(In the hall outside Max and Kendra’s apartment, Max switches some cables on a power grid.)

MAX: Just like I thought—it’s that idiot in 12B. Where does he get off thinking he can jack our power on bath night?

KENDRA: Says he needs it for his space heater so his cannabis crop doesn’t die.

MAX: Tough. I’m gonna have a hot bath. His weed’s gonna have to chill. I mean, we stole the power first—it belongs to us.

KENDRA: Totally.

(They return to the apartment. Max is boiling some water.)

MAX: You got another date with Mr. Multiples?

KENDRA: “Date” might not be the most exact term. You think “date,” you think of getting dressed up, going somewhere, some wine, a movie…and then—ba-da-bing.

MAX: Yeah, and?

KENDRA: Our evening starts off naked ’cause all we do is get busy…all night…without pause.

MAX: You can’t bang the gong for twelve hours.

KENDRA: You can, Max. You so can.

MAX: Well, that’s not been my experience. I mean, men always have to stop and talk. They need to hear what a good job they’re doing or whatever. And then they do this weird cuddle thing.

KENDRA: Not all men.

MAX: I gotta meet this guy.

KENDRA: Oh, you’ve met him.

MAX: Really? Who?

KENDRA: I’m not letting you near him.

(Later, the phone rings. Max answers it from the bathtub.)

MAX: This better be global.

LOGAN: Max.

MAX: Hey.

LOGAN: I found out where the witness is being held. 355 Montgomery, between Fifth and Sixth.

MAX: You got it.

LOGAN: My source confirmed the hit’s going down today, so you’ve gotta get over there.

MAX: I’m preparing myself mentally for the task at hand.

LOGAN: Where are you?

MAX: I was in heaven but you’re bringing me right back down to earth with this whole “urgent tone” thing.

LOGAN: Are you—taking a bath?

MAX: Damn straight, and it took me an hour to boil twenty pots of water to fill this tub. Now I’m going to enjoy it.

LOGAN: Rescuing this witness and keeping him alive to testify tomorrow is the only chance we have of bringing down Mayor Steckler once and for all.

MAX: I know.

LOGAN: And I don’t trust Witness Protection to protect him.

MAX: I got it covered, Logan. Believe me, nothing’s going down for at least another hour. It’s not even dark yet. (Hangs up on him) This guy needs to relax.

(Max rides her motorcycle and stops outside a building. She sees two men with guns preparing to break into the building.)

MAX: Right on schedule.

(She bursts through the door on her bike and rides into the living room. Just as the goons come in shooting, she grabs a man lying on the couch, puts him behind her on the bike, and rides out.)

MAX: You all right?

MAN: You interrupted a dream I was having about some twins from Portland, the Ba-Bing sisters.

(Max recognizes his voice and flashes back to Sonrisa’s.)

MAX (in flashback): You pull fifty large out of your mattress and I make a call to bring her over.

BRUNO (in flashback): Yeah? Or I work your face with a pair of pliers for a couple hours ’til you tell us where she is.

SONRISA (in flashback): Bruno...

(Max stops the motorcycle.)

MAX: Bruno?! I thought you were dead!

BRUNO: I thought you were dead.

(Flashback to Max running out of the motel, Bruno shooting at her, and Max falling into the pool.)

MAX: Sorry to disappoint.

(She starts the motorcycle again. He tightens his grip around her waist.)

MAX: Oh, great. Now I need another bath.

(Max walks into Logan’s apartment with Bruno blindfolded.)

MAX: Meet the courageous citizen whose life we just saved.

BRUNO: I would just like to go on record as saying that I’m unhappy with the treatment I’m receiving currently.

(Max shoves him into a chair.)

MAX: Say hi to Bruno Anselmo.

LOGAN: I thought you were dead.

BRUNO: Yeah, well, I got shot up pretty bad taking out Sonrisa, thanks to chickie here, but uh…you know, I pulled through.

MAX: Shame.

BRUNO: Hey! You tricked me into killing the best boss I ever had. You know, I was making a good living, breaking legs. The next day I wake up in the hospital. I’m surrounded by cops telling me that if I don’t turn into a snitch I’m a dead man.

LOGAN: So you agreed to testify, and they gave you an early burial so no one would come after you.

BRUNO: Yeah. Well, why don’t you two tell me how you figure into this?

LOGAN: I got a tip that the chief witness in the murder case against Mayor Steckler—you, as it turns out—was gonna get greased. We didn’t want that to happen.

MAX: Speak for yourself.

LOGAN: Now I want you nice and healthy, so you can tell the Commission about how Steckler conspired with your boss to keep cortodiazapine from the dying vets who needed it—how 149 people died because of his greed.

MAX: Wait a minute—this is about Sonrisa? Didn’t we do this like months ago?

LOGAN: We didn’t finish the job.

BRUNO: But I got enough on Steckler to put him away for a few centuries.

