Crime Must Pay the Penalty #21

Johnny "King" Ragland claws his way to the top of the criminal underworld in the forties by exploiting a rival's secrets—but his hunger for power and money grows more ruthless with each expansion of his empire. As his grip on the rackets tightens and his methods grow increasingly vicious, even those closest to him begin to wonder how long his reign can last. This tale of ambition, blackmail, and underworld politics shows what happens when a kingpin's greed outpaces his cunning.

A small theft from his father's payroll envelope sets young Pete Tarkey on a downward spiral that transforms him into the ruthless criminal mastermind known as the "Payroll Pony"—a clever crime engineer whose ambitions eventually earn him a dangerous reputation in the underworld. As Pete climbs the ranks of organized crime, his hunger for bigger scores and tighter control threatens to unravel the very gang he's helped build. When a carefully planned factory heist goes sideways, Pete discovers that his criminal education has left him with nowhere safe to turn.

Ben De Camp runs a swanky roadhouse called the "Rendezvous" that caters to both wealthy marks and underworld figures—the perfect setup for his latest scheme. Working with his old lieutenant Waldo and a taxi driver named Dolph, De Camp orchestrates an elaborate con: spiking the drinks of high-rolling clients, arranging car trouble to strand them, and then following them home in the cab to rob their estates. But when the gang's greed and desperation lead them to cross a deadly line, the police begin closing in on the operation.