Page 68 of Priest

“My bad, baby.”

“Baby? Nigga, yo’ ass is gone,” Sunny declared. He shook his head but cut off his chuckle when Priest mugged the hell out of him.

“Nigga, you got a problem with me and my old lady?” Priest asked.

Sunny’s eyebrows damn near rose off his forehead, and he replied, “Old lady?” at the same time that I did. Priest turned to look at me over his shoulder, lifted his eyebrows, and then asked, “Did I muthafuckin stutter?” He looked back and forth between Sunny and me.

“Priest, you can’t just tell me that I’m yours. I mean, we need to discuss this.”

“Ain’t no discussion to be had. You ain’t have no problem letting that bum ass nigga make plans to marry you. I know you ain’t got no fucking issues with me claiming you, ’specially not the way you rain on this mouth and dick.”

“Priest.” I hissed in embarrassment with a glance between him and Sunny. “I’m not property to claim.”

“You right about that. I didn’t mean that shit that way.” He apologized and dragged his hand over his head.

“Aye, I’ma let y’all have some privacy. Look like y’all got shit to work out. Meantime, I’ma check in with Morgan’s security team to make sure they paid and got shit straight,” Sunny explained when he stood and headed for the door.

I looked at the computer as a ‘ping’ sounded that notified me all the files had been transferred to the designated location.

“Listen, princess.”

“No, you listen. The files have been transferred as you requested and?—”

“Good, Geek will know what to do with them, and I know that he’s been notified that they’re there. We got other shit to talk about, but we can discuss that back at the clubhouse.”

“Before we go, do you mind if I grab some of my things and my phone? It’s been crazy being without my personal items the last month.”

“Grab what you can, but hurry up. I ain’t got no problem buying you some more shit. We can only carry so much on the bike anyway.”

“I was thinking that I would just take my car.”

Priest rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Gahdamn, woman. You gonna be the fuckin’ death of me.”

I shrugged and replied, “I don’t need you dying on me too, Priest. There’s been too much of it.”

“Gone upstairs and get what you need. I’ll be waiting. We ain’t going nowhere without you.”

I nodded and ran upstairs. About fifteen minutes later, I had all I could transport in my car, including my phone. I hollered for Priest, who ran upstairs with Sunny to grab my things and load them in my trunk, the back seat, and the passenger seat. Five minutes after that, we were on the road.

“It’s been a long day. How’re you really feeling?” Priest asked.

He trailed a finger down my bare shoulder and across my collarbone. He lifted my chin with that same finger when I didn’t respond.

“Tired. Shocked. Disbelief.”

“Tired? That’s understandable. What’re you shocked about?”

“That my life was a complete lie and that the people I thought loved and cared for me weren’t who they said they were.”

“People will let you down every time, but you can’t let that stop you, baby.”

“I know. It’s just so heartbreaking. The only person I have left in my former life is my best friend, Phaedra. Like me, my mother was an only child. Her parents died over the last three years. My daddy didn’t know his daddy, and his mama’s mean ass finally died last year. His brother is in prison, and his sister is strung out on drugs.”

“Damn, you’d think that he would have gotten them help with all the money he had.”

“You can only help people that want to be helped, Priest.”

“That’s true. What is the disbelief about?”

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