Chapter 16

We get in the car, he gives me an address and we are on our way. We arrive at our destination without saying a word. It’s one of the bars owned by Mireya. It’s crowded, and there’s a fight going on inside. Everyone at the door seems to care little about what’s going on.

We walk in and, without saying a word about what is going on, go straight to the back of the office. When we enter the office, I’m cold: several of the colleagues who work for Mireya are standing around a man sitting tied to a chair.

It’s Thomas.

It’s the same scene I witnessed with that man and the gasoline. But this man I know. This man is my brother. This man matters to me. I can’t say anything. A lump grips my throat, and Mireya’s words saying this afternoon that I will have to solve the problem keep rumbling in my head.

“Hi, Thomas,” says Mireya with a honeyed, almost affectionate tone. I’ve long since started to hate it when she talks like that. It’s pure venom. “I guess you know why you