Page 117 of The Love of Priest

"I love you, playa," he laughed as he leaned down to kiss her lips one final time.

"I love you too, playa." She wrapped her arms around his torso for an embrace.

Priest finally got Britain into her car, and she pulled out of the parking space like a maniac. They went their separate ways, Priest heading toward his penthouse, and Britain heading toward her mother's clinic.He kept the radio off just to clear his head a bit as he drove. He wasn't worried about what happened the day before with Mirsad. He was more worried about how Mirsad was going to make the situation worse. Priest knew it probably wasn't the best idea to throw his little cousin to the wolves of the streets like he had done the night before, but Mirsad needed a hard lesson that would stick with him.

Arriving at the penthouse, Priest parked his car in his assigned parking spot before getting out and heading to the elevator. Bypassing the security measures, he made his way up to his penthouse. The thick steel doors glided open, revealing Nia and Jazzy standing in the middle of the living room dancing to the upbeat sounds of Destiny's Child's song “Bug-A-Boo.”

A smile appeared on Priest's face at the sight of Nia having a good time despite what she had endured the night before.Priest glanced to the right to see Talia in the kitchen laughing while making breakfast.

"They've been like this for an hour now." Talia pointed at the two, who were using remotes as microphones.

"Singing is definitely not what you guys are destined for." Priest jokingly plugged his ears with his fingers.

Noticing he had come in, Nia turned around, immediately resigning from singing. "Hey, PJ," she smiled. "Where's Mirsad?" She looked past him in hopes of seeing her son appear behind him.

Priest glanced back momentarily, confused about exactly what she was expecting to see behind him. "Mirsad… I left him at The Groves," Priest shrugged as he made his way over to the kitchen where Talia had his plate of breakfast awaiting him.

Nia’s brown eyes watched his every move. She had a crazed look in her eyes as if she was in disbelief at what Priest had just so casually and calmly said. "Priest, what do you mean you left him at The Groves? You have security with him, right? He can't just be by himself," she stressed as she hastily made her way over to him.

"Yeah, PJ," Jazzy piped in, agreeing with Nia's worries. "You can't leave his scary ass by himself."

"Look, that's our problem now. We never let him figure shit out on his own. He makes a mess, and we hurry up and try to clean it up for him before it causes chaos," Priest told them as he unfolded his table napkin and sat it on his lap. "Nia, I'm not sure if you remember, but you got shot at last night because of his mess. He needs to be away from you right now. Mirsad is a walking target, and I can't have him jeopardizing any of our safety. I’s rather plan one funeral than multiple," he explained.

To Nia, his logic sounded completely insane. How could he just deem Mirsad's life unworthy just because he made a few mistakes as a teenager? "Priest, that's my son!" Her voice rose in frustration. "I can’t have him out there by himself like that! I don't care how near death I was last night or whatever fucking mistake he made. I'll always protect him until I can't anymore!" she fumed at Priest.

"You can't protect him from everything, Nia!" He jeered back at her, causing an immediate sense of fear to wash over her. "Your son is a street nigga, Nia. He gets off on rebelling and doing what he pleases. With that comes a lot of danger you're not ready for. You cannot lose your life because Mirsad wants to play with fire."

His voice softened at the fear in Nia's eyes. She was a phenomenal mother. She cared for Mirsad more than she cared for herself and would give him her last if it came down to it. Priest admired Nia's mothering, but she couldn't confuse being a good mother with fighting all Mirsad's battles for him.

Nia's jaw clenched as she eyed Priest. "Thank you for your help yesterday. I'll protect him on my own. He's my responsibility anyway," she said in a soft voice before turning on her heels to gather her things.

"Nia," Priest called after her, but she simply ignored him.

Jazzy glared at Priest. Sometimes he never realized how unreasonable he was being. He wanted everything to be a lesson, no matter how harsh it could be. "Nia, I'll come with you." Jazzy followed behind Nia, volunteering to leave with her.

"No one is going anywhere," Priest halted them both. "I'll make arrangements to keep Mirsad safe. Just quit stressing me the fuck out," he throated out rashly before shuttering his eyes shut and bowing his head to pray over his food.

ChapterThirty-Two

Taking a moment for himself,Priest sat in his bedroom with the lights dim and the curtains closed. The dark decor of the room caused the area to be pitch black, but Priest didn't mind. Engulfed in silence, Priest took in steady breaths. Kaymen had suggested meditating a while ago, but Priest never thought he could get into it. His mind went from one thing to another far too quickly to even consider allowing it to go blank. Although he wasn't meditating, technically, his methods worked for him. He continued with his steady breathing as he sat in a quiet and private space with his eyes shuttered closed. His mind wouldn't give him the satisfaction of going blank, but the breathing exercises still relaxed him, nonetheless.

Figuring he had taken enough time for himself, Priest rose from his seat and began making his way toward the door of his bedroom. He had a bit of a late start on his day, but he was okay with it. Navigating through the penthouse, Priest looked up from his watch and was faced with Jazzy and Nia awaiting him. "I'm gonna head out. Call me if you two need anything," he told them as he continued his stride toward the elevator.

"You know where he is, right, Priest?" Nia asked with anxiety drenching her as she referred to Mirsad.

Priest pressed the button for the elevator. "It shouldn't be that hard to find him," he shrugged nonchalantly before stepping into the elevator.

"Be safe!" Jazzy called after him.

He turned around, placing his hand over his chest. "Always." He smirked as the door of the elevator glided shut. The trip down was rather quick. He made it to the parking garage in a matter of seconds.

His white, monogram-plastered Dior sneakers sounded off against the cement as he approached his Bentley Bentayga. Unlocking the vehicle, he eased onto the crimson red seat before starting it. Priest was hoping he was right about it being easy to find Mirsad. There weren't many places for him to go, but Priest's first stop was The Groves. Mirsad enjoyed pushing his luck, so Priest wouldn't be surprised if he compromised his safety by staying there.

Eventually, Priest arrived at The Groves. He, J'Ru and Kaymen worked quickly on the damages. Priest wasn't sure whether Nia was mentally suited to return to running the office, but if she wasn’t, he was just going to promote one of the leasing agents to management and keep a very close eye on them until Nia’s return.

Parking his vehicle, Priest made his way into the building, taking the stairs up to where Nia resided. He applied a knock onto the door and waited for Mirsad to open up. Priest just had a feeling that Mirsad had tested his luck and stayed home. Priest couldn't lie. He would have done the same if he were still Mirsad's age and as inexperienced as he was, hence, the fact everyone considered him hardheaded and difficult.

Just to scare the shit out of Mirsad, Priest pressed his finger over the peephole so Mirsad couldn’t look through it.Balling his fist up tightly this time, Priest applied a louder knock to the door. It was swung open hastily, and he was met with the barrel of Mirsad's gun, which he matched with the barrel of his own. Standing across from each other with Mirsad looking like he'd seen a ghost, they kept their weapons drawn.

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