AMAI #4
“Kaisen,” Winston said, turning to look at my brother in the backseat. “You’re not coming to the meet.”
Kaisen’s eyes flashed. “The fuck I’m not.”
“You’re staying out of sight,” Winston continued, ignoring the interruption. “You’ll position soldiers nearby—close enough to respond if things go south, far enough away that Victor won’t see them coming.”
“I should be in there with you,” Kaisen said.
“No.” Winston’s voice was final. “You’re our backup. Our insurance. If Amai and I run into problems, you’re the one who finishes this.”
Kaisen opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again.
I could see the conflict on his face—the desire to prove himself warring with the understanding that Winston was right.
“Maybe I should do something else,” Kaisen said finally, his voice quieter now. “Something more—”
“You got this,” I said, cutting him off. I met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “It’s your time to redeem yourself from all the fuck-ups. You hear me? This is your shot.”
Kaisen held my gaze for a long moment, and I saw something shift in his expression.
Determination.
Purpose.
“I won’t let you down,” he said.
“I know you won’t.”
Because whatever existed between us—the rivalry, the resentment, the rage—it couldn’t matter more than this.
It couldn’t matter more than protecting the family.
And it couldn’t matter more than protecting Truth.
We drove back through the darkening streets of New Orleans in silence, the weight of what was coming pressing down on all of us.
Tomorrow night, we’d walk into that warehouse.
Tomorrow night, we’d face Victor and whatever trap he’d laid for us.
Tomorrow night, everything would change.
But tonight—tonight we prepared.
Tonight we planned.
And tonight, for the first time in weeks, Kaisen and I were on the same side.
United.
Wary.
But together.
And that had to be enough.
After I dropped them off I drove to Priest’s place with the windows down, letting the night air cut through the fog in my head.
All of this was because of Winston. Because of his greed and lust for power and control. This won’t be over until he looks me in my eyes as the light goes out in his. My mama will be better off without him.
I pulled up to the small house on the edge of the Seventh Ward—one of Priest’s safe spots, a place he kept off the books for moments exactly like this. The porch light was on, and I could see movement through the front window.
Relief hit me harder than I expected.
I killed the engine and sat there for a moment, my hands still gripping the steering wheel, trying to pull myself together.
Everything was falling apart.
And Truth—
Truth.
The woman I’d lied to. The woman I’d tried to protect by keeping her in the dark. The woman who’d walked out of that clinic and told me she was done.
I exhaled slowly and forced myself out of the truck.
The front door opened before I could knock.
Priest stood there, looking tired but whole. No visible injuries. No bruises. No blood.
Just exhaustion etched into every line of his face.
“You good?” I asked, my voice rougher than I intended.
“Yeah.” He stepped aside to let me in. “I’m good.”
I walked into the small living room and turned to face him. “They hurt you?”
“No.” Priest closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed. “They held me in a parish jail. Off the books. Thibodeaux’s spot. Kept me in a cell, fed me, didn’t lay a hand on me.”
I frowned. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” Priest’s eyes met mine, steady and knowing. “But they made it clear it could get a lot worse if Winston decided it needed to.”
Winston didn’t need to torture Priest to make his point. The threat was enough. The knowledge that he could was the real weapon.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
Priest shook his head. “Don’t apologize for shit you didn’t do. Winston made his move. You made yours. That’s how this works.”
“It shouldn’t work like that.”
“But it does.” Priest pushed off the door and moved into the kitchen. “You want something to drink?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge anyway and leaned against the counter, studying me.
“So,” he said after a long moment. “How’s everything been while I was gone?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Everything went to shit without you.”
“I figured.” Priest took a sip of water. “You wanna elaborate, or you just gonna stand there looking like you’re about to murder someone?”
I ran a hand over my face, feeling the weight of the past few days pressing down on me.
“Truth found out about Yahmaria.”
Priest went still. “How?”
“Winston.” The word came out like venom. “He walked into the clinic with her. Right in the middle of Truth’s appointment. Dropped the bomb that I’ve been married this whole time.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” I started pacing, the wrath building again just thinking about it. “Truth looked at me like I was the worst kind of monster. And you know what? She wasn’t wrong.”
Priest set the bottle down. “What did you do?”
“I killed everyone in that building.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
Priest didn’t look shocked. Didn’t look horrified.
He just looked… tired.
“Everyone?” he asked quietly.
“Dr. Beaumont. The nurses. The staff. Anyone who was complicit in that fuckin’ setup.
” I stopped pacing and turned to face him.
“I’m tired, Priest. I’m tired of everyone playing with me and Truth.
Tired of the manipulation. Tired of the lies.
Tired of watching people use her like she’s a fuckin’ pawn. ”
“So you became the thing she’s afraid of.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
I stared at him, my chest tight. “What?”
“You heard me.” Priest’s voice was calm but firm. “You say you’re tired of people playing with her, but you’ve been playing with her from the start, Amai. You should’ve been honest with her the moment you knew you were falling for her. Especially knowing how Winston operates.”
“I was trying to protect her—”
“By lying?” Priest cut me off, his tone sharper now. “By bringing her into your world without giving her the full picture? By thinking you could manage the chaos and somehow keep her safe in the middle of it?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn’t come.
Because he was right.
I’d told myself I was protecting her. That keeping her in the dark about Yahmaria, about the family, about the violence, was the right move.
But all I’d done was set her up to be blindsided.
“I see it now,” I said quietly.
Priest’s expression softened. “Good. So what are you gonna do about it?”
I looked at him, my jaw tight. “I’m not letting her go.”
“Amai.”
“I can’t.” The words came out raw, desperate. “I can’t let her go, Priest. I don’t care what it costs me. I don’t care what I have to do. She’s mine, and I’m not walking away. I don’t give a fuck who sperm help make those babies.”
Priest studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “What about Kaisen?”
My hands curled into fists. “What about him?”
“You know what I’m asking. He’s obsessed with her. And with the DNA situation unclear, he thinks he’s got a shot.”
“He doesn’t.”
“He thinks he does. And that makes him dangerous.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to something cold and lethal. “If he goes near her, I’ll tag his ass. Every single time. I don’t care if he’s my brother. I don’t care if it tears this family apart. He stays away from Truth, or I’ll make him regret it.”
Priest’s eyes narrowed. “You think that’s smart? Starting a war with Kaisen while we’re already at war with Victor?”
“I don’t give a fuck about the Victor situation.”
Priest straightened, his expression shifting to something between concern and disbelief. “You don’t give a fuck?”
“No.” I met his gaze, unflinching. “If Victor dies, he dies. If Rahsaan dies, he dies. If this whole fuckin’ empire burns to the ground, so be it. But I’m not playing games when it comes to Truth.”
“Amai.”
“If I have to choose,” I said, my voice steady and absolute, “it’ll always be her. Over anybody. Over the family. Over the business. Over everything. Period.”
Priest stared at me, and I could see the realization settling in.
I wasn’t just obsessed.
I wasn’t just in love.
I’d made a choice that transcended everything I’d been raised to value.
And there was no going back.
“You’re serious,” Priest said quietly.
“Dead serious.”
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “Then you better be ready for what that means. Because Winston’s not gonna let you walk away from this family. And Kaisen’s not gonna back down. And Victor—Victor’s gonna use her against you the first chance he gets.”
“Let them try.” I turned toward the door, my decision made. “I’ll burn it all down before I let anyone take her from me.”
Priest didn’t try to stop me.
He just watched as I walked out, the weight of my words settling over both of us like a shroud.
Because we both knew the truth.
I’d just declared war on everyone.