LOGAN: Well, that’s assuming we can keep you alive.

MAX (into Logan’s ear): Logan, you can’t seriously be asking me to babysit this dirtbag!

LOGAN: He’s the one who put me in this chair. If I can wrap my head around it, so can you.

BRUNO: What chair?

MAX: Take a look at the fruits of your labor. (Removes the blindfold) You might have an easier time recognizing him through the scope of a grenade launcher.

BRUNO: Oh. Yeah, now I remember. I did this?

LOGAN: Yeah.

BRUNO: Sorry…It was nothing personal and all…Coulda been worse, right? (No reaction from Logan.) You got a nice pad here. I appreciate you letting me crash here.

LOGAN: I got a safe house for you out in the suburbs.

MAX: Logan, I’m begging you to let me turn this hump over to the people who wanna grease him.

LOGAN: Twenty-four hours, Max. Let him tell his story, and then he can crawl back under the rock he came from. (Holds out an envelope) Some spending money. Play nice.

(In the hallway of the safe house)

BRUNO: So from what I remember, you can hold your breath for quite a long time. You know, guys pay a lot of money for that. And settin’ me up against Sonrisa—I forgive that.

MAX: I’ll sleep better now.

BRUNO: And I thank you for saving my life back there.

MAX: Don’t rub it in.

BRUNO: So, um…you and this, uh, Logan character, um…you working together, or uh…

MAX: Bruno, how about you and me take a vow of silence for the next twenty-four hours, hmm?

(Max unlocks the door to a room. Bruno looks around.)

BRUNO: Oh, no. This—no. This is not working for me.

MAX: Excuse me?

BRUNO: Well, do you see a TV, huh? Do you see a stereo? What am I supposed to do for food, huh? I guess you’re taking me to a nice restaurant.

MAX: You’re staying put.

BRUNO: Oh, no. Not in this dump, I’m not. No sir. (Heads for the door)

MAX: Hey, Bruno…

(He turns to see her holding up a pair of handcuffs.)

BRUNO: Ohhh. Oh yes, I should’ve figured you for a little kinkster. (Walks toward her, grinning) Yeah, I’m game. Two people alone in a room for people just passing though. It’s me, it’s you, looking hotter than you’ve ever looked. It’s like déjà freakin’ vu, isn’t it?

(She yanks his arm and shoves him into an armchair.)

BRUNO: Ow! Oh, that’s not a turn-on. No, no. Ow.

(Max handcuffs him to a nearby radiator.)

BRUNO: What’d you do that for?

MAX: Let me connect the dots for you. There are people out there that want you dead. Logan wants to keep you alive. I myself am on the fence, but I’m gonna make sure nothing irrevocable happens to you until you walk out of that hearing. That means that you are going to stay here even if the accommodations aren’t to your liking.

BRUNO: You know you’re different, right? You’re not like other girls.

MAX: What do you want on your pizza?

BRUNO: The works. But I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t want sausage and I don’t want pepperoni, and I don’t want cheese ’cause I don’t do dairy.

(Max rolls her eyes and starts to leave.)

BRUNO: You got a thing for tying up guys, don’t you?

MAX: I save it all for you, Bruno.

(In his apartment, Logan is watching the black-and-white video footage taken from the police hoverdrone the day he was shot. He’s rewinding it over and over.)

BLING: Most people watch home videos to remember the good times.

LOGAN: It’s like it happened to someone else. (Rewinds again) That is definitely me.

BLING: Do you really need to put yourself through this?

LOGAN: And the shooter was Bruno Anselmo.

BLING: You’re a better man than me. (Sits down next to Logan) Sticking your neck out for the man who did this to you.

LOGAN: We have a situation in the here and now. That’s all that matters.

BLING: How’d you get this videotape, anyways?

LOGAN: Money. What else have I got?

(Bling takes the remote and turns off the TV.)

BLING: Man, you gotta scream a little, or you’re going to explode.

LOGAN: And what good would that do?

BLING: It might make you feel better.

LOGAN: For how long? A minute? Five minutes?

BLING: It’s a hell of a lot healthier than pretending to be the high-minded benefactor of the man who tried to kill you. A normal person might even entertain the idea of revenge.

LOGAN: To what end? Bruno’s a germ. And there are ten thousand more just like him, ready to take his place. What I have to attack is the disease, not the symptom. The disease is Mayor Steckler, and Bruno’s gonna bring him down. Now can I have my remote back, please?

(Bling hands him the remote and walks out of the room. Logan goes back to rewinding the video.)

(On the street somewhere, a man is using a pay phone.)

MAN: We didn’t get him…They said some girl showed up on a bike outta nowhere and took off with him…I’m gonna take care of it myself…Don’t worry, I’ll find him…Let’s just say he has certain weaknesses.

(At the safe house, two half-naked women are dancing for Bruno. Max walks in with pizza and shuts off their tape player.)

