Page 49

Jadey hated the fact that she and Britain were in the same breathing space and didn't even utter a word to each other. Things used to be so different before their friendship was dismantled by Caroline. She missed Britain, but it was evident that Britain wasn't feeling the same."Kay, should I go talk to her?" Jadey asked Kaymen.

Kaymen let out a sigh before shrugging. "If you want to, mama. If you do, prepare for the worst," he said to her with a bit of sympathy before kissing her on the forehead for encouragement.

"I'm going over there," she announced while nodding, causing Kaymen to drop his arms from around her waist. "Wish me luck."

Jadey slowly made her way over to Britain in hopes she wouldn’t try to avoid the conversation. Only a few feet away from Britain and Priest, her walking halted immediately at the sound of ear-piercing shots sounding through the park.

Loud shrieks of fear meshed with the sounds of back-to-back gun shots. As others scattered in fear for their lives with hopes of gaining shelter from the bullets, Priest secured Britain in his strong arms, pulling her down to the ground to shield her from any stray bullets.

Kaymen rushed toward Jadey, shielding her from bullets as well. No one knew where the bullets were coming from or who they were aimed at. All Priest was worried about was protecting Britain, while Kaymen was worried about protecting Jadey.

With their hearts racing and the fear of their lives being snatched senselessly from them, Britain remained underneath Priest, praying that no one got hurt.

When the shots finally ceased, Priest’s dark eyes darted around, checking to see if the coast was clear. Sure enough, nothing in their vicinity was alarming, so he stood up, helping Britain up.

"You alright?" he asked her with a look of deep concern webbed within his orbs.

Shaken up and frightened, Britain simply nodded her head. At the moment, her heart was beating intensely as her stomach churned and tied into knots.

"Fuck!" They heard the sheer voice of pain. Kaymen, who had now stood up with Jadey, snapped his head in the direction of the scream just as Britain and Priest had.

Not too far from them, J'Ru knelt over a body, blood staining his hands and clothes. "Jamari, breathe for me, man! Don't fucking do this!" J'Ru gritted to the young boy as his body lay in the manicured grass of the park. Blood seeped through his clothing as his hooded brown eyes were kept on J'Ru.

The sight of Jamari's body lying there leaking blood shook every bone in Priest's body. "Don't close your eyes! I know it hurts, but I need you to breathe more than ever right now, Jamari! Please!" J'Ru implored Jamari as he held him in his arms.Kaymen and Priest immediately rushed over to J'Ru.

Priest reached into his pocket, extracting the keys of his vehicle. "Go home, now," he ordered Britain as he sat the keys in her hand.

Britain shook her head, defying him. "No, I'm not leaving you, Priest!"

"Britain, now! Go home now!" he ordered her with a darker look in his eye and a much sterner tone.

A look of despair flashed within Britain's eyes as she obliged him. As she rushed to the vehicle, she was about to bypass Jadey. Seeing the same fear she felt taking over Jadey, her heart filled with sympathy. Grabbing a hold of Jadey's wrist gently, she took her along with her.

"Come on. He's gonna be fine," Britain assured Jadey, referring to Kaymen. She was having that same feeling about leaving Priest behind, so she knew Jadey needed some comfort.

"Everything's gonna be fine,” she whispered softly just like Priest would whenever she was in deep worry.

Priest took J'Ru’s place so he was now holding Jamari in his arms. Jamari's breaths were shallow and nasally as he continued to bleed onto Priest.

"C'mon, little man," Priest croaked. "I need you to fight. We're getting you some help," Priest spoke to Jamari in a soothing voice in hopes of keeping him alive.

By now, multiple calls had been made for an ambulance. Shock engulfed everyone's bodies as they stood in disbelief at the fact that Jamari was the one impacted by the stray bullets. He was an innocent child who had nothing to do with anything. He left the house with the intention of coming back home to his mother and siblings. Now, there was a chance it may never happen.

Priest was devastated .

