Page 3 of Hood Legacy

“Are you sure?” he questioned with a serious expression, and I nodded. “Because if you’re not-“

“I’m fine,” I interjected. “It’s nothing I can't handle.” I turned back to Kenneth and mugged him. “It’s not like I have a choice, right?”

“I’m glad you’re seeing it my way now,” he said as he sat, then turned his attention to Mike. “What are you doing here?”

“It can wait,” Mike replied. “It looks like you’re in a meeting with Legacy. She always has your attention first.”

“I’m leaving,” I said, shaking my head. “The room and his attention are yours.” I picked up my gym bag that I’d brought with me and headed to the door.

“It was good seeing you, Legacy,” Mike said as I was about to pass him. He put his arms out, expecting a hug I quickly gave before stepping around him to leave. “I’ll be seeing you.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said as I left.

On my way down to the garage, my phone rang, and I pulled it from my pocket to look at the screen. When I saw my best friend Mercy’s face on the screen, I smiled and swiped it.

“Hey!” she excitedly said. “I know you’re probably at the gym, but I want to talk to you about something important.”

“I’m leaving the gym now,” I said as I got to my car. “What’s up?”

“So you know I’m going to the Queens, right?” she asked, and I nodded. I opened my car door, threw my bag across the seat, and then got in and closed it. “Well, I was wondering if you would be interested in coming with me?”

“What do you mean?” I pressed the push start, and my car roared to life.

“Pyrite Stone said he’d offer me anything I wanted if I signed with The Queens, and if you’re interested, I want you to come with me. Your contract with The Mares is up, and you’ve mentioned wanting to leave a few times.”

“To KC?” I questioned her, and she nodded. Even though Mercy and I had been friends since we were freshmen in college, and I trusted her with my life, I’d only ever given her the bare minimum information about what I was going through because I didn’t want her to stress.

“Think about it and call me back,” she said, and I nodded. “Love you.”

“Love you more,” I said, then hung up.

I pulled out of the garage and headed toward my house. I lived near the arena, and the traffic was light because it was in the middle of the day. Driving through the city was usually peaceful, but now I was stuck in my thoughts. Kenneth wasn’t taking my complaints seriously, and now Mercy offered me an out. I parked in my driveway, turned off my car, and got out. My neighborhood was quiet except for a few kids riding their bikes up and down the street.

I unlocked my front door but didn’t walk in. My heart slammed into my chest as I stared at the living room filled with flowers. I took my phone from my bag, swiped the screen, and called Mercy back.

“Hello?” she greeted me on the second ring.

“Take the contract,” I said without looking at my screen. “Tell Pyrite that I’m coming with you.”

“Turn around, Legacy,” Mercy said, laughing.

I quickly turned around to see Mercy getting out of a black car. I closed my door, dropped my bag on the porch, and headed toward her. “What are you doing here?”

“I knew you would say yes, so I brought Pyrite to meet you in person,” she said, pulling me into a hug. She pulled back and stared down at me. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I answered with a quick nod. “Just surprised to see you.”

“Well, get used to it,” she said. Her eyes went from me to my house to the car she’d just left. The front doors opened, and two men got out. Both were tall, but that’s where their similarities stopped. The driver was dark brown with an oval face, thick beard, full lips, round nose, dark eyes, head full of waves, and dressed in a suit. I could tell it was custom and expensive as hell. The man who got out of the passenger seat was the one who held my attention. His skin was golden, and he had a square face, goatee, full lips, flat nose, eyes so slanted they barely looked open, and a fresh cut. He wore black slacks, a white button-down, and a vest. His sleeves were rolled up slightly, and I saw tattoos littered with his arms. “Legacy, this is the owner of The Queens, Pyrite Stone, and the team doctor, Aceyn ‘Hood’ Bowlin. They wanted to meet you in person.”

“So, you flew here?” I asked with a laugh, and Mercy shrugged. “A phone call would have been enough.”

“She knew you wouldn’t say no, and I wanted to meet you in person officially and welcome you to The Queens,” Pyrite said with a laugh as he extended his hand. “I’ve already put in word that you’ll be joining the team. Your lawyer and agent already have your contract and are waiting for the go from you.”

On cue, my phone dinged, and I saw a text from my agent telling me to accept the offer. I looked over the highlighted parts, knowing that the offer that Pyrite was offering was more than what Mercy had mentioned. The one thing that stood out was the hired security. I texted my agent, letting her know I was on board.

“Looks like you have two Queens,” I said, putting my phone away.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Pyrite laughed and clapped. “How about we go to dinner to celebrate? Nothing too crazy, something low-key because I know you’ve been in the gym all day and are probably tired.”

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