BRUNO: Hey, Maxie! Ladies, say hi to Maxie. Maxie, this is Britannica, and this is Ling-Ling, which is short for something…

MAX: Are you a complete idiot or do you just have a death wish?

BRUNO: Huh? They’re trusted associates!

MAX: Come on, kids, put your clothes on. Bruno’s got school in the morning.

BRUNO: Hey, come on. I can’t put my life on hold because I’m doing my civic duty and testifying.

MAX: The reason why they call it a safe house is because nobody’s supposed to know where it is!…Who forgot their thong?

(Ling-Ling takes the thong Max found. Britannica holds out her hand.)

BRITANNICA: Three hundred.

BRUNO: Well, like the duck said to the working girl, put it on my bill.

LING-LING: Sorry, baby. We gotta have the paper.

BRUNO (to Max): Well, I—you know, I kind of didn’t get my wallet ’cause you grabbed me so fast. Would you mind paying? I’ll pay you back. Listen, I’ll get you a lap dance if you want. It’s my treat.

(Max kicks him in the shin and uses some of Logan’s money to pay the girls.)

BRUNO: Ow! God, don’t do that.

BRITANNICA: You and your kinky, kinky lady have a good night.

BRUNO: Oh, I’m sure we will.

(The girls leave. Max uncuffs Bruno.)

MAX: We gotta blaze.

BRUNO: You know, you’ve overreacting.

MAX: It’s not safe here. We gotta find new digs.

BRUNO: You wouldn’t have to protect me if you had gotten me dead back when you tried. (Max yanks him out of the armchair) Ow! I think there’s a lesson in that?

MAX: Yeah—try harder. (Slaps him on the back of the head)

BRUNO: Ow!

(At the front desk of a hotel)

CONCIERGE: May I help you?

MAX: Checking in.

CONCIERGE: Name?

BRUNO: Galt.

MAX (at same time): Stark.

BRUNO: We just got married.

CLERK: Congratulations. (Checks the book) No, I don’t have anything under either name.

BRUNO: Baby! Tell me you remembered to make the reservation.

MAX: I thought you were handling that.

BRUNO: Well, I didn’t marry her for her brains.

(Bruno puts his hand on her butt. Max bends his fingers back until he grunts in pain. She produces some cash for the concierge.)

MAX: Can’t we just…get a room?

CLERK: Let me see what I have available.

(Upstairs, in the hallway)

BRUNO: Too bad the bridal suite’s occupado.

MAX: I’m heartbroken.

BELLHOP: Your room is right this way.

BRUNO: Well, sweetheart, I should carry you across the threshold for good luck.

MAX: You’re out of luck.

(The bellhop unlocks a door and they enter a room.)

BRUNO: Oh, now, this is some style.

BELLHOP: I’ll send your luggage right up.

BRUNO: We don’t have any. We’re newlyweds. Who needs clothes? Can you tip the young man, honey?

(Max gives Bruno a look and gets out Logan’s money. Bruno grabs some cash from her hands and gives it to the bellhop.)

BRUNO: Listen, can we get a free bottle of champagne or something?

BELLHOP: I’ll see what I can do. (Leaves)

BRUNO: Ah. This is more like it.

MAX: Last room in the place and one bed. Great.

BRUNO: We’re all adults. I think we can share.

MAX: Yeah, right.

BRUNO: You take the middle…I’ll take the top.

MAX: You get the floor, pal. (Knocks him out) Honeymoon’s over.

(Later, Max is reading on the bed. Bruno is sitting in an armchair, holding ice to his jaw.)

BRUNO: It’s all coming back to me now.

(He flashes back to the beating she gave him in the motel room after Sonrisa’s.)

MAX (in flashback): Is that all you’ve got?

BRUNO (in present day): You pack a big wallop for a little thing.

MAX: Silence.

BRUNO: I’m bored.

MAX: Watch television.

BRUNO: Well, what’s the point? You won’t let me order any movies.

MAX: Hose Monkeys: The Next Generation is not a movie. It’s excrement.

BRUNO: Easy. The leading lady is a personal friend of mine.

MAX: Dinner’s on its way. Why don’t you take a nap or something ’til it gets here?

BRUNO: I can’t sleep!

MAX: Do you want me to put you under again?

BRUNO: I’m gonna take a shower.

MAX: Take your best shot, but some dirt just doesn’t wash off.

BRUNO: Why don’t you come help me?

(Max gives him a look. Bruno goes into the bathroom, closes the door, and starts running the water.)

BRUNO: The towels are all scratchy.

(Max goes to the phone and calls Logan.)

BRUNO: There’s no water pressure. I piss harder than this.

LOGAN: Hey.

MAX: We got a problem.

LOGAN: What’s wrong?

MAX: I’m supposed to be protecting your boy, only I’m this close to killing him. He turns my stomach, he’s subhuman, he’s—

LOGAN: —a material witness in the biggest murder trial in Seattle history.

