“If you’re done beating up on Jenny Craig rejects, I might be able to show you a thing or two.” Jah tossed up a jump shot almost identical to Paul’s, which fell through the hoop.

Paul smiled lovingly at his little brother. “So the student thinks he can challenge the teacher?”

“Only one way to find out,” Jah answered, pulling his T-shirt off. “Me and my dude against you and Fat Boy.”

“Watch you mouth,” Larry warned him.

Jah winked. “You know it’s said in love.”

Paul watched the miniature version of himself disrobe in preparation of the matchup. He happened to glance down at the sagging waistline of Jah’s shorts and noticed he had a gun holstered to his belt. “Don’t you think that might weigh you down.” Paul nodded at the nine.

“Call it a handicap.” Jah adjusted his belt, but didn’t bother to remove the gun. “We’ll even let y’all have the ball first.”

Paul stood behind the foul line, pressing the ball between his palms. He tried staring into his brother’s eyes, but found that he had to turn away after a while. Though he and his brother were thick as thieves, he knew there were two sides to the young man. There was darkness in him, passed down from their father, that had skipped over Paul. The same darkness, Paul remembered, that had frightened him when he looked into his stepfather’s eyes as a child.

He and Jah had the same mother, but different fathers. Jah’s father was a rude boy named Prince, who had terrorized the neighborhood back in the late eighties, early nineties. Prince was a Jamaican cat who had snuck into the states to flee prosecution for the murder of two tourists, which he had committed in his native town of Kingston. Immediately after arriving in America, he took it to the streets. He was a notorious stickup kid and murderer who would bring it to anyone. Big or small, if Prince thought you were holding, he would put that iron to you. It was this same trigger-happy attitude that had gotten him murdered eight years prior. Jah had never really gotten to know his father, but they harbored the same evil in their hearts. Paul had heard stories about some of the gruesome deeds his brother had committed in the streets, but he loved him the same as he did when they were kids.

Jah was caught off guard by the speed his brother used passing the ball to Larry. The big man bypassed Jah’s partner and put the ball in the hoop. The next time out, Paul hit Larry, who hit him right back. Before Jah could get his footing, Paul had scored. Underestimating Jah, Paul tried the pass again. This time Jah picked it off and hit his partner for the easy layup.