Cherish had finally calmed down. Julissa was happy because nothing she was instructing Cherish to do was helping. Julissa had even called 911. Even then, nothing the dispatcher told her to try was helping. The dispatcher was just about to send someone when Cherish had calmed down.

"Thank you. She finally calmed down and breathing normally." Julissa thanked the 911 dispatcher before hanging up.

"I'm just overreacting." Cherish sniffled. Julissa felt bad for Cherish, even without knowing what caused the state she was in. Her eyes were so puffy and bloodshot red. "He's okay. I just know it."

"Who are you talking about, Cherish?" Julissa asked in a worried tone. Julissa hoped nothing had happened to Marcus. Granted she did stab him, she wasn't trying to kill him and it'll kill her if something else was to happen to him. Zaiden was now laying on Julissa's shoulder as she rocked and rubbed his back.

"Priest called me, then I heard gunshots." Cherish said while grabbing her phone.

"Damn, Cherish." Julissa gasped in surprised. Julissa did not expect Cherish to say anything like that.

"It's fine. He's okay." Cherish mumbled while calling Priest's phone. It rung and rung and rung. Hanging up, she called again. Then again. And again. Not getting an answer for the four times she has called, tears were back glossing her eyes.

Calling Yazmine's phone, it rang twice before Yazmine answered. "Damn, bitch. I just closed my eyes not long ago. All I keep hearing is a vibrating phone."

"Yaz." Cherish's voice cracked unintentionally, causing Yazmine to sit up in her bed.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I was on the phone with Priest and heard gunshots. The line disconnected and now he's not answering. Is Truth still there? I need Shooter's number to see if he knows anything." Cherish spoke as she held her tears in.

"I got Shooter's number, I'm texting it to you now. Let me wake up Omari and see what the hell going on. That's who phone has been off the chain. I know it's hard but try to stay calm, cousin. I love you." Yazmine said.

"Okay. I love you too." Cherish sniffled. Once she hung up, she got Shooter's number from the text Yazmine sent, then called his phone.

"Who the fuck is this?" Shooter rudely answered as Cherish rolled her eyes. Shooter could be rude at times, so him answering a number he didn't know in a rude manner wasn't a surprise to her. No one had his number if he didn't want them to have it.

"This Cherish—"

"Aw, my bad, Slim. You calling about your hubby?"

"How did you know? Is he okay? Have you heard from him? I called—"

"Notice how you didn't correct me?" Shooter was smirking.

"Now is not the time for this shit, Matthias!"

"Aight, be easy." Shooter chuckled. "He good. He right here. Man, hang up on Charlene's ass. I got you, Slim. Your wife on the phone, nigga." Shooter told her while talking to Priest at the same time, Cherish removed the phone from her ear and stared at it. She could hear Shooter keeping calling "Slim", but was stuck on the fact that Priest was okay and didn't bother to let her know. Stuck on him not answering for her because he's on the phone with Crystal.

While she felt relieved that Priest was alive, she also felt hurt. "Send me your location, Shooter." Cherish said before hanging up

__

Cherish sat in the back seat of Truth's SUV, bouncing her right leg up and down. When she called Yazmine back to tell her what she had learned, Yazmine told her that they were heading to her house to pick her up. Truth had found out what happened and figured Cherish would want to see Priest after yet another traumatic phone call. Cherish said nothing to Truth as he tried to offer up words to comfort her. It's been nothing but drama since she moved back. It was small drama but nonetheless constant drama. Her head was already hurting, but she was feeling lightheaded.

Cherish didn't know what had happened for Priest to call and basically say goodbye if things went a different way, but it had her worried. She started thinking about his past. Maybe someone was coming to settle a score. Maybe he had enemies that he hadn't thought of. Maybe someone was hating, so they tried to take him out. So many thoughts. Then there was the biggest one on her mind. Though, Priest wouldn't have had their daughters out that late, she couldn't help but think, what if they were out with Priest in broad daylight and something happened?

