Page 1 of Kove and Xiah

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 wantfrom 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.