Page 36 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Hey, you’re here early,” Hazel commented as I walked into the club.

My paranoia was kicking in because I swore everyone was staring at me.

Ever since Majesty and I robbed that man, my nerves have been on edge.

It felt like everyone could see my dirty secret whenever they saw me.

Puma and Normandee accused me of acting strange, but I told them I was going through some family shit.

I mean, it wasn’t a complete lie because my family was the reason I put myself in this mess in the first place.

“I know. I wanted to get a few extra hours in today since the place will be packed. You know every dollar counts,” I joked.

“I know that’s right!”

You would have thought the money would have been the answer to my prayers, but my gut continued to nag at me.

I tried to reach out to Majesty to see if she heard anything about the man she shot, but when I called her number, the operator said the number was disconnected.

I wasn’t sure where she actually lived because we met up at her cousin’s house, and now I was wondering if she set me up.

“Hey, have you heard from Majesty? She told me that she would be picking up some extra shifts, but I haven’t heard from her in over a week,” I asked, trying to fish for information.

“No, I haven’t. As a matter of fact, Rob is pissed.

According to him, she quit. She sent him a message that essentially said she was too big for this place and wanted to branch out.

I don’t know what she meant by that, but he was pissed.

When I tried to reach out to her, the phone was disconnected.

” Hazel revealed. It pissed me off to think that she dipped while leaving a mess behind her.

She made it seem as if things would be smooth and there would be no repercussions, but I was starting to think she lied in order to get me on board. Once I got to the locker room, I set down my things.

The night went on without incident until Rain came into the dressing room to tell me that someone wanted to see me.

When I found out it was Soul, my heart rate sped up.

Contrary to how I acted, he made me nervous.

I tried to play it off as if he didn’t have an effect on me, but it simply wasn’t the truth.

Ever since the night we spent together, I couldn’t seem to shake him.

I could still smell the scent of his cologne in my dreams.

I’ve dealt with my fair share of men, but no one had ever captivated me the way he had.

It was downright sickening, which was why I told him we should stop whatever we were doing.

I knew that if I continued to be intimate with him, I would end up catching feelings, and it was the last thing I wanted.

Being attached to someone in the streets like Soul was bound to lead to heartbreak.

I’ve never been the type to overplay my position in a situation, but I was also realistic.

After our awkward interaction in the section, I carried on the rest of the night as I normally would.

It wasn’t until I got to the parking lot that I noticed my car was missing.

I parked in the same spot almost every night I worked, so it only took a few seconds to realize something was off.

Rob barely kept proper cameras outside the club because he knew there was illegal activities going on.

This was one of those times when I wished I worked at a more respectable establishment because the odds of me being able to find the culprit were slim to none.

I broke down right there in the middle of the parking lot without any concern for who may be watching.

When Puma called to check on me, I could barely form the words to let her know what was going on.

She waited patiently for me to finally explain before she began to cuss and freak out.

I loved my friends because they took on my problems as theirs.

She immediately began to think of possible solutions although I wasn’t sure there was anything that could be done.

“Puma, this is a mess. I don’t have the money to buy a new car, and my insurance was the most basic plan I could get.”

“Don’t stress about all of that right now.

We don’t know that your car is gone for good.

You know news spreads in the city like wildfire.

I’m sure Murk and his people will be able to get some information for you.

” As she spoke, I noticed Soul, Murk, and one of Soul’s friends leaving the club.

I tried to turn my body so they wouldn’t see me, but clearly that wasn’t working for me because I saw him jog over to me.

In true Soul Taylor fashion, he bullied me into allowing him to help me even though I wanted to say no. Being hyper independent was a blessing and a curse for me because I hated to ask anyone for help. Even though he offered, I still struggled to accept his help.

“Come get in the front,” he insisted.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind sitting in the back.”

“Did you hear what I said? I already told you I’m not a fan of repeating myself.” Soul held the passenger door open for me to climb inside. Murk and his friend got into the back, and I laughed as they joked back and forth.

