Joá, Rio de Janeiro

Sure, he was going to pretend to be uncomfortable to get a little flirtation, but Enzo was really feeling sore on his back and below the chest from scratching his skin on the rocks. And, let's be fair, Luana was a cutie, and we know how our hero reacts to girls with exaggerated beauty.

- Exaggerated beauty? - Luana couldn't understand.

- The voiceover could be more delicate, I admit. But... - Enzo looked for a way to ask. - What is your name?

- Luana.

Oh, how unusual, a girl with a name that doesn't resemble any European country.

Enzo had trouble getting on the motorcycle, that model didn't seem to be very recommended for two people. Before setting off, he touched Luana's shoulder, who looked back.

- Can you go easy? - Enzo asked. - I've never ridden a motorcycle before.

Not true, but she smiled and lowered her visor. The motorcycle lurched and picked up speed down the narrow winding road. A recipe for disaster. Enzo almost fell backwards and had to hold on.

- Holy shit, Luana! I said slow down!

- What? A little faster? - Luana wanted to irritate him some more. - All right, you say it!

Luana shifted into sixth gear and the speedometer went over 230 km/h. Enzo thought that the wind pressure was going to remove the helmet completely from his head. The motorcyclist was not afraid to overtake along the dotted line and overtake vehicles in both lanes. When the motorcycle finally stopped, Enzo could breathe a sigh of relief.

- I hope I never get on a motorcycle in my life again!

- Oh, what a little girl you are! Try riding a Zx10r or a Panigale.

He didn't understand.

- What is it?

- A Kawasaki and a Ducati.

- Oh. Yes. That made sense.

If that was Luana's house, then Enzo was even luckier, because she had a beautiful mansion in the Joá neighborhood. Facing the sea, with a view of the two tunnels and the waves crashing on the rocks ten meters below, a beautiful residence with yellow walls and a white gate.

- What are you waiting for, cowboy? - Luana asked, noticing that Enzo didn't move from his position.

The two of them were soon met by a small, but angry, yorkshire terrier, which did not stop barking, blocking their way. Enzo would then have to cross the pool.

- Ignore it. - said Luana. - Give it a few more minutes and he won't bother you anymore, if he cares about you.

What might she have been trying to say?

The interior of the residence was even more beautiful. Simple but elegant furniture, highlighted by the natural light coming in through the huge windows.

- Nice house, Luana.

- Thank you, sir. My parents have good taste. They went to Greece to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. They left me here. They are lovely parents.

Enzo wondered whether Luana was being serious or sarcastic. He just shook his head.

- You haven't told me your name until now, cowboy.

- It's Enzo.

- Of course it is. - said Luana, laughing.

- What does that mean?

- It seems that all children in Brazil are now called Enzo these days. I'll call you cowboy.

With those two eyes, she could call him anything, even a Real Madrid fan.

- Let's not exaggerate, narrator. - Enzo whined. - But if you lend me the hat.

- Lie down on the sofa.

Enzo obeyed. He found her bossy character interesting, very different from Italy, but very similar to Russia, with a few minor exceptions. Luana checked the injuries on Enzo's body. Large cuts on his back and ribs. She checked to see if any of them were broken, but everything seemed intact, which surprised her.

- You were very fortunate. A fall like that with only cuts.

Then a girl of about seven years old came down the stairs. They exchanged a few words and returned to the stairs. She looked a lot like Luana, which could only indicate one thing. Two, perhaps.

- Your daughter?

Luana frowned.

- Sister.

- Sorry, it's just that you look a lot alike and she's very young... And I thought she was...

- What are you trying to say, son? Remember I have my hand on your injury.

- You look older than me. And in a good way, I mean that.

Oh, since you brought it up.

- You don't ask a woman how old she is.

- What if I want to know?

- That's the fun of it, chief. You don't get to know.

- That's a little unfair.

- I know. - Luana smiled. - So, cowboy, why were you climbing a rock?

- Well...

- And tell the truth. Otherwise... - Luana started to squeeze the bruise. - It's going to hurt a little.

- Because that guy tried to kill me.

- Well, getting in front of motorcycles doesn't help your case.

- I just wanted to know his name.

- I'm not judging you, Enzo, I would do the same thing. My father is an investigator.

- At the risk of being redundant, which It has not anything to do with your weighing, what does he investigate?

- My weight? Are you a moron?

- A little bit. It is a family matter.

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Sure, blame the family.

- Anyway, yes, my father investigates crimes around the city.

