The restaurant was located on the top floor of an old building in the city center—
The kind that still carried the scent of aged wood and polished floors.
Tall windows framed the city like a living painting:
Flickering lights.
Tiny cars below.
A glowing skyline in the distance.
But Eric didn't see beauty.
He saw reflections.
Even before entering, he had paused on the sidewalk.
Two cars across the street.
A dark sedan.
A discreet SUV.
The same ones.
Engines running.
No attempt to hide.
"They're still here…" he muttered.
The police weren't trying to catch him.
They were waiting.
That was worse.
He pushed the door open.
Lucía was already there.
"You're late," she said.
"I was confirming something," Eric replied, pulling out a chair.
He chose a seat facing the room.
Never the window.
Never with his back exposed.
A new habit.
A necessary one.
Lucía noticed.
But said nothing.
She ordered a dry red wine.
Eric chose sparkling water.
"You don't drink?" she asked, swirling her glass.
"Not today."
Short.
Controlled.
But his attention wasn't on her.
It was on everything else.
A man sitting alone in the back.
A couple who entered but didn't order for two minutes.
A waiter who looked twice.
Eric tracked it all through the reflection in the glass.
And through that reflection—
He saw it.
The sedan was still outside.
"They're not leaving," he said quietly.
Lucía stopped moving her glass.
"Who?"
"Police."
She didn't turn her head.
"How many?"
"Two confirmed. Maybe three."
She took a slow breath.
"And you decided to have dinner anyway?"
"They already know where I am."
He shrugged.
"Running now only makes it worse."
The piano kept playing.
But to Eric, the sound felt distant.
Unreal.
Every second was calculated.
Every movement observed.
"Black Fox confirmed," Lucía said, returning to business. "They'll arrive in forty-eight hours. Contract signed. No loopholes."
Eric nodded—
But his eyes kept moving.
Always moving.
A man stood up to go to the restroom.
Eric counted.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
He returned.
Normal.
Still—
Logged.
"You're not here with me," Lucía said.
Eric finally looked at her.
"I am."
"No, you're not."
She rested her chin on her hand.
"You're analyzing exits."
He didn't deny it.
"Two main ones," he said. "Kitchen and elevator."
She sighed.
"This isn't normal, Eric."
"Nothing has been normal since the warehouse."
Silence.
The waiter brought the food.
Steak with port wine sauce.
Eric cut the meat precisely.
Slowly.
But his eyes returned to the glass.
The SUV.
Now the driver was looking directly at the entrance.
"They're waiting for something," Eric murmured.
"Or someone," Lucía added.
He nodded.
And then—
He felt it.
Something else.
A subtle chill ran down his spine.
This wasn't police.
It was different.
Quieter.
More precise.
He discreetly activated the system.
The interface appeared.
Nearby users detected: 1
Distance: 308 meters
Closer.
"…Damn," he muttered.
"What is it?" Lucía asked immediately.
Eric closed the interface.
"Nothing."
A lie.
And he hated it.
But he couldn't tell her.
Not ever.
"You've been different since the hospital," Lucía said. "More distant."
Eric paused.
This time—not for surveillance.
For truth.
"Maybe I am," he said. "Or maybe I finally understand the game."
"What game?"
He looked outside.
The cars.
The lights.
The reflections.
"Survival."
She studied him.
"And us?"
"You're part of it."
The answer came too fast.
Too cold.
He noticed.
But didn't correct it.
Lucía held his gaze.
"Elena is in love with you."
Eric looked away—
Not because of the comment.
But because—
At that exact moment—
The man from the SUV stepped out.
Pretending to take a call.
But watching.
Directly at the restaurant.
"She's afraid of me," Eric replied.
"Fear and love aren't mutually exclusive."
Silence.
"And you?" he asked.
"I stay because I want to see how far this goes."
Honest.
Direct.
Dangerous.
Eric nodded slowly.
"Then you'll see."
He checked the system again.
Distance: 302 meters
Getting closer.
Someone was coming.
"Let's go," he said suddenly, standing.
"Now?"
"Now."
Lucía didn't argue.
She paid quickly.
When they stepped outside, the cold night air hit their faces.
And confirmed everything.
The sedan turned on immediately.
The SUV too.
"They're going to follow," Lucía said.
"They always do."
They got into the car.
Eric drove.
No rush.
No escape.
But complete awareness.
One car behind.
Another farther back.
And somewhere—
Another player.
The penthouse elevator rose in silence.
When the doors opened—
The apartment was dark.
Empty.
"Tomorrow we leave," Eric said. "New house. New security."
"And after that?"
He walked to the window.
Looked down.
The cars were still there.
"Then I find out who's playing against me."
"Playing?"
Eric didn't answer.
He went into his room.
Closed the door.
Activated the system.
Nearby users detected: 1
Distance: 297 meters
Closer.
He smiled.
But it wasn't relief.
It was recognition.
"So… you're hunting me too."
He lay down.
But didn't relax.
Because outside—
The police were watching.
And even closer—
Another Midas user was watching him too.