Read Bishop's War (Bishop Series Book 1) for Free Online Page A

excitement with the country in a flurry of activity after World War II. Life was good in those early years. The Valdez family had money, was well respected, and they lived in a big house near the Canal. It was good until his father Juan, who ran a small club and gambling joint for GI’s, was killed in a shootout with corrupt Panamanian police who tried to rob him. The same crooked cops who killed their patriarch confiscated the house and overnight the family was in a freefall.
    Within weeks Maria was forced to beg for food and shelter to keep her children alive. Life became a daily struggle and everyone had to contribute. Gonzalo earned money entertaining the same U.S. troops that used to drink at his father’s club by fighting in bare knuckle boxing matches. The winner takes all purse was a dollar, and driven by hunger, Gonzalo rarely lost. He literally grew up fighting for survival and his mother would hide her tears when he proudly handed her his winnings each night. “Gracias Negrito,” was all she could manage to say as she cleaned and bandaged his handsome face that quickly became battered and scarred for life.
    They were a proud family. They fought hard to keep it together, but as time went by their plight became increasingly desperate. Each dawn brought on a new struggle that slowly crushed their morale. No one spoke of it, but there was a collective sense of defeat and the realization that their days as a family unit were numbered.
    One dreary night during the rainy season when the heavy clouds dumped bucket after bucket on the muddy city of Colon, a soaked Gonzalo angrily stomped into their temporary shelter feeling dejected after being knocked out for the first time. His mother called to him from a dirty mattress on the floor. She had been sick and bedridden for a week. Her voice had faded and was little more than a coarse whisper.
    “My son, you must promise me something.”
    “Yes, mama.”
    “You’ve fought so hard to keep us all together negrito. You’re the one who everyone looks to. Even your older brothers know you are the strongest.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “You must lead the family now.”
    “Lead us? Lead us where? How can I do it? I couldn’t even bring you a dollar today.”
    “The family is lost Zalo. We stay here we die. You will go to America and send for your brothers and sisters once you’re settled. Take this.” From under her worn blanket she handed him a thick wad of cash wrapped in rubber bands.
    “But how?” he asked, staring wide eyed at the fortune.
    “Your father’s final gift to us. He buried it years ago in case anything happened to him. I waited until today to dig it up. Now there is no choice and no time. You’re the only one who can save us.”
    “I’m not strong enough.”
    Using the last of her strength Maria pushed herself up and slapped him hard in the face before falling heavily back down onto the bed.
    Wheezing from the effort, Maria croaked, “You have the strength of your father and his fathers before him. Don’t you remember the stories they told you?”
    “It just seems so long ago.”
    “Zalo, you must never forget. Never . Always remember who you are. You come from men who fought and died for their freedom in those mountains out there. You come from great Kings… and now, now it is your turn… You must wear the crown my son. You must lead this family to a better life.”
    That moment, sitting next to his ailing mother on the floor of that broken-down shack in Panama, changed his life forever. His back straightened and his spirit lifted upon remembering the stories his father and grandfather used to tell him of his lineage. He could feel his own power for the first time and knew that there was nothing that could ever again stand in his way.
    “And the promise?”
    “Promise me that you will keep the family together. Bury me next to your father, then go to New York. My nephew is there and he will help you, but promise me that you will send