Crooked G's

This book is dedicated to my angel, Zalaya;

my little soldier, Zakari;

and everyone else who decided to read what is beyond this page.

I hope to have your eyes for life.

Thank you.

Enjoy

“We all have addictions. There are some we can dissolve on our own. The rest of them we just have to live with.”

–S.K. C
OLLINS

First, I want to thank the man above for giving me something that's worth more than any amount of gold, my mind.

I want to thank my parents for all their support. You made a lot of sacrifices to raise me and I've never taken that for granted. I'm glad to make you proud of my accomplishments. Maya, thank you for being perfect in nature. I couldn't ask for a better person to go through life lessons with. ZAKARI, you are the center of my motivation. My job is to provide you with all the tools and resources that will get you educated and be successful with anything you desire to pursue. You are a great son and I love you. To my sisters, Amicia and Cherise, The relationship between brother and sister is priceless. So is my love for both of you. Mary Jean, thank you for being my second mother. Corey and Kristen Nickens, thanks for being my extended family. You're always there when I need you. Kobe and Pat, thanks for always helping me get through the rough patches in my life. I really appreciate it.

To my Best Friends: Carl Clemons, Ricsheena Smith, and Ashley Guyton. We all have come a long way. I'm glad there was no time lost along our journey. Shadé, your dream is in progress! Keep working it! Gina Gee and Larnell Matthews, it's coming like I promised—
Wide Open 2!

Special shout-out to the city of Pittsburgh, PA and the entire DMV area. Here comes another one!

Shout-out to Tawna Outler, Robin Brown, Shawn Hicks, Tanaill Wright, Shaunte Stieff, Rasheeda Brodus, Torrie Jones-Snyder, and all of the rest of the Nine-Six Clique. Thank you for your support! Ramina Foster, Sarah Jones, Brandy Garmon and Tracey Beddingfield. Your support has been much appreciated. Gene Wild'em, Tony Rome, Donald Patrick, and Kareem Smith. Thanks for keeping it real.

I want to thank the following book clubs: Black Faithful Sister and Brothers, Readers R Us, We Read Urban, My Urban Books, Diamond Eyes, Papaya Sisters, Classy Readers, Sistas of Essence, Ladies First, & New Beginnings.

Special book club member shout-outs: Carla “C Tizzy” Towns, India “Indy” Freeman, Monica Forbes, Sandy “The Late Night Chef” Barrett-Sims, Jeanette McMillan-James, Charlene Richardson, and Zaneta Powell.

Jennifer Rhynes, sis thank you for being one of the craziest individuals that I've ever met. Please take that as a compliment. Your lifestyle surely added some fuel to this story.

Thank you to my agent, Joylynn Ross. Thank you for believing in me and I hope we have a long business relationship. Thank you to my editor Khloe Cain for being so easy to work with. O.W.L. really has a jewel in their camp! I want to thank Keith Saunders of Marion Designs for taking my concepts and creating another dope cover.

I want to give a HUGE thank-you to Zane, Charmaine Parker, and Nakita! I love being a part of Strebor and Simon & Schuster! I hope I'm representing you well thus far.

Last but definitely not least, I want to thank Maurice “First” Tonia.You're one of a kind, homie. I appreciate all your support. It's only right that you close it out.

M
ESSAGE FROM
M
AURICE
“F
IRST
” T
ONIA:

First, I would like to thank you Jesus Christ. You gave me grace and mercy and kept my kids, Jazmyn, Montre, Bryce, and Asia safe. Thank you Lord for giving me over 38 years with my mother, Yvetta Tonia. I also want to thank Pastor Michael L. Williams, First Lady Lisa Williams, Sharita Worlds, my three brothers Millz, Gary, and Big Mike. Thank you to my entire family and Facebook friends. Last, but not least, I would like to thank S.K. for being a true friend. Thank you and God bless.

All right, here we go! My second book! I consider this my hardmore novel because I never was a sophomore (DP insider).

Bayette Jackson, enjoy the storyline, cuz.

Your situation was grave. I prayed many nights that the outcome for both of your mistakes would be minimal, since you already lost so much. I know that the pain you now feel may burn deeper in your soul than anything you've ever held sorrow over. I'm here to tell you that everything will be all right. I wrote this story in the mindset that we would be parted from everyday life for a very long time. I wanted you to one day read this novel and know that our friendship was real… Our trust was real… And most importantly the lives we led were real. I hope you enjoy this story even if troubling memories are revisited. Remember it's okay to cry, especially if they're tears of redemption. I hope to see the both of you real soon. Until then…

I think no matter how many books I write this one will probably mean the most to me. A few years ago right before this book was written, I was having financial problems, and on top of that, a daughter on the way. My only goal was to make sure I could move to a big enough place so my daughter could have her own room.

I had a publisher who was lined up to purchase the author rights to the next book I wrote after I declined to sell them my first novel,
Wide Open
. I worked on this book day and night, determined to be a good provider for my daughter. A few days following the completion of
Crooked G's
, I received the worst news in my life. At six months in the womb, my daughter died from the result of an umbilical cord accident, and she was classified as stillborn. A part of me had been lost and I felt that writing this book was all for nothing. The only motivation I had to write this book was her, and now she was gone. There was no way I could sell this book to the publisher, especially if I would never be known as the author.

