Kove and Xiah (D-Ville Projects)

Chapter 1

Kove Vaughn

“Nah fuck that. I’m not leaving. Ain’t nobody gonna do shit to me.”

I glared at my brother, chest heaving and fists clenched to prevent myself from swinging on this muthafucker. Yoel was trying to son me. I wasn’t having that shit. Regardless of what everyone believed, the minute DP was inked on my skin, I was gang for life.

Loyalty to that ink was what made me pull the trigger. I wasn’t a bitch, so whatever consequences were tied to that decision, I was going to stand on them.

“Aight, you gang, be fucking gang then. Let me run this shit down on how this goes.”

He got in my face. His chest touched mine and his eyes narrowed. “Where’s the gun, Kove?”

The gun I’d taken a life with…

I gritted my teeth and my jaw flexed. He had it.

“First rule of survival, no loose ends. Don’t leave shit that can get you caught up.”

“You gon’ turn me in?”

“Maybe I should.” His tone was hard.

“That’s cool. Do what you gotta do.” I shrugged. There was no way my brother would set me up for a body.

He snorted and shook his head. “You’re right, I need to do what I gotta do. I fucked that up. You never should have been in this position. If it weren’t for me, we would be celebrating your wins, Kove. Instead you got a body on you. I own that shit but this is me making it right.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You ain’t DP, nigga.”

I angled my head to the side and tapped the letters on my neck with two fingers. “This says I am.”

“That ink don’t mean shit when it comes to your freedom but this does.

” He held up his arm, exposing the tattoo that mirrored the one on mine.

Blood of my blood. “Sign the gotdamn contract, Kove. You need to get the fuck up out of here. You got one body on you and I refuse to let you get another, or worse, end up doing a bid.”

“They don’t have shit. I’m not doing a bid and I’m not fucking leaving.”

“They got a witness that saw this.” He grabbed my arm and yanked it into view before he let it go. “All they gotta do is ask the right questions and that shit could lead them right to you.”

“That isn’t gonna happen.”

“It might and I can’t have that on my conscience, Kove.”

“It’s not your decision to make.”

He laughed arrogantly, crossed the room, and dropped onto the sofa. After he lifted a blunt and fired up, he took a long drag and looked me right in the eyes, releasing a cloud of smoke from his lips. “Sign the contract or I’m taking the charge.”

“The fuck you mean?”

“I’m giving you an out. I’m making this shit right. You’re going to play overseas for a few years, get your weight up, then you can come back and demand whatever numbers you want from any team in the gotdamn country. It might not be the Royals but you’ll be on the court.”

“You think I give a fuck about that?”

“Nah, I know you don’t, but I do. I also refuse to let you get caught up in the same bullshit I’m in. Sign the contract.”

“No.”

I didn’t give a damn about balling. Not enough to be overseas. This was my life, DP was my family.

“Then I’m doing time for a body you dropped.

” He shrugged, pulled from the blunt, and looked me in my eyes.

“I have the gun, Kove. We have the same ink. You either sign that contract or I’m walking my ass right up in the precinct with a story about an East Street nigga who caught a hot one a week ago.

I’ll also hand over the gun I used to do it. ”

“Get the fuck out of here.” I waved him off because there was no way he would take it that far.

“This ain’t your life, Kove. God blessed you with talent that other niggas would sell their souls for. I’m not gonna let you fuck that up. If that square ass muthafucker doesn’t hit my line in the morning letting me know you signed the contract, on gang, I’m pulling up to the precinct.”

“So it’s fuck what I want?”

He lifted from the sofa and walked to the door.

“You don’t know what you want, and until you do, I’m making the decision for you. Sign the muthafuckin’ contract.”

A few seconds later the door slammed and I knew my brother well enough to know he wasn’t just talking shit. He also knew I was gonna sign the contract, because just like he couldn’t have me throwing away my future on his conscience, I would never have him throwing away his freedom on mine…

The sound of my alarm pulled me from the dream that had been on rotation since I signed with the Royals three days ago. I tapped the screen to shut it off then scrolled the text notifications behind it.

Sovoya: Secured a realtor.

Sovoya: She’ll arrive at The Metropolitan to get you at 9:00. There are eight properties on the list for you to view.

Sovoya: Pick one. TODAY! I need you settled before preseason begins.

I locked my device and tossed it beside me.

My hand jerked down my face before I sat up and moved my legs to the side of the bed.

I had only been back in The States for three days.

Within two days, I met with Sovoya Lanier, my new agent, who had me sitting in front of the Royals General Manager Genesis Whitaker and their head coach Timothy Bryant less than an hour after I stepped off the plane.

An eighteen-hour flight I still hadn’t completely recovered from.

By eight that night, I was sitting at Diablo’s with my new publicist, Vanessa Price from Pinnacle PR, who talked nonstop about press runs and statements that needed to be handled in the upcoming weeks about my new commitment to the Royals. I was fucking exhausted.

Today I was supposed to be locking down a place in Crescent Falls after Sovoya’s head almost exploded when I mentioned chilling at my childhood home in Diamond Falls until I found something.

