Minos appears in Strauss' field of vision and drags him by the ribs out into the open, where he helps him to his feet and rushes him to the boat, where another couple of his men are waiting for them.
Tadeus checks the disposable cell phone at the agreed-upon time and receives a message containing only numbers. He opens the door to his hotel room and is met by two bodyguards who order him to go back inside — Can I at least go to the restaurant? I'm not a prisoner.
— I'll accompany you, sir — says one of them, while the other steps aside to take a call.
— We've gotta take you to the boss — says the other, approaching.
— Where? — asks Tadeus, but receives no answer. So he sends a message to the secondary cell phone.
They arrive at what appears to be a hospital with a furnished lounge next to the reception area, where he waits patiently until one of the bodyguards speaks with a doctor coming out of the hallway. They exchange a few words, and he receives a signal to approach — What's your relationship to the patient?
— Is this about Alexander?
— Yes, sir.
— What's wrong with him? Why is he here?
— I'll only speak with the patient's family. You must understand that this is for security reasons and to protect his rights.
— He's a Strauss, too.
— The paramedics who brought him in said he asked for someone; he only gave his consent for that person to come in and see him. If you could tell me your name and who you are to the patient, I could verify the information.
— My name's Tadeus; I'm his husband.
— Give me a moment — says the doctor.
Tadeus nods, taking a deep breath to ease the knot in his throat. Breathe in and out, take a seat, calm down, don't get impatient. He repeats this to himself with every passing second. "You can come with me," the doctor says, appearing in his field of vision as he looks up. He feels a jolt in his stomach as he makes out his figure the moment he opens the door — Are you all right?
— I'm fine — Tadeus sniffs through the tears streaming down to his chin. A bandage covers his left shoulder and much of his torso. He gathers the courage to move a little closer; feels the warmth of that hand, which fills him with relief, even though Alexander's gaze is fixed on the ceiling — Can he hear?
— He may still be under the influence of analgesics. He underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his chest and drain the blood that had accumulated in his chest cavity. The bullet narrowly missed his heart.
— How are you feeling? — Tadeus leans in to get his attention.
Alexander blinks a couple of times and turns his face toward him — My love, here you are.
— Mr. Strauss will be transferred to a room in a less crowded wing of the hospital. For now, he'll stay here under observation.
— Remember what we talked about, doctor — Alexander manages to say.
— You'll be here for a week — the man says before leaving.
— I had already forgotten what pain feels like — Alexander closes his eyes for a moment and takes the hand caressing his left arm, resting his cheek against it — It hurts… to breathe.
— Then don't talk — Tadeus says, kissing him on the lips.
— Your face is wet.
— Sh… sh… don't strain yourself — he smiles slightly and takes a deep breath, but his tears spill over anyway.
— This isn't the first time I've been shot.
— For sure it isn't.
— Please don't cry anymore.
Tadeus nods, but immediately turns his face away, closes his eyes, and his expression contorts so much that shaking his head in denial of his feelings isn't enough to keep him from breaking down in tears.
— Deus, my love. It's just a wound, it'll heal… Ahh…ugh!
— Lie down! Don't try to get up, you're bleeding.
— They just changed my bandages.
— The bloodstain has gotten bigger. I'll call the doctor.
Tadeus walks over to the lobby, where he asks the nurse at the front desk to send someone to Mr. Strauss' room. After that, he tells one of the men in suits to go back to the hotel to get some clothes for Alexander. As soon as the first man leaves, he tells the second to bring something to eat for his boss because he refuses to try the hospital food. — I can't leave; you must remain under our protection. That was Mr. Strauss' order.
— I'll stay with Alex. If you can't get into the room as a family member, there's no point in you standing out here.
— Out here, I can keep an eye on who comes in and who goes out.
— That's what the hospital staff is for. Besides, there's only one other patient in one of the rooms down the hall, and that person can't even get out of bed.
— I'll let my colleague know to bring you something to eat. Don't worry.
When Tadeus peeks into Alexander's room, he sees the nurse changing the bandages and steps away from the door when he senses she's looking his way. He sighs and sends a text message to the disposable phone, for then to throw it in one of the bins at the other side of the hall.
