Bloodlines 2

At twelve years old, José Rivera crosses the border from Culiacán, Mexico with nothing but a promise to his mother-he'll make enough money to bring her to America. That promise will lead him down a path he can never escape.
Arriving in Kansas City as a frightened immigrant, José finds salvation in Fatfat, a street-smart Black teenager who becomes more than a friend-he becomes a brother. Together, they prove that loyalty transcends race and culture in a city divided by both.
When José's uncle Roberto offers him a chance to work for the Sinaloa Cartel, José sees it as temporary-just long enough to go legitimate. But with Fatfat as his partner, José rises from moving ten pounds of marijuana to controlling a multi-state empire moving 2,000 pounds monthly and 200 kilos of cocaine.
As his empire grows, so does his life. He falls in love with Areili, who dreams of a legitimate future. He discovers passion in breeding fighting dogs, finding in them the loyalty absent from his world. He becomes a father to Esperanza, a daughter who represents everything he's fighting for-and everything he's risking.
But the cartel demands more. Not just drugs-human trafficking. Safe houses filled with women and children. José is trapped between the organization that owns him and the family he's desperate to protect, drowning in choices with no good answers.
When José finally tries to walk away, the cartel gives him an impossible ultimatum: kill Fatfat, or disappear forever, abandoning everyone he loves. José chooses loyalty over power, fleeing to Mexico and leaving behind his mother, daughter, woman, and best friend.
For three years, José lives as a ghost under an assumed name, finally free from the cartels. Then the call comes: Fatfat has been shot nine times and left for dead.
José returns to Kansas City knowing the cartel will come for him. Knowing he might die. But some bonds are worth dying for.
BLOODLINES: The Book of José is a gripping crime saga exploring the true cost of the American Dream, unbreakable bonds of brotherhood across racial lines, and one man's desperate fight to escape a life he never wanted. It's about the choices we make to survive, the ones we make for love, and the ones that define who we really are.
Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family.
Book 2 in the Bloodlines series
Perfect for fans of American Gangster, The Godfather, and authentic urban crime fiction with emotional depth.