Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
With his jaws clenched in anger, Kross sat parked outside the nursing home.
When he pulled in, he spotted Amoura’s Jeep Cherokee parked out the front, so he knew she hadn’t clocked out from her ten-hour shift yet.
What he found last night hidden in Aniyis’ closet fucked his mind up completely.
He spent the entire night sitting in Aniyis’ room, gazing at him as he slept.
How could there be any question about whether Aniyis was his son?
Kross remembered vividly the night he fucked Cassie before he got locked up.
They went round for round, and each time, he filled her up with his nut.
They were so wrapped up in emotions, they didn’t even think about the possibility of her getting pregnant.
In any of those moments, he never got the inclination or slightest thought to ever doubt that Aniyis was his.
She was the girl who stayed out the way and was never in the mix.
She wasn’t known by many and never chased clout.
That was what he loved about her the most, so when she told him she was pregnant, he knew he was the only one she was fucking.
He never claimed to be a saint during their six-month relationship before he got locked up.
She caught him with some hoes here and there, but he always strapped up and never gave those hoes the opportunity to trap him with a baby.
The thought of Cassie fucking someone else raw in the time frame that he fucked her raw had his stomach in knots.
She was the only person he could get clear and direct answers from, but she was dead, so he had to go to the person who was the closest to her, and that was Amoura.
His eyes remained glued on the back door of the nursing home as it swung open and a few employees trickled out.
Kross leaned up in his seat and started his car, anticipating Amoura’s exit in her navy-blue scrubs.
After a few more minutes of waiting, he saw her exit the building.
She looked over her shoulder and waved goodbye to a few co-workers before proceeding toward her car.
He took that as his opportunity to snatch her up, so with his foot heavy on the gas, he drifted right in front of her, causing smoke to cloud the air from the friction his tires created on the road.
Almost getting hit by him, Amoura clenched her chest in fear as her heart raced a mile a minute. “Kross, what the fuck?!” she screeched in a panic.
He didn’t give a fuck about her being scared, so he just hit the locks on the car. “Get in,” he ordered.
Sensing his rage, Amoura stood firm on the pavement with her arms folded across her chest. “No! What the fuck?! You almost killed me!”
Kross upped the gun he had resting on his lap and aimed it at her. “Get the fuck in the car now, Amoura!” he snarled with darkness seeping through his eyes.
At this point, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, and her mouth had gone as dry as the Sahara Desert.
Left with no other choice, she fearfully got into the passenger seat of his Maybach.
As soon as the door shut behind her, he drifted onto the main road, leaving nothing behind besides a cloud of smoke and some of Amoura’s employees frazzled by the scene they just witnessed.
Amoura clenched at her seat belt, afraid that Kross would crash due to how fast he was whipping the car.
She was too afraid to utter anything, so she didn’t bother to ask what was going on or where was he taking her.
He maneuvered the car with one hand, switching lane to lane and saying to hell with all the rules of the road.
The other hand was kept wrapped around his gun, ready to blow if Amoura did anything stupid.
After twelve minutes of him driving crazily, Kross snapped his head in her direction, shooting her a lethal look. “Open the glove box,” he instructed her.
“Kross, what?”
“Bitch, shut the fuck up and open the glove box!” he barked at her.
Amoura jumped in fear as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Doing as told, she reached down and opened the glove box.
Inside was a red box, and Kross nodded his head, giving her clearance to pull it out.
Once she had it out, her eyes scanned the front of the box, and instantly, her brows bumped together.
Through clenched teeth, Kross questioned her. “What the fuck is it, Amoura?”
“A DNA test, but what does this have to with anything?” she cried out, now with tears cascading down her rounded face.
“Bitch, stop fucking playing with me! I’ll blow your fucking head off in this car, Amoura!”
“Kross, please!” she implored him. “I don’t know what’s going on!”
Kross rested the gun back on his lap and reached over the center console to snatch the box out of Amoura’s hand.
“I found this in Aniyis’ closet back at the condo!
What the fuck Cassie needed this for?! She ain’t think I was Aniyis’ daddy or something?
