The three of them walked out of the alley, the hotel looming behind them like a stage set that swallowed its actresses whole. Lex's phone buzzed in his pocket — one sharp vibration, the kind tied to only one contact.
Elinor.
Lex answered immediately.
"Elinor. Update?"
Her voice came through clipped and unusually tense.
"Lexington. Where are you?"
"Sunset Marque," he said. "Elinor… what happened?"
"I received a call," she said. "One I did not appreciate. Or expect."
Kade glanced over, instantly alert.
Benny held his breath.
"Who called?" Lex asked.
Elinor exhaled, long and thin — the sound of a woman choosing each word like a weapon.
"Mr. Eli Harrow."
Lex stopped walking.
The world around him dimmed — street noise fading, traffic muffled, sunlight lowering like a curtain.
"Elinor," he said slowly, "tell me exactly what he said."
"He was… charming," she replied in a voice that meant charming was synonymous with venom. "Too charming. He introduced himself as a 'concerned business figure' and informed me he'd noticed your presence in Los Angeles."
Kade muttered, "Son of a—he's tracking us."
Elinor continued.
"He asked if you were well. If you were here for pleasure. If you had any intentions of meeting with certain studio executives."
A beat.
"And then he requested to speak with you."
Benny shook his head. "Requested? People like him don't request."
"Correct," Elinor said. "Which is why I found his final line quite interesting."
Lex's grip tightened on the phone.
"What did he say?"
Elinor inhaled sharply, then delivered the sentence with surgical precision:
"Tell Lexington Latham I would appreciate a word.
Now.
Before anyone else gets hurt."
The words hit with the weight of a threat wrapped in silk.
Kade cursed under his breath.
"That's not an invitation. That's intimidation."
Elinor spoke again, voice trembling with controlled rage:
"Lexington… he knew your exact flight. He knew you landed. He knew you were at the Sunset Marque within minutes. He even referenced your new bodyguard by name."
Lex's jaw locked.
"So he's already surveilling us."
"Oh, far more than that," Elinor said bitterly. "He implied consequences. Subtle, but unmistakable. And you know I do not react well to threats."
Kade leaned in so Lex could hear him.
"He wants to rattle you. Wants to show he's ahead."
Lex closed his eyes for one steady breath.
"Elinor. Did he leave a meeting location?"
"Yes," she said, disgust in her tone. "He chose a public setting. Bold, arrogant, theatrical — as expected."
"Where?"
"He wants to meet you at The Ivy."
She scoffed.
"Of course he does. Men like him always choose a place where the paparazzi can't resist eavesdropping."
Benny shook his head. "Lex… that place is crawling with industry snakes. He's staging a show."
Lex opened his eyes again.
The decision was already made.
"Elinor," he said quietly, "I'll meet him."
Kade turned, incredulous. "You sure that's smart?"
Lex stared ahead, voice low and sharpened to an edge.
"I want him to look me in the eyes before I tear his entire operation apart."
Elinor didn't object.
She only said:
"I will keep New York stable. But Lexington… do not underestimate him. He doesn't make mistakes — he makes statements."
Lex nodded once.
"Good."
He ended the call.
Kade stepped in front of him.
"Lex. This isn't some hedge fund asshole. This man plays a different game."
Lex slipped his hand into his pocket, fingers brushing the jade bangle.
"I know," he whispered.
A beat.
"Let's go hear what Eli Harrow thinks he can threaten me with."
Kade cracked a grin, rolling his shoulders like he'd been waiting for this kind of trouble.
"Oh, this'll be fun."
Lex didn't share the smile.
Instead, he turned sharply to Benny — who had been clutching Rose's folders like a life raft.
"Benny," Lex said, "you're not coming."
Benny froze. "Wh—what? Why? I thought—"
"You have a different job," Lex cut in. "And it's bigger than babysitting me."
Kade raised an eyebrow. "Smart move."
Lex gripped Benny's shoulder, anchoring him.
"I need you to go back to Elinor," Lex said. "You two are running point from headquarters."
Benny blinked. "Point? On what?"
"On my new company," Lex said.
"Shieldpoint Solutions and Latham West Media."
Benny swallowed. "Lex, that's— that's a whole empire worth of responsibility—"
"Exactly," Lex said. "I need the media front built today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today."
Kade crossed his arms, watching Lex with a growing respect.
This wasn't a boy chasing a missing actress.
Lex continued, voice low and deliberate:
"You'll coordinate with Elinor. You'll set up our L.A. base. You'll start outreach. Hire assistants. Secure office space. Call every director who owes you favors."
Benny nodded rapidly, catching the momentum. "Okay—okay, yes—what's the budget?"
Lex didn't hesitate.
"Two hundred million."
Benny's jaw dropped. "Two… what?! LEX— that's—that's—"
"That's your sandbox," Lex said. "Build something that scares people."
