Chapter 1 She

She...

Bergen General Hospital, Haukeland, Norway. Nina was finishing a catheterization procedure on a patient (an elderly lady who did not measure swearing and cursing). For whom Nina was responsible during her internship, the nursing students could not stop laughing at what the little lady was saying. Finally, they finished and went to the conference room, where they discussed the summary of what had been done on duty that day.

Nina was the head nurse of her sector, a woman of 1.63 cm tall, with long blond hair down to her buttocks, yellowish-green eyes, so vibrant that it seemed as if that color did not exist. She was exhausted, counting the minutes for the day's work to end soon, for she was going on a trip with her cousin Lyon and a friend, Kara, who was already waiting outside in the parking lot.

Nina said goodbye to everyone, hurried to the dressing room, took a shower, changed clothes, and went to meet her adventure partners, Lyon and Kara. They were very excited about this trip, they had not had a vacation out of the country for a long time.

Kara was a physical therapist, and as Nina, she worked hard all year round. When she had the opportunity to travel with her best friends, she made sure to plan the trip step by step, making sure they brought back the best memories. They had VIP tickets to the best clubs, reserved tables at the most popular places, restaurants, and whatever else Kara had planned. Nina knew that this trip would be no different. Thanks to Kara, she knew that they would have all the good and the best.

Lyon was gay, tall, strong, and never left the bodybuilding gym. He had black hair, black eyes, tanned skin, and dressed like a posh little Maurice. The women went crazy when they saw him until they were sorry to hear that he was one more competitor in the "bread line", that is, he was also there to pick up the "magic boys", as he said.

So the three of them found each other.

When Nina got into the car, Lyon immediately took out her cell phone and put on some music for them to listen to on the way to the airport. On the way, they fiddled with Nina's cell phone while picking out reggaeton songs, songs by the singer Anitta from Brazil, and various other Latinos.

Lyon and Kara were talking, laughing, and winking at each other. Nina suspected that they were always up to something. What Nina didn't know was that they had installed a dating application on her cell phone. Since she had deactivated all notifications on her phone, she did not see when the possible suitors in Italy answered her on the dating application. And so the two friends had fun at Nina's expense, without her knowing what it was all about, all the way on the plane until they reached their destination: Rome.

Nina was not one for love, maybe in the lyrics of songs, movies, and books, but not at all in real life. She was fearful, stubborn, determined, and very reserved. She wasn't shy, but she didn't like crowds, didn't like hanging out in groups, and had no patience for debates. She also had a schism about travel. She knew many nebulous stories about disappearances of women around the world, as she had worked for many years in the military, and served the Red Cross, and was involved in many volunteer projects for families and women who were victims of violence, kidnapping, and neglect by society.

There was always someone who knew someone who was involved in something like this, and who would tell her stories of what they heard over the years living in Brazil or traveling around the world. Because of her engagement in social work aimed at protecting women's rights, Nina was always on the lookout for no danger.

Knowing this, this schism of her friend, who was super suspicious of men, especially those who thought they were powerful, a little more exaggerated than the others, Lyon and Kara decided to "help" her find flirts "online", even though she would never agree if she knew, especially with the application set to capture Italians in Rome. For this reason, her cousin and her friend did not tell her about their set-ups.

Lyon and Kara always told their "matches" where and when Nina would be with them - at a possible club or restaurant when they were still in Norway, for example - but never arranged a date, for fear of being discovered by Nina. The intention was to lure these suitors to her, making it seem sporadic. They were lucky so far, because many of the men on this app had approached Nina at some of these parties before, and acted strangely as if they already knew her.

She never knew why they showed so much interest, and then ended up turning their faces away and walking away. She had always had this aggressive way with men, inexplicably annoying and fearful about allowing a stranger to approach her, even more so if he was trying to do her some kind of favor. It was hard for her to even accept a drink from a stranger. She supported anything that had to do with female empowerment and the evolution of the role of women in society. She couldn't accept a life where she had to submit to the whims of a man.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the three of them unpacked their bags and toasted with glasses of wine and champagne. Between one glass and another, Kara would "like" a photo of some sexy Italian girl, guided from time to time by Lyon. And in the midst of so many likes, a profile with no photos was added to Nina's. The name of the profile was "just Richard". The name of the profile was "just Richard".

Nina turned to them.

- What are you two doing?

A drunken Lyon and Kara looked at each other.

Too late. Nina suddenly approached them and saw the messages being exchanged on her cell phone.

- But what the ... - Nina took the cell phone from Kara. - But what are you doing!

An argument started.

The two friends couldn't take the discussion seriously, while Nina was freaking out about what they had done. Both of them laughed and kept justifying themselves, using arguments that claimed that this was the only way she would get off the hook since she had been alone for a long time and didn't give anyone a chance. They already knew that she would have this reaction, and were willing to accept the scolding.

The luck was that they were really good friends, dear childhood friends. Otherwise, the fight would have been serious.

