Page 44 of Trial of Deceit

His eyes narrowed.“Don’t mention them.Do as I say, Miss B.”

She stared at him for a moment before motioning for Ashari to follow her.As they disappeared, footsteps approached Jediah from behind.

“Yu know she a go vex with yu, right?”Dimitri asked, and Jediah scoffed as they walked toward the wing that hosted the office and meeting rooms.

Entering the meeting room, Jediah’s eyes widened at Elias, Iyana, and Howie, who were laughing with each other.He glanced at Dimitri, who was frozen by the door.

Elias glanced in their direction, and his laughter faded away.“I wasn’t expecting you so early,” he said, pushing Howie’s chair behind his.

Iyana jumped to her feet.“We’ll leave now,” she said, grabbing a confused Howie and hurrying through the back door.

Cameron looked up from his phone.His brows furrowed as he looked around the room while removing his headphones off his head.When he noticed Elias’ family was gone, he looked toward the door.Jediah shook his head.Cameron’s brows evened out, and he straightened in his chair.Dimitri’s jaw clenched as he finally entered the room.He sat at the right side of the chair Jediah always sat in.Closing his eyes, Dimitri hunched over the table with his head in his hands.

“Do you need your pills, Dimitri?”Jediah asked.He knew Dimitri took his pills this morning and it wasn’t time for his nightly dosage yet, but if Dimitri was on the verge of an anxiety attack, he needed to get those pills.

Dimitri shook his head.“No.”

Jediah closed the door and walked toward the window, staring at the neatly trimmed shrubs that outlined the main house of the estate.He took a puff, savored the taste, then blew the fumes toward the glass while the lingering tension dissipated.

“I think it’s time you do exposure therapy,” Elias broke the silence while straightening his black tie with sharks printed all over it.“Clearly, talking is futile.”

“Jed says I’m not ready,” Dimitri muttered, and Elias scoffed.

“Are you going to listen to Jed forever?He doesn’t always know what’s best.”

Jediah mocked Elias’ scoff, his eyes darting from the outskirts of the estate to settle on the greying man.“Is that so, Elias?The only reason Dimitri is like this is because you never listened to me in the first place.”

“If we’d gone with what you said, too much attention would’ve been on the family.”

“Mi don’ care how much attention deh pon the family when it come to the Valcourts!Dem don’ care ’bout who dem hurt in the process fi get to we.Why me fi care?”

“Because you have more to lose,” Elias countered.“Now, your best shooter is scared of kids.”

Jediah yanked the cigar away from his mouth, rage rushing to his eyes.“’Cause a you!Mi tell yu fi fire bomb Marquis warehouse weh close to the wharf ’cause him woulda lose more, but no.Yu wan’ play the long game ’bout wi fi just kill him personal driver so him will scramble and fear how close we can come to him.”

“And they do.”

Jediah shook his head.“No.Now everyone knows that we kill kids.”

“She wasn’t supposed to be in the car.She got picked up early from school.”

“It’s still your fault, Eli.Don’ blame this on me,” Jediah hissed and turned around.The rage inside him was maddening.Despite his extreme actions, even he wouldn’t have gone as far as killing his enemy’s kid.The girl was only twelve at the time, with a mother who was probably one of Marquis’ many whores, but she didn’t deserve that.Jediah, remembering that he’d had an impromptu funeral weeks ago, clenched his jaw and deepened his glare at the window.“Mi don’ wan’ know wa happen to Acacia.”

“What?”Dimitri spoke for the first time, his voice louder than the squeal of a pig as it shuffled about.

“Mi know unu don’ have the pig in here…” Jediah gritted out, his voice a warning.

Cameron ignored his comment and gave Jediah a sheepish grin.“Me and the rookie already a work pon getting the restaurant shut down.”

Jediah scowled as Cameron moved Barrel from off the floor, resting her on his lap and petting her.

“Mi think she a cry fi Acacia,” Cameron mused.

“Mi don’ think pigs can cry,” Dimitri said.

“But she is!Look!”Cameron held Barrel in the air, showing her to everyone in the room, one-by-one.

Dimitri hissed his teeth.“A goodly sweat she a sweat.”

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