Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro

About a day later, Vini suddenly woke up. His body felt weak and he felt dizzy. He looked around and the place didn't look familiar. White walls, a TV almost hitting the ceiling, an uncomfortable bed, and no one to care about him. Still, could be worse.

- Am I in an Ibis? - he wondered, a little startled.

Next to him, he found a telephone attached to the bed. He found it curious, but had no idea who to call. And he didn't even need to, because Enzo and his aunt soon entered the room to see him.

- Look how our boy looks! - said an excited Enzo.

- What took you so long? - Vini complained.

- Oh, stop whining. I brought you a carrot cake.

- There's only one piece.

- Yeah, I ate most of it.

To his surprise, his aunt appeared next to Enzo wearing a crumpled blue button-down blouse.

- Oh, no, no, no! Fuck me! Why don't you just finish me off!

- How are you feeling?

- I don't want to talk to you, you bastard!

- Well, you should. After all, they found a body in Lake's water tank.

Vini's eyes widened.

- Really? And they identified the body?

- Yes, and guess what?

- No. Really?

Enzo agreed, shaking his head.

- That is crap.

- Yeah, I know. And it wasn't just that. Forensics confirmed that she was beaten severely, raped, and finally drowned.

- But how the fuck did they manage to put the body in the water tank? Isn't it on the top floor, on the terrace?

- I don't know. They just did it.

- And the security cameras in the building?

- They stopped working since the shooting.

- Oh, for fuck's sake! We don't have an ounce of luck!

- Vini, all I know is that there are people from the building involved. There's no way they could get into the building and just throw her body up there. It's too suspicious and there's no way anyone could have seen anything.

- Well, what is your idea?

- We need to talk to the people there.

Vini soon regretted it.

- A condo meeting? I hate condo meetings.

- Nobody likes it. It's pointless and a waste of time, unless you want to meet up with someone.

- But that's why we've got our swimming pool!

- Yes, that's true. Anyway, try to call a meeting. See what you get.

- What about you?

- Well, I'll stay here. Cautiously awaiting my cruel fate.

- Fuck off, Vini! You only broke your leg. Or they have given you too many drugs.

- I hope so. Otherwise, I want to kill you.

- Isn't that ironic? I do the stupid things and you almost die in stupid ways.

- It's hard for you to be dead. - Vini pointed out. - I'm starting to realize it.

Enzo returned to Lake, leaving Vini behind at the hospital. When he got out of the Uber, to his surprise, he found Belgium standing outside the newly built entrance gate.

- How are you? - he said.

- How is Vini? - She asked.

- Fine. Besides being a complete moron.

- This is serious, Enzo. 75% of injuries to the elderly occur as a result of home accidents.

- Boo-hoo. He's still a complete idiot in my books.

- Which hospital is he in?

- Barra Dor. Do you want to go there? He's taking visitors. He'll be happy to see you. I just don't think he'll be able to hop, if you know what I mean.

- I don't.

- Yeah, neither do I.

Yeah, right.

In the hospital, the situation was not very good. But it gradually became even worse. At one point, he heard a familiar voice. Rough, almost hoarse, and, most of all, well-known.

- Pacifier? - Vini was surprised. - This day couldn't get any stranger.

Ah, he was wrong.

- Hello, idiot. - Said Pacifier. - How's the leg?

- Fucked. As you can see.

- Look, I have to tell you something. Something I should have told you days ago. There are some guys who are chasing us, you know?

- Crazy Rooster?

- Yeah. But I've never seen him. He sends the motherfucking pawns that suck his dick.

Not literally.

- And you know some of them?

- Well, yeah. They have connections with my father. Vini, I know you think I'm an asshole, but I didn't want any of this to happen.

- What exactly are you going on about?

- Your friend.

- For the thousandth time, she is not my friend! She is just one of the many who sleep with Enzo. And I met another one today, it seems.

- Okay, fuck it. Enzo's friend.

- How did you know about her?

- My father is not exactly close to Crazy Rooster, but he does jobs. And he gets part of the commission.

- What do you think is going to happen, Pacifier?

- Deaths. Murders. Shootings. Take your pick.

- Holy shit.

- Yes. They want to take Rocinha.

- We have to get Marcos out of there. I don't even know how it's going to be now that he lost his first born daughter. - Vini remembered a detail. - Holy shit. Luana's little sister. She is there alone in Joá. I need to talk to Enzo. Do you have a cell phone?

Pacifier momentarily lent the latest model of the IPhone to Vini.

- Does it always have to be flashy, Pacifier? Fucking hell!

- I like nice things.

It didn't take more than two calls for Enzo to answer.

- Enzo, you fool. Go to Joá and get Luana's little sister. She is probably alone in that house without any security.

- You want me to go from Barra to Joá now? What about the meeting?

- Forget everything I said and go there. Hurry up! Run! Run! Go!

How would Enzo get from Barra to Joá? If Luana were alive, the BMW racing motorcycle would be very handy. But Vini was right. They had to stand up for Marcos, because it was only a matter of time before the worst would happen.

- Okay, what can I do? - Enzo needed to think.

- Try a cab. - Belgium recommended.

A good idea, since the taxi drivers in Rio de Janeiro were insane. I would arrive in Joá in a very short time. The question was to wait for some vehicle to pass by on the street. But as it turned out, it was a very long wait.

In the news, the city turned almost into a war zone. Shootings in various parts of the city, with dead and injured. As the days went by, schools opted to close, and the streets became empty because of the violence. Later that day, an elderly couple was killed in a crossfire in Botafogo. In the afternoon, another shooting, this time in Jacarepaguá. The situation was getting out of control of the authorities until they lost their hand for good.

Fortunately, on that day, Enzo managed to get Luana's little sister out of the house, but he had another surprise.

- What the fuck?

- Who are you? - said Marcos, armed to the teeth.

- Me? You're the guy who almost killed me, you son of a bitch!

- Fuck you! Mine was on the line!

- Fuck you too!

- Stop screaming! If you want to get out of here, you'll have to work together!

- Oh, fucking marvelous! That's what the Americans must have said to the English and French. "Oh, we'll have to work together." Hamana-hamana-hamana!

- Just try not to kill each other.

Then Enzo heard a noise, as if someone was trying to drill a rock. Marcos looked at Enzo and pointed down. Probably someone was trying to get in through the back door by climbing the rock.

- I need one of your little boys toys. - said Enzo.

Marcos had no choice. He handed him two M60s, four GX4s, a Taurus G3, and some emergency explosives. Belgium took the small Glock 9mm back to Barra with Marcos' youngest daughter, not that it would make much of a difference, since she barely knew how to pull the trigger.

- Now it's on us - said Marcos. - We will try to eliminate them in five minutes. If it takes longer than that... - He showed explosives. - Explode the whole shit out of them.

Enzo's eyes widened.

- What about we?

- Fuck us! I can't resist knowing that these sons of bitches killed my daughter. I just want you to promise me one thing. Protect Gabi no matter what.

- Who's Gabi?

- Luana's sister. You're so fucking stupid!

- I'm sorry. Luana never said her name and the storyteller is not helping me.

Marcos' house overlooked the sea, which indicated that the men could only come by one way. Through the rocks. The house had cameras at the gate and in the street, so Enzo monitored in case anyone suspicious showed up uninvited.

- Enzo, Enzo! Over there! - Marcos pointed.

He pointed to six men walking on the stone. You couldn't expect anyone to be crazy enough to walk on such a steep place, and the waves were constantly crashing on the rocks below. And that day the sea was beating hard, the water was rising about four meters.

- I'm not Dana White, but It's time. - said Marcos. - Remember. Five minutes.