Elena Maldonado struggles to reach her father's home after she's been beaten brutally by the henchman of a local businessman, Robert Meister. At one time, Elena's father, Ray Cruz, worked as hired muscle himself, but he thought he'd left that life behind. When Elena knocks at his door, a wreck and unwilling to explain, his instincts kick in the instinct to protect his family and wreak vengeance on whoever was behind the brutal message his daughter seems to have understood all too clearly stay quiet, do as we say or worse will happen and no one you love will be safe. A trip to the hospital attracts the attention of the police and Detective Jack Carver. Carver warns Ray to let the police handle the case, but Ray is not the type to let this attack go unpunished. It doesn't take long, however, before the FBI gets involved telling Ray that Elena is working with them. None of this stops Ray from asking his questions, bribing some, intimidating others and beating the hardest cases. Soon, he finds the henchmen, but they know very little about who hired them and nothing about why. Ray makes them pay for their ignorance and their brutality. Detective Carver and FBI agent Ramona Esposito warn Ray against taking things into his own hands not knowing how far Ray has already gone or is willing to go. AUTHOR: Except for a year and a half spent living in Puerto Rico, Derringer award winning author Steven Torres was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and Hunter College and earned a doctorate in English from the City University of New York. His first novel, Precinct Puerto Rico came out in 2002 to starred reviews. His stand alone novel, The Concrete Maze, came out in 2007. His short stories have been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Crimespree Magazine as well as anthologies like Bronx Noir and Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery. His short non-fiction work has appeared in Mystery Scene Magazine and The New York Times.