Earn Your Bones

Yute Johnson, once known as 'Big Yute, ' the kingpin of the Cartwright Compound, has finally served his time. After twenty years in federal prison, he returns home to find the neighborhood decayed and his influence long gone. He hopes to live a quiet life, but his return disrupts a fragile peace built by his former partner, Denise, and the children who barely know him. Haunted by the memory of his murdered cousin and accountant, Marcus Williams Jr., Yute is forced to confront the wreckage of his past.
The corruption that fueled his rise-and his downfall-was never fully buried. As Yute navigates his strained relationship with Denise, he discovers that a ledger she kept for two decades holds the power to destroy what little remains of his world. With his betrayer, Darnell, hiding in witness protection and corrupt officials still pulling strings, Yute must decide if he can protect his children from the systemic rot he helped create.