55
Made in China
Romeo, four hours earlier
The music esonated in one of the least recommended corners of the Palma-Palmilla neighborhood, near the La Rosaleda stadium. It was ranked as the seventh poorest in Spain, created in the 1960s to relocate people affected by slum conditions and poverty.
The brick apartment blocks crowded together in that area of the outskirts of Málaga. In the past, there was no good educational, commercial, or transportation infrastructure. The neighborhood was isolated from the rest of the city. Poverty and marginalization are usually not a good tourist attraction, so small shops and unregulated exchange forms emerged that supplied the community with their own resources.
The area became an easy target for crime, drugs, unemployment, and social exclusion. Although since then the neighborhood had evolved significantly and even boasted a shopping center.
There, in one of those eighty square meter apartments, a child named Daniel Santiago Morales was born, whom everyone nicknamed Dante, since his group of friends took to searching the meaning of names and found that Daniel is interpreted as ”God is my judge,” and not even God judged Dante. Hence, they found a nickname much more fitting for him, ”the one who endures.”
Dante was the youngest of three brothers, two of whom lived in the cemetery of the Asperones, victims of the drugs and violence of the neighborhood.
Neither Pablo nor Mateo were interested in studying or leaving there, and they ended up like most. One dead from a heroin overdose and the other stitched up from knife wounds.
Their parents had a third-rate fruit stand at the market, none of the boys wanted that life of misery that would lead them down the same path, so they found in trafficking a chance to handle money and good cars.
However, the world of drugs is not easy, not everyone is cut out for it, and if you want to get somewhere, you must keep a cool head and not fall into consumption.
Dante boasted of never having tried a line in his life, at most, maybe a joint, but none of the addictive white powder that we sold. My man was smart, conscientious, and quickly made a name for himself in the neighborhood.
He was feared and respected for his size. Amiable until you pissed him off and his inner Tasmanian Devil emerged, capable of destroying everything.
When he called me a few hours ago, claiming we needed to talk urgently, I knew I had to go immediately.
I left Nikita and Adri at home and rode the motorcycle to the bar, where he was already waiting with the engine of his car running.
”Park behind and come up,” he told me without leaving room for reply.
”What”s going on? Is it that serious?”
”I”ll tell you on the way.”
His expression was more serious than usual, so I assumed it was something serious.
As he suggested, I parked in my private garage and went to meet him.
I paid him a good salary to manage our biker meeting point. It was a place where our people relaxed in a friendly atmosphere. Besides being the manager, I considered Dante my visible hand in the darker side of the business.
I settled into the seat of the black BMW, and it took off like a bat out of hell. I bought the same car for nearly all my employees. Powerful, high-quality, safe, and reliable.
The Ramones played on the radio, belting out ”Hey Ho Let’s Go.” The volume was bearable, which was unusual for him. If you were in Dante”s car, you had to accept that his eardrums were made of reinforced concrete.
If he turned down the decibels, it could only mean that what he had to tell me was serious.
”Well?” I asked as we got moving.
”This afternoon I went to see Aleksa. Things with the Chinese are getting ugly. I didn”t want to alarm you, but sales have dropped fifteen percent, and we”ve drawn up an assault plan. He wanted to come with me, but his ribs are in no condition. At the end of the conversation, we agreed that it was best to bring you up to speed and have you come with me.”
I snorted.
”I can”t believe it. Are my own trusted men now talking behind my back to hide information and dictate my steps? What are we, a congregation of barefoot nuns and I”m the novice?”
”Don”t be angry with us. You just got married; we wanted to give you space and...”
”And? What the hell does my marriage have to do with anything? Did I ask for paternity leave? Or are you going to tell
me now that being married makes me incapable?”
”Look, no offense, but the other day when you came to the bar, you looked like you just stepped out of a Pimpinela song,” I glared at him. ”I”m not judging; we knew the Russian wasn”t going to be a jar of honey. Aleksa and I didn”t want to add more worries on your shoulders, that”s all.”
