Page 69 of Priest

I sighed and rested my palm on his bare chest. I looked up at him and answered, “That my father is no longer here.”

“I’m sorry, Ember. It was him or me.”

“No, I don’t blame you, Priest. Please don’t think that I do. My own daddy held a gun to my head,” she replied in disbelief. “I mean, what more would it have taken to pull the trigger? I just hate that he won’t get to pay for his crimes. I feel like he got off easy.”

“He didn’t get off easily. He left this world knowing that you knew the truth about who he was. He was exposed in your eyes, and that’s worse than any penalty the judicial system could have imposed upon him.”

“I guess you’re right. I just can’t believe that the man I loved all these years, and whom I thought I knew, would do thesethings. It’s hard to believe he was capable of everything that he had done. I felt loved throughout my life by my father.”

“He always was capable of the shit he did because he did it, but that’s not to say that he didn’t love you. He did. But he put on a façade about everything else. That’s it.”

“God, I hate this feeling. I’m an orphan, Priest.”

He tugged me closer and kissed the top of my head. “Welcome to my world. It’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

“I thought you didn’t know your daddy.”

“Same difference.”

“Do you think the fact that I’ve conveniently moved out with everything that’s happened will be a concern in the investigation?”

“No. That’s easy to explain. Because you learned the shit your daddy was into and your engagement fell apart, you needed some space. You wanted to start life over.”

“You don’t think they’ll think that I played a part?”

“Listen, baby. We’ve got more than three dozen niggas willing to vouch that you’ve been at the MC and living up here with me in the cabin.”

“You’re right. I’m just scared. You know?”

“Yeah, I get it. I do. But trust me, I’ma take care of you, Ember.”

He brushed my lips and rose on his elbow. He looked down in my eyes with all the fire and passion I’d ever seen reflected in his beautiful brown ones. Priest leaned down and kissed me.

“I know you will. You do know that I can take care of myself, though, right? I mean, financially.”

He sighed. “Baby, taking care of you involves so much more than finances, though. I’ve got you there too. But I’m talking about here….” Priest tapped my head. “And right here,” he asserted and tapped my chest. “And all this,” he added and cupped my pussy.

I clenched my legs around his hand.

“I appreciate you.”

“I know you do. This journey won’t be quick or easy, but I’ll be by your side, Ember. Let me ask you something. You told me that Daniel and your father planned for you not to work, even though you’d gotten your masters. What do you want to do?”

“I’ve just finished school, and now I want to focus on finding a job in my field.”

“I’m right beside you. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

“Why are you so accommodating?”

“I came from a world where everyone wanted to put a foot on you and keep you down. All this shit you see with the MC—the businesses, the legal ones, and the illegal ones—are all about lifting our people. They’re about helping out the disadvantaged with a special focus on the homeless and the runaways.”

“Because of your past.”

“Exactly. The only real difference between you and me is that your daddy had money, and my mama didn’t. Truthfully, you were left to fend for yourself. Everything you’ve been told was a lie. I want to see you shine, Ember. I want you to get out there and light up the world, girl.”

“What did Daniel do to his previous wife?”

Priest sighed. “Without getting into the details, he used to beat Myesha, cheat on her, and ‘loan her out’ to his business constituents. When he threatened to sell her to some men in Tokyo, she managed to contact her cousins in New York. They arranged a way to get her out of there and brought her to New York to live.”

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