MAX: Can’t we just lock him in a steamer trunk for the next 24 hours and put him in your basement?

LOGAN: Remember the goal here…bringing down Steckler. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you what he did to your friend Theo. He died on account of him and Sonrisa.

MAX: Like I’d forget that.

LOGAN: Then keep your eyes on the prize.

MAX: Okay. But you don’t have to share a room with the creep.

LOGAN: Why am I not worried about you being able to take care of yourself?

MAX: The only thing you need to worry about is me snapping his neck.

LOGAN: Just get him to the courtroom in one piece and able to talk.

MAX: Does he need to have all his teeth?

LOGAN: I’ll see you tomorrow.

MAX: You owe me for this one. Large.

(There’s a knock on the door as Max hangs up the phone. She checks the peephole and unlocks the door.)

MAX: Bruno, dinner.

(A bellhop enters with room-service cart.)

MAX: What’s this?

BELLHOP: The gentleman ordered a can of whipped cream.

MAX: Here. Knock yourself out. You can take that champagne too. Honey, dinner.

(The bellhop leaves. Hearing no response from Bruno, Max approaches the bathroom door.)

MAX: Bruno!

(She knocks on the door. Still no response.)

MAX: I am entering this room in order to determine that you are safe and unharmed. This should in no way be construed by you as…

(The water in the shower is still running, but the bathroom is empty. Max sees the window open and goes downstairs to the front desk.)

MAX: Excuse me. The gentleman I checked in with—

CONCIERGE: Your husband?

MAX: Yeah. Do you know where he went?

CONCIERGE: I called him a cab. Where is my ten percent?

MAX: Ten percent? Of what?

CONCIERGE: Either I get paid, or you don’t work this hotel again.

(Max grabs him by the neck and pulls him across the desk.)

MAX: You puttin’ the touch on the working girls? You think you deserve a piece of the action for sittin’ here on your can, lookin’ down your nose at them? I don’t think so.

CONCIERGE: I can’t breathe.

MAX: I ever hear about you shaking down my sisters again, I’ll come back here and slap you like the bitch that you are. Now where did my husband go?

CONCIERGE: Steel Pole Saloon, Eighth and Pender.

MAX (releasing him): Have a nice night.

(Max pulls up to the Steel Pole. Inside, there are two women kickboxing in a cage, and Bruno and another guy are shooting pool.)

BRUNO: Fifteen in the corner. (Makes the shot)

OPPONENT: Slop, man.

BRUNO: That’s not slop. I called that.

MAX: What the hell are you doing here?

BRUNO: I’m just teaching this douche bag how to play pool.

OPPONENT: What’d you just call me?

BRUNO: You heard me. Hey, bartender, I wanna get a vinegar and water for this douche bag over here.

(Bruno’s opponent drops his stick and they start to fight. Max throws the opponent across the room. She shoves Bruno out of the way. Several men from the surrounding crowd attack Max, and she beats all of them.)

BRUNO: That’s my wife.

MAX: Anybody else want a piece? No takers? Let’s go.

(She handcuffs Bruno and they walk out.)

BRUNO: Not bad for a girl.

MAX: I was just pretending they were you, sweetheart.

MAN IN CROWD (on cell phone): It’s Johannessen...Yeah, he was just here...She’s good. I’m gonna need the team.

(Back in the hotel room, Max handcuffs Bruno to the headboard of the bed.)

BRUNO: I can’t reach the phone from here.

MAX: No more phones, no more room service, no more showers. You’re gonna go to sleep and I’m gonna sit right here and watch you.

BRUNO: Well, I gotta call my little girl before she goes to bed.

MAX: Right. And then you’re gonna visit your sick Aunt Mary.

BRUNO: I’m serious! I gotta call my kid.

MAX: You actually have offspring? Is it considered Homo sapien?

BRUNO: Hey, know what? You can say whatever you want to about me, but don’t make any cracks about my little girl. Understood?

MAX: You really have a daughter?

BRUNO: Yes. Her name’s Annabelle, and she’s seven. And she doesn’t sleep good unless I call her at night.

MAX: No way. If Steckler’s goons are sitting on your family, they’ll trace the call.

BRUNO: Boy, you must think I’m dumb, huh?

MAX: Do you really want me to answer that?

BRUNO: I gave my ex a scrambled cell. Nobody can trace the call.

(Max picks up the phone.)

BRUNO: Thank you.

MAX: What’s the number?

BRUNO: 8-4-3-9-7-8-3-6-4-2-7-9-4-3.

MAX: This better be real, ’cause I’m listening in.

(Max holds the receiver so she and Bruno can both hear it.)

BRUNO: Hey, Mary Jo, it’s me. I know it’s late—I had a bit of a situation. Is Annabelle still up? Can I talk to her, please? I promise I won’t keep her very long on the phone. (To Max) See? She waited up for me. Um…would you mind going to the ice machine for me?

