Deceitful Hearts

by A'zayler

  Aaliyah rolled her eyes and propped her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. “Nope, I’m not mad, because like I said, she’s getting everything she deserves.” Aaliyah smiled at him because she knew it would piss him off.

  “You sure do have a lot to say about a bitch that took your nigga from you. Clearly your nigga sure as hell didn’t think she was that bad.”

  “Stupid ass,” Aaliyah mumbled.

  “Both of y’all shut the fuck up. That’s enough. It doesn’t make any sense the way y’all stay at each other’s throats. You’re brother and sister for goodness sake. Act like it.”

  Francisco was so tired of his kids bickering like they were strangers in the street. They did it every single time they were around each other and it pissed him off. The saddest part about it all was the fact that they hadn’t always been like that. It had only been since they death of his other daughter that they’d formed a dislike for one another. He still couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind that.

  “So what you gon’ do?” Jamar got back to business.

  “I’m thinking on it. There ain’t much I can do, not to the girl at least. I have a few murder convictions I could pull on the other two men and hold them, but I’m not even sure for how long. All of the information we’ve got won’t stand very long in court. Not to mention whatever hot shot lawyers they’re going to get. We can detain them for a few years, but I want it all. I want everything they’ve ever done to sign their lives over to us. Until I get that, I’m not settling.”

  “So, y’all are just going to just let that little wild hoe go free?” Aaliyah stood from her chair.

  “Unfortunately, we might have to.”

  “After all the hard work we’ve done?” She whined.

  “We don’t have any other choice, Aaliyah. I know you’re mad about the scar on your face, baby girl, but our hands are tied. We’ve held her as long as we could.”

  The scar going down the side of Aaliyah’s face had healed, but was still very noticeable and she complained about it on the regular.

  “I can’t believe this shit.” She stormed out of the living room and down the stairs. When he heard the door slam he knew she was gone.

  Instead of chasing, her he let her go. She could have her temper tantrum on her own time. There was other stuff on his mind right then. Francisco got up and walked to his bar and poured himself some more Brandy. He grabbed another glass for Jamar. He filled it with Jack Daniels and passed it to him.

  “You want to storm out like your sister or do have time to throw a few back with your old man?” Francisco sat back on the chair and sipped from his glass.

  “We can chill. You know Liyah has always been over dramatic. I don’t know how in the hell she a detective.” He drank some of the brown liquor and frowned as it went down. “That shit gets on my nerves for real too. I couldn’t work with her all day.”

  “She’s good at her job.”

  Jamar drank some more of his liquor as Francisco watched him.

  “So what’s up with the shit with Rocko?” Francisco had waited for Jamar to tell him that he was back in the streets, but he still hadn’t, so he addressed it head on.

  For a while after high school, Jamar had dibbled and dabbled in the street life. After taking a few losses, he let it go for a while, but when his cousin Rocko had called him, he dove right back in. Francisco could have stopped him if he truly wanted to but being that he was working on the same shit with the same people that Jamar was, he didn’t bother. He made sure to keep tabs on him throughout the entire ordeal.

  “What you talking about?” Jamar tried to play dumb.

  Francisco held his hand up. “Don’t lie, son. I already know. My question to you now is, since they’re dead, what’s your next move? You keep asking me what’s my plan, so now I want to know yours.”

  Jamar sat back in his chair and drank some more Hennessey. He shrugged. “I guess just chill. Ain’t shit I need to do no more.”

  “You could get with the girl and help me out.” Francisco had been thinking about using his son as a pawn for a while now, but hadn’t known the right time to present it to him.

  “Help the cops? Fuck no.” Jamar shook his head. “I’m a lot of shit, but a snitch ain’t one.”

  “Not the cops, me. Help your father.”

  Jamar polished off his drink and stood to his feet. “Nah. I’m straight.”

  “Come on, Jamar, no one will ever have to know you’re giving me information. I just need to fix all of this as quick as possible and I can do it with your help.”

  Jamar shook his head no. “Nope. I’m good on that shit. I don’t even see how you and Liyah walk around here locking people up for a living. That shit is so fucking lame.” He poured him another glass of Hennessey and took his seat.

  Francisco had known before he asked that it would probably be a no, but he had to try anyway. He drank some more of his drink before leaning back and closing his eyes. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast.

  *****

  “Gram, get up.” The CO’s loud voice had Phoenix jumping from her sleep.

  It had taken her forever to even doze off, and here they were waking her up again. Phoenix sat up on her bed and swung her legs around so that now her feet were flat on the floor. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus them.

  “Get up, Gram. Grab your things and come with me.” The black lady with the ugly wig told her.

  “What? Why? Where am I going?” Phoenix looked over out of the window quickly to see if she could figure out what time of day it was.

  It was still black dark, so she figured it was still sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Where could they possibly be taking her right then?

  “Don’t worry about none of that. Just get your shit and let’s go.”

