Carmen Morales standing beside the car, raking her hand through her long dark hair and the look in her eyes says that she’s not going to give in, nor to give up. Determined and firm, that stand-up-straight attitude that I know well and I start thinking that she can be much more dangerous than she appears to be.

Then a black frame on the screen, just for a few seconds. And then light again, the dim light of a streetlamp. Again the jeep, parked on an empty, secluded lot this time. Camera zooming in and all we see is Carmen Morales and Shane McCutcheon having sex. The boss takes a drag from his cigar, no visible or audible reactions from him. Carmen Morales straddling McCutcheon, kissing her feverishly and moving her hips, fucking and doing it hot and hard and for a second I envy them just because they have what I don’t have. And suddenly I can see McCutcheon for what she is. No more slumped shoulders, no more detached attitude, no more offhand behavior. She’s in. In many, many senses.

Shane McCutcheon hides a flaming soul behind her cool attitude. That’s why she fits son well with Carmen Morales, who’s more evidently passionate about everything. And now I see it, I see that McCutcheon can be equally dangerous, now I find believable what she’s done one year ago. Now I see how strong she can be and I feel a bit more justified about what we’re doing and what we’re going to do. Those three look like perfect enemies. Perfect rivals. Perfect opponents.

Perfect victims.

“That’s enough”, the boss says and I turn the projector off. There’s just an old oil lamp lighting the whole room and when he speaks again, I find myself distracted by its slow swaying and squeaking.

“Pick some frames. Print them. Let them have them. Together with the other pictures”, he says calmly.

“When?”.

“Tomorrow. Do you remember, Francois, don’t you?”, he asks.

“Yes sir. Three days”.

I can see him nodding his head slowly.

“Yes. Three of everything”.

**

“Mom?”, the young guy is calling me, and I turn my head instinctively, jolting.

“Where are you?”, I ask, trying to catch a glimpse of him in this thick forest of trees and bushes and wild, sky high flowers.