Kade whistled softly under his breath.
Lex wasn't done.
"And Benny," he added, lowering his tone, "keep an eye on Vanessa."
Benny blinked. "Vanessa Carlisle? Why?"
"Because she's dangerous on edge of this," Lex said. "And she's useful. And I need to know which she'll choose to be on any given day."
Benny looked terrified.
"I'm supposed to spy on Vanessa Carlisle?"
"No," Lex corrected.
"You're supposed to watch her."
Benny froze — not just nervous now, but pale.
"Lex… she's Vanessa Carlisle. I'm a producer, not a spy. And she—she runs things I don't even understand. She has… circles. Shadows. People."
"She also has tells," Lex said, adjusting his cuff. "And you know how to read people better than anyone I know."
Benny shook his head so fast his glasses slipped.
"Lex, I can handle agents, directors, drunk actors, cranky editors — hell, even studio executives with god complexes — but Vanessa? She's a lightning bolt wearing heels. I don't know what she's capable of. And I— I'm old, man. I don't run like you run."
Lex stepped closer.
"Exactly," he said. "You don't run. You survive. You've been doing it for twenty years longer than me."
Benny opened his mouth — then closed it again.
Lex didn't let him stew. He dropped his voice even lower, almost gentle.
"And Benny… you have more friends in this town than anyone alive. Most of them were Roger's friends first, but people trust you because you're not corrupt."
A beat.
"You're the only one who can move freely without being treated like a threat."
Benny stared at him, torn between pride and pure dread.
"And Vanessa?" he whispered. "Lex… she's bad news. She runs stuff you and I don't see. Stuff I don't want to see."
Lex exhaled once. The next words carried weight — memories from a life Benny didn't know existed.
"I'm aware," Lex said quietly.
Benny blinked. "What?"
Lex's gaze sharpened — not cruel, not cold. Just honest in a way he rarely allowed.
"I know things about Vanessa… things she hid from the world."
Benny's eyes widened. "Lex…"
"She didn't just rebrand after Barnie ruined her," Lex continued. "She built an escort network. High-end. Politicians. Producers. Athletes. All under the radar. All invisible."
Benny's jaw nearly unhinged."What— Lex— are you kidding me? That's— that's—"
"The truth," Lex said.
Kade, adjusting his earpiece, paused.
Vanessa Carlisle. Escort network queen.Yeah — that tracked.
Benny shook his head. "Lex, why the hell are you putting me near someone like that? She eats people alive. Men my age are appetizers."
Lex took a step closer, his voice softening but firm.
"Because she already has her eye on us, Benny. She was on that plane for a reason. She's circling. I need someone who can see when she makes her move."
Benny swallowed."But why me?"
Lex didn't hesitate.
"Because her target," he said, "is a seventeen-year-old boy."
The alley fell silent.
Even Kade froze mid-step.His sunglasses lifted just enough to see Lex clearly.
"You're seventeen?" Kade asked, stunned. "You sound like forty with a drinking problem."
Lex didn't blink. "Legally? Seventeen."
Kade stared harder. "But the way you talk. The way you move. The way you— hell — the way you issue commands. That's not a teenager."
Benny muttered, "Try being his guardian angel."
Lex ignored both reactions.
Kade was still staring at him like he'd just discovered Lex was a cryptid.
Benny looked like he needed a church, a therapist, or both.
Lex adjusted his jacket, pocketing Rose's jade bangle with deliberate care.
Then he turned to Kade, voice crisp, controlled, and back on mission.
"We have somewhere to be."
Kade snapped out of his shock, face tightening into professional focus.
"Right. The Ivy."
"The Ivy," Lex confirmed. "Eli Harrow wants a conversation."
"And you're walking into it?" Kade asked.
Lex stepped toward the SUV.
"I'm walking into what he thinks is his turf."
Kade nodded once, jaw setting.
"Then I'm on your flank. Don't say anything suicidal before I've mapped the exits."
No smile.
No humor.
Just two men shifting into combat posture.
Benny hovered anxiously behind them. "Lex, are you absolutely sure you—?"
Lex placed a firm hand on Benny's shoulder, grounding him.
"Get back to Elinor," he said. "Build the base. Watch Vanessa. And Benny—no matter what you hear—don't interfere with this meeting."
Benny opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then nodded reluctantly.
Lex released him and slid into the back seat of the SUV.
Kade took the passenger side, cracking his neck like he was prepping for a fight he fully expected.
The door shut.
The engine hummed.
Los Angeles pulsed around them like a giant waiting to see who would bleed first.
Kade looked over his shoulder. "What's the plan, kid?"
Lex's eyes were dark, focused, unwavering.
"We let Eli Harrow think he's in control."
A beat.
"And then we show him he's not."
The SUV pulled into traffic.
Their next stop:
A table set by a predator.
And Lex was walking straight into the lion's den without flinching.