Written By Jaron Neal

December 2002 Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation near the Mexico border

MARISOL RAMIREZ WANTED A BETTER LIFE.  HER OLDER BROTHER (RAFAEL) HAD MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES 7 YEARS EARLIER. ALTHOUGH HE HAD FOUND SUCCESS WORKING ODD JOBS, HE HAD NOT SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO BRING HIS ENTIRE FAMILY TO THE UNITED STATES. RAFAEL AND HIS PARENTS AGREED MARISOL AND HER 2 YOUNG SONS WERE THE LOGICAL DECISION. THE ENTIRE FAMILY
AGREED, THE BOYS DESERVED A BETTER LIFE. IT COST RAFAEL $18K TO BRING MARISOL AND THE BOYS TO THE US ILLEGALLY.  KNOWING THE COST, MARISOL WAS DETERMINED TO MAKE IT TO THE UNITED STATES AT ALL COSTS. WHILE CROSSING THE BORDER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, MARISOL AND THE OTHERS WERE SUDDENLY STARTLED BY BORDER PATROL SPOTLIGHTS AND SIRENS. THE COYOTE WHO WAS LEADING THEIR TREK GRABBED MARISOL’S HAND AND TOLD HER TO FOLLOW HIM. THE COYOTE KNEW OUT RUNNING THE BORDER PATROL AGENTS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE TWO YOUNG BOYS, SO HE SHOWED HER A STASH SPOT NEAR THE BABOQUIVARI MOUNTAINS. MARISOL FOUGHT LEAVING HER
BOYS, BUT WHEN THE COYOTE THREATENED HER WITH HIS GUN, SHE RELUCTANTLY AGREED.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHILE ON PATROL, DOUG TRALL DISCOVERED THE BOYS. HE WAS A CAPTAIN WITH ARIZONA BORDER PATROL FOR THE LAST (5) YEARS AFTER SERVING (10) YEARS IN ARMY SPECIAL FORCES. DOUG’S MILITARY BACKGROUND HELPED HIM WITH HIS POSITION AT BORDER PATROL AS SOMEONE WHO ALWAYS FOLLOWED RULES WITH NO DEVIATION FROM AZBP CODES OF CONDUCT. TODAY WAS DIFFERENT, WHEN DOUG FOUND THE BOYS HE IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF HIS WIFE (KAY TRALL). LIFE FOR KAY HAD BEEN DIFFICULT WHILE DOUG WAS ENLISTED. SHE ALWAYS DREADED GETTING THE CALL THAT DOUG WOULD NOT BE COMING HOME. WHEN DOUG’S TOUR ENDED, AND HE LEFT THE ARMY, HE AND KAY CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF HIS PTSD. KAY WAS UNABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN, AND DOUG ALWAYS FELT SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE. HE BELIEVED SUBCONSCIOUSLY HIS SECRET LIFESTYLE BROUGHT ON UNNECESSARY STRESS, WHICH LED TO PREVIOUS MISCARRIAGES. ALL THESE FACTORS, PLUS KNOWING
WHAT HE HAD PUT HER THROUGH IN THE PAST, ARE WHY TODAY…FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER…DOUG WOULD BREAK THE RULES.

SHE WAS RELUCTANT INITIALLY, BUT KAY QUICKLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BOYS. SHE AND DOUG DECIDED TO NAME THEM ABRAM AND MICHAEL. THE BOYS WERE RAISED AS THEIR OWN. THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO SPORTS, MARTIAL ARTS, AND HUNTING AT AN EARLY AGE.  THE BOYS THRIVED IN THE TRALL HOUSEHOLD.  ABRAM EXCELLED AT FOOTBALL, AND WON SEVERAL AWARDS AS A JUNIOR ARCHER, INCLUDING A USA ARCHERY TEAM NOMINATION. COMBAT SPORTS WAS MICHAEL’S ROUTE. HE WAS A BACK-TO-BACK GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPION,
WHILE ALSO EXCELLING IN SCHOOL. DOUG ALSO LOVED HAVING THE BOYS AROUND.  HE FELT AT PEACE SITTING IN HIS YARD, SMOKING HIS CIGARS, AND WATCHING HIS BOYS INTERACT WITH KAY. ONE CONVERSATION IN PARTICULAR, MICHAEL ASKED
HIS FATHER ABOUT WHY AND HOW HE STARTED SMOKING CIGARS. DOUG JUST SMILED AND REPLIED: “IT’S A LONG
STORY SON”. THINGS WERE GOING WELL FOR ABRAM, MICHAEL AND THE TRALLS.  BOTH BOYS HAD GRADUATED HS AND ABRAM WAS
PREPARING TO TRAVEL WITH TEAM USA FOR THE PAN AM GAMES. MICHAEL (THE OLDER BROTHER) WAS IN HIS SECOND
YEAR OF MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND PREPARING FOR HIS FIRST
PROFESSIONAL BOXING MATCH. 