Nina started reading the messages aloud and deleting half of the matches from her phone. Her friends tried to take the device from her hand and were desperate to keep her from deleting the app. They laughed and fought, then laughed again, and the whole thing went crazy!

Nina kept reading the most recent messages aloud and discovered that half the town already knew the location of the party where she would be with Kara and Lyon. But the biggest shock was when she saw the messages from a profile with no photo: "The party of the year!" As he described it. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Nina read aloud Lyon and Kara's reply:

- Hope to see you at the party, stranger. We'll be in a tent near the dance floor and bar, of course! I hope you will be tall, handsome and very sexy! I will stay here for 14 days and hope to find something special.

She could hardly believe she was reading those messages. She lectured about how dangerous it was to go on a date in the dark, even more so in another country. She kept babbling about how the rest of the world was not the same as Norway. At the end of it all, she sat on the bed with her cell phone in her hand, on the verge of having a crying fit, when her friends sat down beside her and went to console her.

- Hey, girlfriend! It is fashionable to be kidnapped and fall in love with a mafia boss! - said Lyon with a certain cynicism on his face.

- Aren't you the one who lives in the world of books? Do you participate in all the literature groups? Then you know that it's all about being the slum lord's girlfriend! - laughed Kara non-stop.

- Really, guys. This is not funny. I don't think it's cute to go around meeting whoever is behind a phone screen, or romanticizing abusive relationships. It's just not my thing! Am I weird? Yes, I am! Am I boring? Yes! And that's it.

The atmosphere between them was already calming down. They talked and tried to get along, like the good friends they were. The three Latinos left Bergen at two o'clock in the afternoon and it took them almost five hours to arrive in Rome. They were very exhausted and influenced by the "drinks" they had had on the plane and in the hotel.

Nina warned her friends that she would not go out that night, she would delete all traces of that dating page and then rest. But Lyon and Kara begged, apologized, tried to explain themselves one more time, and Nina finally gave in. Her anger never lasted more than five minutes, and they both knew it, and she clearly used it against her. So they went to finish getting ready to leave.

Nina, Lyon, and Kara got into a cab and left for the party venue.

Suddenly a message arrived from "just Richard", the stranger with no photo from the app:

- Hi, stranger. It's almost midnight... The premiere is practically over and you haven't given a sign. Now everyone will move to the nightclub, which will be packed in a few seconds. It will be impossible for us to meet if you don't answer me...

The three friends stared at each other for a few seconds. Nina hesitated a little and answered on the application:

- I'll be the one in the black dress. The prettiest one at the party, you bet!

The three of them laughed at her answer because the party was in character. All the women would be wearing black. And then Nina deleted the app forever. Her friends laughed, even though they felt the pain to see that she had permanently deleted that account, with so many beautiful men setting up interesting dates.

- Where are we going VIP lady? - Nina asked.

- We are going to a real premiere," answered Kara.

- For the ticket price that was more expensive than our entire scheduled trip to the Anitta concert at Rock in Rio Lisbon, it must be good stuff, I hope," said Nina.

- Yes, it is good stuff, red carpet, acrobatic dancers hanging from elastic ropes, fire-eaters, swimming pool, tents, a fine band playing live. Oh, and even an international DJ! Our name is at the top of the list. It's going to be a perfect night, girlfriend! - said Kara, elated.

Lyon agreed with everything they both said. Everything was fine with him, as long as they enjoyed their nights in Italy for two weeks. He couldn't put his phone down, he was also using the same dating app they made for Nina.

The venue for the party was amazing: outdoor tents, a pool, comfortable and luxurious seating; Lots of neon.

- After all, what's the premiere of anyway? - Nina asked - It's not like on TV, where a crowd is camped outside screaming madly?

- It's a VIP party," explained Lyon, "celebrated after the actors give their interviews and meet the public.

- And how did you get seats for us?

Kara answered:

- By buying, right, my friend. Now let's drink a toast to our night as poor Latinas playing at being rich in Italy!

They toasted. When Nina finished her neon blue drink, she pulled her two friends onto the dance floor.

- I love these songs!

And the three drunks went dancing.

Nina was a dance teacher in her spare time at the hospital, not to mention a Latina. When she danced, she caught the attention of everyone at the party, at least those who were paying attention. The men began to move towards Nina, who stopped them with a firm and clear gesture with her hand. Tall men, very elegant, well dressed, and of remarkable beauty.

Her friends were discreetly whispering in her ear:

- Girlfriend, are you crazy? - argued Kara.

- That's right," agreed Lyon. - Leave it, girlfriend; let them come. Then we'll move to their table which is probably more expensive than ours; look at the boys' clothes!

- No, girlfriend, I'm too scared," Nina said, amidst the loud music. - I've heard thousands of stories about the Italian mafia kidnapping women. I'm not going to let anyone in here off the hook. And I've been very suspicious since we traveled.

Kara rolled her eyes.

- Relax, woman!

Nina's favorite songs played one after the other and she couldn't stop dancing.

David Nichols was at the party. He watched from the top floor as the guests downstairs danced the night away. He was only there on business, although he was officially on vacation after his last public appearance.

