Free Takedown by Allison van Diepen Page A

paying off the refs, I swear.”
    The tattooed lieutenant scoffed. “You ain’t serious. The Knicks could wipe the court with them any day of the week.”
    As the debate took off, I glanced at Jessica and Kendra, who were still eating their frozen yogurt. If the lieutenants’ talk switched away from basketball, they could easily mention the biz. The last thing I wanted was for Kendra to know I was a dealer. She was young enough and keen enough to march right up to Jessica’s parents with what she knew. Then I’d be screwed.
    I tapped my foot under the table. “Let’s go get that gift for your mom,” I said to Kendra.
    She shrugged, savoring her frozen yogurt. That girl had to be the slowest eater ever. “I can’t bring this into the store with me.”
    â€œNo one will notice,” Jessica said, pushing away her own frozen yogurt. She was probably thinking the same thing I was. “They could sell out if we don’t hurry.”
    The conversation at Vinny’s table suddenly stopped. One of the lieutenants said, “Bloods, two o’clock.”
    I scanned the vicinity. There were four of them. And they weren’t your regular neighborhood Bloods flashing their colors—they were South Siders who worked the corners for Andre. I’d seen them before.
    The Bloods were looking straight at us.
    Every muscle in my body tightened. I had no doubt that they were strapped. Vinny and the lieutenants would be too.
    I put a hand to my side, as if I was armed. “Damn it, DT wants us to stand down,” I said in a low voice, trying to remind them that Tony wouldn’t want a shoot-out. I only hoped I was right. Problem was, I didn’t know if Tony’s orders to stand down applied to his lieutenants or just his street dealers.
    Vinny and the lieutenants turned toward the Bloods, their stares issuing a challenge. I had my answer. They weren’t avoiding a confrontation, they were inviting it.
    The Bloods’ stances hardened, and their hands shifted to their sides for easy access.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kendra shrivel in her seat. Even if she hadn’t heard me, she felt the tension crackling in the air. Jessica put a protective arm around her.
    I had no weapon. No exit strategy. My only plan was to throw my body over Jessica and Kendra to shield them.
    Seconds ticked away. The soft roar of the crowd seemed to fade into silence as the shoppers became nothing more than extras in a movie.
    It was up to the Bloods. If they didn’t keep going, it was on.
    One of them muttered something to the others, who nodded grudgingly. They started walking. But their eyes never left our table until they were around the corner.
    I could breathe again.
    Vinny smirked. “Buncha pussies, walking away like that.”
    â€œBet they wanted to break into a run,” the lieutenant with the glasses said, and they all slapped hands.
    I didn’t see it that way. I could tell those Bloods were as hotheaded as the lieutenants. The fact that they’d walked away meant one thing: They had orders from Andre to stand down.
    That was interesting. Andre had only been head of the Bloods for a few months, but he obviously had a tight rein on his soldiers. And he was smart—too smart to let them start something in a crowded mall.
    Andre actually had the chops to be a leader. The question was, did he have a chance against Tony?

WRITTEN IN STONE
    C hristmas morning was snowy. It was a pretty scene, even in Jane-Finch, like one of those snow globes. I spent the morning on the floor with Kiki, who went wild over the music set. I accompanied him on the keyboard while he pounded on the drum and sang words I couldn’t figure out. He had natural rhythm.
    It was my first Christmas with him, and I ended up singing songs I thought I’d forgotten the words to. Whenever I thought of all the important things I’d missed by being in juvie, it tore me up.