw flexed. “She said no to a ceremony. She did not say no to me.”

Scott’s voice did not rise, but it cut. “Listen to yourself.”

Randy stared at him, then let out a breath. “You think you are righteous.”

Scott answered. “No. I think you are dangerous.”

Randy’s eyes flicked over Scott’s shoulder, then back. “And you are not?”

Scott did not blink. “I am honest about what I want.”

Randy’s smile flashed. “You want her.”

“Yes,” Scott said.

The word landed like a door shutting.

Randy watched him for a long moment. “Do you think she knows that?”

Scott swallowed once. “She is not blind.”

Randy’s smile faded again. “She is hurt. Hurt people grab the nearest hand.”

Scott’s voice stayed steady. “She grabbed her own.”

Randy’s eyes sharpened. “You are starting to sound protective.”

Scott’s answer came fast. “I am starting to sound tired.”

Randy held his gaze. “Tired.”

Scott nodded. “Of you speaking to her like she is a plaything.”

Randy stepped closer again. “And what will you do when she learns what she signed?”

Scott’s eyes went cold. “Say it plainly.”

Randy’s mouth curved. “You do not know what she signed.”

Scott did not flinch. “Neither do you.”

Silence hit hard. Randy’s smile slipped, just for a second, and in that second Scott saw it.

Randy did not like uncertainty.

Randy turned, walked to his car, and opened the door without taking his eyes off Scott. “This is not over.”

Scott’s voice stayed calm. “It has not started.”

Randy paused with his hand on the door frame. “It will.”

He got in and shut the door.

Scott did not move until the engine started and the sound faded down the ramp. Then he exhaled once, slowly, like he had been holding his breath since the cameras, since the altar, since he first saw Freeda decide she would not be handled.

He pulled out his phone.

One message, already typed.

We leave at five. Wear something that makes you feel like yourself.

He hit send.