Page 13 of Hood Legacy

“Why the fuck do you think that?”

“Because she’s Mercy’s best friend,” he answered with a laugh. I wiped my hand over my fade and continued to watch her.

“She’s being stalked,” I said.

“She told Mercy about the flowers on her car occasionally,” he replied.

“Nah, it’s a little bit more than that,” I said, shaking my head.

“How you know?” he sat forward on full alert now.

“Her reaction to all this,” I answered. “This shit ain’t just a flower from time to time. Yeti pulled the footage, and whoever it is has been chilling in her car, nigga even took a nap a few times like he wasn’t worried about being caught.”

“He knows her schedule,” Givens said, more so to himself than me, like he was trying to process everything and not get pissed. He ran his hand over his fade, then shook his head. “Mercy, don’t know that shit.”

“And she doesn’t need to,” I replied. “I got it under control.”

“You sure?” he questioned, and I nodded.

“Yeah, Legacy mine, I got it.”

“All you gotta do is say the word, and we can move,” Givens offered, and I nodded. “Legit.”

“I appreciate it, Givens,” I said as I went back to working. “I got it, though; when I move, that shit gonna be so quiet ain’t a nigga gonna know.”

My phone vibrated simultaneously as an email came through on my computer. I ignored my phone and went to the email to see if Pyrite had sent me three possible players to replace the one I’d known he would drop. I chuckled and looked over the list.

“Pyrite wants to build a dynasty,” I told Givens as I showed him the list of names. Givens looked at the list and then whistled. “He only has one spot open, though.”

“Nah, look here,” Givens said, tapping the bottom of the screen. Pyrite listed the three players he wanted to replace the one I knew, but I wasn’t surprised to see the other two. They were good players but didn’t do the work required to be on this team. “He already set up meetings with them.”

“How much you wanna bet they’ll be Queens by the end of the week?” I questioned with a laugh. I sat back and shook my head. Pyrite was trying to build a super team, and he would if he locked in these three players. Mercy would have help in the post, and the wing players were sharpshooters. Legacy would be able to control the ball and direct them without problems.

“Let’s hope,” Givens said as he stood. “But let me get out of here and head home.” I stood, and we dapped each other up.

Once Givens was gone, I returned to work, checking over the players Pyrite wanted health reports on. My phone rang again, and I quickly answered it when I realized it was my pop.

“What’s good, pop?” I greeted him.

“Shit, just checking in with you, young buck,” he answered. I could hear a money counter in the background, which meant he was at his bank. “You good?”

“I’m making it,” I answered as I watched Legacy. “You good?”

“I’m still breathing, so I can’t complain,” he replied, and I nodded. “How is your Mama? I called her, but she’s ignoring my ass again.” He let out a low chuckle, and I took a deep breath. “What’s the problem, Hood?”

“You gotta talk to mama,” I answered. I was trying hard as hell to respect Mama's wishes, plus I knew he wouldn’t want to hear that she ended her treatments over the phone.

“I’m on my way,” he declared, then hung up. I stared at the screen, trying to decide if I wanted to give Mama a heads-up, but I decided she needed this. I didn’t expect Mama to change her mind, but I wanted her to have somebody else to lean on right now, and Pop was the perfect person. Their history was solid, even though they were divorced. It didn’t stop the love that they had for each other.

“You ready?”Aceyn asked when I walked out of the locker room. He stood leaning against the wall, arms over his chest, with a serious expression. I sighed and shook my head. I was grateful that he wanted to help, but I would never have been able to live with myself if something had happened to him. “You might as well stop shaking your head. I already told you I was going to be your shadow, and I meant that.”

“I thought Yeti said that Ra would be here by now,” I said as I walked away. Aceyn fell into step with me and laughed. “Plus, Jermaine is around here somewhere.”

“Jermaine ain’t here,” he replied, and I stopped walking to look at him. “I had him reassigned.”

“Why?” I questioned.

Aceyn stepped into my space and looked down at me. “What part of I am your shadow, don’t you understand?” he asked. “Ain’t shit Jermaine can do that I can’t.”

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