This was going to be another long fucking day.

I scratched my scalp and knew the first stop I made when I hit DF would be Fadez to get an edge up. Second stop would be my brother’s crib.

I hadn’t seen Yoel in almost three years but I was for sure pulling up later today after I handled business.

The ink was barely dry on my contract so he had no idea that thanks to him I was making thirteen point four million over the next two years, and if I contributed to securing another championship, I was guaranteed twice that much a year for the following three.

The best thing I could have ever done was spend the last two and a half years balling overseas.

I proved my value and kept my nose clean, which had never been my plan.

Yoel didn’t give me a choice. At the time, I couldn’t respect the decision he forced on me but maturity gave me the insight to accept that the decision was made from love.

He wanted more for me than I wanted for myself, but being young and ego driven, I didn’t have the ability to appreciate that my brother was saving my life.

I lifted from the bed and walked to the bathroom, taking a piss with my head back and eyes closed, trying to mentally prepare myself for the day.

There was no way in hell I was viewing eight houses, so the first one that looked halfway decent I would cop.

It wasn’t that deep. Long as I had a roof over my head and a comfortable bed large enough to accommodate my body, then I was good for a minute.

My focus was on my team obligations so I could find my rhythm for the upcoming season.

For the past two and half years, my life had been centered around basketball.

Dubai was cool but it wasn’t home. The people weren’t my family and the women were temporary.

There wasn’t much else for me to do but form a love for the talent God blessed me with.

Eat, sleep, train, ball. That was my life and the dedication paid off.

After two championships overseas, I had offers out the ass.

One from my current team, the Crown Dubai, and several in The States, but there was only one that mattered.

A spot on the Royals roster meant I would be home.

Close to my city, but more importantly, back with family.

No amount of money would change my mind about what team I was balling for, so when Sovoya attempted to present other options, I shut the conversation down and told her to get me in a Royals jersey or she wouldn’t be my agent.

After a long, hot shower my mood still hadn’t changed and I prayed this realtor could show me houses providing limited interaction.

In fact, she could just pull up, let me in to view it, and keep her damn mouth shut.

Between my agent, publicist, and the team’s general manager, I was over hearing a woman’s voice telling me what was needed or required of me.

I dressed in sweats and a hoodie, which I tossed over my head, pushed my wireless headphones into my ears, and started the mix tape that Aso dropped at midnight but I was too fucking exhausted to listen to.

By eight forty-five, I stepped off the elevator and crossed the lobby fully prepared to fold my body into one of the leather armchairs that offered a view of the entrance to The Metropolitan but laid eyes on a pretty ass caramel beauty who had to be my realtor.

She was in wide legged jeans, a white shirt, blazer, and heels.

Her hair was in long ass braids twisted down the side of her head and dropped over her right shoulder.

She had thick, clear-framed glasses that looked too big for her heart-shaped face but they worked.

She pulled off the sophisticated, nerdy look.

She stood far enough inside the lobby that she didn’t set off the automatic doors.

The gold-plated name tag pinned to her blazer and the way she moved her eyes from face to face proved my intuition was right.

This was my realtor and she was looking for me.

My suspicions were confirmed when her gaze drifted in my direction and a smile eased onto her face.

She straightened her shoulders and those heels created a rhythm on the marble floor as she approached and extended a hand.

Her mouth was moving but I had no idea what the hell she said because a track from Aso featuring Krist called “Fuck Away Her Feelings” was blasting in my ears.

A smirk shifted onto my face because the lyrics were about sexing a woman so thoroughly that making her cum overrode emotional feelings and the only commitment she was interested in was a physical one.

When I tossed my chin and started toward the entrance, she frowned right before I bypassed her then her little ass hand yanked at the sleeve of my hoodie. I dropped my eyes to hers and them pretty ass lips were moving again but this time I yanked one of my earbuds out to see what she said.

“Mr. Vaughn.”

“Yeah but Kove is good.”

“I’m Xiah Perry and—”

“I figured.”

I moved to put my earbud back in but paused when she rolled her eyes and mumbled something.

“I missed that.”

“I said, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. Shall we?”

I chuckled because that damn sure wasn’t what the fuck she said but I was gonna let her live. I pushed my earbud back in place and followed her outside. When I noticed her heading to a little ass BMW, one of them electric shits ,I frowned and paused my trek.

“That’s your ride.”

“Yes, why?”

“I can’t fit in that baby ass shit.”

She looked me over from head to toe and shrugged. “You’ll fit. You just have to push the seat back.” She marched to the toy and was about to open the door but I reached around her and grabbed the handle.

“Chill, man. I have manners and you damn sure ain’t opening doors for me.” I ground out and nudged her out of the way before I rounded her little ass car to the driver’s side, where I opened the door and pointed to it. “Get in.”

She rolled her eyes but did as I asked, yanking the door closed before I could handle it myself.

I shook my head and moved to the passenger side, praying the first house we pulled up to was decent enough because I damn sure wasn’t going to survive viewing eight properties with her little mean ass.