Detective Alvarez turned out to be the help that he needed. He was not outing himself to be the go-to guy for the mob boss so the dramatics were needed. "Nope, none of them knows about this." Alvarez turned off the recording device and uncuffed Rockford's wrists. "I'm doing a favor for your friend and I've looked into your situation. You're in deep shit man, but I like my town in peace, and having war gangs is not on my bucket list. I really want to stay clear of the aftermath and administrative bullshit."

Alvarez talked for another five minutes while Rockford listened. He had been good with listening to...