Page 28 of Red Queen
“Thank you, Teo.” She gives me a tired smile, then goes in for a kiss.
“Thank you to you, too.” I lay on my back and pull her on my chest, her warm body resting on mine. “Please don’t try to sneak out later. I want you to stay for breakfast.”
She looks up at me with those big brown eyes, and my heart skips a beat. “Okay. I’ll stay. I’d like to stay.”
I kiss her head and hold her closer. As I move to pull up the blanket, she escapes my hold. “Where are you going?”
“I have to pee.” We chuckle, and I nod. She leaves to go to the bathroom, and I wait for her to come back, but sleepiness takes over me before I can feel her against me again.
The next morning, I woke up with Rosa tangled in my arms, the sound of the phone ringing making my ears hurt. It’s too early for anyone to call me at this ungodly hour.
“It’s 6 AM Enzo. What the fuck do you want?” I manage to pick up the phone before Rosa wakes up to it.
“Vickie called. She found that woman you slept with in Miami. Mona.” He sounds calm and angry at the same time. Never a good combo.
“That’s good, right?” I ask optimistically. I know his answer will be the exact opposite, but one can hope.
“No, Mateo. Not at all. Not when she’s framing you for espionage.”
17
ROSA
Iwake up to the sound of the hotel door closing. I slowly open my eyes and see that the clock shows it’s past 7 AM, but the space next to me is already cold. Guess we won’t be having breakfast together. Scenarios from last night keep playing in my mind.
I try to go back to sleep, but nothing helps. The thought that something bad happened with Mateo keeps nagging me. He didn’t even wake me up before he left. Maybe he just didn’t want to.
I pick up my phone from the nightstand to see if he left me a message, but there’s no notification from him. Maybe he overslept, and he was in a hurry. I’ll worry about it later.
I sit up and spot a little piece of paper on his pillow, only two words written on it, which say, “Lo siento.” I decide to text him anyway, the worry not wanting to leave my side, asking if he’s okay.
After a couple minutes, I go out to the kitchen to make myself busy, trying not to think about Teo too much. I spot a paper bag on the counter, and I smile at the fact that he left me food. A sandwich is waiting for me, filled with goodies, eggs, cheese,and bacon. Yummy. Just as I’m savoring the first bite, my phone starts to ring, so I rush back to the bedroom, hoping it’s Teo calling.
“Hey, Lan. What’s up?” It’s not him, but it’s nice to hear a friendly voice.
“Turn on the TV! Right now!” I furrow my eyebrows, but I do as she says.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Just turn to a sports channel!”
“Okay, okay!” I stop at the local sports channel and see that Mateo’s on the screen.
I turn up the volume, and my brain finally comprehends what the headline says:Mateo Acosta framed for espionage. Oh my god. He—he what? But why? Is that why he left so early? This is bullshit. This can’t be true.
“Are you seeing this?” Lana asks from the other side of the line.
“Yeah… I am. But why? What happened?”
“Just listen to what they’re saying.” I put my phone down on the bed and increase the volume of the TV again.
“The documents were published this morning, at 6 AM sharp, on a journalist site. The journalist, Mona Murphy, is claiming that Mateo Acosta, the famous Formula 1 driver, leaked the documents to her. These contain confidential information about the team and their car. Now, we asked Acosta what he has to say about this,” the reporter says, as she shoves the microphone into Teo’s face.
“Good morning, everyone. It has come to my attention that a specific person is framing me for something that I didn’t do. We all know journalists do everything to drag someone down, and that is the case here as well. I don’t know what Mona’s motive is, but I did not leak those documents. I stand with my team. I amloyal to them, and I always will be. Thank you.” He steps away from the microphones, but the reporters don’t let him get away.
“But is it true you two were together? What does this mean for you and your contract? Does the team stand with you as well?” Hundreds of questions are asked, but Mateo is determined to get away. With the help of bodyguards, he manages to slip into a closed part of the paddock.
“What the fuck?” I ask in disbelief, my brain trying to process all the information that has been said in the last few minutes.