<><><>><<><><>
— You have a visitor — says the guard. The man remains lying on the bed with his ankles crossed and a book in his hands. The guard taps the bars with his baton — You only have thirty minutes!
The man gets up, puts on his shoes, and brings his hands to the opening in the bars where his wrists are handcuffed. Once in the visiting room, the officer unlocks him. — I think you were expecting someone else. Maybe Elena or your lawyer?
— Thanks for coming, my daughter. This is definitely a surprise.
— They barely let me leave the house; even from here, you keep the strings of your puppets tightly in hand.
— I won't be here long, I'm sure the…
— Do you want to tell me where Tadeus is?
— I wouldn't know.
— You mean he's laundering your money.
— Watch what you say in this place. There could be microphones under the table or in the seats.
— You know what? At the beginning of this fake family dynamic you forced us to perform, I felt ignored. I felt guilty for wanting to distance myself because my brother seemed so comfortable lying and coming up with every excuse to defend himself. With the testimonies from the girls I'll get from the clubs, I hope you stay locked up here forever as the rotten creature you are.
— What did you do, child?
— I'll testify against you, I'll convince Tadeus to do the same, and maybe that way he can wash his hands a little of all the shit you've made him do.
Edwin slaps Yenedith. His little outburst of anger only makes the young woman burst out laughing — Give me another reason to add domestic violence to your charges! — she shouts as she watches him being led out of the courtroom by two officers. She takes a deep breath, looks around, and heads for the exit.
<><>><<><>
Alexander opens his eyes to find himself facing a beige wall behind a white sofa next to a small table with a vase of orange-hued carnations on it. He looks toward the window to his right; through the curtains, he notices some clouds in the sky and buildings — You're awake — says Tadeus as he walks in carrying a cardboard bag. — How are you feeling?
— I'm fine — he says hoarsely; he has to swallow to say anything else — I'd like to take a shower and stretch my legs a bit.
— You have to eat first. You slept for about twenty hours — Tadeus pulls a black container, some utensils, and another rectangular metal container out of the bag.
— What's that?
— Carrot soup, roast beef with potatoes, and that peanut salad you like.
— I'm not hungry.
— You used to make me eat five times a day — Tadeus says, placing the food on the rollaway tray next to the stretcher. He sits down beside him and picks up the utensils. — My cooking skills aren't that great, but it's surely better than the unsalted hospital food. Open your mouth.
— Ah… mmm, delicious!
Tadeus leans in to kiss him, but the sound of the door interrupts them, and the momentary silence begins to feel heavy until she says — I have some news for you, sir.
— Yes?
— Edwin Singer was recently arrested, and I heard about the charges against him through one of the officers. His case is being reviewed by higher authorities, so he couldn't tell us much — says Claire, approaching the stretcher.
Alexander puts his arm around Tadeus' waist when he notices his intention to step aside — Did you come all the way here just to tell me that?
— I was worried about you; I at least wanted to know if you were conscious.
— I thought only family could visit you — says Tadeus.
— And who are you to him? You shouldn't be here either.
— Claire, don't talk to him like that.
— Okay, sorry. Can we have a moment?
Tadeus stands up and leaves the room before Alexander can finish asking him to stay — What's your problem with him? He's never even addressed you.
— It won't happen again.
— I mean it. You can't treat him that way, and I won't let you use that tone in front of me.
— I'll apologize. His comment just bothered me a little, that means that-
— He wasn't talking to you.
— You haven't told him about our history. I'm not just an ex, we were best friends.
— He doesn't owe you anything; whatever you have to say is for me.
— Well, I get it! — she sighs — You know I have something else, or this could've been just a casual call. Edwin Singer is the Coyote.
— Are you sure?
— Apparently, someone very close to his organization ratted him out with hard evidence of the kind of business he's been running, which coincided with the drug trafficking investigation led by the DEA about the Coyote. They had a detailed map of his movements, and with this, they've started putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
— Damned dog, his time has come — Alexander says with a smile.
— Are you still interested in helping Edwin and doing business with him?
— No. Let him rot.