"Don't even think about it", said Inspector González, cocking her gun and pointing it straight at Raquel's chest.
Raquel froze, her hands raised, her breath held. Then Elena frowned as recognition dawned in her eyes, but she didn't lower her gun.
"Raquel?" she said uncertainly. "Raquel Murillo? What the fuck are you doing here?"
Raquel's thoughts were racing. Time, she thought. She doesn't know that Sergio forgot his wallet, I just need to buy time.
"Elena", she said. "Let me explain…"
But Elena was taking in the screens, and Raquel saw her reach the inevitable conclusion.
"This… this is the center of operations… his… the Professor…" Her eyes snapped back to Raquel, then they flicked towards the door, where Sergio had left only a minute ago. "Wait… Salva… he's the Professor?"
Time. Sergio would be back any minute now, the only thing she had to do was keep Elena talking so she wouldn't call for backup – because if she did, they were lost. What did Elena want, what would keep her distracted? Only one thing, Raquel realized. Answers.
"Yes", Raquel said. "He's the Professor."
She could see Elena's quick mind connect dot after dot, her frown deepening.
"But… he was right in front of me when the Professor called the tent and…" Suddenly her face opened up and she breathed a soft 'oh!'. "That was you."
There was no point in denying things to try and protect herself – if she refused to speak, the conversation would be over and Elena would call the tent.
"Yes", Raquel admitted. "That was me."
"Voice masking software?"
"Yes."
Elena shook her head in dismay. "Of course. I can't believe I didn't even think of the possibility that there might be two people behind this! But it doesn't make sense! I know men like the Professor, they operate alone."
Sergio, Raquel thought desperately. Where are you?
Elena narrowed her eyes at her. "So what are you doing here? Last I heard, you disappeared on your way to prison six months ago. I talked to one of the officers who was in that van with you and he said that a bunch of armed men took you and it looked like you didn't want to go." She frowned. "Are you here against your will?"
Raquel hesitated for just one moment, then decided that she couldn't bring herself to betray Sergio like that. Elena didn't give her a chance to speak, however, shaking her head and continuing:
"No, you're not restrained and you're alone. You're here voluntarily."
"Yes", she nodded. "I am."
"But why, Raquel? I know we never worked together directly, but I respected you. I wouldn't have expected you to turn for money."
Time, Raquel thought again. I need time, and she needs answers.
"It wasn't for money."
"Why, then?"
Raquel pretended to hesitate, drawing out the seconds, every muscle tense. "The Professor recruited me."
"How?"
"He promised me something I wanted."
"Which was…"
Raquel took a deep breath, pretending to struggle with the admission. "My daughter. I lost my daughter, Elena, and he promised me I could get her back."
There was a flash of sympathy in Elena's eyes. "You were desperate and he took advantage of that. A judge would understand that, Raquel. Surrender quietly now and cooperate with us, and maybe I can get you a light sentence."
Raquel pretended to think about it, drawing out the silence for as long as she could. Sergio, come on!
Finally Elena said: "Well?"
Raquel shook her head. "The judge will never go for it, I have a prior conviction for corruption. I got nine years for something I didn't do, Elena. How many years will I get for something I did do?"
Elena hesitated for a moment, then said: "I could help you."
Raquel frowned in surprise. "Why would you? We barely know each other."
Elena took a breath and looked like she was about to say something, but then she glanced over her shoulder at the door and shook her head.
"Let's talk about this at the station. Get up, let's get out of here before he gets back and then I can call for backup to come and pick him up."
Raquel's heart was beating fast, but she didn't move, and Elena frowned.
"Raquel", she said. "Don't be stupid. If you were pressured into cooperating with him, I can help you, but only if you come quietly."
Raquel still didn't move, and Elena made a sound of frustration.
"Fine! Then I'll just call for backup now and they can take both of you in."
To Raquel's alarm, she reached towards her pocket for her phone. I have to stop her! She did the only thing she could think of, abruptly standing up out of her chair, making Elena grip her gun with both hands again.
"Are you coming with me?"
"No", Raquel said.
"Then sit down."
She took a step closer. "Elena…"
"Stay back."
She raised her hands, but took another step forward, her heart beating painfully fast.
"Elena, listen to me…"
Elena took a step back, but her aim didn't waver.
"I'll listen to you when we get to the station."
