Their boss, who wouldn’t take a white boy on in hoops? Rather shoot his ass? Yeah, that’s real easy. See, you already let him get the jump on you. And you may try to sound all cool and everything, but you’re the one on your knees with another man making the decision whether you live or die. He could kill you right now. But he didn’t. What he’s offered you is respect. A way to settle this, man to man.”
Psycho’s superior manner slowly faded as he eyed his troops one by one. None of them would fully meet his gaze.
“So what’s it gonna be?” said Mace.
“Play to eleven, a point a hoop and win by two,” snarled Psycho. “Meaning I win by two. Now you let go of my neck so I can kick your ass.”
Roy slowly released the man and Psycho stood, carefully wiping off the knees of his jeans. He looked Roy up and down. “Do you even know how to play ball?”
“A little.”
“A little don’t cut it, around here.”
“We can flip a coin to see who gets the ball first.”
“Oh, you can have it first. Be the only time you get the damn ball. Oh, and here’s one more thing to keep in mind. You win, you both walk. I win, you’re both dead.”
CHAPTER 61
PSYCHO STOLE the ball from Roy by burying a shoulder in his gut and knocking him down before dunking and scoring the first point. He walked back over to Roy, who was slowly getting to his feet. Psycho kicked him hard in the shin.
“That’s one.”
“That was also a foul,” said Roy.
“Ain’t no fouls on this court. Just man to man.”
“Your ball.”
Roy had played against every competition imaginable both on the college basketball court and on the streets. Most guys had one signature move, the best two, the very best three. He let Psycho drive past him and score, taking an elbow shot to the thigh.
That was one move, Roy thought to himself.
Psycho scored again, using a different move.
That was two moves.
He glanced over at Mace, who was staring at him anxiously. He gave her a quick wink and then went back on defense, setting his butt low, his feet and hands spread wide.
Psycho drove again and scored using his first move. Or he would have if Roy hadn’t stuffed the ball so hard it knocked Psycho flat on his back on the asphalt.
“My ball,” said Roy as he snagged it and dribbled it back and forth between his legs without even looking down.
As Psycho started to guard him, Roy backed up and banked a twenty-footer.
“That’s one,” said Roy.
A minute later a reverse dunk and then a twenty-foot fader by Roy tied it.
“Three-three.”
Five minutes later, and despite Psycho fouling him brutally at every opportunity, Roy was up by six and his opponent was bent over clutching a stitch in his side while Roy wasn’t even sweating.
With a perfectly executed crossover dribble that had Psycho frantically backpedaling and then falling on his ass, Roy drove past him and slammed the shot home.
“That’s ten,” announced Roy. “One more to go.”
He took the ball and bounced it back and forth between his legs while he studied his staggered opponent. Psycho was humiliated, tired, and pissed. Roy could at least let the guy make it respectable.
Screw that.
He dribbled backward and stopped, set up, and nailed a twenty-five-footer. The ball didn’t even touch the metal rim as it dropped through.
The ball bounced on the asphalt and came to a stop against the post.
“That’s eleven. You lose. We walk.” He headed over to Mace.
Psycho lunged forward and grabbed a gun from one of his men. Breathing hard, he pointed it at Roy’s back.
Roy turned around. “Is there an issue?”
Wiping the sweat from his eyes Psycho said, “Where’d you learn to play ball like that?”
“On a court just like this.”
“You lied to me. You said you knew how to play just a little.”
“Everything’s relative. You might not be as good as you think you are.”
Psycho cocked the pistol’s hammer back.
Mace pulled free from the two men holding her and moved between Roy and the gun. “Everybody here heard you set the rules. He wins, we walk. Your words.”
Psycho eyed his crew and then looked back at Mace. The gun came down one inch at a time.
“Get your asses outta here. Now!”
“Just so we’re clear, this is not a cop thing. We’re with Social. We just came here to help Alisha get a better life, for her and her son. Don’t make