MAX: Yeah.

BRUNO: Come on, I just would like a glass of ice water on my bedside table at night.

MAX: So open a vein.

BRUNO: Come on, you got me locked up here, I’m waiting for my little girl to come to the phone—where am I gonna go? (Into the phone) Hi, sweetheart! How was school today?…I’m gonna try and come down there tomorrow and see you. I’ve kind of got a busy day—Okay…Okay…Well, I’m gonna be there…Yeah…So what story do you want to hear tonight, sweetie?…Again?…Okay. Are you all tucked in?…All right, are you ready?…In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon.

(Max takes the ice bucket and leaves the room. Meanwhile, three large men enter the lobby.)

CONCIERGE: Can I help you, gentlemen? Are you checking in, or visiting a guest?

(Max steps off the elevator and digs into the nearby ice machine. From there, she sees one of the men throw the concierge across the lobby. She runs back to the room. The men head for the elevator.)

BRUNO: Goodnight, moon. Goodnight, cow jumping over the moon.

MAX (uncuffing Bruno): Bruno, we gotta get out of here.

BRUNO: Goodnight, light and red balloon.

MAX: Hang up the phone. Now!

BRUNO: Goodbye, chairs, and—

MAX: Let’s go! Now!

(Max rips the cord out of the phone and drags him out the door.)

BRUNO: I didn’t get to the kittens and the mittens!

(The three men approach the room, and one of them kicks the door down. They step into the room, guns ready, but it’s empty. The window is open. One of the men steps on Max’s pager and picks it up.)

CONCIERGE (on phone): Yes, hello, police? Yes—

(The three men appear at the front desk. One of them snaps the concierge’s neck. They leave.)

(Max and Bruno ride down the street on Max’s motorcycle.)

(In the morning, homeless people are gathered around fires to keep warm. A nearby pile of blankets jumps up and we see it is Bruno. He and Max have spent the night hidden under blankets.)

BRUNO: Oh! God! Ugh! There’s a rat!

MAX: Calm down.

(At Jam Pony)

NORMAL: It’s 10:45 AM, and even you feckless bums have been working here for over an hour. Where is she?

SKETCHY: I resent being called feckless.

ORIGINAL CINDY: Me too. What’s it mean?

NORMAL: Where is Max?

ORIGINAL CINDY: In the bathroom.

SKETCHY (at the same time): On a run.

NORMAL: If she is not present and accounted for in the next fifteen minutes, she will be without employment. You tell her that for me.

SKETCHY: Normal, I swear I just saw her a minute ago.

NORMAL: Get out of my sight. Get out of my sight. (Walks away)

SKETCHY: Do we have any idea where Max is?

ORIGINAL CINDY: None. But we gonna fix that.

(Original Cindy uses Normal’s phone to dial Logan’s number. Sketchy leaves on a run. Logan answers his phone, clearly expecting Max.)

LOGAN: Hey.

ORIGINAL CINDY: Hey.

LOGAN (surprised): Hey.

ORIGINAL CINDY: You got Original Cindy here.

LOGAN: Oh. Hey.

ORIGINAL CINDY: We already did that. Do you know where Max is? I’ve been blowin’ up her pager for two hours and she ain’t hit me back, which is not her stilo.

LOGAN: Max is okay.

ORIGINAL CINDY: That’s not what I asked. Where is she?

LOGAN: She’s doing something for me. She’ll be back at work this afternoon.

ORIGINAL CINDY: If the man don’t fire her ass first.

LOGAN: Well, tell him she had a medical emergency and she’ll bring a note from her doctor.

ORIGINAL CINDY: What you got her doin’?

LOGAN: It’s a favor.

ORIGINAL CINDY: A favor. Look. You wanna be International Man of Mystery, that’s your dealio. But you get my homegirl jammed up, I’m gonna beat on your ass, chair or no chair.

LOGAN: Trust me. Max is okay.

ORIGINAL CINDY: She better be. Later. (Hangs up)

NORMAL: Hi. I couldn’t help overhearing you use the M word. Did you inquire as to her whereabouts?

ORIGINAL CINDY: She’s at the doctor’s. The good news is, they caught it before it turned into chronic multiple progressive brain dysfunction syndrome. She’ll be in as soon as they’re done testing her.

NORMAL: Oh, for the love of Mike.

(Logan’s phone rings again. It’s Max, calling from a pay phone at some diner on the street, with Bruno nearby.)

LOGAN: Hey. I’ve been paging you all morning.

MAX: Little run-in at the hotel. Had to bail in a hurry and left my pager.

LOGAN: What happened?

MAX: Somebody dropped a dime on Bruno and some goons paid us a visit.

LOGAN: Is he okay?

MAX: Yeah. I’m okay too, thanks for asking.

