APRIL 2020

"His fucking kidneys worth two hundred thousand. Nah, don't take the heart, that's chump change. Yeah, take his liver too. Man aight." Saint spoke irritably in his phone, sitting in front of a computer.

"Y'all come back without my shit, I'ma take y'all's. Get the fuck off my phone." He ran his hand down his face, placing the phone back on the receiver.

He didn't understand how it was so hard to follow two simple tasks. Kill the person, take the organs. It was quite straightforward if he did say so himself.

"Two, four, six, eight, ten, uh, sixteen million?" He clicked his teeth, wondering if he should buy the large sum of product on his computer screen.

Normally he stuck to his original plugs, but he felt like the streets needed more from him, so he was currently searching to upgrade his product.

He had to make sure he always had the new and improved drugs, because it would affect his business if he didn't.

He sold drugs all over the east coast, besides Florida. Florida wasn't his territory, and to be a respectful business partner in the game, he never crossed boundaries.

To be successful, you had to know your limits. If you were hot headed and problematic, you wouldn't make many business partners, which means no connects, which amounts to no money.

He stayed on his side, and the other Sovereigns stayed on their sides, and out of his way. Just the way he liked.

Saint leaned back in his seat, drowsily running his hand down his face, tired from the long day. He'd been at his office since eight this morning, and it was pushing four o'clock in the afternoon.

There was a knock on his door, and he removed his hand from his face, granting them permission inside.

"Sorry for bothering you sir. Here's your schedule for tomorrow, you have a meeting around noon with the Spanish conquistador, Miguel, to test his brand new methamphetamine. Check out a development at three, and dinner with the Ross' at six." His assistant, Alayna, sat a stack of papers on his desk.

He groaned, already annoyed with tomorrow and it wasn't even here yet.

"Anything else?" He sarcastically exasperated, making her chuckle, nodding.

"Don't forget to go down to the center before you go home tonight." She added, and he cursed to himself, because he'd forgotten.

"That's it?" He looked up at her, and she nervously nodded once he assertive eyes locked on hers.

"How many bodies we got downstairs?" He stood up, his large figure towering over hers as he buttoned his dress shirt that'd came undone.

"Seventy two, and I think a new load is coming in, I have to check." She responded, and he nodded, grabbing his coat.

"Handle that fa' me. Get them organs bagged up and shipped out, ASAP." He told her, and she nodded, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Yes sir." She verbally responded as she tapped her fingers at her side, shy under his gaze.

"That's what I like to hear. Lock my shit up before you go, and send out the payroll for the department in Jersey." He walked towards his office door, gesturing her out.

"Gotcha. Have a great night." She waved, before walking away, going to do what he said.

He closed his office door, locking it, before walking towards the elevator.

Riding it to the ground floor of the six story building, he yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He pulled his gun from his waist as he exited the elevator, heading towards his car.

His Louis Vuitton loafers silently tapped on the ground, a skill he learned a few years ago. He didn't make a single sound as he walked, finally approaching his car.

Clicking the locks on his blacked out 2020 Cadillac Escalade, he climbed inside, throwing his jacket in his passenger seat, and clicked the push to start button.

His car crunk up, and he backed out of the parking spot, leaving the parking garage, towards the main road.

He slouched in his seat as he drove, unbuttoning the shirt that he wore, pulling it off of his toned body, leaving on his muscle shirt.

He flexed his tense muscles, groaning as they ached, needing a massage bad. He was surprised his body hadn't given out him yet.

He'd been at his office for eight hours, and he had yet to eat anything besides a protein bar that he'd had for breakfast.

He had to do better, or he'd die and take his black ass to hell, in his mother's words. He chuckled, shaking his head at the thought.

After a short drive, he pulled into the parking lot of the local community center, which he'd had built three years ago.

It was a full on recreational area, decked out with three large gyms, a pool, a large park/picnic area, a basketball court, and two chill rooms.

Over five hundred kids visited the community center daily, whether it was because they needed somewhere to go after school, wanted to play around, whatever the case was-they were there.

The community center also had for large rooms in the back, each one containing twenty bunk beds, forty in total in each room. Two rooms for boys, two for girls.

In case the kids had no place to sleep, were abandoned, or runaways, they could come to the center and stay as long as they needed to.

He'd built the center because he didn't want any of the kids to end up the way he did. Deep in the streets, risking your life everyday just to make a way for yourself.

He wanted to keep them protected as long as he could, because if the streets ever got a hold of them, there was no escape routes besides death or locked up. Nobody would be there to save them.

He'd wished somebody had did the same for him as a kid, and maybe he wouldn't be as fucked up ad he figured himself to be.

He'd applied and received his foster parent certification, so everything at the center was legit, and the kids couldn't be taken by the system just because they were living there.

"East!" A bunch of kids screamed from the basketball court, running up to him, making him laugh.

"Wassup? What y'all on?" He dapped a few of the boys up, hugging the girls, all of the kids ranging in age.

"We doing five on five! You'll keep score?" A girl, Kadence, asked, her sisterlocks pulled up into a ponytail.

"Depends. What's it in for me?" He fake frowned, folding his arms.

"We'll sweep the gym later!" A boy, Trayvon, suggested, the other kids agreeing.

"Deal." He chuckled, listening to them cheer in excitement, pulling him to the blacktop court.

He watched the kids play basketball with each other, of course having little to no technique, just throwing the ball around as he fake kept score.

"18 to 19!" He called out a made up score, a smile on his face as he clapped, cheering them on.

"You fake as fuck." One of the local volunteers, Spider, walked up to him, and he chuckled.

