Page 186 of Embriagado

“I see.” He pursed his lips. “If that’s the case, it’s a good thing you brought her to me.”

Relief washed through me at knowing he wasn’t pissed or something.

“It seems your brother also had a rough night. You take him home now, while I’ll take care of this young lady.”

I took a step closer to him. “You sure? I can stay here and talk with the police.”

“The police?”

“You know, if she presses charges and they need someone to testify?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Well—” He lowered his voice. “—I’d rather you not interact with the cops. You know, given your record and, well, other things.”

Getting what he was insinuating, I nodded. “Yeah, fuck, you’re right.” I chuckled nervously, my stare moving back to that poor girl. With her hands hugged around herself, as if trying to cover up the bits of her she could, she looked so scared it stung my heart. “Promise me you’ll make sure she’s okay,” I said after looking back at Ariyan, eyes locking with his.

“Mr. Rivas⁠—”

“Please, Ari. I just feel so bad for her.”

It seemed like he was about to say something, but instead, he nodded. “Fine. I promise. Now, please go.” He leaned a bit closer, enough for me to catch a hint of his scent. “I’d hate for you to be involved in something not related to you.”

The reassurance in his eyes was all I needed, and without lingering any longer, I went back to my brother.

“Let’s go,” I told him, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. He seemed hesitant at first, almost as if it hurt. And yet, he still said nothing and instead kept his head bowed as we started walking. And as we did, I glanced at Olivia one last time, but now seeing she was with Ariyan, I knew she was in good hands, which meant I was free to turn my worry to Nacio, who was clearly not okay.

“Did you find Tess?” I asked once we were back in the street.

He gave a small sniff. “No.”

“But we came here⁠—”

“Fuck off, Santi, I said no,” he hissed, then walked ahead of me.

He was always a shitty liar, but not wanting to push him further, I continued to walk slightly behind him until we reached the bus station. Shrunk into himself, Nacio didn’t say a word the entire ride—which was a first—and instead stared out the bus’s window. I worried about him, but pushing him now would do no good, so I held my tongue and passed the time scrolling through my phone. To no surprise, Gabriel had texted me—again. He’d been messaging and calling every now and then. Needless to say, I never replied, but I guess it only made him more eager to try. Now was no different, and not about to text back, I closed my phone, then leaned back in the seat.

“You need to get a fucking car,” Nacio muttered, his face leaned against the glass.

“Why? Don’t fancy the bus?”

He tsked. “I’m sick of being so fucking broke.”

I crossed my arms and spread my legs a bit. “Whatever you’re feeling right now… a car won’t change that.”

“Of course it fuckin’ will.” His bottom lip quivered right before he bit on it. “Money will change fuckin’ everything.”

ARIYAN

Placing a glass of water in front of the young lady, I returned to my desk.

“You said your name is Olivia?” I asked as she took a long gulp, nearly finishing the glass.

“Y-yes.”

Looking away from her, I focused on tonight’s guest list sitting on the desk, my eyes going over the many names, all of which I’d personally picked.

“How odd…” I tapped the papers, then slowly turned to face her. “I don’t recall any Olivia on my list.”

Not meeting my eyes, she brought the glass back to her lips and pretended to drink more.