LOGAN: You figure ’em for Steckler’s people?

MAX: These weren’t the same guys as last night. They were scary.

LOGAN: Well, there’s a lot of players who want him dead. I’ll look into it.

MAX: I’m in the home stretch with Dumbo here. See you in court?

LOGAN: Okay. Max…be careful.

(Max hangs up, smiling.)

BRUNO: C’mon, let’s get a move on. I’m supposed to be at the park in fifteen minutes.

MAX: What are you talking about?

BRUNO: I promised my kid I’d come see her.

(Max gives him a disbelieving look.)

BRUNO: Listen. You look at me like something people scrape off the bottom of their shoes. My kid looks at me, she sees her father. I wanna go see my daughter.

MAX: I don’t like it.

BRUNO: Listen. Eight years of marital pain living with a guy like me, you think Mary Jo didn’t learn something? She knows how to avoid a tail like most wives know how to make a casserole.

MAX: Still. It’s risky.

BRUNO: Well, that’s why I got myself one kick-ass bodyguard.

(At the park)

BRUNO: Hey, sweetie! How are ya?

(Annabelle runs toward him and he picks her up.)

BRUNO: Ya-hoo! Annabelle, this is my friend Max.

MAX: Hey, Annabelle.

ANNABELLE: Hello.

BRUNO: Shall we go say hi to Mommy? (Annabelle nods) Okay.

(They step over to Mary Jo, who’s watching from a picnic table.)

BRUNO: Thanks for bringing her, Mary Jo.

MARY JO: Annabelle deserves a father…despite everything.

BRUNO: Say hi to Max?

MARY JO: Hi.

MAX: Hey.

ANNABELLE: Daddy!

BRUNO: What?

ANNABELLE: Push me on the swings!

BRUNO: I’ll race ya!

(They run off to the swings while Mary Jo and Max watch.)

MARY JO: So where do you dance?

MAX: Dance?

MARY JO: You’re with my husband. You gotta be a stripper.

ANNABELLE: My teacher says the moon can’t be yellow.

BRUNO: Really? Why not?

ANNABELLE: She says the sun is yellow.

BRUNO: Hmm. What color do you want the sun to be?

ANNABELLE: Purple.

BRUNO: Purple? Well, you know what? I think that the moon has to be yellow, and the sun has to be purple, and that’s the way it’s gotta be. Yes? Yes?

ANNABELLE: Yes!

BRUNO: Okay!

MARY JO: I thought I’d heard every excuse there was, but…bodyguard? That’s a new one.

MAX: It’s true. Your husband has a lot of enemies.

MARY JO: You’re talking to one of his biggest.

(Max sees a man in the distance, hiding behind trees and carrying a gun.)

MARY JO: Look, it’s not like I care if you’re fooling around with him, but don’t kid yourself…You’re not his only “bodyguard.”

MAX: Excuse me. Bruno! BRUNO!

(Max runs toward Bruno and knocks him to the ground just as the man fires. The bullet flies over them and the man leaves.)

(At Logan’s apartment)

BLING: This just came for you.

LOGAN: Great! Thank you, Bling. I’ve been waiting for that.

(Bling hands Logan a disk. Logan pops it into the computer.)

BLING: What is it?

LOGAN: Security camera from the hotel that Max stayed at last night.

(On Logan’s computer, we see the bellhop step off the elevator. He sees the three men walking in his direction down the hotel hallway. The bellhop turns around, gets back into the elevator, and hurriedly presses the button. The elevator doors close.)

BLING: Trigger men looking to take out your witness?

LOGAN: They don’t look like housekeeping doing turndown service.

(A fist punches through the elevator door and presses the “open doors” button. When the doors open, one of the men grabs the bellhop and throws him into the hallway. The three men step into the elevator.)

BLING: What the hell was that?!

LOGAN: That’s a good question. I have no idea.

(He replays the hand punching through the elevator door.)

LOGAN: I think I better go see Sebastian.

(Max and Bruno are on Max’s motorcycle, in a line of cars waiting to get to the courthouse.)

MAX: I gotta ask, Bruno. Why are you doing this? Coming forward, I mean.

BRUNO: I do my part, the cops will forget about me whacking Sonrisa.

MAX: Resourceful guy like you, there are a million ways you could get out from under the beef. You could just disappear.

BRUNO: Well, I thought about it.

MAX: Don’t tell me your conscience got the better of you. Three-plus decades of being a world-class dirt chute, and all of a sudden you wake up one morning and have to do the right thing?

BRUNO: I’m doing it for Annabelle.

MAX: Even though you may never see her again?

BRUNO: She’s gotta live her whole life knowing the kind of guy she had for a father. The very least I wanna do is give her one thing she can point to and say I did good.

(In a building somewhere, one of the men who had come to the hotel heats a knife and passes it to the second man. The third man is the one who had punched through the elevator door. In the same room, Johannessen is talking on his cell phone.)

