Crooked

Twenty-Seven

Hey guys, I am sooooooo sorry for the long wait. I have been so busy with school since it is my last semester. I literally just got done with my second round of midterms this Friday. If you need to go back and read a couple of chapters to refresh your memory, please don't hesitate to do so. I recommend reading Chapter 12 before you read Chapter 28 unless you have really great memory, so there will be no confusion. This is the part of the book where loose ends will began to be tied up. Thank you all for showing me so much love. I hope you all enjoy the chapters.

Crooked

Twenty-Seven

                            The news of Epiphany's pregnancy had Crook reevaluating his entire life. It had been a little over a week since the unexpected finding and Crook was in a battle with his emotions. He felt fortunate enough to have a baby on the way with somebody like Epiphany.

She had proved her authenticity to him time after time again and Crook felt confident that he didn't make a mistake by getting her pregnant. She wasn't a gold-digger, and he knew the love between them was real. Despite his trust in Epiphany, Crook couldn't ignore the growing concern that loomed over him like a dark cloud since he found out.

Nino was still out there, and Crook was feeling the pressure to find him fast. Crook knew that Nino would be looking for revenge at any given moment for his grandparents' death. Although Crook was annoyed with how long it was taking to find Nino, he knew his hands were tied. According to his intel, there was no way Nino was living in New York City. There was no trace of his black Escalade truck or Joshua in any of the five boroughs.

Crook wanted to ride up to Syracuse to look for the nigga himself but moving reckless was never his thing. He had managed to make it this far in the game without having any hiccups and he wasn't going to start now. Crook had bigger things to worry about, especially as an expecting father. Although Crook was grateful for his new blessings, he was beginning to feel stressed out. Crook couldn't help but to think back on his life and all the dirt he had done.

With the life he lived, Crook knew that death or jail was the only way out. Knowing what he signed up for a long time ago, Crook made peace with the two outcomes that came with being in the drug game. He had prepared Taleah for the day he would die or go to jail since she was a child. Despite her battles with leukemia throughout her childhood, Taleah was the sole beneficiary to all of Crook's life insurance policies. All his properties, assets, money—everything would go to her if he died prematurely.

However, as he thought about Epiphany and his unborn children, the peace he once upheld became tested. He wanted nothing more than to be free and alive, if not for Taleah, but for them. If he got arrested, Crook would be imprisoned for life, and his children would have no father. If Nino got to him first, his children would also be fatherless. It was a lose-lose situation all the way around.

The two possibilities becoming a reality kept Crook up some nights. He was starting to wonder if he got in over his head by falling in love with Epiphany. The life he lived didn't have any room for love. It was full of chaos, destruction, and mayhem. The light that love exuded had no measure up against the darkness that surrounded him. All the love stories Crook witnessed growing up had ended tragically. From his biological to his foster parents, Crook pondered if his would be the same.

As Crook was in deep thought, he watched Epiphany toss and turn under the plush bedsheets. As if on cue, she woke up from her deep slumber, noticing that Crook wasn't snuggled up against her like she'd grown accustomed to.

"What's wrong?" Epiphany questioned as she rubbed her tired eyes open. "You okay?"

"Yeah...just thinking and shit."