Page 4 of Half Sight Whole Heart

My brother, Zyleek, was missing in action today.

His kids were who Eriss’ son was playing with.

Mama had gathered all of them but one in her Jeep Cherokee.

Zameer, his youngest, was out of town with his mama.

I didn’t even question why Zyleek wasn’t here ‘cause that nigga was wild.

He stayed in some bullshit, always calling me to get him out. Like now.

I pressed the number to connect the call, and sighed.

“Maaaaan, Zyro. I got in some shit, bruh, and they just now givin’ me my phone call,” he hissed, frustrated beyond measure.

“What the fuck happened now, Leek?” I sighed, craning my phone between my shoulder and ear so I could swing the bag of trash into the trash can.

“I was at the wrong place, wrong time. I ain’t even do shit this time, Ro,” Zyleek pleaded. “For real.”

“What they get you for?” I reiterated with another sigh. I locked the trash can just in case the raccoons came around tonight.

“Robbery, but—,”

“Fuck, Leek,” I gritted.

“Nah, listen, Zyro…I don’t have much long on this phone, and these pigs are some hoes.

It wasn’t even me. I was on the way to the reunion when I got pulled over, and these hoes talmbout I fit the description.

You know I ain’t been in trouble lately, bruh.

They fuckin’ wit’ me, and I need you to come down here ‘fore I nut up on these muhfuckas.”

I could hear it in Zyleek’s voice. He was close to taking shit to hell.

“I’m on my way. It’s the fuckin’ weekend, Leek. You ain’t gon be able to see a judge until Monday, mane. I’ma need you to stay calm till then. Shit.”

“Fuck that. Pull some strings and get me out of here, Ro, or I promise I’ma nut the fuck up on the next CO that comes over here fuckin’ wit’ me,” he warned.

The phone went dead.

After making sure my front, back, and garage doors were locked, I jumped in my truck and dialed my lawyer, Conrad Duncan. That nigga could get a murder off. I needed to see what I could do to keep Zyleek sane until Monday, ‘cause I knew they weren’t letting him out until then.

Conrad answered the phone groggily. I told him the issue, and he was getting dressed in no time.

I pressed on the gas, the diesel engine roaring as I ate up the road.

Zyleek was a hothead, always had been. He didn’t think before swinging, and these cops in Love Grove would love to bury him under the jail for one wrong move or put a hot one in him and get off free on some self-defense shit.

The county jail smelled like bleach and coffee. A tired, out-of-shape, slouchy ass CO sat behind the bulletproof glass. His eyes flicked up at me before dragging back down to his paperwork.

“What can I help you with?” he asked, flatly.

“Yeah,” I said, clinching my jaw. “Zyleek Coleman. What’s his bond?”

Without looking up or typing on his outdated computer, he said, “No judge till Monday.”

I clenched my teeth. “I didn’t ask you that.”

He looked up, his mouth twitching into a little smirk. The kind of smirk muhfuckas do when they think they have power.

“Like I said, he will see the judge on Monday. Until then, he’s in holding.”

Before the shit turned ugly, Conrad walked in, sharp as a fuckin tack, and it was going on two in the morning.

“Gentlemen,” Conrad greeted smoothly with a nod of his head. His eyes darted from my angry expression to the CO. He flashed his ID at the glass. “I’m counsel for Zyleek Coleman. I’ll be needing access to my client and a copy of his intake paperwork.”

The CO’s smirk disappeared. He shifted in his seat, muttering something under his breath before picking up the phone. Conrad leaned toward me. “Fuck happened before I arrived?” he asked.

“Shiiii, none I can’t handle.”

Conrad nodded as if understanding. “We’ll get Zyleek through the weekend, but please keep your temper under control. I don’t need you sitting next to him.”

“Yeah, aight,” I muttered, stepping back with my hands in my pockets. I let Conrad do his job.

Approximately five minutes later, a deputy I was familiar with came around the corner, whistling. When his eyes locked on me, the whistling ceased. Deputy Porter motioned with his hands for me and Conrad to follow him.

“I got this, Charles. Follow me.”

He brought us through a set of heavy doors and used his badge to buzz them open. Deputy Porter tapped his set of keys against his leg as we walked, another one trying to show a little power. My focus was already set on the row of cells at the end of the corridor. Zyleek’s ass was pacing.

