Living our past

Chapter Sixteen

"AMY!" CRIED ALEX, ENTERING HER ROOM.

The gun in Elias's hands had startled him. Running like a crazy person, he had wanted to reach Amy and tell her everything about the ‗childhood friend' who turned out to be a bastard. A gun? Alex assumed—or rather believed— everything peculiar that had happened after their arrival in Quiffle Hotel was because of Pintey, the vulnerable-looking bastard.

Amy jumped to her feet as she heard his voice. She could hear worry in her monosyllable name when he repeated it.

"Amy!" he said, facing her. "Elias has a gun. Your so called ‗childhood friend' threatened to kill me."

"Alex! Alex! Calm down and explain everything." So he explained everything: her bag, the gun.

"Oh my God. Are you sure it is my bag?" she asked, seeking for an excuse. She could barely believe what Alex had explained. But she trusted him more than anybody and he wouldn't lie to her. Why would he invent such a story? Every word that came out of his mouth was true. She knew it.

"I'm one hundred percent sure. Now, we don't have time! We have to find him." He had not liked the guy from the beginning. He made a note of it: always trust your instincts.

Before leaving, they informed Jason about everything and the three of them ran to Elias Pintey's room, people staring at them as if they were three delirious persons who had just escaped mental hospital. They had no concern about what people thought; the only thing Alex, Amy and Jason wanted was to be able to capture Elias.

As they arrived in front of Pintey's room, they noticed the door was ajar. Pushing the door so as to enter, Alex scanned the room for their enemy but saw nothing more than a messy bed and empty room.

"Dammit!" he shouted. "I knew he would run."

"Why didn't you do something?" Amy asked. "Like hold him or – I don't know!" "I couldn't," said Alex, sighing heavily. "He had a gun pointed at my head!" "Are you okay?" asked Jason promptly.

"Yes, yes. Don't worry, baby."

Amy put the heels of her hands on her temples. Sighing just like Alex, she didn't know how to proceed. Should the three of them follow him? If yes, whereto? They didn't even have a clue about the man's whereabouts. Where would a man like Elias Pintey go? She started questioning herself, realizing all the years they had spent together were a lie.

Amy, Alex and Jason rushed to the elevator without knowing where they were heading.

Punching the button on the wall, they heard the elevator squeak while it ascended. After two short seconds the doors swooshed open; Tobias Michel stood in the lift, leaning back on the mirror inside, stiff as a rock.

"Guys, I was looking for you! I heard a man– "

"How do you know?" asked Alex, not allowing Tobias to finish his words.

All of them entered the elevator and the doors close.

"Every single person in this hotel is talking about an armed personnel running out of the hotel like a crazy man. Everybody knows. Now, that's not the problem," he said reassuringly. "Do you guys need help?"

"Well..." Alex turned around to share looks with both Amy and Jason, who gave him weird expressions. Receiving no answer, Alex faced Tobias and asked, "What can we do?"

"I have a car. I can drive you wherever you want." The doors of the lift opened. "Amy and Jason can go outside to see if he's somewhere near hiding, and Alex can come with me," Tobias continued, explaining thoroughly his plan, "to take the car keys from my room. On our way outside, we can make sure that he isn't in the hotel. What do you guys say?"