BLOOD CONTRACT - L. Todd Petersen

A child is taken in the crossfire of a brutal cartel war. The kidnappers want a secret the kid doesn't have. The city of Barranca wants to survive the night.

Enter Rook: mercenary, debt collector, and the last person you hire when you can't afford to fail. What begins as a retrieval turns into a street-by-street war: safehouses burned, ledgers bled, and a sniper who leaves spent casings as arrows pointing toward the truth. With corrupt cops closing in and rival crews buying the rooftops, Rook builds a witness network out of neighbors, street kids, and anyone brave enough to hold a phone steady.

Every lead costs blood. Every page in the ledger demands payment. From bridge sieges and tunnel ambushes to a gunfight in a tower of glass, Rook hunts the men who touched the kidnapping one by one until only the architect remains. But in Barranca, justice has to be seen to count.

Gritty, relentless, and cinematic, Blood Contract is a high-velocity thriller about codes you keep, debts you pay, and the price of finishing the job.