JOHANNESSEN: Believe me, sir, I understand the importance of this mission…Once we have her, I’ll be in touch. (Hangs up) What’s the trouble here?

SECOND MAN: His arm won’t stop bleeding.

JOHANNESSEN: Clotting agents are too thin.

(The second man uses the heated knife to cauterize the third man’s wound. The third man watches calmly.)

JOHANNESSEN: Get me the girl. This kind of problem will be a thing of the past.

(At Sebastian’s, Logan and Sebastian are watching the footage from the hotel’s security camera. Sebastian speaks with a voice synthesizer.)

SEBASTIAN: My guess is they are military.

LOGAN: Ours?

SEBASTIAN: Probably South African disposables.

(Sebastian pauses the footage and zooms in on the back of one man’s neck. There is a small metal object protruding slightly through the man’s skin.)

SEBASTIAN: Bingo.

LOGAN: What?

SEBASTIAN: That’s where the implant is inserted. In the trade, these guys are known as the Red Series.

LOGAN: I’ve heard about ’em. Soldiers modified to be all they can be.

SEBASTIAN: The implant burrows into the brain stem—blocks the pain receptors so they don’t feel anything. They become hyper-adrenalized, which makes them incredibly strong, essentially fearless.

LOGAN: How can their bodies take that kind of punishment?

SEBASTIAN: They can’t. They burn out in six months, a year tops. The South Africans have been trying to fix the problem by re-engineering their DNA.

LOGAN: Pretty tall order.

SEBASTIAN: They could marry state-of-the-art transgenic science with neural-implant technology if they can get their hands on a genetically enhanced prototype. Question is…what are these guys doing in Seattle?

(Later, Logan and Bling have just arrived at the courthouse. Onlookers are crowding the sidewalks, and the press is gathered at the fence. Logan puts his gun in his inside jacket pocket. He and Bling approach the fence.)

BLING: She may already be inside.

LOGAN: Doesn’t mean she’s safe.

BLING: Max can take care of herself.

LOGAN: Not if she doesn’t know what she’s up against.

(Logan cuts through the crowd and displays his press credentials to a cop standing guard.)

LOGAN: Excuse me. Excuse me. My name’s Logan Cale.

COP: Press is over there.

LOGAN: I’m covering the hearing.

COP: Closed session. Miller—I told you to check the gate perimeter and move the crowd back.

LOGAN (putting an envelope in his jacket): Thank you.

(Max and Bruno pull up outside the courthouse.)

MAX: Somebody out there’s on Steckler’s payroll with a big piece of lead just for you.

BRUNO: I don’t care. I’m still going in.

MAX: Only not through the front door.

(Inside the courtroom)

JUDGE: All right. We are back in session, and we’ll hear testimony regarding the alleged involvement of the mayor’s office in the cortodiazapine crisis of last year, which of course led to the deaths of 149 Balkan War veterans. Next witness is Bruno Anselmo. (Someone hands the judge a note) Is the marshal in the gallery?

MARHSAL: Uh, yes, your honor.

JUDGE: I’ve just received a note here indicating that the witness is not ready to appear at this time. Now, it was our understanding that Mr. Anselmo was in protective custody.

MARSHAL: Yes, your honor, he was—until about sixteen hours ago.

JUDGE: And what happened?

MARSHAL: We’re, uh, not exactly sure. A search is being conducted to determine his whereabouts.

JUDGE: Either Mr. Anselmo presents himself immediately, or this hearing is concluded. Call to the stand Mr. Bruno Anselmo.

(Silence)

JUDGE: Since Mr. Anselmo is not present, we are adjour—

(Max and Bruno burst into the courtroom on Max’s motorcycle. She pivots to a stop, sending Bruno flying to the floor in front of the stand.)

MAX: Your witness.

(In the courtroom)

BRUNO: Sonrisa had the plan, Sonrisa did the dealings, but Mayor Steckler was the guy that made it happen. He made a chunk of cash off a lot of dead GIs.

JUDGE: Did you ever personally witness Mayor Steckler receive payoffs from Mr. Sonrisa?

BRUNO: Are you kidding? I put the money in his hands myself.

(Someone hands the judge another note.)

JUDGE: Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just been notified that a bomb threat has been made. We are adjourned until further notice. Everyone please exit the building in an orderly fashion.

(Everyone starts leaving the courtroom.)

MAX: Let’s go.

BRUNO: No no no, the stairs. This way. C’mere.

(Outside the courthouse)

COP (into his radio): Yeah, roger that. (To the crowd) People, I’m gonna ask you to move away from the building. Move away from the building! We’ve got a situation here!

(In the parking garage below the courthouse)

MAX: Why am I not surprised you know your way around courthouses?

(The door of a van parked nearby opens, and the Red Series men step out, along with Johannessen.)

MAX: Back upstairs.

