*ORLANDO*
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee swirled around me, as comforting as an old sweater but just as threadbare. I took a sip, letting the bitterness seep into my senses while I scanned the pages of the newspaper. The headlines swirled with tales of corruption, mob hits—an ironic twist for someone like me, who was desperately trying to escape that very world. I could almost hear my old man's voice echoing in my head, sliding through my thoughts like a drug dealer in a bad neighborhood. "You can't run from who you are, Orlando."
Damn, was he right?
As I tried to focus on the political debacle unfolding on page six, my phone buzzed insistently on the table, screen lighting up with Emilio's name like the flashing lights of some infernal alarm. I glared at it, ignoring the persiste