  Phoenix moved slowly getting off of her bunk. She grabbed the small bag they’d given her to hold her things and walked to the door. She hadn’t been there long, so she didn’t have much of anything to call her own. After she was cuffed properly, she was led down the hall and through a few doors.

  When they finally came to a stop and the lady began handing her the clothing she’d had on that day along with a few other items, Phoenix became confused.

  “What’s going on?”

  The lady behind the counter looked at her like she was stupid. “What does it look like?”

  “It looks like I’m being released, but I know that can’t be the case.”

  “Well, it is. Now give me your stuff.”

  Phoenix absentmindedly handed her the bag of essentials and anything else she asked for. She didn’t understand why she was being released, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy. Her mind had floated so far out that she was thinking about going to see Zino and Bear to see were they out too.

  The only reason that she focused back on what was going on in front of her was because she’d just been given the bloody clothes she’d had on the day she got locked up. The dark brown spots where Tone’s blood was killed every ounce of optimism she’d just had moments prior. She held the clothes up and looked at them before setting them back on the counter.

  “Can I have something else? I don’t want that.” Phoenix looked down at the clothes.

  The lady, who clearly hadn’t been paying attention to her garments followed her eyes before looking back up at Phoenix and nodding her head. She spun around in her chair and went to the cabinet behind her. She pulled out a black MPD shirt and turned back around.

  “I normally don’t do this, but here.” She handed it to her. “You’re going to have to wear whatever pants you have. I don’t have anything else. The shirts came from a Christmas fundraiser a while back.”

  Phoenix nodded her head graciously before gathering whatever else she needed and left to change. A little over two hours later, Phoenix was free and walking down the dark street alone. She didn’t have anywhere to go and no way to get there. The flip flops, bloody shirt, and two sizes to big shirt the lady had giv
en her were the only things she had to her name.

  The day the police had come, they’d taken everything they owned, all the way down to the cars and their house. Phoenix thought about reaching out to her parents before leaving the jailhouse, but hearing how they’d turned her brother’s ashes around burned her up inside. There was no way she would ever talk to them again.

  With her arms crossed over her chest, she hugged her body tightly. She looked all around her as she walked along the street. It was still dark, and her mind was still boggled as to why they had just let her out. Especially at the time they had. Something had to be up. Either she never had any business being locked up in the first place, or it was a set up.

  She couldn’t choose which one she thought was the most accurate, but she knew it was one of the two. With nothing or no one, Phoenix padded down the long street ahead. She made sure to keep her head up at all times. She didn’t want anyone running up to her trying to rob her or anything like that.

  BEEP! BEEP!

  The horn being blown behind her had her nearly jumping out of her skin. She had heard the car behind her but figured it was going to pass just the way all of the rest of them had. Phoenix looked over her shoulder briefly to make sure she wasn’t in the driver’s way before continuing on. When the horn beeped again she began to walk faster.

  Although she wasn’t scared of anything or anybody, this was still Miami, and she no longer had her brothers with her. Furthermore, she was almost positive that word had gotten around the city, and people knew what was going on with the Zoo Crew. She couldn’t take that lightly. It was no telling who would be looking out for her.

  “Gram,” the male voice yelled from the window.

  She turned around when she heard her name. She squinted to see who it was, but she couldn’t really see because his window was still up.

  “Let me take you somewhere.”

  “Who are you?”

  The window rolled down further and Phoenix saw the guard from the infirmary. She hadn’t seen him anymore since the night she busted her head on the table. He was still in his work clothes as he leaned over the console of his tan impala.

  “You remember me now?”

  Phoenix nodded her head.

  “Let me give you a ride somewhere. You shouldn’t be out here alone like this. It’s too dark. People are crazy.”

  Phoenix looked around for a minute. She didn’t like walking outside alone, but she didn’t ride with people. Tone had been drilling that into her head forever. Just because he was dead didn’t mean she was going to neglect what he’d instilled in her.

  “No, thank you.” Phoenix began walking again.

  “Gram, come on. Just let me take you somewhere. I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I just don’t want you out here by yourself like this. It’s not safe.” When he figured she wouldn’t stop walking he went a little further. “Have you forgotten who you are, Gram? You can’t be out here like this when the city knows what has happened. You could really get hurt.”

  Phoenix stumbled a little because he was right. She shuffled her feet into the wet grass and rocks below her feet as she thought about what he’d just said. True enough, he was right but she still wasn’t sold.

  “How do I know you’re not going to hurt me?”

  “You don’t. But I’m a lot safer than this dark street you’re walking on.”

  Phoenix looked away once more before taking small steps toward the car. Her hand was on the handle when she snatched it right away.

  “I can’t. My brother told me not to. He said that I can’t ride in cars with people.” Out of nowhere, tears began falling down her cheeks.

  Phoenix didn’t know what happened in those few seconds but now she could hardly stand on her own two feet. Her body began shaking and she feel to her knees. The moment she fell to the ground she grabbed her head and began to scream and pull at her hair.

  “He said no. My brother said no, I can’t ride with anyone,” Phoenix said over and over as the large CO picked her up from the ground and held her close to his chest again.

