First Round Lottery Pick by Franklin White

had Tori. Jalen wanted so bad to tell Tori’s mom about what was happening, but we decided not to. If they even knew Toy could tell them something about Tori being missing, they would kill him before we ever got a chance to get her back. We were standing on the court waiting for Toy to show up. Jalen was facing one end; I was looking down at the other. All of a sudden the floodlights were snatched on, and I could see Toy walking toward us with a big-ass smile on his face. As usual he was wearing a silk shirt with dress pants and some Italian leather shoes. Three guys I had never seen before were walking behind him. They had snarls on their faces, but I didn’t care if they wanted beef; they were going to get it.
    Toy and his partners stopped, and Toy was looking me and Jalen over. “My brothers, let this be an example that your agent will never be late to a business meeting. “So how did your workout go today?”
    â€œHow’d you know about it?”
    Toy snickered. “It’s my job to know about it. I heard you had a bit of trouble starting off with your concentration, but then you got it going.”
    â€œIf you knew, why’d you ask? And get over it, ’cause I didn’t come to talk about it.”
    â€œLook, I know this is not how you wanted it to go down, L , but such is life. You goin’ to see a lot of things happen in your life that you didn’t plan.”
    â€œSave all that, man,” I told him. “I’m doing this for one reason, and that’s Tori.”
    Toy reached over to one of his boys and held out his hands. “By the way, these are my new friends from Harlem. They going to be traveling with you during the season.”
    â€œThe hell they are,” Jalen said. “If you didn’t know, that’s my job to make those kind of decisions, and your fake-ass P. Diddy bodyguards need to fall back to Harlem.”
    Toy laughed Jalen off. “Oh, is that how it’s gonna be?
    â€œIt’s already a done deal,” I told him, “so you can get your boys to follow someone else.”
    Toy looked at his goons then at me and reached over and handed me the contract.
    â€œWhere do I sign?”
    â€œLast page,” he said. “You’re not even going to read it?”
    â€œI want Tori back.”
    â€œWell, let me give you a brief rundown. I get thirty percent. I get ten percent the first year, twenty the second, and thirty on the last.”
    â€œThirty?” Jalen questioned.
    â€œYou heard right. You getting more than an agent. You’re getting your fiancée back.”
    â€œI don’t care. I just want her back.”
    Toy tossed me a pen, and Jalen moved in front of me so I could use his back to sign.
    â€œAnd don’t think you gonna sign the contract, find your girl, then fire me. Look at page three. I cannot be fired until my three years expire.”
    Jalen looked back at me. “I know the game, L . I told you that long ago.”
    I threw the contract back at Toy, and it hit the ground. “Where is she, Toy?”
    â€œAt the park on the East side, off Livingston, in an abandoned car.”
    â€œShe alive?”
    â€œMaybe, maybe not,” he said before he picked up the contract. “My deal was to tell you where you could find her.”
    As we took off running for Jalen’s car, I could hear Toy’s voice in the background saying, “Call me later. We have some things we need to talk about—endorsements, the whole kit and caboodle, baby!”

Chapter Thirteen
    Didn’t You Know?
    On a normal day with a chill drive and nothing pressing on the brain, the ride out to Livingston to the park was fifteen to twenty minutes max. But Jalen raised his hood hit the hots, and when it cranked, I stepped on the gas and we were rolling. Jalen didn’t care about stop signs, traffic lights, or anyone who may have been in the street. We were on the real fast and furious to