She leans in close, peeking over her shoulder. ‘Before Jules comes over, I wanted to let you know Damian Reisner’s here.’
My eyes almost bug out.‘What?’
‘He’s a guest of Ackland. I think there’s some kind of tennis tournament in town.’
‘Where is he now? He’s not going to cross paths with Jules, is he?’
‘I don’t think so. Espy says he hasn’t left Ackland hospitality for the whole race.’
Ok, good. That’s something. It’s miles from here.
The humidity’s been close all weekend but now it feels stifling. How dare he so casually enjoy Ackland’s VIP treatment after everything he’s done. If he kept up with anything about Jules, he’d know she’s here. She wants him out of her life, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.
This is my turf, and I’m not letting him get away with shit.
‘Yo, Tio Tavo, Tio César,’ I call to my uncles, who stick out with their exposed heavily tattooed chests. Thank God they didn’t bring the snake.
They come in for a pound hug.
‘Congratulations, man, that was incredible,’ Tio Tavo says in Spanish.
‘You made us rich, man,’ echoes Tio César. ‘We bet six million pesos you’d get in the top ten!’
That’s equivalent to around two thousand US dollars, but I don’t want to know how much they made. Or what they’ll spend it on.
‘Thanks, guys. Listen, I need you to do something for me.’
I can feel Isa’s confusion without even looking at her.
Tio César nods once, solemnly. ‘Anything for family, kid.’
‘There’s this dude, Damian Reisner. He’s in Ackland hospitality right now. He…’ How do I put this in words that’ll make them instantly understand? ‘Disrespected my girl.’
They both blow out emphatically, and I know I’ve struck a nerve.
‘Can you, like, shake him up?’ I ask. ‘No real damage, just scare him.Subtly.’
Tio Tavo slaps my back so hard I suppress a cough. ‘You got it, homie.’
They make to leave and I grab the closest by the shoulder. ‘Oh, and he’s a tennis player. Right-handed.’
Another nod and they sink into the crowd. They didn’t ask for directions, and thinking about two beefed-up, illustratedñerosconsulting a paddock map is weirdly amusing.
I don’t envy Damian. I know those two, and I definitely don’t want them coming after me. They’re the kind of guys Chicano rappers think they are. Shame the nicest one’s in jail for armed robbery.
‘That was cold,’ Isa remarks in English.
‘You know he deserves it.’
She tilts her head toward me. ‘Did I stop you?’
I smile. ‘Don’t tell Jules.’
‘Wasn’t gonna.’ She stalks off to join our mom.
I scan the clusters of people for Jules – thinking she’d be easy to spot in a sea of Hispanics and engineers – but I can’t see her.
‘Looking for someone?’
