Read Online Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Daniel Finn
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don’t have to work for a long time. What you think about that, hey?’
Reve kept his face blank. If this was a test or something, it was stupid. Nobody was fool enough to steal from these men.
The señor nodded. ‘Do I know you? Who’re your people?’
Reve shook his head. ‘I got a sister is all.’
‘Well,’ the señor said, ‘I seen what you did, hey. With that boy. Pulled him from the bullets. You got cojones . A little bull.’ He said this over his
shoulder to one of his men, who laughed and nodded. ‘Maybe little cojones .’ He studied Reve, half closing his eyes, as if to get his full measure. Reve kept still. He
didn’t know what this man wanted, whether he was pleased with him or just toying with him, ready to make fun of him. He didn’t care, so long as the man paid him his money. ‘You
look for work some time, you ask for me, señor Moro. I can always do with someone who got muscle, quick mind, and a bit of courage.’ He turned away, the meeting over.
‘We get dollar from you?’ blurted Reve.
The señor turned back.‘You askin me for money?’
‘Yes.’
The señor looked at Secondo and pulled a face. ‘Who got money here? You got money, Secondo.’
Secondo patted his jacket and pulled a face too. ‘Me, no. I carry no money, señor.’
The señor laughed. A crowd of villagers had gathered around behind them; they too were waiting for money. They stood silent though, watching this pantomime. If these men wanted to make a
fool of a boy for speaking out of turn, that was nothing to do with them.
‘Calde, pay him.’ Calde looked startled. ‘Pay him, now. How much we pay these people, Secondo.’
‘Ten dollars.’
‘So much! OK. Give him twenty, Calde.’
At the sight of money being pulled, the crowd started calling out for their wages too. The señor’s men hustled them back, forcing them into a line.
Calde peeled a note from a roll he had in his pocket and held it out to Reve.
Reve kept still. ‘Forty,’ he said.
Calde growled at him: ‘Take this or you get nothing, stupid boy.’
The señor’s eyes narrowed, letting the smoke stream up from his mouth.
‘Forty. I collect for LoJo. He work alongside me.’
Calde hesitated, then the señor nodded and he peeled another note and handed it over. Reve took the two bills and folded them tight into his hand. Mi would be proud of him.
Reve slipped past the scrummage of men at the back of the truck holding out their hands for money, and then jogged to the edge of the pier just above the tideline, where he
could jump down on to the sand. Reve wanted to go show Mi the money he had in his fist. If LoJo would lend him his money, with what he already had saved up it was maybe enough. He needed to ask
Uncle Theon about that. Fifty dollars. You could live for half a year in Rinconda on that, if you didn’t spend it all on rum.
He was just about to jump when he heard more raised voices. Two bundles of men were surging and swaying like they were struggling to hold down one, maybe two, wild dogs. As they came into the
light of the headlights, he saw what was going on.
Two men had LoJo’s father, Pelo, one by each arm, and they were dragging him along, ignoring Ciele, who was following on their heels, slapping at them and yelling to let her husband go,
and LoJo was there too, beside her, trying to restrain her. In the other group there was Hevez and two of Calde’s men: Cesar and Escal, brothers, and another two behind them. And they had
Tomas the Boxer. As Reve watched he saw Tomas straighten himself like a giant and swing Cesar one way and Escal the other, but he couldn’t shake them free and the man behind him suddenly
cracked something down on Tomas’s head so that he slumped to his knees. Then the men dragged him, his legs splayed out behind him, up to the truck where Calde and the señor were
waiting.
CHAPTER EIGHT
For the second time that day, maybe the second time in his life, Reve acted without thinking. The
Reve kept his face blank. If this was a test or something, it was stupid. Nobody was fool enough to steal from these men.
The señor nodded. ‘Do I know you? Who’re your people?’
Reve shook his head. ‘I got a sister is all.’
‘Well,’ the señor said, ‘I seen what you did, hey. With that boy. Pulled him from the bullets. You got cojones . A little bull.’ He said this over his
shoulder to one of his men, who laughed and nodded. ‘Maybe little cojones .’ He studied Reve, half closing his eyes, as if to get his full measure. Reve kept still. He
didn’t know what this man wanted, whether he was pleased with him or just toying with him, ready to make fun of him. He didn’t care, so long as the man paid him his money. ‘You
look for work some time, you ask for me, señor Moro. I can always do with someone who got muscle, quick mind, and a bit of courage.’ He turned away, the meeting over.
‘We get dollar from you?’ blurted Reve.
The señor turned back.‘You askin me for money?’
‘Yes.’
The señor looked at Secondo and pulled a face. ‘Who got money here? You got money, Secondo.’
Secondo patted his jacket and pulled a face too. ‘Me, no. I carry no money, señor.’
The señor laughed. A crowd of villagers had gathered around behind them; they too were waiting for money. They stood silent though, watching this pantomime. If these men wanted to make a
fool of a boy for speaking out of turn, that was nothing to do with them.
‘Calde, pay him.’ Calde looked startled. ‘Pay him, now. How much we pay these people, Secondo.’
‘Ten dollars.’
‘So much! OK. Give him twenty, Calde.’
At the sight of money being pulled, the crowd started calling out for their wages too. The señor’s men hustled them back, forcing them into a line.
Calde peeled a note from a roll he had in his pocket and held it out to Reve.
Reve kept still. ‘Forty,’ he said.
Calde growled at him: ‘Take this or you get nothing, stupid boy.’
The señor’s eyes narrowed, letting the smoke stream up from his mouth.
‘Forty. I collect for LoJo. He work alongside me.’
Calde hesitated, then the señor nodded and he peeled another note and handed it over. Reve took the two bills and folded them tight into his hand. Mi would be proud of him.
Reve slipped past the scrummage of men at the back of the truck holding out their hands for money, and then jogged to the edge of the pier just above the tideline, where he
could jump down on to the sand. Reve wanted to go show Mi the money he had in his fist. If LoJo would lend him his money, with what he already had saved up it was maybe enough. He needed to ask
Uncle Theon about that. Fifty dollars. You could live for half a year in Rinconda on that, if you didn’t spend it all on rum.
He was just about to jump when he heard more raised voices. Two bundles of men were surging and swaying like they were struggling to hold down one, maybe two, wild dogs. As they came into the
light of the headlights, he saw what was going on.
Two men had LoJo’s father, Pelo, one by each arm, and they were dragging him along, ignoring Ciele, who was following on their heels, slapping at them and yelling to let her husband go,
and LoJo was there too, beside her, trying to restrain her. In the other group there was Hevez and two of Calde’s men: Cesar and Escal, brothers, and another two behind them. And they had
Tomas the Boxer. As Reve watched he saw Tomas straighten himself like a giant and swing Cesar one way and Escal the other, but he couldn’t shake them free and the man behind him suddenly
cracked something down on Tomas’s head so that he slumped to his knees. Then the men dragged him, his legs splayed out behind him, up to the truck where Calde and the señor were
waiting.
CHAPTER EIGHT
For the second time that day, maybe the second time in his life, Reve acted without thinking. The
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