- Luana, I need to tell you something. Promise you won't tell anyone?

- Of course.

- Does your father investigate the slums?

- Nobody investigates the slums, cowboy. Unless you want to spend the night in a garbage bag.

- And why is that?

- Organized crime has dominated the slums for years. It is an intense dispute for territory. Rocinha, for example, has been trying for years to take away the CV's dominance, even more so now that their leader has been arrested.

- But what happens when one group tries to dominate the other's territory?

- A bloody war.

- Really?

- Are you hiding something from me?

Uh-oh.

- Why do you think I am?

- I'm a daughter of an investigator, Enzo. I know when someone is lying to me. Sure, some do it better than others. But you? It looks like "lie" is written all over your forehead.

- All right, all right. - Enzo soon confessed. How would you get out of that situation? - A friend...

- Friend?

- More like a known. A boy I have the displeasure of living with. So anyway, he started acting a little weird. Like a gangster on steroids. We already knew his mother, Suzane, and we knew that his father makes money through illicit means.

- We?

- Vini and I. The other character in the book. Anyway, stupid Vini figured that Suzane was in on some kind of criminal BS scam. But instead of keeping his fucking mouth shut, the asshole decided to turn the shit into a Sherlock Holmes.

- Sounds like a very good plan.

- Oh, easy, Pretty Woman. It gets worse. Vini decided to infiltrate the club Suzane goes to, to get closer to her.

- Which club?

- What difference does it make? A women's club, whatever.

- But you are guys and... - Luana quickly connected the dots. - Get out of the town! Seriously?

- Yes. Dumb as a fencepost. Anyway, we became friends with Suzane, so she started asking us for favors. Delivering things in the slums, like Jason Stanthan in that movie where he drives an Audi. What was it called?

- The Transporter.

- So we did these little favors.

- What did you deliver?

- Guns. For this guy I was snooping around.

- You're not very smart, with all due respect. Breaking into a drug dealer's house, alone and unarmed. What could go wrong?

- Yeah, to be honest, I just thought about the possibility of shit going to hell at his house. Before that, it was a pretty brilliant plan.

A few minutes later, Luana finished fixing Enzo. Considering the damage, she did a pretty good job.

- Will it hurt when it comes to taking a bath? - Enzo asked.

- Don't be a child! Even my eight-year-old sister doesn't care about stinging wounds.

- She didn't fall off a rock. - Enzo said quietly.

Luana got up and thought about going to the kitchen, but she would have to ask Enzo first:

- Would you like a drink? I made some juice for my sister, but she can share it with you.

- I don't want to! - They both heard a child's voice from upstairs. - It's my juice!

- You'll share it with the guest! - Luana turned to Enzo. - Sorry, she has trouble sharing with other people.

- I understand. The West went to share Berlin and it all went to shit.

Luana started to laugh.

- Dummy.

While Luana didn't return, Enzo began to look at the photos on the electronic picture frames on the glass table. Seconds later, she brought over a glass and a jar.

- Thank you - Enzo took a sip. - It's very tasty. You sure know how to make good juices.

Yes, he had no idea what he was saying.

- Thank you, Enzo. I... I know how to make juices.

The two remained silent after that non but very much and weird sexual talk. Luana hoped Enzo was going to say something else stupid, while Enzo figured Laura was getting tired of him for that same reason.

- So... - They both said at the same time. Enzo continued. - What should I do?

- You can stay here. Or... - Luana was speechless. - I can drive you home.

- Can I stick around a little longer? Or maybe go to the...

Well, a dumb priest never got a parish. Luana soon understood what Enzo was suggesting.

- No way in hell! You wouldn't even know how to get out of the place.

- How hard could it be? - Enzo had the question.

- You would fall at the first acceleration.

- Wait, wait, wait, wait. We're still talking about...

Luana smiles.

- Yes, you idiot. It's a no-no. I mean, you are a nice boy, you talk nice and funny, but I am old enough to be your older sister.

Enzo grinned.

- A relationship based on incest? You're only cheering me up more, Luana.

- Stop being sick.

- Stop pushing me.

A few seconds later, after a moment of silence, Luana answered:

- You know what? Who gives a rat-ass? Let's go to the bedroom, already!

She pulled him by the arm to the first pair of stairs to the second floor.

- Just don't be wake the dead. - Luana asked. - I don't want my sister to think I'm in trouble.

- It's just a simple matter of point of view.

- Ha, ha. Very clever.