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“Straight to the wine cellar, Aunt Graciela.”
“Yes, of course.” My aunt’s face pinches and she pauses a moment. I bet she’s only realizing we’re alone. I don’t think we’ve ever been forced to socialize like this before.
Aunt Graciela’s the type of woman who’s always surrounded by friends, even if most of those friends hate her guts. She’s conniving, backstabbing, and brutally mean, but she’s always warm and friendly on the outside. I hate her guts but as far as the Escalante go, she’s not too bad. There are rumors about her, like there are rumors about everyone in my family, and I never put much faith in them. Like how Ruben looks nothing like her. Stupid gossip.
“Ah, do you know what’s for dinner, Tía Graciela?”
“We’ll see, won’t we? You stay here and help the cook if he needs, okay, darling? I’ll be back shortly when our husbands return.” She waves her hand with a flick of her wrist and hurries off.
The chef glances up, pausing as he chops. “You’re good, don’t worry about it. You want something to eat?”
“No, thanks, I’m alright.” I give him a small smile. “But I’ll help myself to something to drink.”
He laughs and pours me some white wine. I linger in the living room, but the cavernous space is too big and I don’t like lurking while the poor guy’s trying to work. I slip out the sliding glass door and onto the back patio.
The pool is lit from the inside with slowly shifting white-orange-red bulbs. The outdoor kitchen is quiet and dark. During events, this spot would be one of the busiest with the older folks crowded around the huge table playing cards and drinking. When I was a kid, I ran around the pool with the other children, trying to feel like I belonged. One time Ruben pushed me into the deep end and jumped on top of my head with an innertube, forcing me back down. I thought I was going to die.
I want Bass to come back up. I’m tempted to go down into the basement to find them. I check my phone, glance up again, and yelp in surprise.
Ruben’s standing at the end of the patio, closer to the pool. He’s looking at me with a wolfish smile.
“Hey, cousin. When did you get here?” He raises a cigar to his lips and puffs.
Shit. He was out here smoking this whole time. I had no clue.
“A few minutes ago. Your dad already took Bass down into the wine cellar.”
“That old fuck is obsessed with his collection.” Ruben drifts nearer, face wreathed in smoke. “I swear, he loves those bottles more than he loves me.”
Can’t blame him.
“Is Javi coming tonight?” I ask, trying to sound calm, but I’m terrified. I shouldn’t be alone with Ruben right now.
Especially not when he tried to kill me yesterday.
“Nah, he wasn’t invited to this one. The big bosses need to talk.” Ruben turns to look at the pool. “My dad thinks he’s in charge of the new corridor. Can you fucking imagine? Don Nardo’s brains are practically mush at this point. Without me, this project never would’ve happened.”
“I’m sure you both put a lot of work into it.”
“He didn’t do shit.” Ruben spits on the ground. “Now he’s in there giving Bass the royal treatment.” He blows a long stream of smoke. “And here you are, all alone.”
“They’ll be back in a minute,” I say quickly, and it’s obvious I’m afraid. Ruben looks back at me, grinning.
“Bet they’ll take a while. Long enough for you and me to have a little chat.” He turns and comes toward me.
“Hold on a second.” I raise a hand. It’s shaking and I hate it. “Bass isn’t going to be happy if you get any closer to me.”
“What’s the matter, cuz? You’re acting like I’m going to hurt you.” He jabs the end of his cigar toward me. “You think I’m going to hurt you.”
“Jesus, hey!” I jerk back to avoid getting burned. “What the fuck, Ruben?”
“Better a cigar than a bullet.” His grin is so wide he looks wicked in the dim outside lighting.
My heart’s hammering. I feel sick. I want to look over my shoulder to see if Bass and Don Nardo are back yet, but I can’t take my eyes off Ruben.
“You really meant it,” I whisper as the full horror of the truth dawns on me. “You tried to kill me and Bass.”
“Mostly you. Bass was a convenient bystander.”
