Page 26 of Keyoni & Sage
“Not what, but who.”
Keyoni’s explanation went over my head. The shit he said sounded like it could have been in a movie. Fascinated, I listened to it all. Drugs. Guns. Murder. DP was involved in it all. But instead of being a fairytale, it was their way of life.
That was when it hit me.
“Wait…you mean like areal lifegang?”
“Nah, a fake one.”
I was lucky enough to group up in an environment where the only real violence I saw was fighting amongst family. And that was mainly between me, my siblings, and cousins, because for some reason growing up, none of us could get along.
“Don’t get sarcastic with me. I’m trying to understand. This is all new to me. I’ve never met anyone in a gang. Apparently they’re all over the building.”
According to Keyoni, there were DPs on every floor.
“Closer than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“In your apartment.”
“Bullshit. It’s only me, Lanique, and…Cauvey,” I said lowly. “He’s in DP?” I asked in surprise.
I would have never guessed.
“One of many,” Keyoni confirmed. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”
Wrong!
I heard him loud and clear.
KEYONI
With Kaiser down, I was given random assignments to do, like making sure nothing went down at a streetball tournament in Highland Park. I’d been to plenty as a spectator, but never asan officer of the law. The task was usually left to rookies or those trying to kiss ass for one reason or another.
It was cool though.
I got to see a lot of familiar faces, both young and old, and even stopped by Mr. Dave’s tent to place a bet.
“You out here for work or pleasure?” the older man asked while I dug into my pocket.
As if the uniform didn’t tell it all…
“Work.” He held his hand out as I passed him my cash. “And if I win, pleasure.”
“In that case…” He grinned. “I hope you win.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I looked past his tent, observing the huge crowd. As usual, Ball is Lyfe tournaments knew how to bring the people out, including scouts looking to fill their rosters. Diamond Falls had lots of ballers ready to shine and the tournaments provided a way for them to be seen and showcase their talent. Exceptional athletes had the opportunity to win scholarships.
It was weird being without Kaiser. I was used to looking at my side and seeing him there. I found myself doing it often, reminded that he was down at home, with my granny acting as his caretaker. She just wanted a reason to come over and watch her stories without the extra noise, since my grandaddy kept his TV loud due to his bad hearing.
Mr. Dave chuckled when I told him I’d be first in line to collect my money as I stepped away to do what the city paid me for. I made my presence known from one side of the park to the other, walking back and forth, looking for anything suspicious. The smokers stayed a respectable distance away, so I left them alone, even though the smell made it obvious what they were doing.
I made my way back to the court as the crowd went wild watching the D-Ville Ballerz show out. Every basket scored came with pure pandemonium.
Several DPs littered the crowd with their signature black and white, blending in amongst the others in attendance. I found Cauvey almost instantly, sitting on the bleachers. His light skin and sandy brown hair gave him away, surrounded on all sides by people more melanated than him. To the left was Lanique, with her arm looped around his. Sage was next to her, following the game back and forth up the court. She looked beautiful as always with her hair pulled back from her face. Usually, she kept it big with her natural curls doing their own thing.
