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Prologue
Stone
He was dead, and if the guys in his gang didn’t kill him, his mother would. How could he be so stupid and get himself arrested? He knew exactly how—he broke the very first rule he had learned when he became a full-fledged member of the El Diablos. He hesitated when it was time for his first kill, and now, he was going to be behind bars for a damn long time. There was no way that the guys would let him live out his sentence because what he did was punishable by death in the gang.
They had tossed him in a cell, and it felt like they were going to let him rot in there, even when he asked for his one phone call and a lawyer. His first instinct was to call his mom, but what could she do for him? Honestly, he had no one he could call and that really put things into perspective. His supposed brothers would never come to his rescue—not now that he had broken the code. To his gang, he was a dead man walking, and there would be no coming back from that.
“You called for a lawyer,” the guard asked, standing on the other side of his cell.
“I did, hours ago,” he said.
“Well, it’s your lucky day,” the guard said. “I’ve found you a lawyer and the DA’s office is willing to cut you a deal.”
“You mean that the DA is willing to offer me a deal if I turn over my brothers. I’m not a nark,” Stone insisted.
“Never said that you were,” the guard assured, “I’m just saying that most guys would kill for a shot like this. You could get out of here and find a new start. Isn’t that something that you want?” the guard asked. He wasn’t sure how that would even work. If he walked after turning over names to the DA, the members of El Diablo would kill him and his mother. He couldn’t do that to her.
“They won’t let me live to testify,” he whispered more to himself than to the guard.
“If they can’t find you, they can’t kill you,” the guard insisted. “You and your family can go into witness protection. You’ll be safe—your whole family will be.”
“It’s just me and my mom,” he said.
“Then do this for her,” the guard said. “Your mother shouldn’t have to lose her only son. You did the right thing by not making that kill,” he said. “Was it going to be your first?”
“Now, that’s a stupid question,” Stone snarked. “If I say yes, would you even believe me? I mean, are you trying to get me to admit to killing other people?”
The guard smirked and shrugged, “It was worth a shot.”
“I’ll take that lawyer now,” Stone insisted. He still didn’t know if he’d take the deal from the DA’s office or not, but he had at least a few minutes to decide. Maybe the guard was right, and he should take the deal. His mother shouldn’t lose her only son because he had his head up his ass. But asking her to give up her life and go into witness protection with him wasn’t quite fair either. He’d have to figure out what to do and then, he’d never look back. He wanted his life back, and he planned on getting it back one way or another.
* * *
Stone walked into the interrogation room to find a guy, whom he assumed to be his lawyer, sitting behind a big metal table. He looked the part in his fancy three-piece suit and matching tie. “You must be my lawyer,” Stone drawled.
“You did ask for one, correct?” the guy asked.
“I did, but only to stall for time. I’m not really sure what to do and I needed some time to think,” Stone admitted. “I fucked up.” He looked the guy over, deciding that he had already said too much.
“You do know that if I’m your lawyer, you can tell me anything and I can’t say a word to anyone else, right?” the guy asked. He held out his hand to Stone and crossed the room. “Name’s Andrew Jenkins. Let me help you, Stone.”
“You can’t help me, man. If I cross the El Diablos, they’ll kill me and my mom. I really fucked up. Let me just serve my time and they’ll leave her alone,” Stone insisted.
“You hope that they leave you alone,” the lawyer corrected. “They might decide to make an example of you while you’re away and then who will protect your mother?” He had a good point. If the El Diablos decided to go after his mother when he was in prison, serving his time, there would be nothing he could do about it. There was no one else that he could trust to ask to watch over his mother.
“You think I should take the deal from the DA’s office, don’t you?” he asked his lawyer.
“I can give you advice, but I can’t tell you what to do, Stone. But it is a good deal.” He knew that it was the best deal he’d ever get, given the circumstances. He had held a man at gunpoint, and he deserved to rot in a cell, but they were offering him a way out.
“I could have killed a man today,” Stone admitted.
“But you didn’t,” the lawyer reminded. “You chose not to and that is going to count for a lot here, Stone. Let me help you.”
He felt as though the room was spinning and he just wanted to stop the ride to get off. Stone knew that wasn’t a possibility though. He was going to have to face the music, one way or another. “Is my mother safe now?” he asked.
“The police have her in custody. They were worried that the El Diablos would go after her if they knew that you were in here.” The cops were right. If the guys in the gang found out that he was in custody, they would go to talk to his mother, wanting answers.
“Can I talk to her?” he asked.
