Wildcard [ÉLITE]

―iii.

"If only the cops had asked you to be a witness," Nano muttered.

Her smile faltered. "They did," she admitted. "They saw her call log, all those nights we spent talking 'til all hours. I told them she never mentioned you." Nano's brow furrowed. "I couldn't risk it, we worked so hard to disappear, to make people forget about us. If they found out I helped clear your name..." She shook her head. Even still, she regretted it. He'd sat in jail for months because she couldn't tell the truth. "I'll do anything I can to help you now. I promise."

"Polo doesn't know you believe us, right?" Samuel asked. Dani nodded. "That might be to our advantage..."

♤ ♤ ♤ ♤

As Dani stepped outside, the door caught behind her. She turned to see Guzmán following her into the street. "Hey," he said, bouncing between his feet.

She smiled softly. "Hey."

They looked at each other for a long time as if that look could piece back together all the years between them. Cars passed behind them, and Daniela stepped back onto the curb. "I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch, Dani."

"You weren't the only one."

"But I was–" he broke off. "I'm sorry."

She nodded. "It wasn't your fault." In the end, she'd pushed him away. Guzmán had tried to fix things between them, and she'd made the choice to end it, even if it wasn't for the right reasons. But so much time had passed since then. Dani couldn't even remember the last time she'd wished it could've been different. If there was a world where they ended up together, it was too far out of reach.

"I'm glad you had Marina," he said finally. "And I'm glad she had you. She stopped talking to me, and after everything with Carla...well, I guess my sister was loyal 'til the end."

Daniela shrugged, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears in her eyes. "She was my best friend. I don't know how I would've gotten through the last two years without her."

"I miss her so much, Dani." His voice broke then, and she crossed that line between them, putting her arms around his neck.

"I miss her too." She held on for a long time, rubbing his back until she felt sure he wasn't going to fall apart.

Twenty-Seven Months Ago

From the fire escape, Daniela could still hear the sounds of the gala above. The quiet din of voices and polite laughter. The clinking of glasses and the scraping of chairs against the floor. Her friends were up there, somewhere. They were probably clustered together, drinking too much cava and joking too loudly. She should be with them, but instead she was here, with a bottle of sherry, alone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Guzmán, poking his head outside the window. He found her leaning against the wall, just out of view if you weren't looking. "I thought you might be down here." He crawled out the window and joined her.

For a moment they both looked out over the city. It was beautiful; all the lights twinkled below them like a field of stars. Dani offered him the bottle, and he took it, frowning as he realized how empty it was. "Did you drink all this?"

Daniela shrugged, she'd lost track. "Maybe."

"Since when do you drink?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "Who cares? Everyone does it."

Guzmán frowned, but kept his mouth shut. He took a swig out of the bottle, without taking his eyes off her. It was obvious he wanted to ask what was wrong, but he didn't.

"Why'd you let them?" Dani asked after a few minutes. He gave her a confused look. "Your parents. Why'd you let them talk you out of us?"

Guzmán looked at her for a long time. "I don't know, Dani. Maybe because I got scared, or maybe I was just a stupid kid who let everyone else tell me how to feel."

Daniela rolled her eyes. It was the same stupid excuses she'd heard from their friends a hundred times. She wasn't sure what she'd been looking for, but it wasn't this.

"Where would we have gone anyway?" He asked, and then clarified, "Down the line. Our parents were never going to get along." Guzmán shook his head. "Especially not with that shit your dad is pulling."

"That shit?" Dani asked, incredulous. "He's trying to save lives."

"Doesn't he care your mom's company will be hit just as bad?" He asked, ignoring her entirely. "Doesn't she?"

Daniela shook her head. "Some things are more important than money. I thought you knew that."

Guzmán looked at her for a moment and groaned. "This isn't how I wanted this to go. I just meant to say...I want you back, Dani."

A long silence hung between them before Daniela finally found it in her to respond. "It's too late, Guzmán. Maybe our parents were right, we're not cut from the same cloth." She jerked her chin toward the roof. "Lucrecia's obsessed with you."

"I don't want Lu."

"I don't want you," she snapped. Dani's eyes remained locked on the skyline, refusing to meet his. She could still feel him sitting next to her though. The seconds dragged on, then finally he slipped back inside. And Dani was left alone with her thoughts.

A single tear slipped down her cheek but she wiped it away before it hardly had a chance to fall. Dani reached for the bottle and took a long swig, before slamming it back down on the metal. The metallic echo was the only thing that punctuated the silence.