Another step. If she could get close enough, she could try disarming her… Elena wasn't about to let that happen, however.
"Don't be an idiot. If you get any closer, you know I'll have to incapacitate you."
Raquel stopped, hesitating. Elena shook her head.
"Don't make me shoot you, Raquel. Sit down."
Slowly, very slowly, she returned to her chair and sat down, desperately casting around for another way to distract Elena, but she knew she was out of options. Keeping her eyes and gun firmly on Raquel, Elena reached into her pocket and took out her phone. Then the door opened and Sergio walked in.
In a flash, Elena was behind Raquel's chair and pressed her gun to her head as she faced Sergio.
"Don't move!" she shouted, and he froze, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.
For a moment, he seemed paralyzed with shock, but then Raquel saw his thoughts begin to race as he slowly started to walk towards them. Stay calm, Sergio, please don't do anything stupid.
"Stay back", Elena warned him, and he stopped and slowly raised his hands.
"Elena", he said quietly.
"That's 'Inspector González' to you", she snapped. "Professor."
He grimaced. "I know what you're thinking, but hear me out… please."
"Hands behind your head!"
"Let me explain to you why I'm doing this…"
"I'm not listening to a single word you have to say", Elena said angrily. "You're a pathological liar."
"Elena", he said, a little desperately. "We're not the bad guys. If you just let me explain…"
"Save it", she snapped. "You can explain yourself in front of a judge. I'm calling backup."
Raquel saw a look of determination appear on his face as he straightened up.
"Then you leave me no choice."
The next moment, he reached inside his jacket.
"Don't!" both women yelled at the same time, and Elena instinctively lifted her gun.
The instant Raquel felt the barrel of the gun leave her head, she twisted around in her chair and slapped the gun out of Elena's hand. It fell to the ground and they both dove to catch it, but Raquel was faster, snatching it up and turning around in one fluid movement to point it at Elena.
Elena froze. Raquel kept the gun pointed firmly at her chest, breathing hard, blood pounding in her ears.
"Sit down", she said, nodding her head at the chair.
"Don't do this, Raquel."
"Elena", Raquel said firmly. "Sit down."
"You're making things worse for yourself. You can still walk away from this."
"No", Raquel said. "I can't."
"Help me arrest him and I know I can get your sentence reduced."
"I can't arrest him", Raquel said quietly.
Elena's eyes flicked between her and Sergio, and suddenly comprehension dawned on her.
"Oh. I see."
"Yes."
"You really are here voluntarily."
"Yes, I am."
Elena shot Sergio a look of disgust, then turned back to Raquel.
"I'm giving you one last chance to cooperate. Please think about it, Raquel. Are you really going to throw away your life for him?"
"I don't think I have to", Raquel said, then she took a deep breath and lifted her chin. "But I would."
Elena shook her head. "You're making a mistake."
"Maybe, but I'm the one holding the gun here. I won't ask you again, Elena. Sit down."
Finally, slowly, Elena sat down in the chair, and Raquel glanced over her shoulder at Sergio, who seemed frozen in place.
"Don't just stand there", she snapped. "Tie her hands."
He hastened to get some rope, then kneeled behind Elena's chair to tie her wrists together and to the chair. The moment he got up again, Raquel turned to him in fury.
"Are you mad, Sergio?!" she yelled. "Reaching into your jacket like that, she could have shot you!"
"I had to do something!" he said defensively.
"And that was the best you could come up with?!"
"I had to give you a chance to disarm her. And besides…" he glanced at Elena, "I knew she wouldn't shoot me."
"Oh fuck you", Elena snapped at him. "Give me back my gun and watch me."
"How did you get here, Elena?" he asked.
She glared at him. "I followed you from Hanoi."
Raquel felt a fierce mix of anger and vindication as she watched Sergio grimace and throw her a guilty look.
"What made you follow him?"
"He was behaving suspicious as hell", Elena said, then turned towards Sergio. "You ask me out, then you don't want to sleep with me? It just didn't add up. Then I remembered you asking me all of those questions about the operation. I thought…" She stopped, shaking her head, then continued bitterly: "God, I was so stupid! I thought you were a journalist. I didn't think… I never thought you were…" She looked around at the screens showing the inside of the Mint. "I never thought you were this!"
Raquel nodded. "That's why you came without backup."
