Loosening the gold diamond-print tie around my neck, I stared down at the criminal file of the young man I would be prosecuting. His name was Ra’Mond Williams. He was twenty-three years old. In his house was found $100,000 of marijuana.
He was charged with possession with intent to distribute. He had no prior offenses, but still, I would make it my business to ensure he served time in jail. If the warden wanted me to walk him to his cell myself, turn the key, and toss it down a sewer drain, I could do it and have no problems closing my eyes at night.
What I knew would keep me up about this case was the fact that the house where the drugs were found was not Ra’Mond’s, but his grandmother’s. Ra’Mond’s mother was in prison herself, had been for some time. Ra’Mond’s grandmother allowed the young man to live in her house, the house her late husband had paid off while working on the railroads. Not until police officers wearing armored vests, riot gear, and carrying high-powered weapons busted through her door did she know that her grandson was using her home for drug storage.
Ra’Mond’s grandmother had lived in that house for fifty years, but now it was scheduled to be seized by the city of Chicago.
I dragged a hand down my face and flipped the file closed. I was disgusted.
I wondered if I was placing myself in a similar situation welcoming a brother I did not know into my home. I had been up all night battling those thoughts, as well as the warnings Sissy gave me, which played over and over in my head. But I told myself I had done the right thing. He was my brother, and he needed a place to stay, to get back on his feet. It was what I wanted to do.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” I said, knowing who it was and wishing I had not interrupted his day by asking him to come over.
Tyler stepped through the door, looking as handsome as ever, wearing a million-dollar smile. Knowing me better than I always thought he did, he immediately walked across the room with concerned eyes and stood beside me.
“Baby, you okay? You look exhausted.” He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the lips. I know he meant for it to be longer, but I pulled away.
“I’m fine. Just tired is all. Didn’t sleep much last night.”
Tyler walked back around to the front of my desk and had a seat in the guest chair. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
I looked in his eyes and saw how sincere his request was. It was one of the reasons I loved this man. “This was supposed to be a happy occasion when I told you this.”
“Told me what?”
“I mean, I put so much effort into—”
A wide smile brightened Tyler’s face. “You found your brother?”
“In prison,” I said, deflated. “Locked up for a crime he won’t tell me about.”
“You spoke to him.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He gets paroled tomorrow.”
Tyler sighed, a perplexed look on his face. “How are you going to play it? I mean, Cobi, you have options. You don’t owe—”
“He needs a place.”
“Cobi, what did you promise him?”
“I told him he could stay with me.”
“Sissy tore you a new one, huh?”
I couldn’t help but smile a little. “Of course. I mean, he’s in prison for a reason. I’m picking him up tomorrow and taking him to my house. I’m actually supposed to go there later today to see him and give him some information he asked me for. Am I crazy?”
Tyler smiled that comforting smile that always made me feel more relaxed. He stood and opened his arms. “Come here.”
I walked around my desk and into his embrace.
“In answer to your question, hell yes, you’re crazy. But you’re also caring, and thoughtful, and charitable, and if I were him, I would thank God that I had a brother like you. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, and everything will be fine.”
“Famous last words,” I said.
“Famous last words.” Tyler smiled.
I wrapped my arms around him, smoothed my hands over the back muscles under his suit jacket. “I need to see you tonight.”
“I can’t. Taking the wife and girls to Cirque du Soleil.”
I leaned out of the hug without taking my arms from around him. “Tyler, what are we doing?”
“Don’t,” he said.
“Don’t what?”
“This discussion. You have great news, you found your brother. You have that to deal with. And I have enough work to keep me locked up round the clock, so let’s not go back into the ‘What are we doing?’ discussion, okay? Can we just leave that alone for a while?”