Chapter 2

Rafaela went to the house of Marilia the next day, was consuming desire to know the news. They don’t live relatively close, but whenever she could, she was there to have a good chat.

“So, tell me what happened? Yesterday your voice sounded different and I found it a little tense.”

“There were so many things, my boss as always making my life hell in that restaurant. I think I never had a boss worse than him!”

“If I were you I would have resigned this place, Marilia, that man does not accept that you do not want him!”

“I can’t be unemployed. Rafa I live for rent. What’s more, when I was on my way to work, an imbecile gave me a bath with his car bumping into a puddle of mud. I arrived like a wet parakeet, took a scolding of the bag without handle, and soon some customers arrived.”

“AND?”

“There was a guy and a girl of about eight years at a table, I was being kind and ended up being forced to sit with them to please the girl! The man was such a manipulable pastry.”

“Was he even a handsome?”

Marília smiled.

“Yes, it was a lot and to make matters worse I saw the license plate of his car, it was just the fool who dirty me earlier.”

“That sounds like a movie script!”

“But he’s not, he’s a long way from being a prince. He’s got no personality, and he’s very silly.”

“I know!” They both smiled. “We’re going out for a nightcap after work.”

“I’m not sure, that’s a good idea, Rafaela.”

“It’s a good idea Marilia, let’s stop being silly.”

“Okay, come by at 10:00.”

Marília worked normally, Adalberto said nothing about what had happened the day before, and she thanked God for it. She left in time to get home, take a shower and get ready to go out with Rafaela, at the agreed time she passed to take her. They arrived at a bar in the city center, all Marília wanted was to relax a little and forget what had happened in recent days.

She was never into partying and partying, but occasionally needed to unload the routine.

“Don’t be thoughtful like that friend, you have to smile, Marilia.”

“It’s hard to smile when you don’t have many reasons to smile.”

She looked around, some couples at further tables and some boys who looked at them insistently, until they dared to talk to them.

“Hello, can we sit with you?” One of them asked, while the other two were waiting at their table, for the girls' answer.

“Of course!” Only Rafael replied, Marília would not agree to share the table with strangers, but since the friend wanted, she had to comply.

They sat with them, began to ask about their lives. Rafaela told everything about herself, but Marília did not. She was always more careful and cautious.

“You seem a little discouraged.” One of the men asked Marília noticing her restlessness.

“I’m sorry, I’m not a good date tonight.”

“What is your name?”

“Marília.

“Beautiful name.” He realized that she was having a beer, he intended to enjoy the night with her.

Rafaela was interested in one of them, ended up dancing and went home with him.

Marília

I can’t believe Rafaela left me here with these guys, I’m gonna get an Uber and go home right now. I was going to get up and pay the part of my bill, but one of them held me back from getting up. I was scared, but I tried to stay calm…

“Where do you think you’re going, princess?”

“I want to leave now.” I looked furiously into his eyes, without showing the fear I felt at that moment.

“You will stay and drink with us.” The other said taking a glass of beer to me, I pushed with everything pouring on his clothes.

I felt something cold touching the side of my belly, it was a stiletto that was in the power of the other.

“Drink that beer and how many more we order!”

I got desperate, the bar wasn’t full and no one would come close enough to realize my fear. They made me drink a lot, I was getting dizzy, and my reflexes were compromised, the fear began to subside and this is a bad sign.

“Beware kitten, so will end up falling from the chair. We will accompany you to a very cool place!”

[…]

Vinicius was returning home in his car, thinking about the problems, when he saw two men accompanying a young woman suspiciously and trying to put her in a car. As soon as he realized that she did not look well and recognized the two men, he decided to intervene.

“It’s the coyote and the wolf, two of our bloodiest cartel members!”

He stopped the car quickly.

“Let that woman go!”

They looked at Vinicius and as soon as they recognized him the thing became even worse.

“You are no longer our capo, do not meddle Lion, or better… now is Hades!”

The young woman tried to get out of the arms of one of them, soon Vinicius recognized her and could not leave her in the hands of those two.

Left on one of them who showed a knife, Vinicius disarmed him with a kick in the hand, making the knife fall, gave several punches in his face… Marília was released by the other who entered the fight, catching Vinicius as well as the first.

Wounded, they ran into the car and rushed out of there.

Marilia could not stand and ended up almost falling, Vinicius took her in his arms and took her into his car, looking sideways to make sure that no one would have seen them.

Marília grabbed Vinicius' arm and was out of her mind, but was very afraid of what might have happened to her.

“No need to be afraid, Marilia, you’re safe now!”

“Will you take me home?” She asked, scared.

“I’ll take you with me and tomorrow when you’re sober I’ll take you home.”

“I want to go home!” She insisted, but he went on his way to his house.

Marília tripped over her legs, and he took her to one of the upstairs rooms of his mansion, Yasmin was already asleep and did not see him arrive with that girl. This had been providential, certainly the girl would ask thousands of things and the father could not answer more than half of them.

Until Marilia had a lapse in sobriety.

“Let me go, I want to go home. You’re a fool and gave me a mud bath!”

“You are delusional, girl!.”

He put her to bed and covered her with a sheet.

“Stay here then, I’m scared.”

“Okay, just sleep then.”

Vinicius sat in a chair and covered her sleep all night, admiring the beauty of that helpless girl and that would almost fall into the hands of cruel, wicked men as he was in the past… or not that past.

Dawn

Marília moved on the bed, Vinicius came closer and ended up taking a huge punch in the face and walked away. She looked at him scared…

“What a right cross you have!” He said, passing his hand at the place of the hit.

“Excuse me, I dreamed they were kidnapping me, you kidnapped me?”

“Apparently the drunkenness left sequels, do not remember anything?”

“Wait, I went out with my friend and some idiots asked to sit with us. She left and left me, the one in blue showed me a knife and forced me to drink…”

“They were gonna take you by force, remember more?” He wanted to make sure she didn’t remember the conversation between them and her real identity in the world of crime.

“It’s just flashes of things that come to my mind, I saw you hit them and I ended up here in your house, is it your house?”

She looked curiously at the luxury room.

“Yes, are you hungry?” He asked thoughtfully.

“Yes, can I take a shower? I smell alcohol.”

“You can, of course, I’ll have them make us something to eat, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

He was going to leave the room, but she had some questions and wanted to thank him.

“Hey…”

He came back and looked at her again.

“My name is Vinicius!”

“Vinicius, thank you very much for what you have done for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

She smiled discreetly, he went downstairs to warn there was another visitor in the house. I wanted to surprise her with a special breakfast and knew that Yasmin would like to know that that girl was there. Marilia found that house beautiful and did not remember how everything was on the floor below. Thought about what could have happened to her if it was not for the help of this man she hated so much to meet in the restaurant.

Marília

He’s not as dumb as I thought he was, and I feel unfair right now, who knows if he’s a nice guy? My head still hurts from the effect of the drink I was forced to taste, I never want to go through something like that again!