"I just wanted to see where he was going, and then he walked into this shady place with a 'for rent' sign. I waited for a bit, wondering what I should do, and then he walked out again, so I decided to check things out."
She turned back to Sergio, disbelief and frustration in every line of her face.
"You came up to me. That first day in Hanoi, you bumped into me onpurpose and you introduced yourself. When you knew who I was. Why, why would you do that?! Are you some kind of psychopath?" She looked back at Raquel. "Is he a psychopath?"
"No", Raquel said, throwing Sergio a dark look. "Just stupid."
"You can say that again", Elena said in disgust. "I can't believe I thought you were clever."
Sergio shifted uncomfortably, then looked at Raquel, barely suppressed panic behind his eyes.
"Raquel, what the hell do we do now?"
"You're the mastermind", Raquel snapped at him. "You tell me."
God, she was mad at him – this was all his fault – she'd warned him, she'd warned him a thousand times. She watched impassively as he started pacing. He was great at planning things, but he was terrible at improvising, and even worse under pressure.
"God, what a mess", he groaned, and she took pity on him.
"Well, we can't let her go", she said. "That's out of the question. But if she doesn't show up for work tomorrow, people will start looking for her."
He nodded. "Can they trace her movements from the tent to Hanoi to here?"
"Yes", she said. "It would take a while, but they could get the security camera footage from stores along the way."
"Fuck", he said softly. "So what do we do?"
"We make sure they don't suspect something's wrong."
He considered this. "She could call in sick?"
Raquel shook her head. "It would be extremely suspicious if she called in sick now, in the middle of this huge investigation. Especially if she showed no symptoms before."
"An accident, then?"
"Then people might want to visit her in the hospital, or at least call to check up on her. I know Angel would."
He sighed. "Then what?"
Raquel thought about it, then said: "Compassionate leave."
He frowned. "You mean the leave you get when a close family member dies?"
"Yes", she said. "Nobody will expect her to show up at work under those circumstances, and they would leave her alone."
She turned to Elena. "Are both your parents still alive?"
Elena said nothing, but Raquel shook her head.
"We can easily find that out, Elena, there's no sense in not telling us."
"Fine", Elena said. "Yes, they are."
"Good", Raquel said. "Then you're going to call Angel and tell him your father died. Very unexpectedly, a car accident. You're leaving right now to be with your mother."
Elena raised her chin and gave Raquel a disdainful look. "Seriously Raquel, why would I cooperate with you?"
Raquel held up the gun she was still holding, but Elena remained unimpressed.
"You wouldn't shoot me. You're not a murderer."
Raquel nodded, trying to project a confidence she didn't feel. "True. But I could easily shoot you in a non-vital body part."
"By then I could already have alerted Angel by calling for help, and then, as you've already realized, he'll be able to trace me here."
"We have a backup location", Raquel lied smoothly. "We can move our operation there without problems, and without leaving a trace."
"The police would still know I was missing, and do everything they could to find me."
Raquel nodded thoughtfully. "And maybe they'd find you… but only maybe. Think about it, Elena. Is that worth it to you to get a bullet in the leg? It will hurt like hell."
Elena swallowed hard, and her eyes flicked from Raquel's face to the gun, but she was stubborn. "It would be worth it if it meant they would find you."
"But they probably won't", Raquel said softly. "Don't do this to yourself for nothing. A shattered kneecap will take forever to heal. You might never fully recover."
She saw Elena's quick mind work through all the possible scenarios, weighing her chances. Then she pressed her lips together and, to Raquel's immense relief, nodded reluctantly.
"You'll talk to Angel?"
"Yes", Elena said, and Raquel saw that it was costing her. "I will."
"Good."
She pulled Elena's phone out of her pocket, but before she dialed, she pressed her gun against Elena's knee and looked her straight in the eye. Her heart was beating like mad and she had to keep her hands from shaking, but she knew everything depended on how convincing she was right now. She took a deep, steadying breath, and said:
"Don't try to be clever. No hesitations, no code words, nothing that might make him suspicious. Please. I don't want to shoot you, Elena. In fact, I would hate it, but my entire life depends on this. So does my daughter's. And that of the man I love. So please don't make me do this, because…" her voice trembled just a bit, but she recovered herself, "because I won't hesitate. Are we clear?"
