Chapter 13 Trooper
Trooper
Iwatched as they escorted Story into the visiting room. He smiled as soon as he noticed I was waiting, but his expression quickly dropped when he checked out mine.
“What’s wrong, Trooper?” Story asked after I stood and hugged him then returned to my seat.
“I need to ask you something.” I searched his face, now filled with concern.
“Okay, ask,” he stated calmly, interlocking both hands and placing them in front of him on the table.
“Do you know William Prescott?”
I saw it on his face even before he opened his mouth and lied to me. “No, why?”
“Story, you’ve never lied to me before, so don’t start now. How do you know him and his wife?”
Story lifted one hand, moving it across his head and down his face before he looked at me again.
“Are they fucking with you?”
“No, just tell me what I need to know.” I didn’t have time for bullshit. Something was up and I wanted answers.
He exhaled and looked my way again. “Do you remember me telling you about Buck?”
“Dude that put you on?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s dead, right? So what does that have to do with Sophie’s parents?”
“Sophie? You know Sophie?”
“Yeah, so tell me what the fuck is up, Story.”
“Buck is Sophie’s grandfather and Sophie is my daughter.”
“Your daughter? The fuck you mean your daughter?”
“Exactly what I said, she’s my kid. She don’t know it and I’ve never even had a conversation with her, but she’s my daughter.”
“So you were fucking Alana Prescott? Now this shit makes sense. I knew she looked familiar.”
“She was Alana Buchannan back then and what makes sense? What are you talking about?” Story asked.
“I’m with Sophie. William doesn’t like that I am. He told his wife to keep me away from Sophie before she ended up just like her, only Sophie wouldn’t have anyone to save her like the mom did.”
“So she knows who you are?”
“Yeah, she does, but what does that mean?” I asked. I needed more pieces to this fucked up puzzle.
“When I was coming up, Buck had one rule, don’t fuck with his kid.
I took that to heart until I met her. Alana was…
shit, you’ve seen her.” He smiled. “But anyway, things happened and we got serious. Buck eventually was okay with it, but then she up and left my ass. I was in the streets and she wanted more than that. She went to college and met William’s bitch ass.
Long story short, they got married, but she was still fucking with me.
That’s how Sophie happened. I didn’t know she was mine.
Me and Alana fucked around until Sophie was about sixteen years old, when I found out she was mine.
When her husband ran up on me, threatening to take my freedom, Alana told me so I wouldn’t kill him.
She knew I wouldn’t hurt Sophie like that if I knew she was mine. ”
“I was eighteen, so that’s when you put me on. That’s why I’ve seen her before. She came around when I was there.”
“Yeah, a few times, but William followed her enough and figured things out. That’s how I ended up here.”
“Wait. So he set you up?”
Story looked at me and nodded.
“Muthafucker. I’ll handle that, trust.”
“Don’t. There ain’t shit you can do about it. I’ve caught two bodies since I’ve been here. I ain’t getting out and it will hurt Sophie more than it will hurt him. I’m not going to do that to her.”
“So, that’s it?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Alana made her choice.
Sophie is mine, but she belongs to him. I only agreed so he wouldn’t fuck with you.
That was the deal. Leave you alone and I’d never tell Sophie the truth.
It was either me or both of us and I wasn’t having that.
That’s why I wanted you to make fast money, take your ass to college, and get out.
He couldn’t fuck with you if you weren’t in the game.
I didn’t trust him. I still don’t, but he can’t touch you now, so it doesn’t matter. ”
I just stared at him. I had murder on my mind and Story saw that.
“Trooper, leave it alone. What’s done is done. It won’t change shit.”
“You gave up Sophie for me?”
He chuckled. “I guess I did. I wasn’t about to let my fuck ups affect your life or hers, and now you’re with her. Ain’t that some shit? You better be good to her, Troop.”
“Come on, Story, you know me.”
“Yeah, I do, which is why I’m telling you that you better be good to my daughter.”
I nodded and got quiet.
“She would want to know.”
“She doesn’t need to know. I can’t do shit for her from here. It’s pointless. She’s happy, just make sure she stays that way. That’s all I ask. And fuck William. You’re clean, right?”
“Yeah, I’m clean. He can’t do shit to me.”
“Then don’t worry about it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Trooper, let it go. It is that simple.”
“How the fuck you expect me to look at her every day with a secret like that? She deserves to know.”
Story searched my face for a minute before he smiled. “You remember when you first met me? I caught you stealing from one of my guys in that alley on ninth.”
I smirked and looked right at him. “Hell yeah. You beat my ass for like an hour, then handed me a package and told me to deliver it. You said I’d better not fuck it up or you’d shoot me right between the eyes.”
Story laughed. “Damn, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“Fuck yeah it was.”
“But you took it like a man and did what I asked. In a few months, you knew more about my business than people who were with me for years. You worked hard and were always about your business. I watched you blow through women like a sport and told you it was because you didn’t understand what it meant to have feelings or be in love. ”
“Shit, I still don’t, so what’s your point?”
“My point is things are different now. You might not know love, but you care about her. I see it in your eyes and your expression when you’re talking about her.
She’s my baby girl, Trooper. I never once held her in my arms or heard her voice, but that don’t mean I love her any less.
Take care of her for me. Make her happy.
I trust you to do that because I know you care about her. ”
I laughed and looked him in his eyes, but he was dead ass serious. “I got you, Story. She’s good, I’ll make sure of that,” I said, getting serious.
“Aight, bet. Now tell me what else is new. I haven’t seen you in months. I miss you.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been busy. I’ll do better, though.”
“Nah, I don’t want you here. You need to live.”
I agreed because he wouldn’t have it any other way. Story was my family; he was all I had. So if he asked, it was done. That was a guarantee, but I needed to figure out what to do about Sophie. I had a feeling things were about to get complicated.