SHE LEFT, VERY SLOWLY. Without reaction, she walked until she came to what looked like a cliff. She turned around, still not believing that she was outside the complex. The duct from her lodgings went beyond the concrete walls with the barbed-wire electric fence. Janine saw a glimmer of hope, until she realized that the complex was on a remote island. The city was there, but she needed a speedboat to get there. A tear escaped from one of her eyes.
"I'm going to get out of here," he promised quietly. "And I'm going to take them all with me too. I'm going to put an end to this damned mafia that overcharges on the suffering of so many. Oh, yes..."
...****************...
"ALO?" PEDRO HENRIQUE walked to the side of the hotel room. "Can I speak to Nano?"
"Hello" the man replied in Portuguese, with a heavy Spanish accent. "That's him. You're the guy looking for the girl, right?"
"Yes, it's me." He decided to sit on the bed, leaning on his knees. "Is everything all right for our meeting today?"
"I gave you my word. So I'm going to keep it."
"Thank you very much for that" Pedro nodded. "Where will the meeting be and what time?"
"I know a discreet pub. It's not too far away. It's right in the center."
"Good" Pedro was pleased. The central area is where he's staying. "Give me the address of this pub, please."
The man gave his full address. Pedro wrote everything down in his notebook. He tapped the end of his pen on the paper after he had finished.
"What's your best time?"
"I don't care."
"How about eight o'clock?" Peter proposed.
"Eight o'clock is great. I'll be there earlier. I'll be at the counter."
"Agreed."
The call ended. Pedro left his cell phone on the bed, rubbing his hands together with a puzzled look on his face. He felt he was getting close, but on the other hand he also felt that this next clue would trigger others. It wasn't a solution, but at least it was a step forward. He picked up his cell phone, returning a call.
"Alex?"
...****************...
JANINE WENT BACK TO BED. For the first time, after the week she had spent in the complex, she felt a wave of hope invade her senses. Had someone else discovered this exit? Or was it pure luck - and a mistake on the part of the mapping administration - that had landed her there? She was only sure of one thing: her determination to get out of the place. Janine thought how strange the mafia's attempt to "brainwash" the girls into settling for slave labor was. The accommodation, for example, is very comfortable. A soft mattress, a private bathroom with no sharp objects, and basic but tasty food.
This false sense of accommodation was good for the mafia. They could enslave the girls for longer. This disturbed Janine. How can you get used to the idea of working twelve to sixteen hours a day and only receiving one euro per piece produced? Not to mention the huge discount they give because of the expenses the girls have incurred to be brought here.
In other words, the person falls into the ambush and is blamed for it. And they pay for it with slave labor.
If regret could kill... thought Janine. She remembered the cliff that led straight down to the sea. A cliff full of rocks. The waves were crashing violently there. It was very cold outside. Her mind was racing, coming up with various ways to escape. She was tempted to go over the cliff, but what was she going to do once she reached the edge of the sea? She risked dying of hypothermia. A little frustrated, but agreeing with her own reason, she went back to her room. Luckily, she hadn't been discovered yet again.
He remembered Valkyrie's advice: don't act on impulse; don't create suspicion that you're up to something; be calculating. He also remembered the last escape attempt, which failed. He already knows that he can't count on the local police, because Hank has already got his hands wet. This detail caused him insecurity.
Decided not to plan anything at the moment. She promised herself that she would think about it starting tomorrow, with more calm.
...****************...
HUGO AND LUIS WERE TALKING on a bench in the square, nearby the crowd that was forming. The Dragons reached its peak.
"So you just got out of a marriage..." Luis took a sip of his beer.
"It wasn’t a marriage" Hugo raised a finger, as if to emphasize. "It was a sort of stable union. We were dating. We decided to live together. You know how it is... Excitement."
"Do you think it was excitement?"
"I think so" Hugo also took a sip of beer. He continued: "I think the rush came from both him and me. In less than five months, we moved in together. And look where that led..."
Hugo told Luis about the near-death experience.
"And this time you learned not to rush things anymore."
