He looked at me, the glint of a smile in his eyes but not on his lips. ‘Paco was the one who found me – he told me where to find their warehouse. I know you hate him, but you do not know him like I do. He loyal. We learned their movements, their weaknesses. That’s what you do when you want to get the better of someone, gatita. You don’t rip a book down its pages, you break its spine. The weak point. We got some guns and went to their warehouse – they were expecting a shipment from Europe. Probably from your friend Bobby.’

‘Was this when you cut off their heads? Paco told me about it.’

‘I shot all of them first, and I watched them bleed out. When they were nearly dead, I cut off their limbs with those two machetes, right there. And I burned their arms and legs in an oil barrel, right before their eyes.’

I looked back towards the fireplace where the gleaming knives sat on their presentation nail, unmoved and unstained.

‘And I made sure my face was the last each of those hijos de puta saw. I cut off their heads and I stuck them on long pikes, and I planted them in front of the warehouse so their associates would find them the next morning. It sent out a warning that nobody could fuck with me. They looked like your little flowers. Dead heads.’

‘How many did you kill?’

‘Seventeen. But worse still, I took their money. A lot of money. And I hit the road, eventually ending up here where I build my little house with my bare hands. And I started my business again. Those men you buried are from a splinter group of the same gang. They have been looking for me these past twelve years. They have better comms now so it was only a matter of time before they got lucky. But they still have not cracked the code of El Mago.’

‘Not yet.’

‘You’re right. Another cell will come, another day. But for now—’

‘You’re safe.’

He shook his head. ‘Never up here,’ he said, tapping the side of his head. ‘Up here, I am forever in the depths of Hell. Where I belong.’

‘The revenge didn’t make you happy?’

‘How could it?’ he said. ‘Revenge is a temporary thrill, like sugar. You want it, you crave it, but it does you no good. Celestina told you what Paco did to her?’ I nodded. ‘It makes you want to kill him more?’

‘Yes.’

‘But you have not killed him yet.’

‘He’s a big guy. And he has guns. And friends. And you.’

‘You know when to strike and when not to strike. You are clever.’

‘No, I’m not clever. I’m just not stupid. I’ve always relied on speed and surprise. I get the impression with Paco he’d always know I was coming.’