“He should be here at any moment. He’s a mile away from here.”
“Thanks.”
I pivot and go back.
“Any news?” Francisco asks, concern lining his face.
“She’s not in the hotel. She came back. I know that because the driver came back, but no one has seen her entering the hotel.”
I start to sweat.
“Listen, you can go back to the party if you want to. Or wait in the lobby. I’ll get her.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Alejandro says, his eyes dark with frustration. “What did you two talk about?” he asks, filled with irritation.
“Nothing,” I deadpan, looking up the road, checking the cars pulling in.
“Why did she want to leave then?”
“It was… It doesn’t matter.”
I make a clipped gesture.
“Tell me,” he insists.
“She thought you two were not fun.”
“Really?”
His hands clasp his hips, his shirt stretching across his chest.
“Really… No. She thought you two were both aloof. Didn’t make sense of Francisco. And couldn’t understand why you were so indifferent to her.”
“I was indifferent??”
Alejandro raises an eyebrow at me.
“Don’t give me that look. Of course you were. It was part of your fucking game.”
“What game? There was no game. What about you? Maybe you pissed her off with that woman. What’s her name? Emily? Emilia?”
“Eliza.”
“Whatever.”
“It wasn’t that.”
“How convenient. She left because of us. But she talked to you. She even said she would leave. You just didn’t believe her.”
“Why would she leave, brother? Tell me.”
“You know her. Better than we do.”
He looks at Francisco. A frown claims his face.
“Why are you so quiet?”
Hands tucked in his pockets, Francisco shrugs.