"Until now, yes" Hugo paused. "I want to stay single for a while. I’m going to let life take me where it will. Right now, I need to focus on the move to Sao Paulo and my new role in the Police."
"Did you get promoted?"
"Yes. I’m an investigator now."
"That’s cool."
There was a moment of silence.
"And you? You’re a psychologist, right?"
"Yes. And I’m also a Doctor Professor."
"Wow" Hugo gave a half-smile.
"What’s that about?"
"Nothing..." Hugo shrugged, a bit awkwardly. He crossed his legs. "It was just a silly interjection. You as Doctor Professor... anyway. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. The drink is hitting me."
Luis took his hand. They remained like that, holding hands, in silence for a while. Hugo was enjoying it.
"The other day I remembered the last time we were together" Luis began, still holding Hugo’s hand. "And it was a really nice surprise to see you here."
"I feel the same about seeing you here" Hugo kept his gaze on Luis. He remembered how crazy he was about the guy, but they only shared kisses.
"You left too soon."
"Did I?"
"I thought you’d stay around longer. But you said last time that life goes on and some things happen too quickly."
"True" Hugo recalled that moment. "The moment I took the clerk position in the Rio Police. It was very fast."
"Yeah."
They didn’t let go of each other’s hands until Luis rested his arm on the back of the bench, now keeping his hand on Hugo’s right shoulder. He started to stroke it. Hugo leaned his left shoulder slightly against his chest. A vibe was building now. Luis took a long sip of beer. Hugo watched him — the eyes, the full, well-shaped lips…
"I swear to you" Luis began. "If everything had happened differently... we should’ve been together until now."
"Did you want that back then?"
"I did" he admitted. "It might not seem like it, but I did. Shyness is tough."
"Don’t blame yourself for that" Hugo ran a finger along his cheekbone, just below which was the freshly shaved beard. "I also held back. I thought you didn’t want it anymore..."
"Damn..." Luis chuckled lightly. "I was thinking of a thousand and one ways to ask you out."
"Wow" Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Now you’ve caught me off guard with that one."
"Well, now you know."
There was a moment of silence. They were getting physically closer. Luis rested his forehead against Hugo’s head, who felt his breath touching his face. He knew that if he leaned in just a little more...
"A shame it didn’t happen" Hugo closed his eyes.
Luis began to brush his lips softly against Hugo’s face, slowly.
"Don’t regret it anymore" he asked softly, between kisses.
Without resisting, Hugo brought his hand to the back of Luis's neck, and they both began to kiss. Luis's open palm rested on Hugo’s back, intending to bring him closer, and it slid down to his waist.
...****************...
PEDRO HENRIQUE ARRIVED at the Pub five minutes before the scheduled time. The driver had informed in the last message that he was the only man sitting at the bar. Indeed, Pedro found him right away. He discreetly sat down beside the guy.
"Good evening" he said to the bartender. "I’ll have a sparkling water with ice, please."
The bartender nodded, stepping away.
"Sparkling water" the man joked, taking a sip of whiskey. "Joking aside, here’s Nano."
He extended his hand, and Pedro shook it. The sparkling water with ice was brought by the bartender, who promptly left.
"You’re Pedro" Nano stated.
"Exactly. The guy who wants to know about the girl."
"Did you bring a photo of her?"
Pedro Henrique retrieved the photo from his jacket, discreetly placing it on the counter. Nano frowned as he looked closely at Janine.
"I remember her" he said. "She tipped me very well when she checked into the hotel. She seemed anxious. Said she was living a dream."
"That’s all she said?"
"That’s it" Nano took another sip of whiskey. "Poor girl. I hope nothing bad has happened to her."
"That’s what I hope too."
"Are you a detective?"
"Yes. Private" Pedro kept it vague for safety reasons. "The family sent me here."
"She must be pretty well off in her country, huh…" Nano nodded, as if agreeing with his own statement. He then reached into his pocket. "You want the address of the hotel she went to, right?"
"Exactly" Pedro Henrique watched as the young man placed a piece of paper on top of Janine's photo. He took both back.
"It’s all there" Nano said.
Pedro Henrique unfolded the paper, reading the address. He recognized the place.
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