Billy Cooper
Two years of riding the railways have taught Billy that little in life comes easily. Arriving in New York at the height of the Great Depression, he quickly sees the harsh reality of survival on every corner. Jobs are scarce, with even the most menial tasks attracting lines of desperate applicants. Crime, once confined to the city’s underbelly, has become a currency of its own.

In this unforgiving world, Billy’s encounter with Pandini presents an opportunity he cannot easily refuse. But Pandini’s motives come at a cost—one that will push Billy to the edge of sanity and test his courage as he becomes ensnared in a desperate fight for his life.

Billy took a dime from his pocket, flicking it high into the air before slapping it down onto his wrist. “See that? That’s us. Two sides of the same coin: one bright and shiny, and the other face down in the dirt.”