4. Mercy
MERCY
“Let’s go!” I jumped to my feet and cheered on Deuce.
I’d been coaching the boys for the last few weeks, and their hard work was starting to pay off.
They were faster, steady on their feet, confident in their moves and abilities, and most importantly, they enjoyed the game.
Deuce jogged backward from the free throw line, pumping his arms, and I smirked.
Judah passed him and patted his chest, and then they both got into their defensive stance, ready to put in the work to score again.
“Sit they cocky asses down!” somebody yelled behind us.
I turned around, ready to go the fuck off on whoever was in their feelings.
My eyes landed on a man sitting behind me, looking mad as hell.
I chuckled and shook my head; I could tell he was one of those parents that bitched during kids’ games, acting over the top for no reason.
“They little asses don’t even need to be out there.
As soon as one of them boys block they shit, they gonna be crying to their mamas! ”
“Ay, now watch your mouth,” I said. He stared down at me as if I wasn’t shit which only pissed me off. “They are kids, let them have fun.”
“Then get them little niggas off the court, they what, five? This is for eight-year-olds,” the man said, grilling me. “My boy having to play soft cuz of them little niggas.”
“Nah, your boy playing soft cuz this ain’t his game,” I replied, shaking my head. “Check their resume before you start talking shit.”
“Oh, so you fucked their way onto the team?” How he came to that conclusion was beyond me but the accusation had me hot. “Got it.”
“Fucked their way onto the team?” I reared back as if I had been hit.
You could hear a pin drop on how quiet the small gym got from his insult.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone start moving back, and I ran my tongue over my teeth.
My temper was not going to get the best of me today; I’d spent too much time in anger management and therapy to let this punk-ass nigga take me there.
“That’s what my man said,” the woman beside him said. I grilled her and then smiled; anger management was not going to work today. “If you fucked their way onto the team, just let it be known.”
I dropped my shoulders and let out a small laugh.
Fuck this shit; if this bitch wanted smoke, then she could have it.
I made my way up the bleacher steps, but just before I could snatch her up, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me back.
“Chill the fuck out,” Givens’ deep voice said into my ear.
“You not really about that life like that, DeCorte.”
“Let me go,” I replied, not taking my eyes off the woman. Givens chuckled lowly, and I felt my feet come off the ground as he moved us back.
“Clear the fuckin’ gym out!” Givens yelled instead of responding to me.
He put me on my feet once we got to the bottom of the bleachers but didn’t let me go.
A group of men came and started escorting people out.
They got to the two people at the top of the bleachers, and Givens shook his head.
“Nah, leave them where the fuck they are.”
Once the gym was cleared and the kids were in the back, Givens let me go, and instantly, I missed the warmth of his embrace. He stepped around me but didn’t block my view of the couple.
I looked around to make sure Deuce and Judah weren’t around. The last thing I needed was to explain to their parents that some shit popped off before they got here, and I didn’t get their kids away from the situation.
“The kids got sent to the back, yo shorty cool,” Givens said without looking at me.
“He's probably in there raising hell, though. I got a feeling that’s a family trait.” He signaled for the couple to be brought down to our level, then stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Givens had a reputation as a bad boy who couldn’t control his temper, but how he dealt with this situation made me think otherwise.
“I don’t need you handling this for me,” I said as I moved to stand beside him. Givens looked over at me, smirked, then licked his lips. Usually, I was either at eye level or looked down at a man, so standing next to Givens was different, and I liked it.
“DeCorte, why do you think you about that life?” he asked as his eyes roamed over my body. “You just a pretty face that can hoop her ass off.”
“Don’t let the face fool you,” I replied.
The couple was brought down. The woman stood next to the man, and I could tell by the glint in his eyes that he thought this shit was about to be something it wasn’t.
Givens was known for his short temper, but I wasn’t, and that was because I had better lawyers than he did.
“DeCorte,” he chuckled as he said my name. “You know you funny as hell, right? You the comedian of the family?”
“No, that’s my cousin, Krude,” I said, approaching the woman.
I hit her in the face without giving her a chance to figure out what was going on.
Her head snapped back, and blood started flowing from her nose.
The woman stumbled back, and I went to work, hitting her with everything that I had.
Her nigga wrote a check that her ass couldn’t cash.
When she hit the ground, I dropped onto her chest and continued working her over.
The only sounds that I could hear were my fists hitting her face and the back of her head hitting the ground.
“Alright, chill,” Givens chuckled as he picked me up. My back was against his chest, and I could feel the vibrations. “You ain’t gonna prove shit to me.”
“Put me down,” I grunted.
“Or what?” he said into my ear. His cool, minty breath made the hair on my neck stand up. “You got your aggression out, but you better remember I ain’t them niggas. I’m a grown-ass man on and off the court.”
“I didn’t ask for your resume,” I said as he lowered me. I wasn’t mad anymore, which was a surprise to me. Generally, I was so amped up after a fight that it would take me hours to calm down.
“Good thing I didn’t give it to you,” he replied. We stood there, my back against his front and his arm wrapped around my waist. “You got me out here fighting and shit.”
“I don’t have you doing anything,” I laughed as I stared down at the couple lying on the ground beside each other.
I was so focused on beating her ass that I didn’t even think about her man or what would happen to him.
From how he was laid out, it looked like Givens had taken care of him with no problems. I ran my fingers over his knuckles, noticing only then that they were a little scraped up and bloody. “I could’ve handled him, too.”
