Chapter 23

«Slip it under the door and leave», he repeated to himself mentally, for the third time. He took a deep breath and took two steps forward. «Leave, Carlos », his conscience snapped.

He knew he was acting a fool. He used the silliest excuse to go over to Samanta's. Bring her her paycheck? Samanta picked it up every Saturday morning! It was absolutely unnecessary for him to be there. His only goal was to make sure Sam had already come home. If that was the case, it would only mean their date had been boring and that was that. However, on the contrary, Sam did not make it back home because she had had so much fun she lost track of time.

He looked at the clock and realized it was almost 8pm, he took another breath in, put his hand in a fist, raised his fist, about to knock on that door, announcing his presence.

«Why do you torture yourself like this? Go home!». Once again, that little voice in his head.

He shut his eyes tight and let out a long sigh in resignation. He got down and slipped the envelope under the door. It was meaningless to stay any longer.

As soon as he was about to leave, the sound of the door opening stopped him.

“Carlos?” Teresa's voice asked. “Where's Samanta?” The older sister looked both ways, looking for Sam.

“I… uhmmm” he mumbled. “She got off work a little earlier than me. I did some overtime, Gordon is out of town and left me in charge…”

“I figured she'd be with you” the concerned woman interrupted.

“I just came to drop her paycheck and I was on my way already” Carlos turned around quickly, ready to bail.

“Carlos, What is going on here? Where is my little sister?”

“Is she not in there?” Carlos' voice quivered, putting himself in the limelight. His attempts for playing naive were futile, Teresa noticed his charade as he started pretending not to know where Samanta was.

“Drop it already. You very well know Sam is not here, and you know exactly where she is, so you better tell me” Teresa could not hold her motherly instinct back.

“Teresa, I… no… uhmmm.”

How in the world was he supposed to say Samanta was out with some stranger hanging out God knows where, doing God knows what?

Carlos broke a sweat, giving away his nervousness.

“Oh God!” Teresa put her hands on her head, assuming the worst—. She's with him, isn't she?

«With whom?». Carlos frowned.

»No, no, no” muttered the eldest Andrade sister. “I figured that brat would only be released until three months” she went on.

Samanta's friends opened his eyes so wide they almost pop out of their sockets when he realized what Teresa meant. Alan, Sam's ex-boyfriend.

“No” Carlos blurted out. “She's out with a good guy” he stopped and reconsidered his words, “I think.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean you think? Explain yourself!”

“Samanta went out with … ever heard of Dominik Weigand?” He let out. Teresa wrinkled her nose. “The bullet Weigand?” he asked. The woman in front of him denied with her head. “A professional soccer player … Come on! He's huge.”

“You mean to tell me my little sister is out with a man who can afford to have whatever woman he pleases?” The sister felt her heart shrinking.

“Wow! When you put it like that, it does sound pretty awful.”

“You're supposed to be her friend. How could you let this happen?” Teresa's voice sounded upset.

“Wait a minute! You're not saying…” Carlos shook his head hard. He was quite confused by Teresa Andrade's attitude. “You can't expect me to go through life watching over every step Samanta takes. I have a life of my own, you know?…”

Carlos stopped talking as he noticed how Teresa had her eyes glued to a car that had just parked in her driveway. As she turned around and look carefully, she saw Samanta getting off the vehicle followed by… Dominik The Bullet Weigand.