He'd known Jamari since he was four years old. He'd watched him grow and had assisted his mother with so much. Jamari was a great kid. He stayed out the way, protected his younger siblings, and did great in school. Priest just couldn't understand why this had happened to him.

"Priest," Kaymen called as he squatted down with a look of sorrow."Priest," he called for Priest once more.

"Jamari, keep them eyes open, man. You got this," Priest continued to encourage Jamari as he cradled him in his arms.

Priest just couldn't fathom Jamari losing his life. What was he going to tell Tasha, Jamari's mother? How would he explain this to Jamari's younger siblings? It just couldn't happen!As he continued to think, Priest couldn't help but to blame himself. If he hadn’t funded and thrown this event, Jamari would’ve been in the safety of his home.

By now, Priest's attire was drenched with Jamari’s blood. He didn't care. He was going to hold onto him until the paramedics came.

"P, he's gone," Kaymen told him in a light voice.

Priest’s dark orbs slowly peered down at Jamari's body cradled in his arms. Jamari's eyes had now shuttered closed, and his breathing had become nonexistent. "C'mon, Mari. Wake up." Priest shook him as devastation settled in. "Wake up!" Priest bellowed. Still, Jamari remained lifeless in Priest's arms.

"Fuck!" J'Ru stressed as he held his head in his hands.

"PJ, listen to me." Kaymen grabbed ahold of Priest's face, ordering him to focus on him. "You can't be here right now. I need you to get in Ru's car and leave," Kaymen explained to him.

A crazed look swamped Priest’s eyes. "No." He shook his head. "I can't fucking leave him. He died because of me. I can't leave him," he told Kaymen, his voice cracking in pain.

"Priest, do you understand the severity of this situation right now?! You're cradling Jamari's dead body in your arms! You need to leave! Now!" Kaymen sternly shouted at Priest in hopes of getting through his distraught mental state and bringing him back to his senses.

Shifting his eyes from Kaymen, he set them on Jamari. His jaw clenched as he fought the tears attempting to cascade from his eyes. "I love you, man," Priest whispered to Jamari as he applied a light kiss to his forehead. "Hold him until they get here," Priest instructed Kaymen, who did as he was told without hesitation.

Priest stood up with his heart heavy about leaving Jamari behind. As he approached J'Ru to receive the keys of his vehicle, J'Ru pulled him in for a hug. He knew Priest was going to be fucked up about Jamari dying. That was his little homie that he looked out for whenever he could. Jamari was innocent.

"It's not your fault," J'Ru told Priest sternly, wanting him to understand completely. "I love you, bro," he assured Priest before they parted from the hug. Once he handed Priest the keys, Kaymen rushed him to leave before the police and media swarmed the entire park.

Kaymen preferred he and J'Ru felt the heat of all the authorities and cameras that were bound to come out. Priest had enough shit going on.With the weight of the world weighing on him, Priest found J'Ru's car and got in. Once the door was shut, he stared aimlessly at the steering wheel.

"Fuck!" he roared as he banged his hand roughly on the steering wheel, sending Jamari's fresh blood splattering throughout the car.

In the distance, Priest could hear the blaring sirens and horns making their way through the streets. Quickly, he started J'Ru's car and peeled off the premises of the park. He lacked focus and direction. Certainly, the car was driving him instead of the other way around.

His mind continued to flash with the memory of Jamari's face. His brown eyes, his wired teeth, his cinnamon brown pulled back dreads, the light freckles that dotted his face. The kid was the epitome of innocence. Just a few minutes ago, he was living, talking, breathing, laughing, and now he was dead.

Priest passed the rushing paramedics and squad cars. He wished he could have stayed, but Kaymen was right. Being in the mix would make things worse for him. The media would shed darkness on innocent Jamari's death.

Priest let out a deep sigh once his aimless driving led him to park in front of Jamari's mother's house. The porch light was on, indicating that she was home and most likely waiting for Jamari to come back. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell her, but he knew he needed to be the one who delivered the news.

