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“Is it serious?” Yomi asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.
“I don’t know,” Marco admitted. “We just kick it occasionally.”
“You know she’s still not talking to Belle?” I asked. It was still a sore spot for her.
He nodded. “She’s still mad at her, but I think she’ll come around.”
“You should tell Belle. She wants her to come to the wedding,” I said.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Our server came over to check on us. Priest had been eyeing her since we came in, and now that she was standing in front of him, he was locked in like a heat-seeking missile.
“I’ma need your number while you’re here, ma,” he said.
She gave him a stank face as she wiggled her left hand to show off a small diamond engagement ring.
“Tuh.” Priest sucked his teeth. “That bullshit ass ring and that nigga got you working in here with all this secondhand smoke? He’s not serious about you, love. I’m telling you that as a public service.”
Yomi turned his head away from the table and coughed.
The server’s expression curdled. She quickly finished taking our orders before disappearing.
“Why you fucking with that girl like that when you still dealing with your baby moms?” I asked.
Priest waved me off. “Me and Shareese not together like that. I’m a single man.” He relit his cigar. “And was I lying though? You made Belle quit her job. That’s not the same thing?”
“‘Cause I can afford to. You saw her ring. Her man probably not in a position to do all that.”
“Exactly. Shorty needs a real nigga like me.” He tapped his chest.
The server returned with a fresh round of drinks. As she set down his glass, Priest grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear. Whatever he said made her brown skin flush as she bit back a smile. He handed her his phone. She typed in her number and walked away.
“The ring?” Marco asked.
“I told y’all, that shit’s irrelevant when a boss nigga shows up.” Priest said.
“You harassed that woman into giving you her number,” Yomi said.
“I planted a seed and let nature take its course.” He picked up his drink and took a sip.
We chopped it up for a few more minutes before I brought up the other reason I wanted to see them today.
“We need to figure out a way to dead this shit with Solomon,” I said. “This nigga’s playing a long game. Whatever his next move is, it’s going to be bigger than him trying to take out my pops.”
“The wedding,” Priest said.
I nodded. “If he’s been watching Belle, then he knows about the wedding. Most of the High Table and my pops will be there. If I was him and I’d been patient this long, that’s when I’d make my move.”
“So, we bump up security,” Marco said.
“I don’t want to raise any alarms, so Yomi—” I looked at him. “I want some private security in plain clothes mixed in with the event staff. Our guys will be there, but I want extra bodies. And make sure they don’t look like corny ass undercover NYPD.”
Yomi nodded. “How many extra are we talking?”
“Ten max. Have them spread between the venue entrance, the perimeter, and inside the reception. Maybe two on the roof of whatever building’s closest.”
“Snipers?” Marco raised an eyebrow.