His fists were balled, and his jaw was clenched. He was moving like he was two seconds away from tearing down the walls.

“Leek,” I called out sharply.

His head snapped up. Leek was so deep in thought and zoned out, he didn’t even hear the deputy’s keys.

“Zyro,” he exhaled. He stomped over to the bars fast, gripping them tightly. “Man, I ain’t do that shit. They got me on some robbery shit, but I was literally on my way to yo crib for the reunion. You know I been on the straight and narrow. This some fuck shit.”

“I believe you, Leek.”

“They got me in here with a bunch of clowns,” he scoffed, looking back over his shoulder. The COs want me to snap, Zyro. They want me to give ‘em a reason.”

I stepped closer, dropping my voice. “Don’t give these folks no damn reason. You know how they do in this town, Leek. You’ll be hanging by a tree ‘fore daylight. You gotta chill ‘til Monday. Conrad’s already movin’ on it, but you gotta keep your head straight ‘til then.”

“Fuuuck,” he angrily growled out, but there wasn’t shit else I could do.

Conrad stepped in and talked to Zyleek.

“I might need to bring my truck in to your shop next week,” Deputy Porter grunted out. “Shit been running bad, and I’ve already taken it to two other shops in town. They say yours is the best…”

“But your pride wouldn’t allow you to bring it my shit,” I snorted with a toss of my head back.

His beady eyes narrowed. “ How about I make sure your brother is good and you give me a discount…”

“The way he looks now, better be the way I pick him up Monday,” I warned, with a finger pointing directly in his face. “My nigga better not even have a scratch on him.”

Deputy Porter’s jaw clenched, and so did mine as I bit down on my back teeth. It wouldn’t do any good for me and Leek to be sitting here until Monday. Leek was angry, but I could tell he was scared to. They were setting him up.

The CO from up front came waddling his fat ass down the corridor, stopping in front of Deputy Porter and handing him papers. He looked over them and then extended the papers to Conrad, whose eyes quickly scanned them. He frowned.

“You have my client locked up because he fit the description of a Black man in the area. He supposedly robbed an elderly Caucasian couple, but there was no description of what clothes he was wearing. His build? His hair? Just… Just him being Black and in the area?” Conrad roared.

My nostrils flared as I attempted to contain my own anger. Because my brother had no scratches or bruises, I could tell he cooperated. He was probably talking shit, but he didn’t resist.

“Get the sheriff here,” Conrad continued to explode. “This is foolish! My client should not be behind bars because of a wild guess! Get Sheriff Grey here right now!”

The deputy’s eyes darted from Conrad to me, and I stood there chill, but burning on the inside.

He cleared his throat. “He was also found with weed in the car, so we have probable cause to hold him.”

I bit down on my back teeth. I always warned Leek about having weed on him while in a vehicle. Anything that could put him in jail while operating a vehicle shouldn’t be on him. Nigga never listened.

Leek smacked his lips. “A fuckin’ gram.”

Conrad turned to me, face tight. “If he didn’t have the drugs on him, I could have gotten Zyleek out tonight. He’s going to have to sit until Monday, Zyro.”

I nodded. “Aight, I appreciate you for gettin’ up out your sleep and comin’ down here, Conrad.”

“I’ll walk you fellas out,” the deputy stated.

“Fuck man!” Zyleek fussed.

“Stay calm, nigga. I’ll be here Monday,” I called to my brother. “Do not give these muhfuckas a reason.”

“I hear you,” Leek replied. “I love you, big bro.”

“I love you, too, Leek. I got you.” With that said, I trailed Conrad out of the jail.

“This is some bullshit, and if he didn’t have that fuckin’ charge, we could sue their ass,” Conrad fussed.

“It’s still racial profiling. They had no business stopping Leek. See what you can do, Conrad. I want this town to stop this shit, and if we have to hurt pockets, do it,” I argued, reaching my truck. “I’ll meet you here on Monday.”

Not waiting on a reply, I jumped into my truck and hauled ass away from the county jail.

It was pushing three in the morning, and I needed some sleep.

Instead of calling and waking our parents up with the shit Leek done got in, and cause Mama to have a breakdown, I decided not to tell her.

I’ll hear from her tomorrow, because I was sure someone in this city would find out and call her.