Priest nervously bit down on his bottom lip. Getting out of the car, he shuffled his steps toward the door, his feet getting heavier as he grew closer.

Lifting his fist, Priest applied his first knock on the door. His emotions were already getting the best of him. He knocked twice more before the door was pulled open by Tasha, Jamari's mother.

"Priest, what's the matter?" She immediately noticed the dead look in his eye. He was pale in the face, and his eyes were hollow and empty. Opening the door wider, Tasha's face twisted in fear as she noticed the blood that stained Priest's attire. "What happened?" she asked him.

Priest hung his head low in despair as she continued to question him. "I'm sorry, Tash," Priest croaked.

Tears scorched Tasha's eyes as she shook her head. "Priest, stop," she ordered him. "Tell me this is one of his sick jokes that he begged you to be a part of." Denial caused her to laugh. Jamari was a jokester, and he pulled crazy pranks on his mother all the time. That was his entertainment whenever he got tired of playing the game or watching television.

"Priest, say something to me right now!" she pleaded desperately. "Tell me my son is in your car and is waiting for me to lose my shit before he gets out and tells me this is one of his fucking jokes!" she jeered angrily.

"Tasha, I'm so, so sorry," Priest murmured to her lowly.

Tasha released a loud, heavy cry. She hunched over, unable to breathe properly. Her son was dead and wasn't coming back home to her. "That's—that's his b-blood?" she croaked in pain while pointing to the blood that stained Priest's clothing.

Priest said nothing. Instead, he pulled Tasha into his arms, hugging her. She cried loudly into his chest, the pains of a grieving mother taking over her. Her cries vibrated her entire body as she shook in Priest's arms.

"Oh, God!" she called out, desperately wanting to understand exactly how she would move on from losing her first baby. "Jamari's gone!" Her knees buckled. Priest found the strength to hold her up when her knees seemed to give out.

"He was on punishment!" she screeched in grief."He was on punishment!" Jamari had begged and begged his mother to let him off the hook these last days of his punishment so he could attend the event that was happening a few blocks down from their house. Swooned by how smooth a talker her son was, Tasha decided to be lenient this one time and allow him to get off the hook. That was now one of her biggest regrets. If she had just kept him home, Jamari would’ve still been there with her.

Priest was lost for words. He felt responsible. Whenever he was with Jamari, he always made sure to keep him safe. Jamari was never too far. Priest just wished he could turn back time and have Jamari near him. "I'll take care of all the funeral arrangements," he informed Tasha as she continued to cry on his chest, feeling Jamari's blood against her skin.

"My baby," she cried out. "He was just a baby, Priest."

Jamari had so much more life to live. He hadn't even entered his first year of high school. He had big dreams and high aspirations, and he hadn't even done a fraction of what it took to achieve them. Jamari took pride in being the older sibling. He kept his siblings in line and ran a tight ship while doing so. That was what everyone admired about him the most. He cared so much about his little brothers.

"I know." Priest continued to fight his own tears.

"Where is he?" Tasha asked through her cries.

Priest cleared his throat. "He passed in my arms," he revealed. The pain of holding Jamari in his arms penetrated his heart deeply. "He's still at the park. We called for help, but it was just too late."

Tasha's cries intensified. She felt as though she would never stop. Her breath began shortening, which caused Priest to appoint her a seat on the front porch. Tasha didn't want to be seated. She wanted to be there for her son. She shook her head, cries still pouring out of her.

"I need to get to him," she sobbed out uncontrollably.

Priest nodded, agreeing with her. He knew Kaymen would have his head for being back on the scene, but at this point, he didn't even care. "I can take you," he offered. "Where are the kids?"

Tasha looked up at Priest. It was evident that her mind had long forgot about her two younger children as she was overwhelmed by the sudden death of Jamari. "They're inside," she croaked while using her shirt to wipe her face of the tears that had taken it over.

