But there was something more to it. Something I never understood. Why did Martinez keep me at such a distance? Why did he never let me in, even when I wanted to prove myself?
Maybe it was because I wasn’t cut out for that life. Maybe he saw something in me that was too soft, too weak for the world he had built. Or maybe... maybe he just didn’t care. I’ll never know.
I thought back to the last time I saw him. It was months ago, at one of those endless family dinners where I sat in silence, picking at my food while Martinez and Leo talked business. As usual, I wasn’t part of the conversation. I never was.
"Leo’s making progress on the west side," Martinez had said, his tone full of pride. "We’ll own those streets by the end of the year."
Leo had nodded, a confident smile on his face. "I’ve got it under control."
And me? I sat there, invisible, wondering why I even bothered showing up. It wasn’t like they’d notice if I was gone.
Now I really was gone, and I doubted either of them would care. I wasn’t part of their world, not really. Just a shadow on the fringes of their empire, easily forgotten.