Page 20 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“What’s up, old man?”

“Boy, every time you walk in my house, you’ve got something smart to say. Ain’t shit old about me besides my money and the hair on my balls.”

I chuckled as I walked further into the living room. My grandfather was getting older, but he still had his wits about him. It was one of those things that I would always appreciate.

“So, what brings you by? You said you had something important to talk about over the phone.”

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that knucklehead grandson of yours. Remi.”

“What about him?”

“He’s messing up every other week. I’ve been telling you he’s not built for this life and things are getting worse.

Last week, I had to run up to his house after he missed a drop off.

You know how I am when it comes to money, and I am not going to play about mine.

I’m coming to you because if he doesn’t get his shit together, I’m going to have to take action. ”

“And what did you have in mind?” my grandfather asked, but I could tell by the look on his face that he already knew.

“Listen, you’re the one who taught me the game.

You know how this works. I can’t have my team looking at me as if I don’t know how to lead.

You want all of us involved in the business, and I can respect that, but any other person would’ve been under the ground by now.

The only reason why I’m sparing him is because he’s family.

You and I both know that I can’t continue to give him passes.

I want him off the scene and out of the business.

” I reasoned, hoping that he would understand where I was coming from.

“I see.” Papa leaned back in his seat while stroking his jaw. “Give me a chance to speak with him to see if we can come to some sort of understanding.”

“OG!” Pure’s voice boomed throughout the room. I noticed the way OG’s face lit up when he heard his voice. It didn’t bother me because everybody knew Pure and Patience were his favorites. They always had been.

“What’s up, Grandson? I was wondering when you would come slide by here.”

“You know I had to come check on my favorite people. Plus, Nana said that she was making catfish and fried potatoes for lunch, so I had to come get myself a plate.” Pure leaned over to hug OG before coming to greet me.

A simple handshake was what he gave before taking a seat on the couch next to me.

“If it isn’t old man Pure. I’m surprised to see you out in the daytime.

You’re usually somewhere locked away or on a secret mission.

” I pointed out. Pure was always gone, and he never told anyone where he was unless there was an emergency.

I knew that he took on side jobs, but he was very secretive when it came to the information.

We may have been brothers by blood, but we were completely different in every other aspect.

Pure kept a low profile, not wanting any attention on his self.

He preferred to make his money in private and spend it on necessities only.

While I loved to live life out loud, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a flashy person, but I loved cars and clothes, and my house was something most would envy.

Pure made more money than most of us, yet no one would ever be able to tell from the way he dressed and the 2013 Mercedes he drove.

He had enough money to buy twenty brand new cars off the lot in cash, yet he chose to drive around in a car that he had purchased on his nineteenth birthday.

I spent years trying to figure him out, but I realized that it was no use.

Pure was different, but it wasn’t a bad thing.

He was intelligent and very calculated. Truthfully, he’s the reason why our businesses had been so successful, both legal and illegal.

“Call me what you want. Just make sure you forget my number when your dumb ass gets arrested.” He sneered, his jaw flexing as he spoke.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I asked, leaning forward with my elbows pressed into my thighs.

“What I mean is that I just spent the last hour in a conference meeting with the commissioner as well as the mayor. Apparently, there has been an increase in murders in our territory over the last nine months, and they are growing concerned. Do you have any idea where those bodies came from?” I knew that his question was rhetorical, but I still chuckled and responded.

“Naw. Can’t say that I know anything about that.” Papa snickered from his chair.

“Don’t laugh, OG. There is nothing funny about this.

The reason why they even reached out is because they know you and your boys are the reason for all of these bodies that have turned up.

You don’t even know how to kill people in a normal way.

How the hell am I supposed to explain these bodies being mutilated and mauled to death?

That’s some serial killer type shit.” Pure huffed in frustration.

The nigga was always mad for one reason or another.

I swear he kept a permanent scowl on his face.

“You’re acting like these people are dying for no reason. I only kill when necessary, and if a motherfucker disrespects me then they have to go.” I did not feel the need to explain myself. At the end of the day, I was a grown man, and nobody was going to check me about it.

“I don’t care about any of that, Soul. All I’m asking you to do is be a little more discreet about how you dispose of the bodies.

For Christ’s sake, use some of that acid or whatever the fuck you experiment with in your basement of doom.

If you continue on the way you’re going, the community will start to talk, and the mayor will have no choice but to address the issue.

That isn’t good for anyone. We pay a lot of money to keep twelve out of our business, and I will not let anyone fuck that up.

Not even you.” Logically, everything he said made sense.

However, I didn’t like the idea of him telling me what to do.

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“I don’t need you to just hear me. I need you to clean that shit up and stop fucking off.

We’re businessmen, which means the business comes first. If somebody violates, then I understand taking action, but you’re too much of a hothead.

You act first and think later, and we can’t have that in the business.

” Now I was pissed because it seemed like he was trying to make me look incompetent in front of our OG.

“I said I heard you. You’re over here talking down on me like I’m some fucking child.”

“Because you act like one! I’ve been cleaning up your mess since we were teenagers and I’m sick of that shit.

There’s a reason why they call me when shit pops off and not you because you don’t know how to have a level head.

You’re too old to be doing some of the shit that you’re doing.

Even if I wanted to step down I couldn’t because who the fuck am I gonna pass the business to?

” My nostrils flared while Pure chastised me like a child.

He was only a few years older than me, but he was always treating me as if I was his child or something.

I hated that shit, which was why I used to rebel so much as a kid.

“Man, fuck you! I handle my business just as well as you do. Just because I’m not some uptight mysterious mothafucka doesn’t mean I don’t know how to run this business.

Besides, when you step down, the business goes to me, regardless of what you want.

You seem to forget that we are partners in this.

You’re not the boss of me.” Pure chuckled, further pissing me off.

“And that’s where you’re wrong. Don’t shit move unless I say so.

The only reason why I allow you to operate the way you do is because it wasn’t causing any problems until now.

However, don’t get shit twisted. The moment you start to compromise our business, the conversation will be different.

” My jaw flexed, and I stood up from my seat.

“You’ve got life fucked up if you think that I’m gonna sit here and allow you to try to son me.

I ain’t one of your little workers. This organization is just as much of mine as it is yours, and I can do what the fuck I wanna do.

You said what you had to say, and I said that I understood.

All this extra bullshit that you’re spewing is unnecessary because you can’t stop me from doing a fuck thing,” I roared.

Pure and I had always butted heads growing up because he wanted to be the boss of me.

We’ve even come to blows a few times, but just like most families we got over that shit after a while.

I wasn’t tripping on what he had to say, but I also didn’t like the fact that he was trying to make it seem like I was a liability.

“Hey, hey! Both of y’all need to calm down.

This isn’t even worth fighting over. At the end of the day, it’s both of your jobs to protect the business and make sure that it’s running smoothly.

If there’s anything that’s standing in the way of our money, then it needs to be handled.

Pure, you have every right to voice your concerns; however, you and your brother have got to learn how to handle each other with respect.

Neither of you are the boss of the other; you are partners, and it’s time you started acting like it. ”

“Exactly. Hoe ass nigga.” I spat, putting space between the two of us. The way I was feeling, I might have forgotten who he was to me and punched him in his shit.