As time went on I continued to pray for a sign that life would get better. Then fourteen months later my son was born. My desire for writing had been ignited again. I decided to continue to keep writing and use my faith that my work would one day get into the right hands. My prayers were finally answered and now I get to write my own history.

S.K. C
OLLINS

T
his is it,” Shakita whispered softly to herself. “This is my last fucking chance.” She nervously exhaled as her sweaty palm gripped the last five-dollar bill that was once part of a thick bankroll. Shakita had been sitting at the same slot machine in Hollywood Casino for over three hours trying to get it to crack. The alluring sound of big payouts and jackpots being won all around her on the casino floor, kept her optimistic that she would soon be a part of that elite winning circle. She deliberated about all the thousands of dollars that she had dumped into the slot machine she sat in front of, and had a good feeling it would give it all back to her, and then some. Her last pull on the lever may be the one that would bring her riches beyond belief. For her sake, it had to be. If it wasn't, Shakita would be penniless. Shakita wished she could increase her odds of winning, but with no more money to spare, all she could do was pray for a fucking miracle.

She slid the crinkled bill into the machine and waited for it to register. She placed her trembling palm on the lever. Her heart began to pound at an enormous pace. She closed her eyes, not wanting to perceive what would ultimately happen next. Shakita pulled the lever down hard and intensely waited for the dramatic outcome.

She heard the reels spin in rapid succession until each one came to its own abrupt halt. Then there was complete silence, which scared the hell out of her. She slowly opened her eyes, hesitant to face the harsh reality of what she had already known. Shakita looked fearfully at the number 7's on the reels that failed to accurately line up. At that moment she wanted to die. It was now lucid in her mind that she had completely lost everything. She was now in a world of shit. Shakita's life literally flashed before her eyes knowing that all the money she lost never belonged to her in the first place. The money had been property of the notorious Bay Jackson, all two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars of it.

Bay Jackson was a ruthless hustler from the Northeast side of D.C. He'd grinded his way to the top all by himself to achieve the status he obtained before going to jail. He'd left his immense stash with his ex-girlfriend, Latrice. Bay didn't trust anyone but her and knew she would hold his money until he was finally freed. Bay planned on starting a rap label when he was released and Latrice was on board to be his trusted talent scout. Latrice was the only person Bay had in his corner, and she was also Shakita's best friend. Shakita didn't know how she would tell Latrice that she had blown all of his money, which Latrice never knew she had.

Shakita lit up a cigarette as tears rolled from her eyes. She smoked nervously as she reflected on how fucked up her situation had become. In two months she had gone through $250,000 and didn't have shit to show for it. She was well aware that Bay was a no-nonsense killer and would flip on anyone who played with his money; Latrice would be no exception. He would kill her, too, if it came down to his paper, and Shakita would be all to blame. Shakita had it etched in her mind that Bay was getting out of jail
in less than four weeks. She had to find a way to get all his money back and she had to find a way to tell Latrice how badly she had betrayed her. Shakita smashed out her cigarette, grabbed her purse, and hurried out of the casino. She had no time to waste, because her and Latrice's lives were now on the line.

J
ust sit tight, lil' mama. I swear we're going to be in and out of this joint. All we need is five minutes,” Kam assured Shakita. “Are you going to be cool?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said meekly as tension spread across her face.

Kam saw the strained look in her eyes and he had to console her.

“I know you're nervous as shit, but we're going to be straight. I promise. All right?”

Shakita quickly nodded her head as she fought to hide her anxiety. Kam touched her cheek and smiled before he exited the car. Shakita watched as Kam and three members of his crew casually walked into Montgomery Mall. To the average eye, Kam and his crew looked as if they were a group of regular browsers. They strolled across the mall floor not giving away any sign they were actually jewelry thieves. Montgomery Mall was set to be their fourth heist in the last eighty days. The only part Shakita had to play in the scheme was to get them out of the area before the police showed up.

Shakita pulled on her cigarette as she tapped her foot on the gas pedal.
Just chill, girl,
she said to herself, as she struggled to disband her paranoia of them getting caught. She suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her to get out of there. As much as she wanted to listen to her gut, she quickly shook the feeling off, and studied the exit doors, praying Kam would appear
at any moment. She had to abandon her fear and remind herself the reason she was there. She needed money for gambling and selling stolen expensive jewelry was her way of making it happen. Shakita had promised herself that this would be her first and last time taking part in a jewelry heist. She would be one and done, never again allowing herself to descend so low out of monetary desperation. All she had to do was sell the jewelry and she would have enough money to get back to what she did best: gamble to win it big.

“Where the hell are they?” she wondered as she lit up another cigarette. Too much time had elapsed and Shakita was falling apart. Her protruding eyes fixated on the exit doors hoping Kam would emerge, yet her racing heart told her that he wouldn't.