Los Angeles, 1947. The city was a neon-lit jungle where the rain never seemed to wash away the filth. I had spent two years in a concrete box in San Quentin, dreaming of the day I would walk back into the headquarters of the Moretti syndicate.

Tony had been my right hand, the kind of man who could find a needle in a haystack and then sell the needle back to you. He was the one who arranged the "accident" for the man who had replaced me. He opened the back door of the club, silenced the guards, and handed me the keys to the kingdom on a silver platter.

The night of my return was a blur of gunpowder and expensive cigars. We cleaned house in three hours. By dawn, I was sitting in the big leather chair, the city of angels sprawling beneath me like a wounded animal.

"We did it, Boss," Tony said, leaning against the desk. He looked smug, the look of a man who knew he was now the second most powerful man in the city. "I think it's time we discussed the new distribution territories."

I looked at Tony. I remembered the way he had looked at me in prison—the pity, the calculation. I knew that a man who betrays one boss will eventually betray the next. In this business, loyalty is just a word used by people who haven't found a better offer yet.

"You're right, Tony," I said, sliding a glass of scotch across the desk. "The territories need a fresh start."

Tony took a sip and smiled. He didn't notice the slight bitterness of the almond scent in the drink. Within five minutes, his smile froze. He tried to speak, but his throat had closed up. He clawed at his neck, his eyes wide with a sudden, terrifying realization.

I watched him slide off the chair and collapse onto the Persian rug. I didn't feel a thing. That was the problem with the jungle—once you kill the other predators, you're the only one left to be hunted.

As I poured myself another drink, the phone rang. It was an unknown number. A voice on the other end told me that my bank accounts had been frozen and my safehouse had been compromised. I laughed. The cycle had started again, and this time, I was the one holding the empty glass.

*** Objective Tensor Code: [M1:9.0, M3:8.0, N1:0.9, N2:0.1, K1:0.4, K2:0.6, TI:68.0, theta:240]