Page 3 of The Love of Priest

J'Ru led the way to the elevator, the only way in and out of the presidential penthouse. Priest and Sylvia followed right behind him. Priest pressed the button down to the ground floor where his security detail was awaiting him. The burly men who were dressed in all-black suit and tie ensembles built a barrier around Priest, J'Ru and Sylvia.They all knew they were about to be swarmed with reporters with microphones and flashing cameras as soon as they exited the building. In preparation, they kept their heads down before they even made their way out. The doors opened, and the wind circled them. The chatter and shouting of reporters clogging the doorway filled their ears. Priest kept his arm around his mother, making sure she watched her step. J'Ru stood before him, leading him through the crowd and into the black Suburban.

"Priest, you agreed to plead not guilty to the multiple charges of racketeering and money laundering. Do you have any evidence that proves you weren't involved in this scheme?!" shouted one reporter who was desperately trying to shove his camera through the wall of security Priest had around him.

"Priest, can you explain the suicide of Mayor Bill Cunnings after it was discovered he was involved in your case?!"followed another reporter.

"Priest, how are you feeling today as you're about to go on trial this morning?!"a female reporter shouted out to him as she tried her best to shove herself to the front of the crowd.

Priest and his entourage ignored the questions and piled into their line of cars. Priest's SUV was in the center of eight other SUVs that were all blacked out with limo tint and equipped with bulletproof windows. Once seated comfortably in the vehicle, Priest gave the okay so his line of SUVs could head toward the courthouse where his trial was set to resume.

The ride was silent, just as Priest preferred. He needed time to plan his next move.He prayed to himself. He didn't look or feel worried. He just wanted to be prepared. Anything could happen.

When they arrived at the courthouse after the short drive, he allowed the driver to assist his mother out of the vehicle before he followed with J'Ru alongside him. Just like at the penthouse, his security detail surrounded him, J'Ru and Sylvia, shielding them from the flashing lights of the cameras and the microphones being shoved in front of them. Instead of keeping his head down like he had done before, Priest stood tall with his chin up and a beguiling smile on his face. He was serving great photos for the cover ofTheNew York Timestomorrow.

He waved at reporters who crowed out his name in hopes of catching his attention. His debonair look and nonchalant attitude had the prosecutors who desperately wanted to see him behind bars in complete frustration. How could a man who could soon be serving the rest of his life behind bars for various counts of racketeering, capital murder, and drug trafficking be so calm, cool, and collected? Maneuvering out of the swamp of reporters and photographers, Priest did a head count on his group to ensure everyone had made it inside safely.

He met his lawyer, Abraham, on the ground floor of the courthouse. The fairly lean and tall Jewish man who was balding at the center of his head extended his hand to Priest before greeting J'Ru and Sylvia. "Abraham, pleasure to see you today." Priest smiled at his lawyer.

"Same here, Priest. I assure you, today you have nothing to worry about." He smiled confidently.

Priest nodded with a chuckle. "I'll let you lead the way." Abraham carried his briefcase, ushering the way toward their assigned courtroom. Everything was on time, even Priest. Priest ignored the eyes glued to him and his crew. He kept his head high, and like any other day, he danced to the beat of his own drum.

"Mr. Justice, were you ever a part of any gang affiliated slayings in Queens, Harlem, or the Bronx, New York?" State Prosecutor Daniel Hernandez stood before Priest who was sitting on the stand with a smug smirk on his face.

Priest's dark, hooded eyes locked with each and every juror on the jury bench. His smug smirk never faded away. J'Ru tried his best to refrain from snickering while he sat beside Sylvia in court. This entire trial was a circus to Priest. He was being shoved into the lion’s den, but shockingly, it seemed like he was enjoying it.

Licking his lips, Priest glanced from the jury to his Piguet watch that rested cozily on his wrist before looking into the green eyes of State Prosecutor Hernandez. "No," he answered. "I wasn't a part of any gang affiliated slayings in those listed boroughs." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Mr. Justice, if I could direct your attention to the projector over here." Daniel sauntered to the left side of the courtroom, attracting the eyes of everyone in the room, including Priest's. "These sights are pretty gruesome." He clicked to the first photo of a lifeless body.

