HIS STREETS, NOT MINE…. PREVIEW

Priest dropped to one knee right there in front of everybody, the whole lounge going dead silent like the world itself was holding its breath.

Peaches—Denisha—stood frozen, her hand flying to her mouth as tears flooded her eyes. She looked around like maybe she was dreaming, like maybe this wasn’t real. But it was. Every bit of it was real. The man she loved… the man who had broken her, protected her, fought for her, and stood beside her through every storm… was on one knee in front of everybody.

“Denisha, I love you,” Priest said, his voice cracking under the weight of everything he felt. His eyes stayed locked on hers, glassy with emotion. “Ain’t a day go by where I don’t thank God for you. You held me down when I ain’t deserve it. You loved me through my mess. You gave me peace in the middle of chaos… and you gave me a home.”

Peaches sobbed harder, shaking her head like her heart couldn’t even contain it. Her black curls framed her tear-streaked face, jewelry glimmering under the soft lights, that long black dress hugging her as her chest rose and fell too fast.

Priest opened the ring box fully, the diamond catching the light and sending a sparkle across the room.

“Spend forever with me?” he asked, his voice low, rough… vulnerable in a way nobody had ever seen from him.

Peaches couldn’t even get the words out. Her lips trembled, her whole body shaking as she nodded her head over and over.

“Yes!” she cried out. “Yes, baby… yes!”

The entire room erupted.

Cheers. Clapping. Whistles. Glasses raised in the air.

Priest stood up fast and slid the ring onto her finger with trembling hands before pulling her into him like he never wanted to let her go again. Peaches wrapped herself around him, crying into his chest while he kissed the top of her head over and over.

“That’s my fiancée now,” Priest said loudly, a proud grin finally breaking across his face.

The crowd went even crazier.

One of the guys yelled from the back, “Bout damn time!”

Laughter filled the room, but Peaches barely heard any of it. She pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes swollen with tears, and touched his face like she needed to memorize the moment.

“You serious?” she whispered, almost breathless.

Priest gave her that look—the one that always made her knees weak.

“Dead serious. You stuck with me now.”

She laughed through her tears and smacked his chest lightly.

“I been stuck with you.”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers.

“Nah,” he murmured, his voice dropping low enough for only her to hear. “Now I get to make it official in every way.”

Then he kissed her.

Slow. Deep. Possessive.

The kind of kiss that made the room disappear.

But across the room…

a pair of eyes watched from the shadows near the back hallway.

Cold.

Jealous.

Dangerous.

The light-skinned girl with tattoos—fresh from slipping out of Priest’s office earlier—stood gripping her drink so hard the glass nearly cracked in her hand. Her jaw clenched as she stared at Peaches wearing that ring.

Her lips curled.

“Oh… so this how you doing me?” she muttered under her breath.

She set the glass down.

And reached into her purse for her phone.

A text was sent.

Unknown Number: She said yes. Do what you gotta do.

Outside, a black truck sitting across from the club turned on its headlights.

Peaches’ hand still trembled in Priest’s as they stepped out of the lounge, the night air hitting her warm skin like a sudden shock. The cheers and music behind them faded, leaving only the distant hum of the city and their rapid breaths.

“Babe, you good?” Priest asked, eyes scanning the streets. His hand tightened around hers, protective.

“I… I’m fine,” she said, though her gut twisted. Something about the way the night felt felt off.

They walked toward his sleek black car, parked under the dim glow of a streetlamp. But just as they reached it, the shadows shifted.

A black Suburban, the kind that doesn’t belong in casual traffic, slowly rolled up across the street. The headlights cut through the darkness, freezing them in place.

Peaches instinctively moved closer to Priest. “What… what is that?”

The doors opened on the passenger side. Two men stepped out—large, imposing, their movements too smooth to be casual. Peaches’ heart jumped into her throat.

Priest didn’t move at first. He reached inside his jacket, his hand brushing the grip of the gun he always carried. His eyes were sharp, trained on every movement.

One of the men spoke, voice low, even sinister. “You weren’t supposed to make it out tonight.”

Peaches’ blood ran cold. She glanced at Priest, and he gave her a quick, almost invisible nod: Stay calm. Trust me.

The man stepped closer, pulling something metallic from his pocket. Peaches squinted—was it a weapon? Her baby shifted in her belly, kicking violently, and panic surged through her chest.

Priest stepped in front of her. “Back off,” he said, voice steady but cold.

The second man grinned, a cruel, slow smile. “Oh, we’ll see about that. She said yes… and that makes things interesting.”

Suddenly, the first man lunged forward.

Priest reacted like a man who had been waiting for this moment his entire life—fast, precise, lethal. Within seconds, the man was disarmed and on the ground, struggling.

Peaches gasped. “Priest! They—”

The second man whipped out a taser, electricity crackling. Priest grabbed it mid-air, snapping it out of his hands and throwing it far into the street.

Peaches’ hands were pressed over her mouth, frozen in terror and awe.

“Get in the car. Now,” Priest barked, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the sleek black vehicle.

The Suburban doors opened again—this time more men jumped out. It was clear: they had been waiting for him, for her, for this moment.

Priest slid into the driver’s seat, Peaches right beside him, and with one sharp glance at the threat-filled street, he gunned the engine. Tires screamed as they pulled away, narrowly missing one of the men who had stepped too close.

Peaches clung to him, heart racing, breath short. “Who… who are they?”

Priest didn’t answer immediately, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. “People from my past,” he said finally, voice low, almost bitter. “People who don’t want me happy. And now… they’re coming for you too.”

Peaches swallowed hard. She had said yes, thinking she was stepping into forever with Priest. But right now, forever felt like it had teeth—and it was ready to bite.

Behind them, the black Suburban followed, relentless, its headlights like predators tracking their prey.

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