Givens quickly turned me around and stared down at me with anger in his eyes. “What the fuck I look like letting you fight a nigga, and I’m right here?” He licked his lips and grilled me. “Even if I wasn’t here, that shit wouldn’t fly, don’t fucking play with me, DeCorte.”
“As you can see, I can fight.” I nodded in the direction of the woman lying on the ground. “I grew up fighting-“
“I don’t give a fuck how you grew up,” he interrupted me. “Ain’t no fuckin’ way I could lay my head on my pillow at night, knowing you out here fighting niggas.” He shook his head.
The gym door opened, and I looked up to see my cousins walking in.
Ex led the way, with Paxton at his side, looking like they were about to fuck some shit up.
Judge and Sasha weren’t too far behind them, looking like a walking sex billboard.
Krude and Megan were next; Krude had baby Praise strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.
The sisters, Corinthians and Psalms were behind them, and I groaned.
Corinthians did not play about Judah, and having to explain this to her was going to piss her the fuck off.
“They yo people, right?” Givens asked, and I nodded. “Where yo boy’s daddy at?”
“What?” I laughed and turned to face him.
“The little boy at Cool’s with you and on the court.” Givens shrugged. “I don’t remember ever hearing about you having a kid, but I respect that you keep him out of the light.”
“He’s my cousin,” I laughed. The sound of the opening doors made me look over to see Cross come into the gym with Nine, and I rubbed my hand down my face. “And his mama is going to be pissed. Shit, both the boys’ mamas are.”
“Which one is his mama?” Givens said as the rest of the Numbers filled the gym. Zero with Nova, followed by Six and December, then Four, who stood next to Corinthians. I don’t know what they were doing, nor was it my business, but I couldn’t help but be curious.
“Where is my baby, Mercy?” Cross said as she stepped over the couple. Even though she looked calm, I knew from how her eyes bounced around that her temper was about to flare.
“He’s safe,” Givens said before I could respond. “We had a little situation that needed to be handled, but I made sure they were out of here before anything went down.”
“I know,” Cross said. She placed her hand on her stomach and nodded. “Deuce called me just as we were pulling up.” She turned to me and smirked. “He said Mercy’s boyfriend had the team go into the locker room, but he and Judah weren’t scared.”
“Because they were safe,” Givens reassured her. “I have three of my security team with them. Nobody was coming in there.”
“For your sake, I would hope not,” Cross said, mugging him. Just that quick, her demeanor went from calm to killer. “It would be a shame for me to end your career before you were ready.”
Givens smiled at Cross, and all I could do was laugh. He had no idea how close he was to losing his life, but he stood there smiling at her as if she’d told him he was going to win a big prize.
“Did you just threaten me?” His brows lifted in surprise before he laughed. “Like, legit threatened my life.”
“Yes,” all my cousins said and nodded.
“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Cross said, then patted him on the chest. “But I’ll be honest, it's not me you have to worry about.” She turned and pointed to Corinthians, who was watching us closely.
“It's her; I keep trying to tell people I’m the nice one, but no one ever believes me until it's too late.” She shrugged and shook her head.
“Anyway, let me go find my son; knowing him and Judah, they are probably giving your security team a run for their money.” Cross walked away, shaking her head, and all I could do was watch her.
“She legit threatened me?” Givens turned to face me, and I nodded. “But she little as fuck. What can she do?”
“Her favorite weapon is an axe,” I replied, and Givens’ face twisted in confusion. “And her husband is Mecca Strong.” Givens shrugged, but I knew from the way his brows lifted that he knew Mecca’s reputation.
“Say less,” Givens replied with a chuckle. “I don’t even want to know what she’s capable of.”
“She ain’t playing when she said she was the nice one,” Krude said, coming to stand next to me. He threw his arm over my shoulder and then kissed my forehead. “Now, Givens Robbins, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to DeCorte,” Givens said, looking at me.
“For what?” Krude questioned.
“My daughter wants to be on her youth team,” he answered, and I nodded.
The last few days, Faylin had worked her ass off at camp to prove what he said.
She was good, damn good, and I would love to coach her.
I hadn’t announced my roster yet, but Faylin was on it.
“Look, I know I owe you for allowing her to stay even though she wasn’t originally on the sign-up list, and I plan to do just that. ”
“How?” I questioned. I knew Faylin’s name wasn’t on the list when I first met her. The camp had limited spots and filled up quickly; most of the girls couldn’t afford the camp fee, so Legacy and I covered the expenses. Doing so taught me every girl's name, and Faylin Robbins' name was never listed.
“A date,” Givens said, and Krude laughed. “We can talk about what you’ll need for your team; I’ll cover the jerseys, shoes, and anything else the girls will need.”
“And all it will cost me is a date?” I lifted my brow in question, and Givens nodded. I didn’t believe him, but I wouldn’t turn down a free meal and the chance to see him again. “Pick a date and time.”
“Givens!” Cross yelled as she came back into the gym. “Why the fuck did my baby just tell me you pulled out a gun and pointed it at his coach?”
“Cuz that nigga didn’t listen when I said get the kids to the back,” Givens answered and shrugged. “I told you I wasn’t playing about their lives, and I meant that shit.”
“Oh, shit, we got another light skin nigga that’s about that life,” Krude laughed. “Nigga with the gray eyes, you better watch out; this nigga gives me hood vibes.” He looked over at Nine and the rest of the numbers and smirked. “You silver spoon niggas don’t know nothing about that.”
Baby Praise started to whine, and Krude quickly patted her back and soothed her. Seeing him serious and attentive with her was dope as hell to witness. Krude had grown up in the last few months when it came to being a father and husband, even if he was still a big-ass kid with everything else.