Lioness Episode 3: Bruise Like a Fist

Cruz drives across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge toward Aaliyah’s weekend gathering while Joe stays on the phone with her, coaching her on what to say and what not to reveal. Joe also updates Kaitlyn on how the undercover work is going, and she learns that Aaliyah has more money and U.S. connections than the team had expected.

When Cruz arrives, Aaliyah and her circle quickly push her into the social side of the visit, including changing into a revealing swimsuit. That exposes bruises on Cruz’s body, and the people around her become suspicious enough that a doctor is brought in to examine her. The doctor questions whether the bruises were caused by abuse and appears ready to report it, but Cruz improvises a believable cover story about a violent boyfriend and the situation in jail, convincing him to back off and preserving her cover.

While this is happening, Joe is pulled into a separate problem when Kyle asks for help with an extraction involving one of his assets, who is being moved under guard. Joe agrees to lend him part of her team, and those operators track the target’s transport, collide with another group trying to take the same person, and then extract the asset in a violent, chaotic operation. The mission ends successfully, but not cleanly, with gunfire and a serious crash.

Back at the main mission, Aaliyah’s group continues the weekend plans and eventually prepares for a trip by private plane, which makes Cruz’s location harder to track. The episode closes with the private flight taking off as Joe realizes the change in travel will complicate her ability to monitor Cruz.