Paris Noir by Hervé Delouche

Author:Hervé Delouche
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

PART III

SCARFACES OF THE SUBURBS

TO MY LAST BREATH

BY RACHID SANTAKI

Saint-Denis

Translated by Nicole Ball

I

Péri Projects

The face of the northern suburbs has changed. It expanded a lot with the plan for Greater Paris. Transportation now connects them to the capital, but also to the other suburbs. Despite this new face, Saint-Denis is blighted by the refuse of Paris. The more I see it, the more it disgusts me. I get on a big fat bike with Sprite driving, we zoom from the entry to Paris, the motor roars on boulevard Marcel-Sembat toward the station, and we stop in front of the basilica across rue de la Rép’. This commercial thoroughfare is infested with illegal street peddlers: guys right out of their Maghreb “bled” selling smuggled cigarettes, yelling “Marlboro, Marlboro bled!” and picking the pockets of vulnerable passersby; or Black women selling roasted corn while trying to dodge the municipal police. A restless crowd, moving quickly, like in an anthill. Welcome to my home, the city were everything is possible. And yet, it used to be a fine kingdom.

They call me Burnup because of my ability to do crazy things, never calculate, and above all go further and further. I’ve done everything in this city: stealing, dealing, loving. From the first day I talked to her, I immediately understood why I love this city so much. You can experience the best and the worst here. She’s the best, I’m the worst. If the best is never certain, the worst is certainly the best way to survive in a city like Saint-Denis.

* * *

I raise the visor of my helmet and look at my smartphone while my buddy checks out the horizon. A two-wheeler approaches and stops alongside us. The biker takes off his helmet. Average height, stern face: it’s the boss, Saïd Bensama. He manages the most important turfs, has become the most dreaded, most formidable drug dealer in the district. He shows up in the crime section of newspapers and in court records. Holds people hostage to get heaps of dough, murders to get rid of competition, uses pressure to tamp down ambitions. Saïd Bensama is ruthless and everybody knows it. And yet, he needs us for this job: he gives us a high-caliber and we help him with the cleanup. With Bensama, I’m already in the starting blocks of crime.

I’m aware I have a card to play, something to get out of him: I’m the type of lieutenant who’s never afraid of a dirty job. I’m on fire, more and more. I’m hungry, I can hurt, play dirty, fast. My buddy Sprite needs me and so does Bensama. I’m determined.

“You okay, Burnup?” Saïd asks with a smile.

“Yeah, you?”

“No, not really. I can’t wait for you to get on with that fucking cleanup. Hassan, he’s had it, and people must know it.”

“I’m on it. We’ll get rid of him once and for all. He acted too crazy here.”

“I can’t stand his mess anymore. We’re not even home here no more. Can you believe it? I fed the guy and now he wants to eat me up! … You know what you have to do, brother.

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