Chapter 29 One Step Beyond

• Jeremy POV
• The afternoon was mild, the sun filtered through thin clouds that softened Miami’s heat. The bar where I sat with Mark Carter wasn’t crowded, leaving the space calm, almost cozy—the low clink of glasses and murmured conversations humming in the background, the scent of beer and old wood lingering in the air.
• Mark was an old friend, a Chicago native who’d put down roots in Miami years ago. He was the kind of guy you wanted around: easygoing, charismatic, with a knack for keeping any chat alive. Good-looking and loaded, he brought an extra spark to our talks, especially when they veered toward business and women—two topics that, like clockwork, dominated the afternoon.