The lips and skin of the lost one were tinted blue and purple due to frigid temperatures it withstood in the New York winter. That wasn't the most traumatizing part of the photo, though. What really had the stomachs of everyone in the courtroom churning was the engraved cross that was slit into the person's chest. Whatever was used to puncture the skin of the person was deep enough to impale the heart since the lifeless organ too was engraved with a small cross.

Priest was unmoved by the photos. He had seen way more horrifying sights, so Priest was sure the photo wouldn't keep him up at night. "Mr. Justice, is this not the symbol you have capitalized off of? Does this symbol not represent you and your associates?"

Gazing down, Priest eyed the cross pendant his jeweler, Kirk, made to accompany the chain he was sporting at that very moment. He tucked the palm of his hand behind the face of the pendant, lifting it up so everyone could catch sight of it. "My name is Priest. I'm invested in my religion, so, yes, I rep that. What you call a mere symbol, I call faith."

Subconsciously, Priest rubbed the pad of his thumb and index finger together, a habit and tendency he suffered from when he was getting restless and bored.

During the rest of the proceedings, Priest got drilled with question after question. This was day five of his trial, and it was his first appearance on the stand. The media was in a frenzy as sources relayed quotes and descriptive details about Priest's demeanor within the courtroom. The trial was adjourned until the following week under Judge Harper's request.

Exiting the courtroom, Priest kept his charming and swooning smile on his face, this time even wider. Photos were being snapped of him leaving the courtroom with an extra ounce of arrogance and swagger. Priest felt like he had nothing to worry about. He was always two steps ahead.

The FBI barely had a thing aside from speculation, and the same could be said for the DEA. Priest wasn't the least bit concerned about being put away. Once in the backseat of the Suburban alongside his mother and J'Ru, he ordered his line of uniform Suburban’s to pull off from the scene and head in the direction of Manhattan. He was craving something good to eat since he barely had time to enjoy his breakfast. Instead of rushing Talia to prepare him something so early at the last minute, he decided to treat himself and his people to a nice outing to Eleven Madison Park, an upscale restaurant that had become one of Priest’s favorites since it satisfied every craving that arose on his newly expanded pallet.

"You ought to take this stuff more serious, Priest. You don't know what the Hernandez motherfucker has on you," Sylvia preached to her son while she sat across from him in the restaurant. Priest couldn't believe it. She was sitting at a table with an exquisite entree before her, and she wanted to discuss the charges that were being brought against him. Priest cut into his steak, a bit of myoglobin oozing out of it due to his preference of having it cooked medium rare.

"Ma, let’s not even think about that. They have nothing on me. I'm just an easy target because of how I came up. I haven't done shit wrong. The City of New York should be thanking me. I've made their economy go ‘round. I've funded business after business, and I gave my support to multiple school districts. Plus, every blue-collar motherfucker who’s a part of their state government has received more than enough finances from me to fund their campaigns and city projects. Hernandez, the media, and every person who's trying to paint me out to be the bad guy can all just?—"

J'Ru placed a hand onto Priest's shoulder so he could cut in. "They can all just go suck a fat one." J'Ru shrugged, causing the table to erupt into laughter at his crudity.

Sylvia didn't find a thing funny. Priest was too nonchalant for his own good. Sylvia didn't know a thing about her son's dealings, and Priest would’ve liked to have kept it that way. Priest stood up from the table with his glass hiked up. The chatter surrounding the table came to a halt as he grasped all their attention.

"To love, to family, to loyalty," he conducted the toast, causing everyone to raise their glasses in the air, reciting the toast before clinking glasses together.

"To Priest!" J'Ru initiated another toast, causing a smile to pull from the corners of Priest's lips. Everyone cheered before clinking their glasses together once more.

"To Priest!"

ChapterTwo

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