Elena looked back at her steadily. "Perfectly."
Beside her, Raquel saw Sergio shift uncomfortably, and she knew he probably found this whole business distasteful, but it had to be done, and he sure wasn't going to do it. So she dialed Angel's number and held the phone up to Elena's ear, hoping, praying that she wouldn't do anything stupid, because she realized fully well that she couldn't really carry out her threat. She knew she'd be able to shoot Elena if it were a matter of life and death, but to pull a trigger on a woman who was tied up and helpless, just to punish her? She couldn't bring herself to do that. She just hoped that she'd convinced Elena that she could.
She heard Angel pick up.
"Hello, Elena?"
Raquel held her breath as Elena looked into her eyes for a long moment. Then Elena said:
"Hi, Angel."
"Is everything alright?"
"Not really. I… I just got a phone call from my mother. My… father's been in an accident. He didn't make it."
There was a short pause, then Angel said: "I'm so sorry Elena."
"I know this is a terrible time to leave you at work…"
"No", Angel said quickly, as Raquel had known he would. "No, of course you can't come into work now."
"I just need to be there for my mother", Elena said, sounding convincingly apologetic and upset at the same time.
"Of course, I understand. Don't worry, we'll take care of things here."
"Thank you, Angel."
"My condolences, Elena. Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
Raquel pulled back the phone and pressed the red button with a feeling of immense relief, and she saw the same feeling on Sergio's face as they shared a look.
"Thank you, Elena", Sergio said.
Elena said nothing.
"Now for the next step", Raquel said. "We'll be here for another six days, so…"
Elena looked up sharply in dismay. "Six days?"
"Yes", Raquel said apologetically. "If everything goes well."
"Holy fuck, how much money could you possibly need?"
"2.4 billion euros", Sergio said, with just a hint of pride.
She stared at him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Because we can."
Elena turned back to Raquel. "Are you sure he's not a psychopath? There's something wrong with him, right?"
Raquel shot him another dark look and muttered: "Oh, there's plenty wrong with him."
"Shall we get back to the matter at hand?" Sergio grimaced. "We can discuss my failings at length once we get this under control."
"Fine", Raquel said. "Let's make sure nobody else notices she's gone."
"You live alone, right?" Sergio asked Elena.
She nodded.
"Is there someone you visit regularly? Grandparents, or a friend you have a weekly meeting with?"
"No."
"Do your neighbors know you well?"
She snorted. "No."
"Basically", Sergio said, "is there anyone who would notice if you were gone for six days?"
There was a pause, then Elena said: "No."
Raquel felt a sudden stab of pity, but Elena shot her a challenging look.
"Don't you dare."
"Dare what?"
"Feel sorry for me. I chose my life, this is how I like it. Not everybody wants to be encumbered by a lot of close personal relationships."
Raquel raised her eyebrows at Sergio, who gave her a tentative smile. She suddenly felt her anger at him, not disappear exactly, but diminish considerably. At least they had each other.
Then she steeled herself and said: "Alright. Now we know we can keep her here, but what are we going to do with her?"
"What do you mean?" Sergio frowned.
"We can't just let her see and overhear everything we do." She felt a little sick at the thought, but she knew it was the smart thing to do. "I propose we blindfold her and get some earplugs."
He gave her a shocked look. "Raquel, that's torture."
Elena nodded. "Sensory deprivation." She hesitated. "I'm not going to beg, but please don't do that to me."
"I don't like it!" Raquel said, frustrated. "But what if she manages to free herself, Sergio?"
"Then we're screwed anyway, aren't we? Whether she's seen and heard us operate or not."
Raquel hesitated, trying to think through the possible consequences. Maybe he was right, maybe it couldn't get any worse anyway… Sergio put a hand on her arm and said softly:
"Raquel… If you did that to me, I'd go mad."
"Yes", Elena said dispassionately. "I'd honestly rather you shoot me in the leg."
Raquel hesitated one more moment, then gave in, glad that she didn't really have to do it.
"Fine. How will we sleep?"
"We'll just take turns as usual and… well, tie her to the bed when it's her turn to sleep."
Elena lifted her eyebrows but said nothing.
"What about eating?" Raquel asked. "Do we untie her to eat?"
Elena gave her a look of dismay. "Please don't feed me like a baby bird."
