“His entire family?”
“All of them,” he slurred as he sat on the floor. Grant’s head dropped, and he stretched his legs out in front of him. “It’ll be a sad day, though.” Grant shrugged. “Sadder than today.”
“Why was today sad, Grant?” I leaned over the counter to look at him. “Huh, Grant, why was today sad?”
“Today was sad because I lost the woman I love,” he said, shaking his head. He lifted his head, narrowed his eyes, and pointed at me. “But you’re right here, though. So, I can’t be too sad.” He smiled and shook his head. “Nah, I can’t be too sad because you’re right here, Yale Forrester.”
Chapter seventeen
Amethyst
“Diara, you pick the players, and I’ll make it work,” Pyrite said to the coach of his WNBA team, the Queens. Diara LaBlanc was brought in a few months ago because the original coach, Laurel, wasn’t cutting it. One thing Pyrite didn’t play around with was making sure whatever he invested his money in turned a profit, and that went for everything. Everyone on his payroll was expendable, and he never hesitated to remind them of it.
“I need a budget,” Diara replied as she dribbled a basketball between her legs. As a Hall of Famer, Olympic Gold medalist, and three-time WNBA champion, there weren’t many people who didn’t know who Diara was or could say they didn’t respect the dedication she had on the court. She was a living legend, and there was no denying it.
“Ain’t no budget,” Pyrite sighed.
I leaned against the wall, crossed my arms, and chuckled lowly. Diara and Pyrite’s friendship was a lot like mine and Yale’s, except for the sexual tension. They legit looked at each other like brother and sister, but respected the fuck out of each other’s position. Diara only came on as a coach because of her friendship with Pyrite and because she needed to escape her previous situation and start fresh.
“It’s always a budget,” she laughed. “Now give it to me so I can give you my list.”
“Nah, tell me your ideal starting five,” Pyrite replied. I knew what he was doing, and so did Diara. Whoever she mentioned, he would make it his mission to have them on the team. Diara was far too important to what he was trying to build to bullshit her.
“DeCorte, Glover,” she stated, and I saw Pyrite’s brow go up in surprise. Diara saw it too because she started laughing. “That look tells me everything I need to know about your budget.”
“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m down with those two with no problems. I’m just surprised you mentioned them first. Usually, people start small and then try to go for the big names.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his slacks and nodded. “I ain’t gonna lie, I want both of them too.”
“Then make it happen.” She stopped dribbling and patted him on the shoulder. “I can build around them with the other names I have in mind. But I won’t give you those until I for sure have those two.”
“Alright,” Pyrite nodded. “Give me a few days, and we will talk again.”
“Okay.” Diara looked around Pyrite at me and gave me a small wave. “Hey, lil brother.”
“Coach,” I greeted her. Pyrite looked over his shoulder at me and lifted his brow in question. “We need to talk, Pyrite.”
“Business or personal?” he questioned, and I smirked instead of answering him. Pyrite nodded, then turned back to Diara. “Get out of here and go spend time with Destyn. I’ll be in contact.” He pulled her into a quick hug, then Diara headed toward the daycare in the arena. “Alright, let’s talk in my office.”
We walked side by side to Pyrite’s office, not saying a word. When we arrived at his office, Pyrite sat behind his desk, and I took one of the empty seats in front of it.
“The beef you have with the Franklins,” I started, and then someone knocked on the office door.
“It’s Hood and Krude,” Pyrite said before I could say something. “Come on!”
The door opened, and Aceyn ‘’ Bowlin walked in with a mug on his face. Genesis “Krude” DeCorte was behind him with a big ass smile on his face. Krude closed the door and then approached us. They dappped me up, reached across the desk to do the same to Pyrite, and then took a seat next to me.
“What’s the word?” Hood asked, looking between me and my brother.
“He was just starting to tell me,” Pyrite said, nodding at me. I wasn’t even surprised to see Hood here. Pyrite didn’t make too many moves without him by his side. Most people thought that because Hood was the team doctor, he had left the street life behind. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Hood lived up to his nickname; the letters behind his real name didn’t mean shit. The surprise guest was Krude. Why he was here was beyond me.
“How do you want to move, Am?” Hood asked, and I knew he was itching to pop off.
“Smart,” I answered with a low laugh. “This shit involves the Franklins, too.”
“Good,” Hood smirked. “I don’t like them niggas either. How many of them do you want to kill tonight?”
“None,” I answered, and they both stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “As much as I want to bring shit to their door, my focus is on the Kilmores. I’m handing the Franklins over to Psalms and letting her have her way.”
“Psalms?” Hood laughed, and I nodded. “She’s bringing Script into it, isn’t she?”
