The Finish Line

In a flashback, 18-year-old Tobias is in his spartan Paris hostel when Preston Monroe arrives, insisting they go out on his last night before returning to America. Preston gives Tobias an expensive trench coat and teaches him to tie a necktie in the limousine. Tobias resents Roman Horner, his ultimate target (and Cecelia’s father), and reflects on his poverty and failed attempts to contact his parents’ old associates, who shun him due to his father Abijah Baran’s reputation.

At an upscale strip club, Tobias questions a dancer about a dangerous man in the VIP section. She warns that people who inquire about this man disappear and reveals that he closely guards a specific dancer. Outside, a knife-wielding thief attacks Preston. Tobias subdues the attacker, knocking him unconscious and saving Preston’s life. Preston tells him he is capable of doing bad things for good reasons, cementing their lifelong alliance.

In the present, Tobias finds Cecelia’s copy of The Thorn Birds, a 1977 novel by Colleen McCullough, and realizes that her café, Meggie’s, is named after the main character. In her bathroom, he discovers that her Juniper Berry lotion has the scent of gin. He receives a coded call from Preston Monroe, now the US President, who is revealed to be a founding member of the Ravenhood, a secret organization they created. Tobias texts Russell to arrange additional security for Cecelia in Virginia.

Cecelia arrives home to find her Audi, which Tobias took when she left their hometown of Triple Falls, parked in the driveway. Tobias confronts her about whether she is upset about the car or about facing him. He crowds her, asking bluntly if she wants to talk, fight, or have sex. When she remains silent, he relents, kisses her temple, and tells her he will give her more time.

At Meggie’s café, a school bus full of children arrives unexpectedly, and Tobias helps with the rush, bussing tables and taking orders. He speaks to Cecelia in French, making increasingly explicit sexual remarks that remind her of their intense early relationship. A shattering plate breaks the spell.

In the kitchen, they argue about their lack of real communication. Later, Marissa teases Cecelia about the sexual tension between them. Tobias follows Cecelia to her office, tells her he will see her at home, and gives her cash for Marissa’s tips.

That afternoon, after showering, Cecelia stands before her mirror when Tobias appears behind her, still damp from his run. He holds her from behind, saying he refuses to make small talk and is waiting for her to be ready for real conversations. His erection presses against her as he kisses her neck, but he suddenly pulls away with a pained expression and leaves. For the first time, Cecelia wonders if she is incapable of forgiving him.

In a flashback to age 20, Tobias walks through Paris, feeling isolated from normal student life. On the phone with Dominic, he lies about missing his flight home. A nested flashback reveals that six weeks earlier, during a camping trip, Dominic admitted that he had known about Tobias’s true mission all along, surprising Tobias with the depth of his understanding. On the phone, Dominic reveals that they are broke and that he has a plan to make money. Tobias reluctantly gives him permission.

After the call, Tobias is abducted off the street, hooded, and driven to a basement. A well-dressed man and his subordinate, Palo, confront him. The man reveals that he knew Tobias’s parents, Abijah and Celine. When Tobias is defiant, he is pistol-whipped. Tobias explains that he is in France to recruit help against the man who murdered his parents. The man releases him solely because he is Celine’s son.

After being freed, Tobias gets his roommate, Claude, to drive while he mentally retraces the abduction route using his near-photographic memory. He locates the hidden compound and calls Dominic for intelligence on the address. Dominic texts him the information—Tobias’s first text message. Armed with this data, Tobias allows himself to be recaptured at the gate. Brought before the man again, Tobias explains his route memorization and reveals that he knows the man’s name is Antoine, proposing an alliance.

The narrative returns to the present, with Tobias driving Dominic’s Camaro at high speed, haunted by the memory of telling his brothers and Tyler about his plans for revenge against Roman.

Cecelia comes home to find Tobias, shirtless and troubled, washing Dominic’s Camaro. He admits that driving the car triggered difficult memories of Dominic. He grabs and kisses her. Inside, he has stocked the freezer with frozen red grapes, her favorite, triggering memories of their intense early love affair. Tobias tells her they have a meetup that night to introduce her to his local security team. Though furious, she proceeds to get ready.

As she takes a bath, he showers nearby. They watch each other through the glass door, the sexual tension palpable. When he turns, the water reveals two exit wound scars on his back—one beneath his right shoulder blade, one above his right hip. Cecelia realizes with shock that he was shot while they were apart, and tears fill her eyes. Tobias sees her horrified expression, curses, and abruptly leaves the bathroom.

Haunted by the fear he saw in Cecelia’s eyes after she noticed his gunshot scars, Tobias grows more determined. On the way to meet his local security team, the tension prompts him to pull the car over, trapping her to force a conversation. He reveals the brutal aftermath of Dominic’s death: a six-month war with Miami that resulted in the deaths of numerous Ravens, including Alicia’s brother. He confesses that he stayed away because of the intense danger and admits his scars are from a near-fatal shooting that occurred a year after he sent her away—an attack that left him indifferent to his own survival. He warns that the threat to them is permanent and gives her a final chance to order him away, promising to respect her decision. Without hesitation, Cecelia reaffirms her commitment.