"We can untie her to eat", Sergio said reasonably. "I'll sit next to her with a gun the entire time."
"Good", Raquel grumbled. "You got her here, you can babysit her."
"I will", he said guiltily. "I'll take care of everything."
She nodded, and he stepped closer to her.
"Can we talk? In private?"
"No", she said, disgruntled. "We absolutely can't talk in private anymore, Sergio. Not for the next six days."
"I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience", Elena said drily. "Feel free to let me go and I'll gladly give you some privacy."
Raquel saw Sergio suppress a smile as he turned to Elena.
"That's very considerate of you, Inspector."
"I'm a considerate person, Professor. Unlike some people."
"Still, I hope you won't find our hospitality lacking over the next week or so."
"Can I leave a negative review somewhere if I do? The Association for Criminal Accommodations?"
Sergio grinned, and Raquel rolled her eyes.
"Oh, you two, seriously."
His expression immediately turned more sober again, and he put a hand on her arm and steered her to a corner of the hangar, as far away from Elena as they were going to get for the next few days.
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" she said.
"I want to apologize."
She crossed her arms and looked up at him. "I'm all ears."
He suddenly looked uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. "Uhm… I'm sorry."
"Try again."
"I'm… really sorry?"
"Not buying it."
"Raquel, I don't know what to say."
"I don't know what to say either, Sergio. I'd tell you you're sleeping on the couch tonight, except we don't have one."
"Look…"
"I'd tell you 'no sex for a week', except thanks to you that's not an option anymore anyway."
"Well…"
"I'd tell you you'd better buy me flowers to make up for this, except I don't think there are enough flowers in the world to…"
"Alright!" he said, raising his hands. "Alright, point made. I screwed up. I screwed up really badly."
"Yes", she said drily. "You did."
"I should have listened to you."
"You should."
"You told me this was a bad idea."
"I did."
He gave her a defeated look. "Do you… I don't know, want to punch me or something?"
She considered this. "A little, yeah."
He nodded and started to take off his glasses, but she quickly stopped his hand with a suppressed smile.
"Sergio, I'm not really going to punch you."
"Are you sure? I deserve it."
"Maybe you do, but violence doesn't solve anything."
"It might make you feel better."
She looked at him. "Hurting you wouldn't make me feel better."
He gave her a soft look, then said quietly: "I'm sorry for not taking your advice seriously. I should have realized you were right. I know… I know you're smarter than me in so many ways."
That struck her unexpectedly deeply. She looked up at him. "Do you really think so?"
"Of course I do. There are so many things you're better at than me. You can think under pressure, you have way better people skills and you have more common sense." He gestured at Elena. "I mean, this is proof of all of that."
She felt herself relent slightly. "Will you listen to me in the future?"
"I will", he said earnestly. "I'll never disregard your opinion again. We… we almost lost everything tonight because of me, because of… of my arrogance. I need you to keep me grounded. You balance me out. You make me a better man… if I let you."
She considered him. "I know you're smarter than other people, Sergio, but that doesn't mean nothing can hurt you."
"I know", he said quietly. "I think I didn't really believe that before, but I know it now."
She sighed, the last of her anger at him fading away, to be replaced by a profound sense of tiredness as she glanced at Elena. "So how do we deal with this?"
He gazed at her steadily.
"The way we deal with everything", he said. "Together."
…
Day 6
As he'd promised, Sergio took care of every practical concern that arose surrounding the captivity of Elena, keeping a gun on her when she was untied to go to the bathroom or to eat, tying her to the frame of the bed when it was time for her to sleep. Except for keeping her tied up, he insisted on treating her like a guest, making sure she was comfortable, offering her a sedative to help her sleep, and once she woke up again, making sure she wasn't bored, leaving Raquel to listen in on how Angel was dealing with taking over Elena's position. At first, Elena maintained a stubborn silence, refusing to engage with him, but after a while, she seemed to settle into a stoic acceptance of her situation, and when Sergio proposed a game of chess, she seemed unable to resist. Sergio moved her pieces at her direction, and gradually he got her to talk to him.
Raquel kept her eyes on the screens, but she listened to their conversation with increasing interest. Elena's curiosity quickly overcame her resentment of Sergio, and once they started talking, she kept asking questions about the heist, seeming interested every detail. Sergio was eager to explain everything to her, clearly trying his best to bring her over to his point of view – that they weren't the bad guys, that they were defying the system, that they were liberators, Robin Hoods. To Raquel's considerable amusement, however, Elena was having none of it.
