No Love No Loyalty

Book excerpt: LONG STRETCHES IN THE SLAMMER CAN MAKE THE AMATEUR HUSTLER TAPOUT AND CALL IT QUITS. Not Fool, tho. He's a decorated vet from the original war on drugs. After his recent release, he touches back down in his old 'hood with a new plug and a game plan to lay a new pipeline, and he doesn't waste any time making his presence felt among the local heavies. At the moment, it just so happens that the heaviest local of them all is Fool's twin brother, RunThang. He's another combat veteran from way back when crack first hit the streets like a terrorist attack, and heroin was causing more casualties than a suicide bomber. Back in those days, the twins were the main perpetrators pumping up those statistics. It's never been a secret around the 'hood that Fool was the twin born with the brains, but RunThang popped out of the pussy holding most of the muscle. Eventually, jealousy and old grudges split that family bond, and to nobody's surprise, RunThang doesn't welcome his twin brother home with open arms. Just as gang jump-ins only work on pipsqueaks and peons, OG status only works in the movies. In the real gangland of the streets, loyalties line up behind the man who can bake the most bread and feed the block. But out-of-sight means out-of-mind, and while Fool has been M.I.A. for six long years, RunThang has a crew of young soldiers he's been keeping well fed. When it comes to the crumbs on their table, competition is never welcomed, always frowned upon, and they won't hesitate to greet the twin with hollow points and buckshots.