When Truth pulled in front of an abandoned warehouse looking building, Cherish was confused at first. Men stood outside, but not many to draw any attention. Not like any attention could be drawn, anyway. There weren't any houses, apartments, or businesses close to where they were.

Please, God. Don't lead him back to this lifestyle. Cherish prayed.

"Don't go in there touching anything. Don't say anything. Don't even look—" Truth was telling them, but Cherish had gotten out the car.

"She so damn stubborn." Truth sighed.

"She is, which sometimes has her thinking irrationally." Yazmine said, as they both got out.

The men were about to say something to Cherish until they saw Truth not far behind. Cherish didn't look at any of them, but continued walking into the building as if she knew where she was headed.

She could hear the agony screams of someone begging and pleading for their life, which made her cringe. Rounding a corner, she saw Priest in a wife beater with a machete in his hand. She swore she saw nothing in real life like the scene before her. The man was hanging upside down and from how beaten up the man was and the gunshots wounds she couldn't see, you'd think he was dead. The man's screams was the confirmation that told he was alive. When she saw Priest sever the man's head from his body and the blood the splattered on Priest, her hands immediately covered her mouth.

"Oh my God!" Cherish spoke aloud, unintentionally causing Priest, Shooter, and a few other men to look at her. Priest's expression was so cold and emotionless until he laid eyes on Cherish, he couldn't show a soul in that warehouse where his weakness lies. They worked for Shooter, not him. Still, his eyes softened for a moment while looking at her.

Cherish backed up, but bumped into Truth's chest. She didn't know why her stubborn ass didn't listen to what Truth was saying. She knew that was not Priest, that was Soul. Weird because they're the same person, but Soul was the savage Crystal was warned about. Cherish felt like she was about to throw up again. That was so nasty and gruesome it gave her a chill.

Before she knew it, the vile taste of vomit coated her cheeks. Clenching her stomach, Cherish bent over and threw up on the floor. Before Truth's hand even made it to her back, a man spoke. "Who the fuck is that bitch? Then her nasty ass throwing up in—" The man couldn't finish his sentence because Priest clocked him in the face with his gun, splitting the man's lip in half. The man stumbled and fell while holding his bloody lip that was swelling up.

"The fuck you say?" Priest pressed the gun to the man's temple as the man eyes went big. Not showing where his weakness lies went out the window the moment someone thought they'd disrespect Cherish. "Call my wife another bitch and I'll end your life, nigga. You speak when the fuck you're spoken to."

"I-I didn't know that was you, Soul. I thought she was just some random woman—"

"Some random woman all the way out here? With Truth behind her?" Priest looked at the man with dark eyes. "Just because a nigga went legit, you motherfuckers seem to have forgotten who the fuck I am. Let that be your last warning. Now, stay your ass down there until I tell you to move."

Shooter said nothing because he was actually about to shoot the man, not kill him; but give him a flesh wound for disrespecting Cherish. Shooter no longer could look at Cherish as a sister, given his recent thoughts he had about her at Marcus's house. That still was weird to him, but he also couldn't help it. At the end of the day, he still cared for her the same, which is why Priest didn't know Cherish was coming there because Shooter didn't mention it. Priest wouldn't want her anywhere near that for obvious reasons, but Shooter felt bad for her. That's why he asked Truth to bring her to the warehouse.

Priest looked back at Cherish, who was still shocked at what she witnessed. Her eyes went from the man's headless body to the man's head, which wasn't that far from the body, to the man on the floor with a busted bee sting looking lip, to Priest. Looking at the man she loves, she broke eye contact with him. Not saying a word, she walked off. Yazmine hadn't witnessed what Priest did, but the whole scene turned her stomach. Truth went to get something from Shooter, then walked back over and gave Yazmine his key and Shooter's house keys and told her to go to Shooter's house. As much as Priest wanted to go after Cherish, he didn't.

"Go clean that shit up." Priest mugged the man on the floor. The man got off the floor and walked over to clean up the vomit that laid there.

"Let me call the clean up crew. Niggas always begging for they life to be spared, but never tell you what the fuck you wanna know." Shooter chimed in. Shooter was right, the man gave no information as to who hired him. Priest had this gut feeling Von was behind it, but he had to think smarter on his next move.

