Xavier and Leon

I sat at my desk, staring at the file—the full record of my brother’s crimes laid bare before me. Theft, vandalism, fights, breaking and entering. His name was on every page. The evidence was damning, but beneath it all, I saw a desperate kid screaming for help. Then came the night that changed everything. The night he broke down the door, knocking Mom unconscious, stabbing Dad in a desperate struggle, and then Dad’s brutal rage as he beat him senseless. After all that, Dad let him go—he ran, disappearing into the night. Now, the department had given me permission—allowed me to take his case. To find him. To bring him in. But this was more than duty. This was personal. I swallowed the knot in my throat and whispered his name. I will find you. Because no matter the crimes, no matter the years, he was still my brother.