(Bruno grabs a fire extinguisher and uses it to knock the doorknob off the door to the stairs.)

MAX: What the hell are you doing?!

BRUNO: Just holdin’ up my end of the deal. See, word on the street for a while now that there’s some people in town that are willing to pay large for, uh, what do you call ’em?

JOHANNESSEN: Manticore prototypes.

BRUNO: Yeah. Now I know you think I’m dumb, but I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out, girlie. (Johannessen gives him a briefcase full of cash) Yeah, that’s good. I figure a girl that can run faster than a speeding bullet, who can hold her breath forever, and take out guys three times her size…Well, I figure she might be one of these, uh…whaddayacallits.

MAX: You figured that out all by yourself?

BRUNO: Uh-huh. I even staged a demonstration in that biker bar.

MAX: So now you’re all ka-ching.

BRUNO: Well, I got a family to think about.

MAX: Bruno, I saved your life.

BRUNO: And I’m grateful. But I’m a bad guy doing what comes natural. It’s been fun. So goodbye, girlie. Wish I coulda thrown a hump into you. (Leaves)

(The Reds are drawing closer to Max. She looks a little nervous but tries to look tough.)

JOHANNESSEN: You have two choices. You can come quietly...

MAX: Bite me.

JOHANNESSEN (smiling): ...or not.

MAX: You shoulda brought more guys.

JOHANNESSEN: Gentlemen...

(Outside the courthouse)

LOGAN: Check the other side.

(Bling leaves. Logan looks around and sees Bruno leaving the garage alone.)

LOGAN: Bruno! Bruno!

(Bruno glances over and sees him.)

LOGAN: Where’s Max?

(Bruno ignores him and walks away. Logan goes back to his car. Bruno suddenly finds himself facing the hitman from the park, who fires straight into Bruno’s stomach. Bruno collapses.)

(In the garage, Max is fighting the Reds, who are listed in the credits as Red Five, Red Six, and Red Seven. The Reds are carrying handheld taser wands. Max grabs Red Six’s arm and turns around to kick Red Seven. She jumps over Red Five, but he kicks her before she lands, and she falls to the ground.)

MAX: One at a time, boys. There’s enough ass-kicking to go around.

(Max jumps up and kicks Red Five to the ground. Red Six zaps her from behind; she grabs his taser wand and whacks him with it. Red Seven kicks her from behind, and she stumbles forward. She punches Red Five, who is now directly in front of her, in the stomach. Red Six approaches; she kicks him away. Reds Five and Seven punch and kick her. She grabs Red Five’s leg, but Red Six comes over and tases her from behind. The three Reds pick her up and hurl her at a nearby car. She lands on the windshield, shattering it.)

MAX: Now you’re pissing me off!

(Red Six jumps onto the car’s hood and punches her while Red Seven tases her. Finally she knocks Red Six away and jumps off the car. She picks up the fire extinguisher Bruno had used earlier. When Red Seven approaches her, she sprays the extinguisher at him. He keeps coming. Max hits him and Red Six with the canister. Johannessen, who is watching the fight, looks frustrated. Red Five attempts to tase Max; she grabs his arm, takes the taser wand, and kicks him. He lands against a column and Max tases him. Suddenly Logan’s car comes roaring into the garage, screeching to a halt near the fight. Logan fires his gun, hitting Red Six. Red Seven jumps out of the way. Johannessen takes cover inside the van. Max drops the taser wand and jumps into the car, through the window. Logan and Max peel out. The Reds sit up and watch them leave.)

(That night, the van is parked in an alley. Reds Five and Six are watching Red Seven remove bullets from Red Six’s flesh. Johannessen is speaking on his cell phone.)

JOHANNESSEN: She only got away because someone helped her…It won’t happen next time...Yeah, even better than we thought. She’s stronger, faster, and well trained…We just need some time to regroup, figure out our next move. But we’ll get her…Don’t worry. (Holds up Max’s pager) We’ve got a lead.

(At Logan’s apartment, Max and Logan are watching the news. Logan is preparing peroxide to put on Max’s taser burns.)

ANCHORMAN: Mayor Leopold Steckler is expected to be indicted on 149 counts of murder. The most damning testimony against him was from Bruno Anselmo, who was felled by gunmen outside the municipal building only moments after his testimony.

LOGAN: Why is it that the good die young?

ANCHORMAN: City and state officials are hailing Anselmo as a courageous man who paid the ultimate price in the pursuit of justice.

MAX: He got what he wanted.

LOGAN: Mmm. A bullet in the chest?

MAX: Something his kid could point to and say he did good. (Logan dabs a burn) Ahh!

LOGAN: They got you good.

MAX: I need to get my ass kicked once in a while. Just to keep me real.

LOGAN: These guys aren’t going away, Max.

MAX: Kinda pesky like that.

LOGAN: Max…

MAX: You don’t have to tell me to be afraid. I’m already there.