Cursed moment when I decided to pass by the pool before leaving. My brain hadn't processed everything that had happened yet. I couldn't even tell Mari because it would be hard to explain. I just said there was someone shooting by the pool. Now the rest...
"You're so quiet," Heitor commented.
"All of this is almost over," Mari said without taking her eyes off the road. "We'll find Pierre, and he'll say a magic word that will teleport us home."
I sighed and kept looking out the window. We'd been on the road for ten hours, had stopped for lunch, and resumed driving. I drove for 3 hours, Heitor for 4, and Mari took over after lunch. I was completely lost as to where we were. Actually, I didn't know anything about France, so ever since I set foot in that country, I was lost.
Memories of Guimarães' chest came to my mind. Him calling my name. His breath, so close to my skin. What the hell was that?
"Shit," I said aloud unintentionally.
Marina glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"Eliz, you're in a terrible mood, terrible time for a road trip."
I took a deep breath and looked at my friend. Her hair was in a perfect bun, and her skin was so hydrated that she didn't even wear makeup today, just blush and mascara.
"Sorry, guys. All of this is making me extremely tense. You seem to be handling it well."
Mari and Heitor exchanged glances. I pretended not to notice. At the next gas station stop, Heitor went to the bathroom, and I took the opportunity to talk to Mari.
"So, you and Heitor..."
"Nothing's happening. I'm committed," she cut me off. "Not that I wouldn't want to, Eli. But as long as I'm committed, nothing will happen."
"Fair enough," I confirmed, ending the conversation when I saw how uncomfortable she was.
"And what are you hiding?"
I took a deep breath and shrugged. My eyes scanned the street ahead, looking for something to change the subject. Heitor got back in the car, and I've never been so happy to see him.
"I need to go to the bathroom too," I opened the car door before anyone else could say anything.
"Try not to get into trouble," Heitor shouted after me.
The bathroom was completely filthy. I grabbed some paper and placed it on the toilet seat so I could sit. A little tune was playing, and I started humming while I peed.
I had barely finished peeing when I heard the noise. First gunshots, then cars speeding away. When I left the bathroom, I was completely abandoned.
"SHIT," I yelled into thin air.
I sat on the curb for a long time, waiting for Mari to come back, but I had no idea what had happened. My mind was creating the worst possible scenarios. Their phones and Heitor's were dead.
Paul.
There was Paul. Damn it, he should be thousands of light-years away from me. Couldn't hurt to try.
He answered on the second ring. He said he was luckily in a nearby town but it would take him a couple of hours to get there. My throat was dry from thirst, and internally I hoped that Mari and Heitor would arrive before Paul, even if it meant I'd be the biggest idiot for making Paul drive there without waiting. Honestly, I just wanted them to be okay.
It was already dark when Paul arrived, but I was still dying of thirst. As if he had just read my mind, Paul handed me a bottle of water. I didn't even ask, I just chugged it all down before getting into the car.
"Sorry about this, and thank you very much."
"Imagine, I was nearby. Where do you want to go?"
I looked ahead with no idea what to do.
"I need to go somewhere, it's far, so you can drop me off at a nearby hotel."
Paul looked at me with empathetic eyes.
"Elizabeth, seriously, I'll take you wherever you want."
I felt embarrassed for a second, but then it passed. I had more pressing issues to worry about. My friends needed me, and even though they were far away now, staying in a cheap hotel wouldn't help at all. I needed to find Pierre, and I needed them to turn on their phones.
"The address is this, it's going to be almost a day's journey."
"No problem, I didn't have plans for this weekend anyway."
I leaned back in my seat and fastened my seatbelt. I hated inconveniencing others, especially when I didn't know the person, but apparently, Paul was willing to help. A little peace and luck for me.
We spent most of the trip getting to know each other. Paul said his father was the president of a company in France, and his mother was Brazilian, so he lived here and there. Apparently, he didn't have much love from his father, and his mother was depressed. He had a very difficult childhood, and no siblings to share the pain with.
"I would like to have the opportunity to take you on a date someday," Paul said.
"Are you going to take me to see the Eiffel Tower?" I joked.
"No, it's overrated. France has much more beautiful places."
I smiled and closed my eyes for a second. It felt like my life had been out of the ordinary for a year. I just wanted to have a nice date with a nice guy.
"I'll take you to see Vitória too. There's not much to do there, but I love it."
"What can you do there?"
"Well, I really like the beaches, but you're from Rio De Janeiro, so you won't be surprised."
He chuckled.
"I think I've already seen the greatest beauty of Vitória."
"No," I started laughing at Paul's pickup line, and he laughed along.
"I think I'm rusty for this."
"Was your last girlfriend the one with the stab wound?" I asked, staring fixedly, trying to pick up any sign that he still liked any of his exes.
Paul raised his eyebrows and pouted.
"Yeah, I think so. But she's no longer with us."
I got serious for a minute, not knowing how to interpret that statement. Did he kill her?
"What... What happened?"
"Oh, she went to Germany."
I breathed a sigh of relief, not even realizing I was holding my breath.
"Paul, stop, stop," Paul braked suddenly. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car running. In the middle of nowhere was Mari's rented car. It was all broken, and when I got closer, all our things were inside. I grabbed my purse and looked for the phones. At least the phones weren't there, which should be a good sign, right?
Paul followed me, curious and scared.
"Liz, could you tell me what's going on?" he asked.