Without any more words, they both slowly got into the building. They were welcomed by a strong smell of many perfumes and smoke. The smoke was visible thanks to the light shining through the windows. Stretching for almost the whole side of the room was a bar with many drinks to choose from, and three bartenders worked at the same time. There were no guards in sight, but it was easy to tell that there was no need for them since all three workers had the build to take care of unpleasant guests.
In the middle were tables where people enjoyed drinks and the sight of passing ladies. It was a place for those who didn’t have much money or for those who just wanted a drink. Opposite side from the bar were couches with small tables beside them. Those seats were mostly taken and only by a single man accompanied by either one or two women in revealing dress, stying close to the man. One man had enough money for the company of four ladies. Aguero froze in place as he took a close look at the man.
The man also froze as he saw Aguero. They both recognized each other. “That’s the finance committee member…” Whispered Aguero, he took a step forward toward the man, but he didn’t know what to do about it. He was here on a mission, and there was a man who recognized him.
The committee member smiled and pressed a finger to his mouth. Aguero only grunted in confusion. He was about to say something when Navia cut in, “He thinks you’re here for the same reason as he. Play along for now.” Navia suddenly grabbed Aguero by the arm and pushed him forward. He resisted at first, but then awkwardly smiled toward the committee member and went away.
“But… He has a wife… And a child.” Whispered Aguero, his muscles flinching as he tried to resist turning around and punching that man in the face. He knew that most of the committee members were selfish, but that sight was disgusting for him. “How could he…”
“You’ll do something about it later. I don’t like it either, but a child’s life is on the stake right now.” Navia tried to point Aguero’s action in the right direction so he wouldn’t forget about the current mission. He let out a sigh and followed Navia’s lead. They sat in the corner far away from the exit and windows so no one would spot them.
Luckily, Navia’s new outfit worked in her favor as a few people in this brothel watched her fights, but didn’t recognize her at all. The only topic about the pits was its hiatus for an unknown reason to the public.
Navia listened to every conversation that happened in this room, but no one spoke about the barons nor the slave trade. “I don’t think we’ll find anything here… No one is speaking about the Markiz nor about the slave trade. Mainly the disgusting topics…” Whispered Navia, her eyes wandering to the barmen from time to time as they observed the two of them. “Also… They are watching us.”
“They are watching us for two reasons, and one of them will get us information.” Calmly explained Aguero as he lifted one finger toward the barman, and he nodded. Once he poured a drink, he knocked on the door behind the bar, and a lady peeked out. After a short conversation, she closed the door, and a moment later, another lady entered the room through the double doors.
The young woman had a modest green dress highlighting her breasts and the whole figure. Her long blond hair was kept well, but there was a sign that she had brushed them in a rush recently, as a few locks of hair stood out. “Can I be of any service?” She asked as she stood in front of the table, waiting for a response. Her voice was so soft and gentle, not matching the place she was in.
“Shit. They gave us someone new. We won’t get much information from her… But if we change her, and the next one will be the same, they might pick up that something is wrong…” Aguero played his poker face very well, as even Navia didn’t pick up that his plan didn’t work out as he intended. “Please take a seat.” Aguero patted the seat beside him, his voice was welcoming, not showing any bad intent.
The lady awkwardly sat beside him, but kept her distance at first but the barman placed a mug aggressively on the counter, and she was quick to notice his gaze. At the signal, she moved closer to Aguero, almost leaning against him. “Would you like something to drink?” She asked, trying to sound seductive, but it was clear that it wasn’t in her character.
“Is she in debt? Or maybe she is a slave… We might have a jackpot.” Aguero smiled a bit, making it seem like he enjoyed her company. “A small starter, maybe… Tequila.” Aguero then turned his head to Navia and winked. She only nodded and agreed to drink so they would be less suspicious of them. “Make it twice.”
“I’ll go fetch them.” The girl said as she slowly stood up and moved toward the bar. The barman placed three cups and poured the liquor into them. They made small talk, and she came back with three cups.
As she walked back, Aguero quickly whispered to Navia, “She might be a slave with valuable information. There won’t be a need to go deeper.” There was a relief in his voice. This place already made him uncomfortable, and the things happening behind the wall were much darker.
The lady placed one cup for each of them, and all three had tequila in them. “You also like tequila?” Asked Aguero to calmly start the conversation without any rushed questions that would overthrow his plan.
“If you two got the same, why not make it three. I never tried it, so it would be my first time.” She smiled awkwardly as she told a partial truth. Actually, she had never drunk alcohol in her entire life, and Aguero was quick to catch that.
As the girl was about to take her first sip, the man grabbed her arm. “If it's your first time drinking tequila, it’ll be best if you try it with a bit of lemon. Hey! Barman! Throw me one lemon!” Shouted Aguero with one arm raised and an open hand to catch the fruit. Navia looked at him, shocked that he had stopped staying out of sight. They were supposed to do it without any witnesses.
The barman who poured the tequila grabbed a lemon from under the counter and threw it right into Aguero’s hand. “Good throw!” He then squeezed the lemon in his hand and poured a few drops into his and Navia’s cup while the rest went to the girl’s. “Now it should be less strong for her fresh taste. Maybe a little sour, but it won’t be that bad.”
All three of them took a sip, and Aguero had a close eye on the girl beside him. It was clear the drink was sour as she clenched her mouth and squinted her eyes, but she didn’t cough. As she licked her lips, he was certain that it was an enjoyable first drink.
“It’s sour and very sweet at the same time…” She was so scared of the cup of alcohol in front of her that she almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing.
“That’s the power of sweet alcohol and sour lemon.” Smile didn’t leave Aguero’s face this whole time, and Navia mainly watched as she didn’t want to disturb his plan.
At that moment, the girl snapped back and recalled what her duties were. “Selling drinks won’t earn me freedom in a few years… But taking things further…” The girl was embarrassed even of thinking about it, but it was about her freedom. “Maybe it won’t be so bad with a man like him…” She leaned closer to Aguero, trying to wrap her arms around his, but right at that moment, she saw something under the table. He was handing out a big sum, hiding it from the sight of the barmen. She looked at him, confused, not sure what he meant.
“Act like we are enjoying the drinks, and I’ll hand it to you. I just need some information.” The girl flinched, was about to start panicking as she was unsure of what to do. “You won’t be in any trouble if you cooperate. They won’t even notice.” The girl only lightly nodded her head. “Are you a slave? Forced to work here?” The girl lowered her head but nodded.
“Were you sold at an auction?” Navia cut in as she saw an opportunity to gather the information, surprising even Aguero with a question, as he didn’t know anything about an auction.
“No… I was directly sold to this place…” The girl answered, barely whispering.
“Who was it?” Navia pressed on, not even noticing that she was stressing the girl as she wanted the information; she needed that as fast as possible.
“I don’t know. Some thugs… They were wearing suits, at least partially.” The girl slowly described the few men she saw, but it brought her painful memories, almost making her cry.
Aguero gently grabbed her head and moved her to his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything. They just can’t notice that something is wrong.” That was only one of two reasons why he did that; the other reason was to comfort the girl before she could break down into tears.
“Was there an older man with a monocle, a dark red shirt? Or even with a cane?” Navia continued asking the questions as she felt she was close to the truth, and that’s when she knew she had asked the right questions.
“There was a man like that…” Right at those words, Aguero and Navia looked at each other. There was the lead they were looking for; she was a slave sold by Markiz.
“Could you tell us where you last saw him?”