The Black Hounds were not simply another street gang. In the hierarchy of Notting Hill's underworld they had the label of an Organised crew; the Black Hounds functioned like a small, efficient machine designed to extract advantage and maintain control.
Only one force in the area eclipsed them in reach, the Crime Syndicate higher up the chain, but between the Syndicate and the Hounds, there was a balance of power. The Hounds moved with confidence because they had fewer people to fear and even fewer to answer to.
Numbers meant a lot in this city, and the Hounds had them. The Chalkline boys boasted volume, loudness, and swagger, but volume didn't always translate into discipline. In a direct test of organized violence, the Chalkline boys were merely noise next to the Hounds' precision.
The Black Hounds could take on more than one kind of opponent and come away with territory, influence, and, if anyone tried to push back, a reputation that made others think twice.