𝙰𝙽 𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚁...

Cherish and Yazmine were in the living room of Shooter's house. Shooter has a nice place. It was big, way too big for one person. Cherish found new tooth brushes and knew Shooter wouldn't have a problem if she used one. She once again brushed her teeth thoroughly, then used some mouth wash. After splashing some water on her face, she sat back on one of Shooter's couches.

Cherish hadn't spoken a word since leaving the warehouse. Yazmine would try to talk to her, but she stayed quiet. She didn't know how she'd be able to get the visual of someone's head being cut off, out of her head. Priest must've had a reason behind his actions, so she didn't judge him in any way. A man could leave the streets, but the streets never leave you.

Fifteen minutes had gone by and Cherish was able to close her eyes and sleep for those minutes. Yazmine heard the door being unlocked indicating someone was coming. As usual, the trio, which is Priest, Truth, and Shooter, walked in. Priest's eyes landed on Cherish sleeping. Priest took a shower at his condo and changed his clothes before coming to check on Cherish. Somewhere in her slumber she felt Priest's eyes on her, which woke her up. Moving her head, she stirred before opening her eyes. They connected to his before she got up slowly and walk over to him.

She didn't give him a chance to say anything. She slapped him so hard; the sound filled the entire living room. Priest bit his lip and ate it up because he knew he deserved it, so he couldn't be mad at her. "I deserved that." Priest told her. Everyone left them alone to give them some privacy.

"No fucking on my couch. My table. My sink. Hell, nowhere in this bitch; not even a guest room." Shooter chuckled before walking out, but was serious. They didn't pay Shooter any attention.

"You couldn't call? I thought something happened to you! One call. Hell, one text wouldn't have hurt. Yet, you could be all chatty with Chardonnay's ass. Never leave me to believe that again. You can't do that shit." Cherish's voice cracked. Priest looked at her and knew he was wrong for doing that.

"I—"

Cherish grabbed Priest's face while bringing it down enough to meet her height as she stood on her tippy-toes. She pressed her lips to his and kissed him like it's been years since she felt them. He wanted to pull away from what she said earlier, but instead, he pulled her so close there was no space left between the two of them. Protectively holding her, she let that feeling engulfed her. Allowing his lips to overpower the kiss they were sharing, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Nothing but pure and raw love was wrapped up in that one kiss, they couldn't help but indulge in it. She lightly pulled back and pecked his lips. Then she pecked them again. Then again. Priest was as weak for Cherish as she was for him, but that was all about to change.

Looking into his eyes that were no longer cold or emotionless, she got lost in them. She had to tell him, and the moment felt no better than now. "I love you, Priest." Cherish admitted. "I'm still in love with you. I never stopped. No matter how much I didn't want to, that love never faltered. I've been fronting like I don't feel anything for you as a way to protect myself. Everything I said to you hours ago was a lie. I knew if I pushed hard enough, you'd fall back, but if something had happened to you without you knowing the truth... I'd never forgive myself." Tears glossed her eyes. "I could never move on because I never even tried to. It's like my heart knew it belongs with you. That we—"

"Listen, mama." Priest sighed while cutting her off. As much as he's been wanting to hear those words again, he knew what he said next needed to be said. Cherish wouldn't have any of that if he was never in a life or death situation. While life or death situations could put things into perspective, that wasn't good enough for him.

"I apologize for making you worry, but I didn't have to call and tell you shit. You're not my woman, and you made that perfectly clear. You know I love you, but this shit ends right here. Everything became clear the moment you said it was just sex between us. That's all I was to you, right? Right up to the point of dodging a threat to my life, you said it was just sex. Lie or truth, it put things into perspective for me. If I didn't call, and you didn't hear those gunshots, you wouldn't have admitted how you felt. Am I wrong?" Priest told her. She just looked at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Exactly. It doesn't take for something nearly traumatic to happen for me to admit anything. I'm always fighting for you. Crazy thing is you never fight for me. You give up every single time"

"Priest, I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize. I'm not trying to hurt you or make you feel bad. I just gotta let you go, baby. You want to move on so badly, so I'mma fall back and let you. I hurt you. You hurt me. Then repeat. That's how it's been between us since that fake abortion, and that can't happen anymore. Part of me wants to be childish and say I don't want you to be happy. I want you to be miserable, but that's not fair. A hoe forced herself and took advantage of me, and I never want you to feel like I'm forcing myself on you in any way."

