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half his teeth had silver caps, with a gold one at the front. I’d heard that Diamond Tony’s operation snatched him up young and raised him as their own. Tony’s choices were never random. Vinny was smart, but not so smart he’d ever question Tony. And Vinny was loyal—how could you not be when you got pulled from the gutter? Even if he came off as cocky, that didn’t bother anyone. You could tell he was trying so hard to be somebody.
    Vinny’s town house was full of classy furniture and high-tech gadgets, but we were down in his basement for the meeting, which had a musty smell and saggy old couches.
    â€œThe Bloods ain’t gonna take away our business,” T-Bone said, waving his hand like he was swatting at a fly. “Our fiends know we got the raw product. What they got is weak.”
    Vinny shook his head. “Not anymore. They got good shit now. Some are saying it’s better than ours. And they been dropping their prices to undercut us.”
    I was surprised Vinny was admitting that another operation could have a product as potent as Diamond Dust. It was a crack-cocaine so pure, so gleaming white, that once you got hooked, you could never be satisfied with anything else. Tony had managed to do what every businessman dreamed of. He’d created a product that people literally couldn’t live without.
    â€œIf I see one of their dealers in our territory, I’ll take him out.” Albert put a hand to his side, showing he was strapped. “DT fought hard for his territory. Brothers died for this. We ain’t giving up a single corner.”
    â€œDon’t go shooting anybody unless you have to, hear me?” Vinny said. “The cops are watching us. That’s how Pup got caught. DT says we have to go dark for a while, which means no shoot-outs.”
    That didn’t mean no shooting , just not in public. Diamond Tony didn’t do diplomacy.
    â€œSo what am I supposed to do when I see the Bloods around?” Albert demanded.
    â€œAsk them to kindly move along,” Cam said in an old-lady voice, and we all laughed.
    Cam was my dealing partner. We’d grown up together in the neighborhood, so I was glad when Vinny had put us together. Cam was a dropout and a heavy weed smoker with a talent for imitating people. Even when he mimicked the neighborhood assholes, they were too impressed to get pissed off. He had a huge mop of red hair and the words “Thug Life” tattooed on his arm—the only white guy I knew with a tattoo like that.
    Cam’s comment might’ve made us laugh, but like everybody else, he was waiting for an answer to Albert’s question.
    Vinny didn’t seem to have one. “Don’t do shit without callingme, a’ight? I gotta check everything with DT. He’s counting on his soldiers to keep it locked. Can y’all handle that?”
    Everybody nodded. Their chests puffed out. They liked being Diamond Tony Walker’s street soldiers. They liked working for a legend.
    The guys started talking about how weak the South Side Bloods were, but I was only half listening. The Bloods were ballsy to make a play for Diamond Tony’s territory. It must be their new leader, Andre. He’d been Pistol’s top lieutenant and had taken over after Pistol died. Andre was known for being calculating and fearless—he’d have to be to take on Tony. And he had more lives than a cat. Rumor had it he’d been shot five different times.
    I bet Andre’s play for Walker territory was more than just business. It was revenge for Pistol’s murder. I was sure that a lot of people secretly wanted to see Diamond Tony go down, but they didn’t have the courage to do anything about it.
    The thought made me smile. I was doing some real community service.
    Vinny brought us pizza and wings but told us to eat fast so we could get to our corners. It was incredible how happy the guys were when they saw the