Page 48 of The Love of Priest 2

Priest was extremely selective about who he shared his plan with. Even though Mr. and Mrs. Cox were well aware that he wasn't dead, Priest didn't think Carlito needed to know. Carlito was a cool guy, but he was also a talker, and Priest didn't need that.

Jazzy laughed at the fact that Carlito's way of sympathizing with her situation was by refraining from making her the butt of his witty jokes.

"Taking it day by day, Carlito. How are you holding up?

" She smiled lightly as she grabbed ahold of the clipboard the delivery driver was attempting to hand over to Carlito.

As she signed on the dotted lines, Jazzy heard a heavy sigh drag out of Carlito. Handing the clipboard back to one of the delivery drivers, she side-eyed Carlito. "The fuck is wrong with you?" she asked.

Carlito waited for the delivery driver to head off before he continued the conversation with Jazzy. "I don't know how valid this shit is, but the streets are saying Priest's brother took him out," he told Jazzy in a hushed voice.

Jazzy held her finger up at him, signaling him to wait a minute before she grabbed the next clipboard to sign.

Once she had scribbled her signature on the page, the delivery driver returned to his truck, allowing her and Carlito to speak privately again.

" Brother as in Ru or Kaymen?" Jazzy hiked her perfectly arched brow up as she asked for clarification.

Carlito smacked his lips. "Nah, fool," he quipped as he shook his head. "Priest's brother, " he stressed, hoping Jazzy would understand without him having to go into great detail.

Jazzy screwed up her face, still not understanding what Carlito was trying to tell her.

"Look, I don't know who's chatting false information, but I'm PJ's only sibling.

The only niggas he considered his brothers were J'Ru and Kaymen.

Any other nigga claiming otherwise, I give you full permission to shut that shit down on my behalf if I'm not around. "

Jazzy didn't appreciate randoms holding claim to Priest, especially when it pertained to taking his life.

No one was about to play Priest out on her watch.

Carlito raised his hands in surrender to insinuate that he had no parts in the rumor.

"Them fucking lying motherfuckers, man." He shook his head, shaming whoever started the rumor.

Jazzy laughed at how thick his accent was whenever he cursed. "Look, I just stopped by to sign for these shipments. Thanks for looking out, Carlito."

"No problem," he said as he waved goodbye to her. She gave him a head nod before she sashayed out of the bodega.

Making her way to the Porsche, she ignored numerous cat calls with a snobby look etched on her face.

Once she pulled out of the parking space, she accelerated the vehicle in the direction of La Lealtá.

She wasn't surprised that a wild rumor about Priest had already spread. If one hadn’t been started, she would’ve been worried.

What surprised her was how outlandish the rumor was.

Anyone who needed to know knew that Priest didn't have any other siblings besides her.

A brother suddenly emerging out of thin air was pretty weird to her.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, she was pleased to see that it was busy as usual. She handed her keys to the valet before entering the upscale restaurant. Jazzy didn't even have to utter any words before the hostess left her post to usher her inside.

As she followed behind the hostess, Jazzy's brow furrowed at the fact that she was being led to the back where Priest would usually hold many of their family dinners.

Once they bypassed various tables filled with patrons, Jazzy rolled her eyes with laughter at the sight of J'Ru and Kaymen sitting at the usual table awaiting her.

J'Ru got up, pulling out a chair for her. She thanked him as she sat at the table. "You guys don't have to trick me into coming to lunch with you," she teased them.

The men both laughed. "We just wanted to check in with you to make sure you're alright," Kaymen stated with a light chuckle.

"I'm alright. Everyone can stop treating me like I'm so distraught," Jazzy assured the guys.

"We get it," J'Ru assured her with a nod. "But you know things are different now."

Jazzy shrugged her shoulders. "Things aren't that different.

PJ and I did the whole long-distance thing while I was in Paris.

I think I can survive without him being around.

" Jazzy didn't like when people worried about her.

It made her feel like she was doing something wrong.

Was she supposed to be distraught and missing her brother like they all expected her to be?

Kaymen and J'Ru glanced at each other before shrugging.

They were really anticipating Jazzy being emotional and venting about how she didn't like the change, but she seemed to be taking it better than they were.

"I ain't even gone hold you. I miss my homie," J'Ru admitted shamelessly as he leaned back in his seat.