"Nigga fuck you. I'm keeping score. The fuck." Saint waved him off, making him laugh.

"They ain't made not one basket. So where you get 18 to 19 from?" Spider asked, and Saint glanced over at him, rolling his eyes as Spider laughed.

"Stop all that fucking hating." Saint chuckled, watching one of the teenagers walk up to him.

"Wassup?" Saint asked, seeing him breathing hard.

"You and Spider tryna go on half court? Real ball, not what they got goin'." Jaden said, making both of them laugh.

"Spider don't want this smoke." Saint shrugged, and he smacked his lips.

"On god I do. Let's go. Talking too much shit." Spider took the ball from Jaden, the three of them jogging to the half of the court where the kids weren't playing.

Within five minutes, Saint had made seven baskets, Spider making none, now breathing hard with his hands on his knees.

"What's that shit you was sayin'?" Saint asked, dribbling the ball around him.

"Lemme catch my breath first bitch." Spider panted, making him laugh.

"He wanna say nigga so bad." Kemari said from the ground, tired from playing against Saint, making Saint laugh again.

"Shut yo bad ass up." Spider waved him off, Saint drinking from a water bottle.

"Pierre." A voice called out, and both men turned their heads.

"I did the girls hair. I'm about to go home." She told him, and Saint scanned his eyes over her frame. He'd never seen her before.

"Who is this?" Saint asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Oh, Saint, this is Mani. Mani, Saint. He owns the center, and she volunteered to do some of the girls hair." Spider fanned himself as he introduced the two of them.

"Nice to meet you." She gave him a quick nod, not paying him any attention, and a small frown etched across his face.

"Ms.Mani!" A few of the younger kids screamed her name, tackling her in hugs, making her laugh.

"Hey y'all. What y'all doin'?" She smiled, returning the hugs.

Saint kept his eyes on her, trailing down her slim thick figure, the biker shorts she wore hugging her thick thighs, a regular tee shirt paired at the top.

She had her long blonde hair tossed up into a messy ponytail, her face free of makeup, wearing individual lashes. She was beautiful.

"Saint ask her pleaseeeee!" Trinity caught his attention, tugging as his slacks, making him snap from the daze he was in.

"Huh?" He confusedly asked, looking down at her.

"Tell Ms.Mani to join the basketball game!" Adin told him, and he looked over, watching Mani laugh.

"Y'all I'm about to go home. I'm tired. I got work in the morning." She smiled, shaking her head at them.

"Come on. One game. I'll double whatever you getting paid tomorrow if you win." Saint suggested, and she chuckled.

"Thank you, but no thank you." She refused the gesture, passing a cooler of drinks to the sweaty kids.

"So you scared? That's cool too." He shrugged, and Spider whistled, seeing Mani tilt her head.

"Ight. What we playing to?" She pushed her hair out of her face, walking on to the court, making the kids cheer.

"First to five shordy." He passed the ball to her, knowing he'd easily win, he just wanted to talk with her for a bit.

"One or two?" She asked, referring to how many points per shot.

"One. Five shots. Ima take it easy on you." He chuckled, pulling his pants up as the two of them stood in front of each other.

"Don't. Right side mine. Your ball, chest pass." She threw the ball at his chest, and he caught it, smirking.

"Aight, you know a lil sum' sum'." He dribbled the ball between his legs, watching her bend over, her hands in front of her in defense.

He fake juked her, dribbling down the court, shooting in the left hoop, gaining his first point as the kids cheered him on, making him laugh.

"Don't cry." He taunted her, and she laughed, shrugging.

She stole the ball, and he let her, putting his hands up, his large frame blocking her smaller one from going down court.

She threw the ball between his legs, double crossing him, and he almost tripped, laughing as she made a shot.

"Don't cry." She mocked him, and he laughed, nodding.

They played for about ten minutes, and surprisingly she kept up with him, both of them now tied at four to four.

"Winning shot. You want ball?" He smirked, and she shrugged. He chest passed it, and she caught it, dribbling it between her legs as he blocked her from passing him.

She faced his side of the court, him behind her, stopping her from making it to her side. She chuckled, pressing her backside against him, and his dick immediately hardened, letting out a low groan from the contact.

She juked him once he was distracted, making him fall, and she ran down the court, making the winning shot.

"That's game!" Spider busted out laughing, clapping loudly along with the kids for Mani, who laughed as well.

"I win." She stood over him, and he smacked his lips, grabbing her hand that was held out, letting her help him from the ground.

"You cheated. You know that." He chuckled, looking down as he towered over her.

"Did I? Or are you just a sore loser?" She tilted her head, and he smiled.

"Yeah, whatever. Y'all go freshen up." He called out to the kids, and Spider took the hint, following the kids back to the main center.

"Mani." He got her attention as she picked up a few pieces of trash from the black top.

"Yes loser?" She turned to face him, and he chuckled.

"I need yo number to Zelle you yo money." He walked to stand in front of her, and she smiled.

"It's cool. I did it for the kids, not for the money." She shrugged, about to walk away, and he grabbed her waist.

"Nah. A bet is a bet. Let me handle that. I'm tryna get your number." His voice rasped, and she pulled his hand from her waist, chuckling.

"No thank you. It was cool playing with you though. Good night Saint." She spoke softly, before walking away, and he stood there, watching her.

He remained there, slightly caught off guard, being rejected for the first time in a long ass time.

- i'm sorry 😖 i know it's black history month and all, but i loves dat white man vinnie 😔🤦🏽‍♂️