“Yo, I’m about to fuck this girl up.” The friend huffed while he typed angrily on his phone.

“Why are you typing so hard? Your strong ass is about to break the damn phone, Incredible Hulk ass,” Murk teased.

“Man, fuck you. I’ve been dealing with this shorty on and off for a minute now. I told her that I wanted to take things to the next level, and now all of a sudden her ass wants to be outside with her thot ass friends. She is talking about how she needs to find herself. She got me fucked up.”

“Damn, Duke. You sound like you’re really feeling her.” Soul chimed in, but there was a hint of sarcasm laced in his words.

“If I’m being honest, I love her. I just wasn’t ready to be in a committed relationship before, and now I am.”

“Typical man,” I blurted as we drove down the street.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Duke asked.

“How long have you been messing around?”

“About four years,” he revealed.

“So let me get this straight. You’ve been living as a single man for the last four years, fucking every bitch you want with no regard to anyone else’s feelings, and now that you are finally ready to settle down, you want her to stop what she has going on to be with only you?

” Saying it out loud made it even worse.

Men were truly delusional, and they couldn’t seem to see their own flaws.

“I mean, we both agreed it was for the best. When we first started dealing with one another, she was fresh out of a situation, and I wasn’t looking for anything serious.

We both had needs, so we decided to fulfill them with one another.

I don’t think either of us expected our feelings to grow so deep, so quickly.

We agreed that we would keep things casual until we were both ready.

I just wasn’t expecting her to pull back like this.

” His words were slurred slightly, but you could tell he was in his feelings.

It was comical to me because men always thought they held the upper hand when it came to situations like this.

“Well, if I were her, I would be doing the same thing. Just because you’re ready doesn’t mean you get to dictate when she is. If you really love her and want to make things official, you should lay it all out on the table. Show her that you mean business and you’re truly ready.”

Duke sucked his teeth before speaking. “I tried that already. I told her I was ready to stop playing and make her my woman. She’s acting like she doesn’t believe me.”

“And why should she? If you were just fucking other bitches last week, what would make her believe that she’s enough for you?” I quizzed, trying to understand his logic.

“Man, it was two weeks ago for your information. What are you trying to say? Do you think she’s done with me for good? What am I supposed to do? I can’t live without my Stink!” Duke yelled drunkenly.

“Aww, bro, you are embarrassing. You talked all that shit about Soul earlier, but you aren’t any better than the rest of us,” Murk shot back. Something he said caught my interest, so I turned in their direction.

“What did he say about Soul?” I asked, noticing Soul’s head turn my way before he refocused his attention back on the road.

“Murk. If I were you, I would choose my next words wisely. Drunk or not, I’ll beat your ass and then leave you on the side of the road.”

“Why are you threatening me? Duke is the one who said you were thirsty over her. I mean, he wasn’t wrong because you did steal her?—”

“Murk, what the fuck? Did the liquor turn you into a rat?” Soul fumed as I sat there confused. Clearly there was some information I wasn’t privy to, and Soul didn’t want me to know about it either.

“I ain’t no rat, I was just saying?—”

“You’ve said enough. Now sit your drunk ass back and enjoy the ride before you end up in a ditch somewhere,” Soul threatened.

My eyes were trained on him as I wondered what was going on.

Instead of stressing about it, I sat back in my seat and responded to some of the messages on my phone.

Tone called me twice today before he finally settled for a text message.

I scoffed when I read the contents of the message.

Dickhead T:

Why are you playing with me? I’ve been trying to come see you, but you’ve been giving me the run around. What’s up?

Sometimes when you talked to a man, it seemed as if they only heard the parts that benefited them.

The last time we spoke, I made my intentions clear, but you would have thought I never said anything.

Furthermore, I found it funny that he wanted to make things official after his baby mama announced her third pregnancy.

Before then, he never even hinted at wanting to be in a relationship. Men could be so clueless.