DOUG HAD
RETIRED FROM THE BORDER PATROL, AND NOW HE AND KAY OWNED SEVERAL RENTAL
PROPERTIES IN TUCSON. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE BOYS TO CLEAN OUT ONE OF HIS RENTAL PROPERTIES, DOUG BROUGHT UP THE CIGAR QUESTION MICHAEL HAD ASKED HIM YEARS AGO. DOUG LET BOTH OF HIS BOYS KNOW HE WAS A PART OF A VERY SPECIAL CIGAR
CLUB, AND MEMBERSHIP WENT FAR ABOVE ENJOYING A STOGIE. THEY ARRIVED AT THE RENTAL PROPERTY, AND DOUG
PROMISED TO GO MORE INTO DETAIL AFTER THEY FINISHED WORKING ON THE RENTAL.  DOUG ENTERED THE HOUSE, AND AS THE BOYS WERE
EMPTYING THE TRUCK, THEY HEARD SEVERAL GUNSHOTS FROM WITHIN. THE BOYS QUICKLY RAN INSIDE AND FOUND THEIR FATHER LYING ON THE FLOOR WITH SEVERAL GUNSHOTS TO THE CHEST. ABRAM NOTICED A LARGE MAN WITH LONG HAIR
ENTERING A BLACK SUV BEFORE SPEEDING OFF. 
AS ABRAM RAN OUTSIDE TO CHASE THE CAR AND GET A POSSIBLE PLATE NUMBER,
MICHAEL BEGAN CPR UNSUCCESSFULLY ON HIS FATHER. AS MICHAEL BEGAN TO WEEP OVER THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, HE NOTICED
SOMETHING IN HIS FATHER’S HAND. IT WAS A
TRIANGLE SHAPE COIN WITH THE INITIALS AHCC IMPRINTED ON IT. MICHAEL GRABBED THE COIN AND BEGAN TO COMFORT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER WHO RE-ENTERED THE HOME.

2 WEEKS LATER

MICHAEL, KAY AND ABRAM SAT AROUND THE KITCHEN TABLE SILENTLY DRESSED IN BLACK. EARLIER THAT MORNING THEY BURIED DOUG, AND NOW THE MOOD WAS SOMBER. ABRAM GRABBED HIS BOW, KISSED HIS MOTHER’S FOREHEAD, AND HEADED TO THE BACK YARD TO SHOOT ON THE ARCHERY RANGE. AS MICHAEL AND KAY SAT IN SILENCE FOR A MOMENT, MICHAEL PULLED THE COIN FROM HIS POCKET, SAT IT ON THE TABLE, AND ASKED KAY IF SHE KNEW WHAT THE TOKEN MEANT. KAY PICKED UP THE TOKEN, AND ASKED MICHAEL WHERE HE FOUND IT.  MICHAEL MENTIONED HIS FATHER WAS HOLDING IT THE DAY HE WAS MURDERED.  KAY HANDED MICHAEL THE TOKEN AND TOLD HIM TO
NEVER MENTION IT TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THIS HOME. SHE THEN LEFT THE ROOM, LEAVING MICHAEL MORE CURIOUS AND CONFUSED.

3 YEARS LATER, PHOENIX, AZ

MICHAEL AND ABRAM’S RENTAL INVESTMENTS HAVE GROWN, AND THEY ARE IN PHOENIX TO SHOW A PROPERTY TO A POTENTIAL TENANT. WHILE STOPPING AT A LOCAL COFFEE SHOP TO
DISCUSS DETAILS BEFORE MEETING WITH THE TENANT, A MYSTERIOUS MAN CALMLY SITS AT THEIR TABLE. ABRAM BEING THE BROTHER WITH THE SHORTEST TEMPER ASKS, “CAN WE HELP YOU?” TO THE MYSTERIOUS MAN.  “I HOPE SO” THE MAN REPLIES BEFORE PLACING AN IDENTICAL COIN TO THEIR FATHER’S ON THE TABLE. MICHAEL PICKS UP THE COIN, NOTICES IT IS IDENTICAL TO HIS FATHERS, AND ASKS THE MAN, “WHO ARE YOU?”. THE MAN
REPLIES HE WAS A FRIEND OF DOUG, AND THAT HE KNOWS WHO KILLED THEIR FATHER.  THE MAN PLACES A PHOTO OF THE SAME MAN THEY
SAW 3 YEARS PRIOR LEAVING THE HOME THEIR FATHER WAS KILLED IN. THE MAN INFORMS THE BROTHERS THAT THE MAN IN THE PHOTO IS NAMED GORDO GRAS, AND THAT HE IS A HITMAN FOR AN UNNAMED
ORGANIZATION. THE MAN INFORMS THE BROTHERS THAT DOUG WAS A PART OF A MUCH LARGER GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO LOOKED
TO STOP MEN LIKE GORDO FROM CONTINUING TO TERRORIZE THE WORLD.  FINALLY, THE MAN INFORMS THE BROTHERS THAT
THE TOKEN THEY PULLED FORM THEIR FATHER’S HAND BEFORE HIS PASSING, IS ALSO AN
INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP OF THE ORGANIZATION. 
THE MAN TAKES HIS PHOTO AND COIN BACK FROM MICHAEL, STANDS UP, AND
WALKS TO THE COFFEE SHOP DOOR. HE TURNS AND LOOKS AT THE BROTHERS, AND ASKS, “SO ARE YOU COMING?”.  MICHAEL LOOKS AT HIS BROTHER, AND THEY STARE
AT EACH OTHER FOR A MINUTE, THEN IN UNISON THEY TURN AND RESPOND TO THE MYSTERY
MAN…”YES”.

WRITTEN BY JARON NEAL