He continues, ticking off my history more accurately than I thought possible.
“You are who you say you are. Javier Hernández, son of Javier and Mirena Hernández, brother to Yesenia and Gabriella. Born in a hospital outside of San Luis Potosí. You got into some legal trouble when you were younger, had some pretty shady connections, but you’ve spent the last ten years working with antitrafficking organizations in Mexico and Central America. You’re a bit of a legend down there. A man on a mission. Like a heroic Mexican bandito. Mythical.”
I give a wry laugh. “So are you and Charlie.”
“Did you know who we were when we pulled up?”
I nod. “Nobody knows your name though. It’s always Charlie and the Silent One. Took me a minute to realize that’s who you are because you actually spoke last night.”
“People always think I’m quiet. I’m not quiet. I just don’t speak unless I need to,” Erik says, a grumpy wrinkle on his nose.
“Of course,” I say, smoothly pivoting to the more important topic. “Knowing Ant as you do and now knowing me as you do, do you have any objections to his being on this call with me?”
“Wait. Why does he get a say?” Ant asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“He knows you. You’re an adult, so you make the final decision, but you should check in with your friends. They clearly want what’s best for you,” I explain gently.
Ant looks up at Erik, arms still crossed, a defiant jut to his chin. “And? What do you think?”
Erik steps in front of Ant, mirroring his crossed arms, narrowing his eyes as he looks down at him. “I was gonna say that it’s going to be a lot—”
Ant makes an angry sound at the back of his throat, and Erik holds up a hand.
“Let me finish.”
“Fine.”
“I think it’s going to be a lot, but it’s also going to be wonderful. Since Levy’s here, he can sit in on the conversation and support you.”
Ant turns to Levy. “That’s fine with me if it’s fine with Javier. Just know it’ll be in Spanish.”
Erik pulls a face. “Levy knows Spanish.”
Ant’s jaw drops. “Since when?”
Levy gives an adorable shrug. “Since I started taking it in middle school and then took it all through high school? I told you when you first moved in, remember?”
“Shit, I forgot. You never…”
“First of all, until recently, I was really rusty. Second, you speak English with barely any accent. When you started talking to Nacho, I got the feeling it was important for you to choose who you wanted to speak it with.”
“You spied on all those conversations we had in front of you?”
He shakes his head vigorously. “Until Nacho started helping me, I didn’t understand it unless I was specifically paying attention, and then only half of what was being said. You two needed to chat privately, and you always kept it low, so I never listened in. Promise, dude. I mean, sometimes you’d do it in front of us, but even then, I only caught the gist of things. Like the night you cut your hair—I understood enough to know you and Nacho were working it out.”
“But you understand more now?”
“I do.”
“Would you want to be in on this call with me?”
“Buddy, the question is, do you want me on the call with you? Erik makes a good point, but we can also work it out with the horses afterward if you’d prefer.”
Taking a deep breath, Ant looks at Javier and nods. “Let’s do it. Let’s tell them you found me.”
3
LEVY
