The scene was chaos. Three men lie dead on the sidewalk, and a bystander wounded but alive. A trail of blood ended at the street where Tomas' men rushed him away from the mayhem. Stan watched from across the street. Sirens wailing, but not able to cut through the crowd. He was surprised that more … Continue reading Crawling in the dark

Marco’s intel proved invaluable. The Sampas were convening an Encontro, they had much to discuss. All the crew bosses would be there, all Tomas’ sergeants, his major and minor crew members. It was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. Pauley and Stan took advantage of Vivian’s terra cotta roof, practicing walking across … Continue reading Judgment Day

Stan and Pauley remained on the roof, watching the Sampas' comings and goings. Using her cell phone, Pauley snapped photos of select targets to ask Lenore about later. With his expertise, Stan was singling out certain bosses as the higher ranked crew members. The way they maneuvered to get close to Tomas, pushing lesser men … Continue reading Taking aim

“Compajaf.” A name that could make grown men tremble. A place so wicked, so evil even the harshest mother would never utter it to force her crianças to behave. Compajaf prison, more a medieval dungeon than modern facility, housed the most heinous of Brazilian criminals. Functioning toilets were nonexistent, food was scarce and putrid, medical … Continue reading Deadman walking

The roof had an odd pitch to it, making it a challenge but not impossible to walk across. Stan kept his hand on Pauley’s back, claiming he was helping steady her, but really he liked that he could feel the heat of her body through her silk blouse. He worried that the steep angle would … Continue reading Up on the roof

Lenore drove into the city with Stan riding shotgun beside her, his window rolled down to get some air circulating through the car. Vivian and Pauley sandwiched Danela between them in the back seat. The girl, in the throes of an anxiety attack, sat hunched over, her head almost lying in Vivian’s lap. After driving … Continue reading The air up here