"B1 to C3. Your argument is full of holes, Professor. Who are you fighting, exactly?"
"We stand against the oligarchy of the superrich."
"Well then explain something to me: how does elevating yourself to join the ranks of the superrich overthrow the oligarchy? You think you're some kind of Robin Hood, a hero, a great liberator, but who are you liberating, exactly? Nobody but yourself."
Raquel raised her eyebrows. Point Elena. Sergio wasn't so easily defeated, though.
"We are executing a very public defiance of an oppressive system. By doing so, we are an inspiration to millions of people across the globe. We provide hope."
"Hope of what exactly?"
"Freedom, equality."
"And brotherhood? You may want to update your slogan if you're quoting the French Revolution. E3 to F4. This is the 21st century. Here in Spain, at least, people are free."
"Free to work their entire lives for a pittance, you mean? People's choices are incredibly limited. Under the capitalism of the patriarchy, we are all slaves to money."
"Are you seriously lecturing me on the patriarchy?"
"Just because you're a woman doesn't mean that you're not complicit in upholding an oppressive system."
"And you're proposing, what? Anarchy?"
Raquel turned around to watch them, fascinated. She felt like she was witnessing a tennis match between two equally skilled opponents, and she couldn't imagine how they were talking and playing at the same time. Whenever she played chess, she needed time to think about her moves, but Sergio and Elena barely glanced at the board.
"I'm proposing a less paternalistic government, at least", he said, moving his castle.
"A little paternalism, sadly, is needed in a government."
"People are capable of making their own decisions."
She snorted. "You haven't spent much time around people, have you?"
"Enough to know that they deserve a better society."
"Ah", she said with a half-smile. "I see. You're an idealist. A3 to C5."
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Just shut up and move the piece, I know what I'm doing."
"Fine, it's your call. And there's nothing wrong with idealism", he said calmly.
"Except that it makes you strive for the unreachable."
"We have to strive for the unreachable to see any improvement at all."
"I don't agree with that. As a society, we should set attainable goals and strive for those."
"That's such a pedestrian way of thinking. How can you achieve greatness if you don't reach for the stars?"
She snorted. "People who always have their eyes on the stars aren't concerned with the reality on the ground. C5 to A7, and now I have your bishop, thank you very much. I'd rather dream small and get somewhere, than to spend my life dedicated to pursuing a mirage."
"Would you call this operation a mirage, then?" he said, taking his bishop off the board. "I couldn't have dreamt bigger, and it looks to me like I'm very close to achieving that dream."
"You're not there yet, though", she said drily. "Let's see you get away first. But apart from that, I'm doing more to change the system than you ever will."
He gave her an amused look. "By working for the government from nine to five? Changing the patriarchy into a matriarchy single-handedly, are we?"
"Fine", she said. "Scoff all you want. But in a few years, I'll be at the top of my field, and then I'll be able to effect real changes."
"You want to become Police Commissioner?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"So I can use my power to do some good."
He shook his head. "All power corrupts, Elena."
"That's cynicism, and I don't agree with it at all. The problem is that incorruptible people rarely have what it takes to reach the top."
"And you think you're the exception to that?"
She raised her chin defiantly. "I do."
He laughed. "And you're calling me an idealist?"
"I'm talking about real, tangible changes here, not some vague, unformed ideals like you're espousing. A7 back to C5. I intend to tackle corruption and police brutality, and I'll finally be able to bring psychopaths like Alicia Sierra in line. What will you be doing? Hiding in some third world country, sleeping in a hammock and drinking out of coconuts." She shot him a disdainful look. "But viva la resistencia, I guess."
Raquel's eyebrows shot up. Ouch. She turned back to the screens as the conversation went on and on, and where at first she'd enjoyed it, after a while it started to make her uncomfortable. They ranged further and further into a complicated discussion of ethics and political philosophy, discussing the relative merits of communist-adjacent socialism versus meritocratic libertarianism, all while continuing their game, and Raquel could see that Sergio was enjoying himself immensely. She realized with a rising sense of unease that she and Sergio had never had this kind of conversation. While she could follow everything they were saying, she was much more interested in practical matters than in abstract philosophical concepts, and she knew she'd never be able to argue against Sergio the way Elena was doing now – pushing him to defend himself, effortlessly poking holes in his arguments, challenging him at every turn – and he was so clearly loving it.
