Page 119 of Shâhzâdeh

“Don’t we all.”

“Not Cou, he was just burying his problems in the dirt and forgetting they exist.”

Couba’s diamonds flashed as he grinned at Ori’s words. “Way easier than the mind games y’all playing. I’d much rather focus on the joys of life than let muthafuckas think they got over on me. Call it arrogance—”

Priest interjected with a huff. “That’s the only thing we could call it—”

“But I have peace. I don’t care about them enough to set a trap. Snatch them up, snatch their life.” Cou dusted his hands off with an arrogant grin.

“Yoo forgot the snatch their wife portion of yoor artistry.” Bhaltair had no issue teasing Yacouba because now they were more than friends, they were brothers-in-law since their wives were sisters.

“She ain’t ever been but one man’s wife and that’s mine. Still wondering if my girl was battling depression or low self-esteem fucking around with David’s ass. I feel like digging him up and putting a few more holes in his ass. For my son.”

“Ain’t you tired of messing with that man’s grave?”

Couba looked at Ori like he was expecting him to take back what he said. When he didn’t he frowned his face up in disgust. “Hell no! Aye, at least last time I gave him somebody to hang with in hell. Y’all act like I’m just coldhearted.”

Ori laughed for the first time all night at Couba’s foolishness. Priest could only shake his head at Couba’s words. “Do you hear what you said? And you don’t think that’s bad?”

Couba barked out a laugh drawing all our attention. “Says the preacher who has his cousin eating his own daddy and slowly going insane with two hell hounds to stand watch.”

“Yacouba, I understand fully who I am. You’re the only one trying to deny his true nature.”

“Y’all really kill me with that. I know I’m fucked up, but I can tuck that shit away. Priest, you ain’t been quite right since you put your seed in Ny. Hell, I think Jahmir hemmed up inside the sunken place of Priest’s mind.” Cou tapped the side of his head playfully but there was some truth to what he was saying.

“Why yoo say ‘at?” Bhal sat forward and kept glancing at Priest who was calmly sitting with his ankle balanced on his knee.

“Y’all ain’t seen how one by one the deacons that were fucking with Cardinal been having mysterious health problems?”

I looked around the room at the fellas, and we were all suddenly on guard. Priest was the only one who looked relaxed, which should’ve been the first sign shit was off kilter. “No…”

“Bruh, I swear y’all be so caught up. I’ll give you a pass Li cause you were in Skye and shit, but hell even I was out there for a minute. But this man been Dextering the fuck outta his flock.” We all watched Cou dropped that information and then swung around to look at Mir who had a knowing smile on his face.

Damn, we never getting Jahmir back.

“I need the details on this.” Ori sat up with way too much interest like he wanted to make plans to take a few out for fun. It was crazy that a criminal profiler was a damn criminal himself.

“Last count, there were two heart attacks, a car accident, a damn robbery gone wrong and somebody getting shot in a random act of violence. Not to mention the lady who went in for a hip replacement and ended up with sepsis and dying. Family couldn’t even sue because apparently she’d done it to herself by sneaking in food and some of it got into her wound.” Couba was now sitting back and we were all watching Priest. He sat there unbothered by the accusation and that’s how I knew it was true.

“You doing it like that, Mir?” Ori was grinning and I had to wonder what was going through his mind.

“Not the last one. That was a woman. I don’t harm women. And of course, the Angels and Archangels played a role.” I glanced back at the door and saw the smile that danced in Smoke’s eyes because of the mayhem he’d taken a part in.

“Nae sweet lit’le, Ny.” Liam looked completely lost as to just how deadly Mir’s wife could be. She reminded me too much of maman for me to ever count her out.

Priest just smiled softly as he smoothed down the front of his t-shirt. “Who do you think made the outside food?”

“Damn. Zhat lady had to have done somezing serious.”

“She made the mistake of being ugly to my wife and thinking that she could question her morals, then suck up to her once my mother disappeared. But Nyima doesn’t forget. Especially when that same woman advised me to get a DNA test on my son just in case, because you never know how women these days are.”

I blinked twice before I laughed loudly. “Oh, she more zhan deserved zhat zhen.”

“You’re right and she reaped what she sowed. She questioned my wife’s honor and her blood so Ny poisoned hers. I refuse to let anyone breathe that has wronged her.”

“What about Damien’s ass?”

Priest’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Cou like he was irritated. “Yacouba, why do you constantly bring him up? He’s fed. He’s watered—”

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