At first I’m not sure he hears me, what with everybody shouting and the crowd across the street chanting and booing, but then his stride starts to slow, and he turns my way, searching the crowd, until he spots me.
A woman steps out of the SUV, dressed in a pantsuit and glasses. She looks confused, like she isn’t sure why President Cortez has stopped. His security detail looks just as confused. One of them steps close to him, whispers in his ear. President Cortez blinks, shakes his head, and looks like he’s ready to keep moving forward into the hotel.
So I repeat the name, not shouting it like before but still saying it loudly and with force.
“Alejandro.”
President Cortez pauses again. Stands there staring at me. I hold his gaze, aware of his security detail and the police all around me, and the Beretta digging into my back. There’s a good chance I’ll be thrown to the ground and arrested. But I’ve decided I have no choice but to take that chance.
The same bodyguard whispers again to President Cortez, touches his arm to try to get him moving, but the older man waves him off.
President Cortez approaches me, slowly, still holding my gaze. When he’s only a few feet away, I speak again, this time not as loud but still with enough force so he’ll hear it over the crowd noise.
“I knew your son.”
The man says nothing, studying my face.
“I was there that night.”
His eyes go flat with understanding, but still he says nothing.
“I can tell you where to find him.”
He’s only a couple feet away now, his security detail hovering on both sides, ready to draw their weapons if need be. The crowd keeps shouting and chanting, but all of it has become background noise, a soft distant humming like a fly at a screen door.
I lean forward, slowly raise my hand and motion with a finger for him to come even closer.
He does, despite another warning from his security detail. The bodyguard who tried moving the president along has had enough. He tries to intervene, to step between me and the president, but Cortez holds up a hand, stopping him.
“It’s okay.”
“But, sir—”
“I said it’s okay.”
He’s so close to me now, I could easily reach out and touch him. If I were indeed here to kill him, I could do it within a second. But I’m not here to kill him; I’m here to save him.
I speak into his ear, not a whisper but still loud enough so he can hear me over the noise.
“Somebody close to you wants you dead. They tried to force me to kill you.”
President Cortez doesn’t move for a long time, and then he tilts his head to speak into my ear.
“Did you kill him?”
Not looking at him, I nod.
“Did you bury him?”
I nod again.
“Will you tell me where you buried him?”
Another nod.
President Cortez is silent for another moment, then asks a final question.
“What do you need from me?”
I look up and see the security detail hovering, just feet away, as well as the aide still lingering back by the SUV. I lean forward again, this time my lips almost touching the man’s ear.
“I need you to trust me.”