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A bleak look panned out on Priest's face as his orbs seared into hers. Going against the urge to say what was on his mind, he decided to nod his head. "Yeah, I got you," he said as he rose to his feet.

Britain bit down on her lip lightly as her orbs hawked over him, watching him stride out of the office with his shoulders slouched. It was evident that the two were suppressing how they both felt because they knew if they decided to take it there with one another, it would just open up a can of worms. Britain was sure that Priest had questions about her return to New York. He wanted to know where she would be staying, who was aware of her return, and when she planned on coming back to Italy.

As bad as it sounded, Britain hadn't decided on any of those things. She was at a point where all those concerns didn't even matter to her. She just wanted to be back home and away from Priest and his justifications for why he decided to do what he did for as long as she needed to be.

His apology was very nice, and it would have been fulfilling if Britain hadn't sacrificed everything she had to be with him in Italy. To her, she had endured far too much of a loss just for it to amount to a winded apology. Whether he was taking accountability for his decision or not, he was still going to put himself front and center of Matteo and Suzette's business. There was no apology long or winded enough for Britain to look past that.

Priest made his bed, and now he had to lay in it.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Britain stood in the foyer of the home making sure she had all the bags she packed for New York. She had gone through the list of things she packed a multitude of times, yet she still felt as though she was forgetting something.Full of frustration, a sigh drifted out of her as she tried to rack her mind for what she could have been forgetting. It didn't dawn on her until Priest entered the foyer with her laptop sleeve in hand. "Oh my God! Thank you for remembering my laptop." She extended her hand out for it.

Priest handed it over to her with a light nod. "I figured you would want to work while you're out in New York." He shrugged his shoulders. "Everything else good? You ready?" He glanced around, catching sight of her bags.

Britain cleared her throat before nodding her head. "Yup, I'm ready," she confirmed.

"Bet." He nodded as he grabbed all the bags so she wouldn’t have to lift them. She led the way out of the home, lifting the trunk of the vehicle so he could toss her bags into it. "You sure this is everything?"

"Yeah. If I run out of things, I guess that'll be my cue to come back." Britain chuckled lightly.

He didn’t find a damn thing funny, so all he did was nod his head before reaching up to shut the trunk. He made his way around, assisting her into the vehicle. There was a thick silence circling the car. Neither knew what to say to the other. Priest knew whatever conversation they had would lead to him telling her that he didn't want her to leave and her going against his wishes anyway.

"You gonna be okay without me for a little while?" She suddenly broke the silence as she placed her hand over his.

Priest glanced away from the road briefly, setting his eyes onto her. His shoulders motioned in a light shrug. "I got to, right?" He chuckled bitterly.

Britain nodded her head. "Yeah."

"I didn't expect you to make your first trip back home while the media was still hot, so I arranged some things for you," he informed her.

"Like what?"

Priest let out a short sigh as he kept his attention on the road. "I don't feel comfortable with a lot of people knowing you touching down besides family. Security will be on you around the clock. The shit will be annoying at first, but you’ll get used to it. I can't risk you being out there with all this shit going on. I want you to stay at the penthouse with Jazzy?—"

"I already had plans on staying at Rem's house," Britain interjected.

He shook his head. "Nah, that's dead. Having security in Rem's hood would be a dead giveaway that you touched down.I don't have a problem with you stopping by, but as for you staying, that won't be good. I need you at the penthouse."

Britain decided not to fight him on his orders since he was just looking out for her safety. “And I need you to answer my calls. I know you want space, but for my sanity, I need to hear from you every day," Priest added. He wasn't about to give her the option of not calling. Whether she wanted to have a conversation was up to her, but a call was to be made or answered just to assure him that she was okay. He was very uneasy about her heading to New York so soon with the city still buzzing about him, but he couldn't necessarily hold her back. She was an adult, and he vowed to never confine her to Italy.

"Got it," Britain confirmed.

The fact that they really didn't know how to be angry at each other made things awkward between them. Most of their disputes always ended with them having a mutual understanding, but with this one, there was no middle ground. She hated the fact that she knew eventually she would be the one giving in since he wasn't about to. For the moment, she just needed some space. Hopefully, some time without her would cause him to reconsider his deal with Suzette.

The two eased back into a silence, Priest focusing on the road while Britain distracted herself with her phone. Eventually, they arrived at the ramp. He bypassed security with ease, driving toward the appointed ramp where her private flight was awaiting her. A heavy sigh drifted out of her as she caught the sight of the aircraft. Despite being upset with him, she was still having trouble leaving. She wanted to be a strong and cold woman who knew how to prove a point, but deep down inside, she was going to miss and long for him as much as he would for her.

"I got the same pilot and crew from our flight so you would be comfortable," he enlightened her.

She smiled as she angled herself to face him. She wasn't sure if he was trying to kiss up to her at the last minute or if he was just being his usual considerate and detailed self. Either way, she was extremely appreciative. "Thank you, P." She reached her hand over to caress his bearded face.

"It's nothing," he waved her off.

The two had arrived a bit early, so the jet wasn't ready for take-off quite yet. This left them with some time to talk before she flew back to New York. He kept his gaze on the aircraft while her eyes seared into him.

"Tell me why you're upset," she said to Priest, causing his brows to furrow in confusion as he turned his head to look at her.

He shot her an unsure look before she nodded, encouraging him to proceed. Running his hand down his face, he huffed out a breath. "I just wish you would see me through this instead of taking an easy out," he shrugged.