“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’tkill 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.”