"It's only been three days, Ru," Kaymen laughed.

J'Ru shrugged his shoulders. "It don't matter," he scoffed.

"If you're done being a little girl about your homie," Jazzy teased J'Ru, causing Kaymen to laugh harder. "I spoke to Carlito while I was at the store earlier," she enlightened the men.

J'Ru smacked his lips. "What his short crazy ass say now?" As much as Carlito liked to deny it, he was a known gossiper.Bueno!was a communal spot, so the word got to him fairly quickly.

Jazzy’s orbs scoped around the restaurant to ensure that no one was in earshot of their conversation. "He told me that people were saying that P got hit by his brother," she revealed as her face formed a puzzled look.

Kaymen and J'Ru glanced at each other in confusion. "Did you do it?" Kaymen asked J'Ru.

"Hell nah," J'Ru laughed. "Did you?"

"Fuck no," Kaymen denied while shaking his head.

Jazzy rolled her eyes at how lighthearted they were being about the rumor that was making its rounds. "Obviously it wasn't you guys," she muttered.

"Exactly," Kaymen shrugged. "Why are you even feeding into what Carlito’s nutty ass got to say? The man takes anything and runs with it. Whoever did get PJ wasn't his brother, but you don't need to be looking into it ‘cause that's something me and Ru have to handle," Kaymen assured Jazzy.

A frown embedded itself on Jazzy's face. She didn't think this was something they should casually brush off. If this rumor held even an ounce of truth to it, they needed to handle it fast. "I'll just call PJ." She shook her head, on the verge of retrieving her phone from her Goyard bag.

J'Ru quickly reached over, pulling her hand out of her purse.

"It's only been three days," J'Ru reminded her.

"I already had to hit him with the extra shit Sylvia did.

He hasn't even gotten back to me about Sylvia, so I just know that's not where his focus is right now. I don't think he needs another phone call,” J’Ru explained, and Kaymen agreed. Calling Priest up for any and every inconvenience would’ve completely defeated the purpose of him leaving New York behind.

There were things that just had to be handled without him, or they may have to be completely ignored altogether.

"You can't tell me when I can and when I can't call my brother," Jazzy retorted, screwing up her face.

Priest never put limitations on the contact he and Jazzy could have, so she didn't understand why J'Ru and Kaymen were trying to set them.

Kaymen shook his head. "Jazzy, don't make that call.

He's on an island with his lady right now, and you wanna bring him even more negativity just to remind him why he left the city behind in the first place.

" Of course, Priest had the right to know what was being spread around in the streets about who shot him; however, there were certain times for everything.

For right now, Priest could go without. This wasn't an urgent matter, especially if thisso-called brother didn't have plans of firing anymore shots.

Jazzy folded her arms across her chest as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "So, when can I tell him?"

" We can tell him when we find out if this shit is facts or not. For all we know, Carlito could just be talking out his ass," J'Ru said to her.

She nodded her head. That sounded fair enough.

As the gentlemen they were, J'Ru and Kaymen treated Jazzy to lunch. Once their midday hunger was appeased, the three called an end to lunch. J'Ru and Kaymen ushered Jazzy out the restaurant where she waited for the valet to retrieve the Porsche.

"Walk around with security next time," J'Ru instructed her as he waved the valet off so he was the one assisting Jazzy into the vehicle.

"PJ always had security with him, and he still managed to get shot," she replied to him, ultimately causing J'Ru to nudge her head at how stubborn she could be.

"I'll have Cyro with you tomorrow," J'Ru asserted before he shut the door of the vehicle so Jazzy could drive off.

IBIZA, SPAIN

Priest’s eyes peered at his dim phone screen.

The sight of his mother being her theatrical self with tears staining her face made his stomach churn.

If she had put even half of the effort she used to seek attention and money into being a better mother to him, then maybe he would have had a slight chance of believing she actually cared.

At the moment, he saw past her tears and her broken voice.

Priest had cut all communication with anyone outside of his camp, Sylvia included.

What she really cared about was who was going to supply her with funds to maintain her newfound lifestyle once Leonard's money ran out.

Priest had completely washed his hands clean of his mother and didn't see himself giving her a dollar any time soon.

"She needs a fucking Emmy for this shit," he chuckled as he blew out a cloud of smoke from his rolled joint.