Suddenly, Berlin's voice sounded in her ear. You're very different people. She'd been aware of that before, but never more so than now, as she listened to him argue with Elena as if they shared the same brain, and she realized how incredibly similar they were. What if this was what Sergio really wanted? She heard Berlin again: You have the heist tying you together now, but what will you talk about when it's over? She'd honestly been a little worried about that – so much of their relationship was built around this heist. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sergio lean forward in his chair as he listened attentively to something Elena was saying. Clearly, they would have no trouble finding anything to talk about. Do you really think you can keep him interested forever? She felt a sudden wave of uncertainty. Could she keep him interested in the way that he needed it? She knew, she knew he loved her, but only love wasn't enough in the long term, especially for someone like Sergio. Would he get bored of her at some point? Would he, sooner or later, choose someone else over her? Someone like Elena? She felt a sudden urge to get up and drag Sergio away from her, but she firmly suppressed it and stayed seated.
Finally, the chess game reached a point where even Sergio and Elena needed to think about their moves, and Raquel turned to watch again. After a long pause, Sergio moved a piece and Elena sharply looked up at him.
"What are you doing?"
"You know what I'm doing."
"If you put that piece there, you have no more legal moves."
"Indeed."
"You're creating a stalemate?"
"I am."
"You can't do that! I was about to beat you in three moves!"
He grinned. "Exactly. Now it's a draw."
She gave him a look of highest indignation. "That's such a dishonorable way to end the game!"
He gestured at their surroundings. "Really, Inspector, what about this entire situation makes you think I would care about that? I play to win – and if I can't win, at least I won't lose."
"No honor amongst thieves, huh?"
"I'm not breaking any rules."
"But you're abusing the system."
"I'm using the system in an unconventional way."
"It feels like cheating."
"Exploiting a loophole is not cheating, it's merely clever."
"I would never do that."
He considered her. "No, you wouldn't. I guess that's the difference between you and me."
She gave him a cold look. "I think it's time you went to get us something to eat."
"Are you hungry?"
"No, I just want a break from looking at your smug face."
He laughed quietly and got up. "That's reasonable. I'll get us some food."
He asked the women what they wanted, then walked towards the door. On an impulse, she hurried after him and caught him just before he opened it.
"What's wrong?" he frowned.
She wasn't sure. She just knew that she felt deeply uneasy.
"I don't like this, Sergio."
"What?"
"This situation with Elena."
"I know", he said, "I don't like it either, but what can we do?"
She silently looked up at him for a moment, then said quietly: "Are you sure you don't?"
"That I don't what?"
"Like it."
His frown deepened. "Of course I don't like it, Raquel, this is a huge deviation from the plan."
Yes, she thought, that would be the thing that bothered him the most – the disruption of his plans.
"Just be careful", she said softly.
"About what?"
"Her. She's not… she's not your guest, Sergio."
"I know that", he said seriously, "I do. I just think we can still treat her decently – after all, she didn't ask for this either." He gave her an attentive look. "But I won't talk to her anymore if you don't want me to."
She suddenly felt ridiculous. "No… no, of course you can talk to her."
"We're keeping her tied at all times, we've tied up all loose ends… we've got the situation under control."
"I suppose. Just… don't trust her too much, Sergio. She's dangerous."
"Don't worry", he said soothingly. "I won't underestimate her again."
The knot in her stomach didn't loosen as she looked up at him. Oh, what she wouldn't give for all of this to be over – to leave this mess behind – to be safe with him. Elena discovering them last night had almost made them lose it all, and Raquel felt sick with worry. What else would go wrong? Would the next thing be even worse? Would the next thing tear them apart? She wanted to reach out to him, she wanted him to hold her and tell her that he loved her and that everything would be okay, but she couldn't quite bring herself to touch him yet. She was no longer angry at him, but it was hard to completely forgive him. So she simply nodded and said:
"Alright, go."
As he walked out the door, she turned around and looked at Elena, who was frowning down at the chess board. She was unarmed, she was tied up, and she seemed to have made peace with her situation. Why, then, Raquel wondered, did she feel like she was looking at a ticking time bomb?