"Where you been Jo?" I was in the kitchen fixing Jas some water when Jo came in the house. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me, sweaty with red eyes. "I just went for a walk." "Stay right here." I took Jas her water, waited for her to dozed back off, grabbed my keys and took Jo for a ride.
"Whats been goin on with you?" I parked in a parking lot so we could talk. "Nun, I just been out walking." I turned the music off. "That's not what I'm talking about." He looked out the window. "I overheard yall talking about the ex from highschool." i looked at Jo so fast I'm not surprised my neck didn't snap. "What about it?" He looked at me. "Every night I walk around the house, check the doors, check on the dogs, and Zakai. Sometimes I walk by yall room to make sure everything straight. I heard yall talking and I need to protect my sister Zoe." I shook my head. "A protective brother, the best thing any sister could ask for.. Listen man, we may not always get along. We may bump heads, I may say shit that pisses you off and I apologize. I'm ya sister too, Jas is my girl, hopefully my wife one day. I got your sister, I'm gone protect your sister. I'm gone protect Zakai and you. Yall have my word. Me and AJ gone handle it." He looked at me long and hard. "No snitching, if you handle it, you have to handle it. No police, no bullshit. Code of the streets. Last thing you want to be known as is a snitch. Snitching gets you killed." I looked out the window checking our surroundings. "Who told you that?" I looked at Jo as he was texting on his phone. "That's not important, I'm a man Zoe. I do what I got to do for my family. Y'all my family, protecting y'all is my number one priority." I felt my hands start to sweat. "The hell is you talking bout Jo? Whats up man?" He pulled up his shirt and showed a gun. "I'm a man, I got the full scoop on this dude and he gone be handled." I went to pull the gun but he pulled it on me. "This not what you want, I'd hate to escort my sister for your funeral. Don't ever come for my gun again." I sat there looking at him. Hate in his eyes, he wasn't even trembling. "Put that shit down boy." He lowered the gun slowly, I knew he wasnt gone give it to me so I watched as he put it back up. I got something for his ass. "Your sister or your girl is to not know about this. Understand?" He sat there looking down. "Do you understand Josiah?" He looked up at me. "She's pregnant Zoe." My eyes got big as he started smiling. "She's pregnant with my baby, I'm gone be a father. I'm gone get a job and take care of her and my daughter. I hope its a girl, I don't want to do my daughter like my dad did Jas." I smiled seeing how happy and passionate he was about having a kid. "Jas know?" He shook his head no. "Don't tell her, I'll tell her in a special way." I looked at him serious. "She gone kill you lil bro." He shook his head again. "She gone be mad, but she'll get over it." I looked at him for awhile. "Me and you lil bro, we good?" He looked at me then my hand that was waiting to be dapped. "Yeahh sis, we good." We dapped each other up. "Iight boy, lets go. Put ya seatbelt on and pray Jas still sleep."