!” he rattled out. It was evident that he had lost his clear sense of mind and was spiraling.
Amoura was dealing with a madman, and if she said the wrong things, it could cost her life.
“What?! Kross, I swear to God, I don’t know anything about this! She always told me you were his daddy!” she sobbed uncontrollably.
Kross shifted his eyes from the road ahead of them to her. “So, you ain’t know about this?!”
“No!”
“She wasn’t fucking anybody else that you know of?! And you better not fucking lie, Amoura!”
“No, Kross! I put this on my life! She never dealt with anybody besides you that I know of! That girl loved you!”
After taking a swift left turn, Kross brought the car to an abrupt stop, and Amoura felt like her life was over. He gripped the gun in his hand and tapped it against the steering wheel, having an internal debate with himself to decide whether he should blow Amoura’s head off.
“Get the fuck out!” he roared at her before hitting the locks of the vehicle.
Startled, Amoura jumped out of her seat belt and scrambled out of the car.
She didn’t even realize that he had taken her thirty minutes away from her job, where her car was parked.
His dark tinted window lowered and “Bitch, if you speak any of this to anybody, I’ll leave your fucking brains where your feet at!
” was the last thing he jeered at her. With tears streaming down her face, he left her stranded and sped off onto the main road.
His mind raced with questions and possibilities as he tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
He thought his life was in shambles while dealing with Cassie’s murder.
Little did he know, that was just the beginning.
In his heart, he always felt like Aniyis was his.
Sure, he didn’t inherit many genes from him, but he looked just like his mama, so Kross never questioned it.
Aniyis was his whole world. He had Aniyis’ name tatted across his back.
The thought of Aniyis not being his devastated Kross.
He zoned out for the majority of the ride but came to once he realized his heart led him straight to his mother’s house.
Earlier that morning, he dropped Aniyis off with another bag of clothes and acted as if he hadn’t just discovered a DNA test a few hours prior.
He wasn’t ready for anyone else’s opinions on the situation.
This was something he needed to figure out first before anyone offered their take on it.
Aniyis was still his baby, and he was going to defend and protect him with his life.
He stored the DNA test back in the glove compartment before hopping out. His knocks on the door were answered by Andres, and they greeted each other with a hug. “I ain’t see you when I dropped Niyis off this morning,” Kross told him.
“Oh, one of the families we shelter in our non-profit found housing, so I used the truck to help them move,” Andres explained.
“That’s what’s up, man. What you and Ma doing is big for the community, and I support it,” Kross told him with a proud smile.
“I would love if you came down to the church this Sunday and watched me and your mama preach.” Andres placed his hand on Kross’ shoulder. “Maybe you can even speak. You have a testimony that needs to be heard, son.”
Kross sighed deeply as he shook his head. It had been a while since his mother or stepfather tried to get him to come to church, and he should have known neither of them would just give up that easily.
“Andres, it ain’t much of a testimony ‘cause I’m doing the same shit.”
“Yeah, but God still hasn’t given up on you yet.” Andres remained persistent.
A chuckle drifted out of Kross as he found his persistence amusing. “I appreciate the invite, man. I’ll think about it.”
They left the conversation at that, knowing nothing would come from it if Andres continued to pressure him.
Kross navigated through the home with ease and found Raquel in the backyard with Aniyis.
A wide-stretched smile canvassed Kross’ face upon him seeing Aniyis up and moving around in his forearm crutches.
He had gained back a good bit of his mobility in his legs but still needed to work on his balance and strength, so his physical therapist cleared him to be out of his wheelchair and upgraded to forearm crutches.
After his appointment Raquel took him to, he swore her to secrecy since he wanted to surprise his father with the progress he made.
“C’mon, ‘Niyis! That’s what I’m talking about!” Kross clapped his hands encouragingly, garnering Aniyis’ and Raquel’s attention.
Upon seeing his father, Aniyis’ eyes lit up as he tried his best to speed over to him. “Slow down, baby. You just got them crutches today!” Raquel called after him.