Just at that moment, Giovanni staggered slightly, bringing a hand to his face with a groan of pain.

María caught him before he could lose his balance. —Hey, are you okay?

—I'm fine —Giovanni muttered, but when he lowered his hand, a red stain marked his fingers.

Nil whistled. —Well, Sheriff, they made sure to leave a mark so you won’t forget who’s really in charge around here.

Giovanni shot him a glare. —Shut up and check this.

People nearby, who until then had stayed out of the conversation, grew alarmed the moment the sheriff asked the outsider to examine him.

Nil smirked. —Me? Wouldn’t you rather have María do it?

—He's right, Sheriff, don’t you think María knows more about this stuff? —said one of the few who hadn’t followed Noé and Rafael.

—Or if you prefer, go wake up your uncle.

Nil felt a tightness in his chest—he’d forgotten, for a moment, that he wasn’t exactly welcome in this town. Still, he pretended like the situation didn’t bother him one bit.

—María needs to head to the station and make sure the town’s “living treasures” don’t bring the place down. And let me know if Noé and Rafael fail. —Giovanni let out a frustrated sigh—. Besides, I saw with my own eyes how you saved Don Benito’s life.

The townsfolk were taken aback and started whispering among themselves — If he could save Don Benito, then he might work miracles on me too. —the sheriff replied.

Nil placed a hand over his chest. —What an honor, Sheriff… trusting me, after everything. —And although to the others it sounded like sarcasm, the truth was that, for a fleeting moment, he felt genuinely moved.

—Don’t make me regret it. —Giovanni said.

María let out a laugh and patted Nil on the shoulder. —Good luck, Nil. Don’t kill him! He’s my favorite cousin.

Giovanni looked at María, horrified. —I’m your favorite? That’s how you treat me?!

Nil rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around the sheriff’s waist. —Come on, Sheriff. —He helped Giovanni walk toward the clinic, where, for the first time, the sheriff would be at his mercy.

The moment they stepped into Doctor Salvador’s clinic, the scent of fresh herbs and alcohol—so different from the dry, dusty air outside—hit both men. Giovanni dropped into a chair with a grunt, while Nil searched for cloths and ointments on a nearby shelf.

—Alright, Sheriff, let me see the wound —Nil said with mock formality as he leaned in toward him.

Giovanni huffed.

—Wound? —He scoffed— Just put something on it so it doesn’t swell and that’s it.

Nil raised an eyebrow.

—Uh-huh, sure. Tell that to the blood still dripping down your face.

Without waiting for a reply, he placed his fingers on Giovanni’s chin and turned his face toward the light. The sheriff clenched his jaw but didn’t pull away.

—Hmm… not as deep as I thought. Maybe Doña Claudia’s brooms are only blessed by God and not sharpened.

Giovanni rolled his eyes. —Just do your job and shut up.

Nil smirked. —What a temper.

He grabbed a clean cloth, soaked it in an amber-colored liquid, and brought it to the wound without warning.

—This is going to sting.

—What the—? AGH! DAMN IT, NIL! —Giovanni hissed in pain, instinctively grabbing Nil’s arm. The apothecary chuckled under his breath.

—Aww, did it hurt?

—I’m going to kill you.

—You can’t kill your doctor.

—You’re not a doctor.

Nil winked at him. —Tell that to Don Benito.

Giovanni shut his eyes in frustration, letting go of Nil’s arm.

Nil finished cleaning the wound gently, though he couldn’t resist teasing him a bit more.

—You know, I could invent a remedy for bad temper. I’d give you a discount, Sheriff.

Giovanni shot him a dangerous look, but Nil only smiled innocently.

—All done —he finally said, picking up the cloths he’d used to disinfect the wound—. You won’t die today… though, judging by how things go with the old ladies, you should be more careful.

Giovanni exhaled, tired. —If anyone asks, tell them it was a machete.

—Hahaha, sure. I’ll say it was a machete shaped like a broom. —Nil said as he spun on his heels and began putting things away.

Giovanni could have left. He could’ve gone back to the station and dealt with whatever mess was surely brewing in there. But he didn’t. Not because he wanted to avoid the commotion—though that too—but because something far more dangerous kept him rooted to the spot.

Without realizing it, his gaze had landed on Nil. At first absentmindedly. Then with a fixation he couldn’t explain.

He watched him in silence, as if suddenly his entire body needed to memorize him. From the sharp line of his back to the way the black trousers clung to his long, firm legs, outlining every muscle with almost obscene precision. His narrow waist begged for a hand to settle there, and lower… the round, defined curve of his backside rose like a damn invitation.

Giovanni didn’t blink.

For the first time, Giovanni watched Nil in silence. And for the first time… Nil didn’t mind.