49

Ramirez Gonzales.

Maroon helped me scrub my DNA from the scene. I didn’t come to Southeast to play the role of a bloody gangster, but someone is tugging at my strings. Alex, my father’s killer, is back in town and this is his way of announcing it. I like the message; it’s a reminder that I’m no coward, relying on others to send threats. In Alex’s eyes, this is a game. He has a larger agenda in this city and he knows the stakes I’m playing for. To him, our history is just collateral—he doesn’t care about the blood feud or the fact that he put a bullet in my father’s skull. It’s all just part of the game.

Alex has his own interests in this town, but those interests can never gain ground as long as a Gonzales like me has a foothold. The only reason I’m not a godfather yet is that I don’t wan……