Cherish eyes softened. "I don't think that, Priest. I would never think that's what you're doing."

"That's what I have been doing, though... forcing myself into your life again. You all but said the words. You had the right idea all along. I just couldn't see it, or I didn't want to. As I told you earlier. Message received. You don't have to worry about me coming in to disrupt your life any more than I have." Priest took a step back, which she didn't like the emptiness from it, so she closed the gap between them again.

"Priest."

"I'm only keeping Crystal around as a means to an end. I slipped up, and she overheard a conversation she shouldn't have. Before I can make my next move, she needs to believe that I'm not going anywhere, despite telling her you're the love of my life. Crystal is the type to take me anyway she can get me. She thinks we're together, but we're not. I never told her we were back together, but I let y'all believe it because I wanted to hurt you at first. I'mma keep it real with you. She only sucked my dick three times since you've been back. I was honest about it being months that we've slept together. I haven't spent any money on her aside from food. That girls trip was the last time. I was with her yesterday for a reason. I only picked up that jewelry for you, then dropped her off." Priest explained as she looked surprised by what he was telling her.

"While she hadn't used the information she overheard against me yet, I can't take the chance. I need to find out who she told and if her money hungry ass momma knows. If so, it's just an amount of time before she convinces Crystal to use it against me in more ways than one. She in love with me, which is why she only let her mother fill her head to a certain degree. I had no problems with Crystal at first. She was cool mostly, but like I said; I slipped up before she went on her girls trip. The next day after I broke up with her, she casually slid in what she heard. So, I let her think we were back together. I'm not with her because I want to be. Not because I secretly feel something for her. That's what it is about her. She knows a little too much. I could just torture the bitch, then kill her, but I need to know who all she told first."

"I-I didn't know that." Cherish felt so stupid. She knew he had a reason for everything, and she should have trusted that.

"How could you have known? I told you to trust me, and you couldn't, which I don't blame you for."

"I just need to fix what's broken, then maybe we could be together." Cherish looked at him. She was so sure that what she told him earlier to push him away was what she wanted. After the scare she went through again, she realized how wrong she was. Priest was the type of man you cherished once you found, then got him. She hadn't cherished him as much as she should have, and it took for him to say she never fought for him to know she hadn't.

Priest once again put space between them. "You're not as broken as you make yourself out to be." He wiped her tears. "You just have some deep-rooted issues that you have to resolve, and that's okay." He looked deeply into her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you. You're not messed up. You do deserve to be happy. And you're a good ass mother. You had years to sit on keeping Malaysia a secret, so forgive yourself for that. One day, I will." It was at that moment, Cherish knew that Priest saw what her mirror was filled with. While he didn't say everything, he said the ones she most struggled with. That's how much he knew her.

"You should get home to get some actual sleep. You have a big day ahead of you." Priest kissed her cheek before walking off. He was going to crash at Shooter's crib for some hours.

"Priest, wait." Cherish's voice broke.

Priest stopped, then looked at her. "Stop crying, beautiful. Shit between us just not meant to be." He said before continuing to walk up the stairs. Though everyone gave them space, that sound traveled through the quiet house. Yazmine, Truth, and Shooter heard everything, even when trying not to listen.

Neither heard Priest talk like that before, which told them how serious he was. That was the most mature thing Priest had done since she moved back. The past hours had taught him a lot. For his own sanity, he needed to think about his own feelings. Priest couldn't lie and say that it didn't nearly kill something inside him because it did. His heart suddenly felt a familiar emptiness along with pain. He felt the shift, and he was sure she did as well.