"I don't think we should take them, Tash," Priest said to her. As distraught as he was, he had to be the rational one here because as Jamari's mother, no one was hurting more than she was at the moment.

Tasha stood up. "Remy. He'll look after them." She quickly went into the house to retrieve Jamari's siblings. Priest paced the porch, contemplating exactly how he was going to avoid the scene but still be there for Tasha. He couldn't just leave her high and dry. Her son had died in his arms. That would be fucked up.

Tasha returned to the porch, the kids behind her. She was blocking them from seeing Priest with all of Jamari's blood on him. "Go ahead," she encouraged him in a shaky voice. "I don't want them seeing you like this.”

Priest understood, so he led the way across the street to Remy's house. He knew he probably would look like a lunatic to Remy for showing up at his doorstep drenched in blood, but he would understand soon.

Entering the gate to Remy's house, Priest made his way up the porch, knocking on the door. He remained with his body faced forward so the kids wouldn't be able to see his front half covered in blood. The door was answered by Remy, and his eyes widened at the sight of Priest.

"Son, what happened to you?" He hurriedly pulled Priest into the home to see if he was wounded in any fashion. The amount of blood that was on Priest would have fooled anyone into thinking that he had been shot himself.

Priest served Remy no response, causing Remy to shift his eyes toward Tasha and the frightened children. Seeing the look of emptiness in her orbs gave Remy all the information he needed to know.

A heavy sigh seeped from him. "Tasha, take those kids upstairs with Mirsad. Priest, stay here. I'll take her." Remy picked up on the situation fairly quickly.

"I can go," Priest volunteered.

Remy held his hand up, halting Priest from persisting about being the one to take Tasha to the scene. "It won't be good if you go out there like that." He gestured to Priest's blood-soiled clothing. "Stay here," he asserted, not wanting Priest to defy him.

Priest turned the other way, allowing Tasha to take the kids up the stairs without them seeing him. Priest took a seat, an empty look in his eye and a heavy feeling on his heart. Remy applied a comforting hand on Priest's shoulders. "Where's my daughter, Priest?" Remy asked. He couldn't help but wonder whether Britain had gotten caught in the crossfire. He wouldn't have known exactly how to handle it, but he knew he and Priest would have some serious issues.

Priest glanced up at Remy, his mind immediately drifting off to Britain. "She's safe. I sent her home," he assured him.

Remy nodded his head. Britain was kept safe, so that eased him. Eventually, Tasha came back down the stairs. At some point, she had felt her spirit leave her body, and she had now grown emotionless and lifeless. Her beautiful, sweet, charming, and funny baby boy had gotten snatched away from her. The only things she could express were sadness and anger.

Remy couldn't help but to sympathize with Tasha. She was a great mother doing it on her own, and now her baby boy was gone. Jamari was a phenomenal kid. He often came by to crack jokes with Remy and get a sharp line up whenever Remy felt up to bringing his clippers out. Once word circulated, Remy was sure it would shake the entire neighborhood.

Remy grabbed his car keys to take Tasha to the scene in his own vehicle. He let Tasha step out first, and, as he was leaving, he turned around to speak to Priest. "I trust Mirsad here with the kids. Go to Britain," he told him.

Priest simply nodded his head. He rose from his seat and left the home with Remy and Tasha. Priest got into his respective vehicle just as Tasha got into Remy’s. He shot her a look of sorrow that she reflected in her dark brown eyes.

Priest pulled off, heading in the direction of Britain's apartment. His mind continued racing with thoughts. Every so often, he would glance down at the blood that seeped through his clothing. Jamari was gone, and he hadn’t even fulfilled his promise to him. That was what hurt the most. Jamari didn't want money or anything materialistic. All he wanted was time spent with Priest, someone he often looked up to.

Jamari was an example of pure innocence. He had no motives or no strategy. He was just a kid who wanted to do kid things.