”Well, let it be clear, before being a husband, I am a boss, and I take care of both the business and my marriage or my family. If there”s a problem, it”s explained to me; if there”s a drop in sales, it”s explained to me; if you”ve got a damn pimple on the tip of your dick, you inform me. Got it?! I”m not some fucking Disney princess, damn it!”
Dante just nodded. It pissed me off that they kept me in the dark.
”I”m sorry, boss, it won”t happen again,” Dante murmured restrainedly.
”I hope so, and now, tell me why we”re going 230 km/h on the highway towards Málaga.”
”Shit, shit, shit!” Man howled.
”Do you see any Bar?a player playing for Real Madrid at the same time?” I asked calmly. The boy shook his head, his eyes watery. ”Exactly. If you play on our team, you can say goodbye to the Chinese crap or I”ll shoot you out of the league.”
”I get it! Fuck! But was this necessary?” he asked, pointing to what had been his pride just seconds ago.
”It was either your little orange car or you,” I replied loud and clear. ”Also, you”re going to give me the Chinese”s merchandise, got it?” Man”s eyes widened like saucers.
”I can”t, they”d kill me alive, I have to pay them, and if I don”t sell...”
”And if you sell it...” I pointed mercilessly at his left foot and fired. The bullet pierced his sneakers and a pool of blood formed under his foot.
His scream of pain echoed through the street.
No one came to his aid. Not his friends nor his neighbors. It was curious how in places like this, survival was paramount. Not a single fucking head peeked out. Surely, there had been some, but as soon as they saw who we were, they lost interest. You don”t mess with the ‘Ndrangheta, everyone knew that.
Man”s group of friends ran off, terrified. That was one of the virtues of lead, it quickly showed you who stays by your side even at the risk of losing their life.
I gestured to Dante to check the vehicle. It didn”t take him five minutes to find the hidden compartment where a kilo of coke that wasn”t ours rested.
”Please, please...” he begged, kneeling on the ground clutching his injured foot.
I walked up to him and pressed the barrel against his temple.
”Don”t beg, the worst part is over. We”ve got what we came for and I”m going to give you this message as if you were a weaned child. If you play me again, Many,” I said disparagingly, changing his nickname, ”have no doubt that I will blow off every miserable finger of your body, I”ll destroy every limb until you”re a bloody stump and I”ll wait by your side to see how you suffer and breathe your last breath. Got it?”
”Yes, yes, yes... It won”t happen again, I”m sorry, it was a mistake, bu... but don”t take that, I need to recover the money and pay... With the car wrecked, I can”t even sell it.”
”Figure it out,” Dante said, handing me the coke. I dipped my nail to test the quality, and as Dante had said, it was almost as good as ours. ”With an ass like yours, it won”t be hard to bounce back.” He wiggled his eyebrows with an obscene gesture. The boy paled.
”I”m not going to prostitute myself!” he exclaimed, horrified.
”Why not? You”ve already become the Chinese”s little whore, after that it won”t be so hard to bend over and pay your debt. It”ll serve as practice for when you go to jail, because a fool like you either dies or gets locked up.”
”I”m not stupid!”
”Prove it. You haven”t been very smart this time. If we find out you”re messing with their powder again... the virginity of your ass will be the least of your worries. Don”t let it happen again, or you and your family will regret it.”
”God!” the young man muttered, bringing his hands to his face to sob.
”Instead of wasting more fluids, I wouldn”t waste time if I were you and would go to the doctor. Oh, and change your friends, because what a bunch of shits they are. Pleasure doing business with you, Many, I hope you call Dante soon so we can handle the merchandise you”ll distribute for free, as an apology, you know what I mean. And take care, infections in that area of the foot are delicate, I wouldn”t like it to get gangrenous and have to be amputated. See you,” I proclaimed.
Dante and I turned around to get into the car and drive away.
Tightening the screws on our dealers was part of the business, and I didn”t mind stepping in for Aleksa.
”How many more do we have?” I asked, glancing at the clock.
”Three that I”ve located.”
”Then step on it, I want to get home to dine on my wife.” Dante let out a laugh.
”At your command, boss.”