Then he saw her, dancing next to two people in the middle of the dance floor.

David pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, just to make sure that this woman dancing on the dance floor was the same one he had talked to on the app hours ago. Strangely, her profile had been deleted, and so had their conversations.

He continued to stare at her, intrigued by that dance.

Nina was still on the dance floor when a blue-eyed white man approached her. The boy introduced himself as Giosi and asked her to dance. Nina gently declined the invitation and tried to move away from him, but the boy insisted, and she already began to feel uncomfortable.

The Italian boy was so insistent that Lyon and Kara were forced to intervene. They pulled Nina off the dance floor and brought her back to the table.

A tall, black-skinned security guard of unparalleled beauty approached the trio, who had left the dance floor due to the Italian boy's persistence, and returned to the table. He calmly explained that he had observed that they were being disturbed, and offered them to come up to the private area of the venue as a courtesy of the house.

Nina was left without a drop of blood on her face. She didn't let the security guard finish speaking and with a trembling voice said that they were already well accommodated, and thanked him. The young man then smiled and left.

Her friends went crazy with her attitude, and she explained that it was all very strange, that it was all being too easy, that there was something wrong. She was very schismatic. In fact, she always was, when it came to these matters. Her friends called her names, said that she was watching too many movies and sitcoms. They asked her to put it down. She said she was the only one there who had both feet on the ground.

- Girlfriend, why are you always like this? You always do this! We are going to miss the pictures! We can stay there with the DJ if we want. Girlfriend, why didn't you accept? We're going to lose expensive free drinks and a private area just for us. - Lyon complained about his arms crossed, stamping his feet like a child.

- Then you go. I'm not going. What if we get kidnapped? Thousands of tourists disappear every year and are never found. Who will look for us? Nina asked.

- Norway, come on! We are Norwegian citizens who went on vacation to Italy, we are tourists, my love! retorted Lyon. - And the news would also have repercussions in Brazil.

- As if it mattered! - replied Nina frowning.

- Really, if someone wanted to kidnap us, they would just do it, I know! But let's not leave now, because I have to take advantage of the blow I gave my card just today! - And everyone laughed at Kara, who never took anything seriously, not even the arguments between them.

Kara was tall, thin, with long, straight, black hair down to her mid-back. She wore exuberant clothes. She looked like she stepped out of a modeling magazine. She spent hours putting on make-up and getting ready. Her friends called her "fucking crazy"! She was so euphoric at parties...

As the three of them went back to the dance floor, the security guard went back to David, who continued to watch the trio from above, and amidst the loud music of the disco, informed him about Nina's refusal. David said something to him and motioned him back to them. The bouncer returned to Nina and her friends' table and explained that the courtesy was from David Nichols, the main actor at that premiere. He informed them that the man himself had instructed him to extend the invitation on their behalf. Kara couldn't help herself and started laughing nervously, making fun of Lyon's support.

- Our friend, if you refuse this time I will kidnap and kill you! - And they both laughed.

- Really? David Nichols? Inviting us to the private area of the party? And why on earth would he do that? Please don't take this the wrong way, but we just want to enjoy our vacation here in Italy, enjoy our evening, we are not hurting anyone. Norway has all our data, where we are from, where we are going, our cell phone has GPS, anything that happens to us will involve the name of this premiere and the name of this record. Please, leave us alone! We haven't done anything wrong. - Even the security guard made a surprised expression at her attitude, "usually nobody refuses an invitation like that," he thought.

Kara and Lyon couldn't stand it when they heard Nina say that. David could hear everything from the other side of the communication radio between him and his private security guard. So the two of them offered to go instead:

- Hi, nice to meet you, young man. I'm Kara, this is my friend Lyon. Do we accept the invitation to meet David Nichols, or was the invitation just for this fine lady, Nina Dahl?

The security guard received permission through the headset, showed them the way, and accompanied them while warning them that no pictures of David and the other guests were allowed in that area. Nina remained seated where she was downstairs, alone, watching them disappear into the crowd. Kara commented to Lyon that she would come after them later when she saw that everything was okay. If not, at least she would be jealous of the pictures they would take without her, because of her distrust.

As her friends made their way to the "VIP" area of the premiere, the same Italian daddy's boy who once disturbed Nina on the dance floor, drunk and insistent, sat down next to her at her table. Taking advantage of the situation when he saw her alone. David looked at them intently with a firm gaze.

Friends of this same boy sat next to him and brought drinks. Nina stood up, she was in despair, she was almost panicking. The boys were polite, formal, but just so, inconvenient. One of them held her by the hand, trying to stop her from leaving the table, they said:

- Please don't go, Bella ragazza, don't be afraid, we are good guys. We just want to talk, enjoy the evening, stay per favorite!

Nina tried to get loose while the young man held her by the hand, gently, without brute force, and in an attempt to convince her, said: "per favore!

It was then that suddenly David appeared with several security guards around him and spoke:

- Let go of the girl's hand!