Book 1 in the Branch Avenue Boys series They beat the odds and turned their lives around. But now three best friends will go head-to-head with ambition, deception--and each other . . .   Derrick. Ricky. Jamal. One's responsible; one's still a player; one's upwardly-mobile. Sentenced to the Branch Avenue Boys' Youth Institute at twelve, they grabbed the chance for better futures. They stayed tight even when their lives diverged--but the times . . . they are a-changing.   New deputy mayor Jamal is anti-corruption, which means severing ties with Ricky, now a "criminally-adjacent" businessman. But political power plays and unrequited love will lead Jamal to a lethal choice . . .     Ricky doesn't mind running a front for DC's biggest drug dealer, but when he pursues a sexy customer at his strip club and discovers she's a cop, any wrong move could end Ricky's good times permanently . . .   Now the Institute's new leader, Derrick is torn between his job and his fiancée, Melissa. But when a cute new instructor who supports him and his mission arrives, he wonders if he should leave Melissa behind, not the Institute. However, this dilemma is nothing compared to a problem brewing right under his nose, and the fallout will strike at the heart of the three friends' bond--and put more than their survival on the line . . .   Praise for Lust & Loyalty   "Ellis has created another phenomenal novel." -- RT Book Reviews   "The secrets, scandals, and surprises will keep fans turning at a furious pace."  -- Booklist "Ellis (Lust & Loyalty, 2017) makes a promising start in her new Branch Avenue Boys series, which expertly melds elements of gritty urban fiction with contemporary multicultural romance and tells a captivating tale from three different perspectives." - Book List Shelly Ellis is an award-winning journalist who earned her journalism degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her novel, Another Woman’s Man, was nominated for a 2014 NAACP Image Award. The romance and women’s fiction author is also a film buff and amateur painter. She lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C., with her husband. Visit her online at www.shellyellisbooks.com. In These Streets By SHELLY ELLIS KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2018 Shelly Ellis All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4967-1895-2 Contents Also by, Title Page, Copyright Page, Dedication, Acknowledgments, Chapter 1 - Derrick, Chapter 2 - Ricky, Chapter 3 - Jamal, Chapter 4 - Derrick, Chapter 5 - Ricky, Chapter 6 - Jamal, Chapter 7 - Derrick, Chapter 8 - Ricky, Chapter 9 - Jamal, Chapter 10 - Derrick, Chapter 11 - Ricky, Chapter 12 - Jamal, Chapter 13 - Derrick, Chapter 14 - Ricky, Chapter 15 - Jamal, Chapter 16 - Ricky, Chapter 17 - Derrick, Chapter 18 - Jamal, Chapter 19 - Derrick, Chapter 20 - Ricky, Chapter 21 - Jamal, Chapter 22 - Derrick, Chapter 23 - Ricky, Chapter 24 - Jamal, Chapter 25 - Derrick, Chapter 26 - Ricky, Chapter 27 - Ricky, Chapter 28 - Jamal, Chapter 29 - Derrick, Chapter 30 - Ricky, Chapter 31 - Jamal, Chapter 32 - Derrick, Teaser chapter, IN THESE STREETS, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, CHAPTER 1 Derrick Derrick was throwing his satchel over his shoulder and slamming shut one of his file cabinet drawers when he heard the thump. He paused and squinted at his office wall where a white board, family photos, and his framed college degrees hung. "What the hell," he murmured. Thump! Thump! This time the picture frames clacked and rattled against the drywall, like they had received a seismic jolt from the ground two stories below. Thump! Thump! Thump! Derrick then heard a muffled chorus of male shouts. They sounded like they were coming from farther down the hall. "Whup that nigga's ass!" someone shouted. "Get 'em Nico! Get 'em!" another boy yelled. Derrick closed his eyes. "Damn," he muttered, finally realizing exactly what he was hearing. It sounded like a fight had just erupted at the Branch Avenue Boys' Youth Institute — a big one. And as the Institute's director it was his job to help break it up, which meant he wouldn't be heading home yet despite the long ass day he'd had. "Shit," he murmured as he yanked his satchel off his shoulder and tossed the leather bag into his rolling chair. Derrick had sat through a half dozen meetings today. One had been with a carpentry instructor who'd announced he would be leaving the Institute at the end of the month for a better, well-paid job, leaving Derrick in a lurch to find his replacement. Another meeting had been with a mother who had begged Derrick to let her sixteen-year-old son, Cole, into the Institute's rehabilitation program because she was terrified of what would happen to the teen if the city sent him to the local detention center for his drug charge. When she started crying and literally dropped to her knees on the linoleum floor, Derrick finally caved. He'd told her yes; he'd find