Mick, on the other hand, might need a small bag to carry his winnings. The problem is that the amounts he’s winning aren’t enough to carry my losses, and they’re never going to launder $250,000, even if I were foolish enough to give him that chance. The whole thing is a dumb idea, except it is making Mick happy. If he’s got cash, he’ll probably go home earlier. So that’s a good result.

I think about Elaine’s invitation, and whether it’s a date or a way to finagle the money out of me. I’m finding it almost impossible to make sense of anything.

On the other side of the betting ring, two swarthy young dudes appear to be watching me: a tall wide one and small wide one. They look, look away, and look back. One holds my gaze, and slaps a form guide hard into an open palm. It’s time to get out. I tell Mick this is the last, and put all the money I have on the next race. I feel the swarthy men watching me the whole time. But this time I choose the longest odds I can find. My horse, it turns out, at 20–1, is called Kinky. It seems somehow appropriate. I give each of the four bookies $2,000.

I look across at the swarthy guys, who are still checking me out. And then, without premeditation, I lift my chin at them, and give a lazy eye-roll. I’m thinking I should be saying, ‘What?’ or ‘What’s up?’ or ‘You looking at me?’, but I say nothing. The larger of the two lifts his chin at me, dead-eyed, in response. I walk over to them. Nothing in my head makes any sense except a recurring refrain of ‘How bad can it be?’ I can assure you this is not me. I am not soft, but I am not someone to pick a fight or seek out trouble. I know what tough is, and it isn’t me. Suddenly I’m a badarse. I am almost welcoming the pain of a good belting.

I say to them, ‘Is there a problem?’

The tall one says, ‘Hey,’ waves a thumb in the direction of his chest, and offers, ‘Sergei.’ I know I’m meant to believe he is the coolest guy on the ground. But I think he might have been watching too many gangster videos.

The smaller one says, ‘You’ve got a lot of cash, brother. Everyone round here says you’re broke. What are you up to?’

I say, ‘I roughed someone up for it. Have you got an issue with that?’

They make little amused sounds to each other, and then the big one says, ‘You?’

‘Yeah. Me.’