tense shoulders soften as he raises his palms in surrender , taking several steps back across the bedroom . the distance between them not only growing physically , but also figuratively too . his current approach clearly wasn't working , & he can't blame her . he was acting on his own fears , not accounting for hers . ' someone from work was caught skimming cash from the club . ' he begins , ' you can't steal from guys like this & think you're going to get away with it . they don't take kindly to being made to look a fool . so they made an example out of him , made sure the message was clear across the club so no one else would try the same . ' he pauses for a moment , giving her the chance to register the gravity of what he's saying . ' they asked me to take care of what's in that bag — make it disappear . ' he nods towards it , still firmly in her grasp . ' i'm not the one who pulled the trigger , dani , i swear to you . ' there's no denying the obvious plea in his voice , desperate not to be seen as the monster he feels like .