The Barcelona Brothers by Carlos Zanon

Author:Carlos Zanon [Zanon, Carlos]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Suspense, Thrillers, Crime, Urban Life, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781590515181
Google: Xjy3yT7ueRkC
Amazon: 1590515188
Publisher: Other Press
Published: 2012-08-27T18:30:00+00:00

14

“PERCY, WE’RE GOING TO GET ALONG JUST FINE, YOU and me.”

The little boy’s being stubborn. He’s determined to leave the apartment, he’s whining and whimpering, and a full-fledged crying fit can’t be far away. As for Epi, he has very little patience and even fewer resources for entertaining a child. As the hours have passed, Epi’s gradually lost the certainty he cherished early in the morning, when he thought he’d found a logical way to order his world. At that moment, which now seems so long ago, he figured Tanveer’s death would put all the pieces back in their proper places. But now, the murder itself—Thor the Avenger, his sinewy arm outstretched, holding up the Moro’s head—his flight from the barrio, and his love for Tiffany all seem less real than any fantasy Epi could have imagined. Panic has been rising in him ever since Tiffany’s reaction made the normal progression of events he’d envisioned impossible. Now more than ever is the time when he needs Alex’s words, his ability to know what to do and to assess the damage Epi’s actions have generated.

“I wanna get out of here … Grandma! Grandma!”

If he could only rest for a little while, everything would be different when he woke up, he’s sure of that. The elves would have helped the cobbler, and everything would be finished and in order. The cocaine in Epi’s bloodstream has kept him alert, but he’s starting to notice something like red lights in his brain, switching on one by one. A nervous reflex runs through him from his molars to his chest and back, splitting his breastbone in two, and his injured foot is hurting worse and worse. He thinks about doing another little line, but he knows that’s not a good idea. He remembers that whenever he’s tried to suppress anxiety with more drugs, things have gone from bad to worse. In any case, he thinks there’s some tranquilizer or other in one of his pockets that will help him regain control.

“Mama, Mama, Mama!”

Epi tries to defuse Percy, who appears to be on the point of exploding. He’s flailing and screaming inconsolably, like a crazed windmill.

“Come here, kid … Look, I’ll let you play with my cell phone. Look, come closer, look at the neat things it can do …”

Percy squirts out of his hands like a bar of soap. The little boy’s a machine full of pins, with a superhuman ability to scream, cry, and move at top speed. Epi follows him from room to room until Percy enters the bedroom and the man throws himself on the mattress and catches him. Epi gets on top of him and grabs the child’s wrists like a pair of shackles. Percy bawls and squirms nonstop, not listening to anything or anyone. He’s an enraged creature, a hurtful little varmint, like his mother: incapable of controlling himself, incapable of listening to anyone.

“Stop it, Percy, please. Shut up! Listen to me! Fuck!”

But the child pays no heed. Not until Epi releases his right hand and gives him a hard slap across the face.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.