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SNOWING IN BALI

Rafael hesitated awkwardly at the door, a little stunned to see this kind of X-rated scene sober, despite having seen a hell of a lot more in this room during Tota's cocaine-fuelled orgies. 'Come in, Rafael, come in,' Tota sang out. Noticing his discomfort, the lewd biker started toying with him. 'Come on, Rafael, come in, take your clothes off too, you can fuck her if you want. No problem if you don't want, but please come in.'

Inside, things didn't get any less out of kilter. Scattered across the coffee table were hundreds of $100 notes, some still in bunches bound by rubber bands. Tota stretched over, took a note and rolled it into a tube. Rafael stood watching, slightly bemused; the naked girl was totally uninterested. Tota used a lighter and lit the end of the rolled-up $100 note, then used the flame to light a Marlboro Red. As a finale to this weird little act, he flourished the flaming note in the air and stubbed it out in the ashtray before it burnt his fingers.

Rafael thought the guy had lost his mind.

'What the fuck are you doing burning money? Now I know you're crazy, man. If you don't want it, you can give it to me.'

Tota sat back smoking his Marlboro. 'You can take all this shit. Have a look at it.'

Rafael picked up a bunch to flick through and find out the problem. But he didn't have to. It was obvious at first glance. Benjamin Franklin's face looked as if it had melted.

'Fuck, this is fake, man. Why did you take this shit?' Rafael asked, aghast.

Now, it was clear that Tota was seething. His odd mood had been masking his fury. 'Ask your friend Jando,' he said darkly. Immediately, Rafael knew that tonight there was going to be big strife. Undoubtedly, somebody was going to pay for this before sunup. It was the second insult to Tota's ego in two days.

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