Page 4 of Hood Legacy

“Okay,” I agreed.

“Welcome to The Queens, Point Guard,” Aceyn said.

“Point Guard?” I laughed. “Just call me Legacy.”

Aceyn stared down at me, put his hands in his pocket, shook his head, and then licked his lips. “Nah, I’ma call you Point Guard,” he replied with a finality in his voice that made goosebumps rise on my arms. “The others will call you what you tell them, but not me.”

One year later...

I walked through the tunnels leading from my office to the gym. Today whooped my ass, between seeing both teams for their physicals to the constant ringing of my phone. I was ready to call it a night, but it was only seven. I’d never complain about my job because I loved it but I was tired as hell. Music blasted through the tunnels, and I chuckled; if music played, then Mercy DeCorte or Givens Robbins were putting in work. Mercy’s AAU team had called it a night a little while ago, but that didn’t mean that Mercy was done working out yet.

“You look like I don’t pay you enough,” Pyrite said, coming from his office and heading in my direction. I stopped, adjusted my shorts, and shrugged. His twisted expression dropped, and he chuckled. “Which player pissed you off?”

“None,” I denied with a shake of my head. “Just tired.”

“Then head home,” he replied with a nod. “I pay you to ensure my players are cared for, but that doesn’t mean you should be neglected.”

“Nigga, I don’t need you telling me what I already know,” I laughed. “I’m heading out soon; where are you going?”

“To pick up my payment from Javien,” he answered with a slight smirk. “Nigga been hiding out since he got patched up, but it pays to have friends in high places.”

“Cross found him, didn’t she?” I questioned him, and he nodded. “How much is his payment now?”

“His life,” he humorlessly laughed. “I’ll have a few player's files on your desk in the next few days to fill his spot.”

“St. Thomas is cool with that?” I lifted my brow in question. Xayne St. Thomas had already put a bug in our ear to steer clear of Javien, and if he’d relinquished that hold, then that meant any of us could go after him. Pyrite catching him first was probably his safest bet.

“Xayne called me an hour ago and said he’d give me a two-hour head start over Xoey,” Pyrite answered with a shrug.

“Two hours ain’t shit when it comes to Xoey’s crazy ass,” I said, and Pyrite nodded. There were few niggas I feared on his earth and even less women, but Xoey St. Thomas was on the top of both lists. She was deadly as fuck with an innocent look to her. I’d seen her kill niggas then step over their bodies and ask her daddy to buy her a snack. “You better start moving.”

“I’m headed to my plane now,” he replied.

“Bet.” We dapped up, and Pyrite headed out.

I did a couple of laps around the tunnels to get my blood flowing, and then I headed back to my office to finish the last of my reports. As the team’s doctor, I took a lot of pride in ensuring the players for the Queens and Kings were in top shape. I dropped into the chair behind my desk and leaned back. I had maybe a good two hours left, and then I was heading home.

“Hey, Hood,” my assistant, August, called out as he stood in the doorframe of my office. He was a young nigga, still in high school, but he was also the baby brother of my boy, December. August was hardheaded and needed to get his shit together. Coming here was his last resort, and if December got his hands on his baby brother, I knew he’d never underestimate him again. December had a lot of niggas fooled; they thought because he was going blind that he was a weak nigga. It was the furthest thing from the truth.

“You had a visitor while you were gone.”

“Who?” I sat back in my head and swayed from side to side. I let very few people into my office, and everyone knew it.

“Faylin,” he answered with a smile, and I shook my head. August's nose was wide open for my niece, and he had no idea how much more danger he’d put himself into. The streets didn’t have shit on what would rain down on him for stepping to Faylin. “She was with Legacy.”

I sat forward, resting my elbows on my desk, and tented my hands in front of my mouth. Legacy Glover held my attention more than anyone else I’d ever encountered; she didn’t fuck with a nigga like that, though. She told me straight out that I was not her speed, and no lie, it had my ass stuck for a few days. Then, it was like a flipped switch, and I wanted her even more.

“Look at your light skin ass smiling,” August laughed, and I grilled him. “You got it bad for that girl. She is fine and can hoop, but you know how females are. They want the weak niggas. Not the grown men.”

“Watch your mouth, lil nigga,” I said, standing. August squared his shoulders, and I let out a humorless laugh. December was going to have to plan his brother’s funeral soon if he thought for one second, he was going to step to me like a grown-ass man. “That is one I’ll go to war over.”

“She ain’t even looking your way,” August said, waving me off. “She is dating that teacher.”

“What teacher?” I questioned him, and he smirked. From what I could tell, Legacy wasn’t in a relationship or paying any niggas attention. She was focused on coaching her AAU team and preparing for her upcoming season. “What teacher, August?”

“The brown nigga that comes in with the twins on her team.” He shrugged, and my mind returned to the players on her team and their parents. I knew who the twins were, but from what I’d seen, their Mama always dropped them off. “I saw him around the last two weeks when I was waiting on Faylin to finish so we could hoop.”

“What you know?” I sat and ran my tongue over my teeth. August smiled, and I kissed my teeth. “You tell me what you know, or I call Givens and Mercy up here and tell them that you’re sniffing behind their about-to-be sixteen-year-old daughter, and you just turned eighteen last week.”

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