Boy Kills Man Read Online Free Page A

We never once relived what had happened in that store, and I didn’t ask my friend how it felt to kill a man. I figured it was probably the same for him as it was for me: something that we couldn’t talk about because neither of us knew where to start. At first we spent a lot of the time not saying very much at all, just hanging out together, but as each day passed we found our tongues again. When our money ran short we even went back to the store. What’s more, Galán began to pay us the extra we had wanted for every carton of cigarettes delivered. He even trusted us with unmarked packages and packets, and stopped shooing us away whenever the phone rang. A few weeks later, it became clear that he had spoken highly of us both. For that’s how
El Fantasma
came into our lives.
    I had never heard of the man when Alberto mentioned his name. Even so, it was clear by his gift to my friend that he had influence and power.
    â€˜What do you think of me now, eh?’ Alberto was standing square to me on the roof, as if preparing for a showdown. ‘Isn’t she something?’
    â€˜It’s a gun,’ I stated, half laughing.’ It isn’t real though, is it?’
    Alberto stood down, invited me over for a closer look. It was black, silver and stubby. A semi-automatic, I knew that much. I had seen gang members make it obvious when they were carrying, and on instinct I always stayed clear. I was never scared, just cautious, but now here I was up on the roof with my very best friend. I just couldn’t keep my distance from him, even with this weapon between us.
    â€˜Take a look at her,’ he said, again like it was a girl, and showed me the magazine. I got a glimpse of the bullets racked up inside before he slammed it back into the grip. He seemed very confident, as if someone had shown him how to handle himself. ‘She’s a Smith and Wesson,’ he told me. ‘A real beauty.’ I watched him weigh the pistol in his palm, wondering where this woman talk had come from. Then his fingers curled around the grip and trigger, and I found myself directly in his line of sight. ‘On your knees, now.’
    I looked up smartly, grinning because Alberto’s voice had cracked when he said this, and a cry died in my throat. He was pointing the gun right at me, not finding this funny at all. His eyes narrowed into slits, only to finish it as suddenly as it had started by cocking his elbow so the gun was out of my face. I breathed out and thought I would never stop.
    â€˜Jesus, Sonny.’ Alberto melted into a loopy grin. ‘You just messed your pants!’
    â€˜No, I did not!’ My knees felt like curls of butter, but I also felt stung and that kept me on my feet. Alberto was my friend and friends did
not
pull stunts like this. ‘What’s going on, brother? Where did you get the money for a goddamn gun?’
    â€˜Didn’t cost me a single peso.’ He reached for his back pocket now, pulled out five ten-dollar bills. ‘This guy paid me to look after it for him.’
    â€˜In dollars? No way!’ I was beginning to get that sick feeling in the pit of my guts once more. American currency wasn’t supposed to be good here. You couldn’t spend it in the shopping malls, but then it bought you a lot on the streets. Everyone knew how it had come into the country, of course, which is why it was also worth a great deal in respect. ‘Come on,’ I pressed him again. ‘What fool was dumb enough to tool you up?’
    Alberto gestured over the edge of the building, to the store on the opposite side of the street. We were supposed to work as a team for Galán. I had never been in there alone, and when I thought about what he meant I felt a bit betrayed.
    â€˜Our infamous
contrabandista
called me over this morning,’ he explained. ‘Said an associate would be visiting him in the hour who wanted to talk to me’
    â€˜And give you