Free Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn

money still tight in his fist, he ran back across the pier, shoved past Hevez,
till he was beside Tomas. ‘What you do to him?’ he shouted to Cesar and his stupid brother. ‘Hey? What he done to you?’
    Reve looked around at all the faces, and his anger turned cold in his stomach. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, realizing he was just a boy standing in the middle of these men,
getting in the way of their business. He took a breath and readied himself, his legs a little apart. He saw Pelo looking at him, Ciele and LoJo too. Ciele’s lips were moving but he
didn’t know if she was trying to tell him something. He saw the sneer on Hevez’s face
    The man behind Tomas tapped his stumpy club into the palm of his left hand, and Cesar, still gripping Tomas with his left hand, let his right hand snake to the knife on his hip, but his eyes
were on Calde. He wouldn’t do anything unless he was told. And Escal was expressionless, waiting for his brother’s lead, his hands tight round Tomas’s arm.
    Reve turned to face Señor Moro; he was the man in charge. It was his word they were waiting for. He didn’t like to leave his back to anyone, especially not Cesar, but he was in the
circle now so he might as well dance. That’s what Arella said every time she stood up after a bellyful of rum to walk back to her hut: ‘If you step in the circle, Reve, you got to know
the steps of the dance. So you watch me now.’
    He lifted his chin and, realizing he still had this man’s money in his hand, he shoved it into his pocket. ‘Why you got Tomas here? If you got something you want him to do, I can do
it instead.’ He glanced at Calde. It wasn’t the señor who had asked for this; it was Calde. Maybe Tomas had tough-talked him that morning, got under his skin, and this was
payback.
    ‘So,’ said Señor Moro, as if he hadn’t heard Reve’s offer, ‘we got the little big man again.’ He dipped his head towards Calde and murmured something
Reve couldn’t hear. He feared it wouldn’t be good, but Calde just nodded at the brothers and they let Tomas go. Tomas stumbled, almost fell and then regained his footing and shook
himself. ‘What is this man to you?’ Señor Moro said to Reve.
    ‘I sail his boat. He . . .’ he hesitated. ‘He look out for me . . .’
    Calde said, ‘His mother the one run with off with the policeman.’ He turned his face and spat.
    There was a stir from the circle of onlookers. They hadn’t known this. Señor Moro, though, grunted as if he had heard the story before.
    Reve felt his throat tighten up so bad it was hard to speak. ‘Who tell you that!’ he managed. ‘That never happen!’ Reve looked at Tomas, but the big man just stared
straight ahead as if he hadn’t heard. ‘She get arrested.’ Reve felt his face flush and burn. People get arrested. No shame in that because it happens; the law is there to stop you
getting ahead. That’s what Theon said to him one time. Helping the Night Man load his trucks – that would get anyone hard time if the policeman came down. But to run off with a
policeman, no one would ever do that . . . and not, their mother – run out on them as if they were nothing. There was so much shame in that it could fill the ocean. ‘He just make up
that dirt talk!’ Reve said, but his words had no bite.
    Señor Moro grunted again and then with a sudden edge, he said, ‘All right, I got no time for this.’ He made a slight gesture with his left hand and Reve was pulled to one
side, hardly aware of the firm hand clamped on the back of his neck.
    ‘You,’ Señor Moro was saying to Tomas. ‘You, Tomas the Boxer – you don’t look in so good shape to me.’
    Tomas gingerly touched the back of his grizzled head and grimaced.
    ‘You do this kind of work one time, Tomas the Boxer?’
    ‘One time. I work for no one now.’
    ‘You can drive a boat?’
    ‘If you want someone drive a boat, you don’t hit him on the head first, hey.’ He