“I want to protect you”, I say, simply, and she tilts her head a little on the pillow.

“Carmen…”.

“That’s it. Shane, that’s it”.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me”, she says in a crystalline tone and I shiver.

“Please, rest…”, she murmurs, pulling me towards her warm body. I snuggle up to her chest, inhaling the scent of her cologne, closing my eyes, sinking into an exhausted sleep.

**

I walk across the long hallway, the sole of my boots making this curt, sharp noise on the polished marble. The whole mansion looks empty, secluded and dark. The full moon is blood red and peeps in through the wide, immense windows, lighting my path.

I stop in front of the ancient, massive door and I knock my knuckles on the hard wood surface. Two times, rhythmically, martially.

“Come in”, the voice says from the inside, and I turn the doorknob.

The boss is sitting on a leather armchair, facing the opposite corner of the room, facing the huge white screen caused by an empty projector already switched on. He’s smoking his cigar and I can only see his thick salt and pepper hair.

“Boss”, I salute him, and his hand waves absent-mindedly in the air. The smoke of his cigar swirls, creating bizarre shadows in the projector light.

“So?”, he asks.

“Everything went as planned. WAX is no more”, I say, simply, and I can see him nodding his head.

“Do you have it?”, he says, calmly.

“Yes Sir”.

“Good. Let me see”.

He doesn’t bother to turn around and, after all, I already know what I have to do. I put the tape into the projector and press “Play” on the touch screen.

Flames on the wall in front of us. Flames jumping high and crackling, reddish and yellowish flames devouring everything. A Jeep stopping, tyres screeching in the mud. Shane McCutcheon jumping off the car and running, splashing mud and dirty water all around.
Shane McCutcheon staring mouth agape at the disaster displaying in front of her and frantically rubbing her face, her eyes narrowing and focusing in the boiling air.

Shane McCutcheon kneeling down, picking up the Jack of Spades. Lieutenant Dante Bizzarri standing up straight, stomach in, chest out, like a real soldier – which he is. Shane McCutcheon getting up slowly, bewildered and dazed, handing the card to Dante. Shane McCutcheon’s shoulders are slumped and I wonder how that skinny girl had the strength to cause so much trouble to my boss.