  Phoenix’s body curled into a tight ball against him as she continued to cry. “I can’t go with you. Tone would be so mad. I just can’t go.”

  “It’s going to be okay. He wouldn’t be mad about me taking care of you. He wouldn’t want you out here alone like this.” The light skinned man she felt so comfortable with looked down at her and waited for her to answer him. “Let me take you somewhere safe until you can protect yourself. At least for the night.”

  “What about Tone?”

  “He’ll understand.”

  Phoenix looked up at him. “You sure?”

  “I promise.”

  Phoenix nodded her head and laid it back against his chest. Being that he was so big and strong, he was able to hold her up with one hand and open the door with the other. He placed her on the front seat of his car and buckled her up before closing the door. Quickly he rounded the car and hopped in with her.

  Phoenix leaned her head against the side of the car door and closed her eyes. All she could think about was Tone. He would be so mad at her if he found out she wasn’t sticking to the things that he’d taught her. Sniffles and the clearing of her throat were the only sounds in the car.

  It seemed like forever before she’d got enough energy to lift her head from the window and look at the man who had saved her. She turned in her seat and looked over at him. He was driving calmly down the expressway. He held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on his leg.

  “You feeling better?” He looked over at her.

  Phoenix shook her head no.

  “It’s going to take some time, but you’ll be fine. You’ve been through a lot.”

  Phoenix said nothing, just looked at him with a lost look on her face.

  “Do you have anywhere you want me to take you? Some family? A friend’s house?”

  “My family is gone.” Phoenix looked out of the window. “I don’t have friends.”

  “So you have nowhere to go?”

  “They took everything.” Her voice was low and filled with pain.

  He was quiet as he picked with the hair on his chin. He didn’t say anything and neither did she. She honestly had no reason to talk. What was left to say? She’d told him the sad truth already.

  “You want to go home with me?” He sounded as if he was unsure if he should have been asking her that or not.

  Phoenix shrugged. What more did she have to lose? If this was indeed a set up and he had plans to harm, her what difference would it make? She had nothing anyway.

  He didn’t say anything else as they drove. The ride was soothing and a little comforting in a weird way. When he pulled his car in the driveway of a small brick house, Phoenix looked straight ahead.

  “You ready to get out?”

  When she didn’t respond, he got out and rounded the car to help her out. Like he’d been doing since he’d met her, he picked her up and held her to him. He walked to the front door and fished in his pocket for his keys. When they were in his hand, he opened the door to his home and walked in. It was warm and smelled good. She didn’t lift her head from his chest to look around, instead she just looked at whatever was in her line of vision.

  He carried her down the hall and into the bathroom. Still holding her, he took a seat on the toilet and turned the water on.

  “Here, let’s get you cleaned up then you can lie down for a while. You want to do that?” He talked to her in the sweetest and sincerest way.

  Phoenix nodded.

  He gently sat her on the edge of the tub and began removing her clothes. Phoenix sat still, not the least bit concerned with him seeing her naked. When she was completely nude, he picked her up again and sat her in the bathtub. The water came up around her body as he slid her further down.

  “I don’t know your name,” Phoenix whispered. “You probably know my whole life, and I don’t even know your name.”

  He smiled. “I’m Jamis
on.” He lathered the soap on the washcloth he’d pulled out of the small container near the sink. “And contrary to what you may believe, I don’t know much about you. I don’t even know your first name.”

  “You don’t?”

  He shook his head. “All I know is that you were the first lady of one of the state’s deadliest mobs and you all got busted. I know your brother and one of your friends got killed in the process, and I’m sorry about that.”

  Phoenix’s eyes watered as he spoke.

  “And the only reason I know any of this is because of one of the other guards on my shift. After the night I sat in the infirmary with you I asked about you, and that’s what I found out.” He began washing Phoenix softly with the soapy cloth. “You can tell me more if you would like.”

  “That’s it. That’s me.”

  “There’s nothing more? I can’t even get your first name?”

  “Phoenix, but my brother’s called me Fe sometimes.” Her words trailed off as she began to cry again. “My life is over. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t have anything or anyone. It’s just me now.”

  “You don’t have any family?”

  “No, they never wanted my brother and I, so he practically raised me. Along with all of my other brothers. They were all I had. The protected me, and now I have nothing.”

  He nodded his head and pulled her up so that he could wash her back.

  “You know one of the men that I considered family was the police? He pretended to be one of us when all along he was undercover. There’s no telling the amount of shit he had on us.”

  Jamison said nothing. He just scrubbed her body and allowed her time to vent.

  “I still don’t even know why I’m out of jail.”

  “They didn’t tell you?”

  “No, they just grabbed me out of my cell and put me out.” Phoenix took a deep breath. “I don’t trust it.” She paused and looked up at him. “I don’t trust you. I don’t trust this. You’re being too nice to me. This has to be some type of set up. How can I go from being locked up one day and facing the rest of my life behind bars to being bathed in a complete stranger’s house?”