The Ante
When a young money collector for the Philadelphia mob becomes the target of an ambitious underboss, he must navigate a night of escalating violence that forces him to choose between the criminal life he’s inherited and the future he might still claim — if he survives until morning.
In the streets of Philadelphia, ten-year-old Jimmy Card has spent his young life mastering one skill: survival. When hitman Chris Breslin finds the boy bleeding out in a Kensington alley, he makes an impulsive decision that will change both their lives forever.
Eight years later, Card has found his place in the criminal ecosystem. Collecting protection money for an aging mob boss, he walks the line between the Italian stronghold of South Philly and the desperate streets where he grew up. With a girlfriend headed for college, a surrogate father teaching him the ropes, and a childhood friend watching his back, Card almost believes he has a future.
Until someone decides to take it all away.
When an ambitious underboss sets his sights on Card’s territory, what begins as harassment quickly escalates into a night of brutal violence that will test every bond Card has formed.
As the body count rises across Philadelphia, Card faces the ultimate choice: embrace the criminal path he seems destined for, or find a way out while he still can.
From the chaotic streets of Kensington to the shadowy back rooms where the real power in Philadelphia resides, “The Ante” is a crime thriller about family, loyalty, identity, and the steep entrance fee to a life where everyone must eventually pay their dues.