Arriving at Britain's place, Priest got out of the car. Two parking spaces down, Cyro sat in his vehicle scoping the area to ensure Britain's safety. Once he got the call from Kaymen, he knew Priest would want him on standby at Britain's spot, so he did what needed to be done. Priest shot him a simple head nod before placing his right hand over his heart to thank him for showing up. Cyro returned the gesture before starting his vehicle and pulling off. Priest made his way to the door of Britain's apartment, reaching into his pocket to extract the key she had granted him.

Upon his entrance, Britain immediately rose from the couch, rushing over to him. She seemed so relieved to see him waltz through the door. He hadn't been answering her calls, and there was no telling where he could have gone. After dropping Jadey off at her and Kaymen's brownstone, Britain was left to pace her apartment in fear and worry that Priest had gotten himself into something. She could tell just by the way his jaws were clenched and his chest rose that he was not only sad but enraged as well.She prayed those emotions he had festering wouldn't propel him into something he had no business getting into.

Britain flung her arms around Priest, grateful that he had made it back to her. For a moment, he didn't wrap his arms around her. He simply basked in her warm embrace. He then wrapped his strong arms around her, burying his head deep into the crook of her neck.

Britain could tell he needed this embrace more than she did. Jamari's death made him realize that life really was as short as everyone claimed it to be. Priest never felt as though he had all the time in the world, but he did believe if his days came to an end suddenly, he would’ve been content with his accomplishments and how he lived. Jamari being snatched away from him before he could fulfill his promise of taking him out for a good time had Priest tripped up. People really were blessings that could be ripped away at any given moment.

"He was just here, yo," he croaked.

"I know, P. I know." She caressed his back, comforting him the best way she knew how.

Priest had finally allowed the tears that had been scorching the brim of his eyes to fall as he found himself in the comfort of Britain's arms. "How can he just be here one second and then be gone the next, yo?" Priest groaned in emotional pain. "He was a kid, a fucking kid!"

With her arms still wrapped around Priest, Britain led them over to the couch where they took a seat. Britain held Priest. He was distraught and lost. Lifting his head from her shoulder, Priest ridded his face of any tears that had fallen and canvased his face. "I gotta figure this shit out." He stood up.

"P, right now you're hurting. You can't go out there," Britain attempted to reason with him. She followed him as he strode to her bedroom to get himself cleaned up to leave. He was ignoring her, continuing to do what he wanted to do. "Priest, are you listening to me?" She stepped in front of him, slamming the nightstand where he kept his gun.

"Britain, I can’t do this shit right now," he seethed with his jaws clenched. "Fuck am I supposed to do, sit here and fucking mope when I can be finding these niggas who killed Jamari?! That's an innocent fucking life they claimed! They would've been better off aiming for me!" he jeered down at Britain in frustration.

"But they weren't!" Britain combatted. "It's life, Priest. This is how the cards were dealt for you to play! You going out there with a heavy heart and an angry mind full of rage won't solve a thing! Jamari doesn't need that right now!" She roughly pushed Priest's chest, trying desperately to get through to him. "His mother doesn't need that right now!"

Her roughness with him shocked him. He didn't expect that out of Britain, but he would’ve been lying if he said it wasn't needed. She had to match his energy and how he was coming to get through to him, and it worked.

"Priest, sit here, cry, weep, scream, do whatever you need to do to alleviate that burden of pain and grief from your heart, but as for going back out there to spill your anger elsewhere, that's not the way to go," she asserted sternly with a shake of her head.

Peering down at her, Priest could feel his heart loosen from the tense and tight feeling he had felt since holding Jamari in his arms. Britain could see his dark orbs shift into a much lighter color. She had gotten through to him. Priest took a seat. He seemed to be in a daze. Things were beginning to register.

Britain stood between his legs, cupping his face in her soft hands. "That anger could kill you and me both. I can't lose you," she confessed to him in a light voice.

With her standing over him, Priest pulled her close, nestling his head deeply into her chest. He had made his decision.

He wept .