Page 59 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“I love you so much. I don’t know what you have going on, but please be careful. Make sure you make it back home to me.”

“I love you more, mamas. Trust me, that’s always the plan.

” Our foreheads touched as she prayed over me.

She started doing this after she moved in, and I’d grown to appreciate it.

Even when we were beefing, she made sure to pray over me.

It solidified her love for me, because regardless of what we were going through, I knew I had someone at home who loved and needed me.

As soon as I stepped into the hospital room, my face lit up.

“Man, you scared the shit out of us. How are you feeling? You good?” I bombarded him with questions because I was still surprised to see him awake and alert.

“I’m straight, Fam. You know it’s gonna take more than a bullet to keep me down.” Walking over to the side of the bed, I gave him a brotherly hug. Pure sat in a chair in the corner of the room with his phone in his hands.

“Yeah, we thought we were gonna have to turn the city upside down. What are they saying about your progress?” His face dropped, and I prepared myself for what he was going to say.

“They don’t know if I’m gonna walk again. Some fragments from the bullet are too close to the nerves near my spine, and they aren’t sure if they should risk it by doing another surgery.”

“So what does that mean? What kind of options does that leave you with?”

“They’re saying the fragments may move on their own, and if that happens, they might be able to remove them.

However, due to everything my body has already gone through, they aren’t willing to take the risk.

” I stood there in disbelief, trying to understand what all this meant.

How does a person go from being completely healthy and able-bodied to now being possibly confined to a chair?

I mean, we have too much money for there not to be a resolution for this.

“Maybe we should see about getting you to another specialist or something. Someone who might be willing to take the risk. I mean, if it doesn’t work, at least you tried,” I suggested. If it were me, I would want to explore every option.

“Soul, the man just woke up from a coma. Right now, the main concern should be that he’s awake. All that other shit will work itself out in its own time,” Pure lectured. I glared in his direction, because once again, he was trying to be my parent.

“I ain’t ask you shit. I’m a grown ass man, and I don’t need you to correct me on anything.”

“Y’all, chill. We’re family, and I’ve been through enough already.

Look, I appreciate the concern from all my family.

Right now, the only thing on my mind is getting back home and back to this money.

” The moment he used those words, it brought me back to reality.

There were some things we needed to clarify in order to move forward.

“Speaking of money… What happened that night?” Remi dropped his head, but it was too late for him to be embarrassed. I needed answers.

“Man, I was fucking with this chick for a few months, and everything was cool. She seemed like a down ass chick, and she stayed in designer, so I’m pretty sure she had her own money.

She was into some real freaky shit, so she hit me up and told me that she had a friend she wanted to bring into the mix.

Of course, the idea of having two bad bitches in my bed intrigued me so I told her to go ahead and set the shit up.

“That night, she brought her homegirl, and everything seemed chill. We ate food and popped a couple of bottles. Then Misty and I started popping pills to turn the party up. I was straight for the first hour or so, and then I started to feel some type of way. Ol’ girl tried to get me to take another pill, but something seemed off, so I held it under my tongue and spit it out when no one was looking.

“I probably should have put them out right then, but I was under the influence and thinking with my dick. The other girl seemed quiet, but I didn’t think too much of it until it came time to fuck.

She dipped off to the bathroom, so we got the party started without her.

I thought she would join eventually, but she never came.

The drugs started to get to me, so I closed my eyes for a moment.

Missy must have thought I was out because I heard her talking to the other girl.

“She took her into the closet where I put the money I collected for the day. Man, I tried to pull it together, but my body felt like it was moving in slow motion. When they came back to get the rest of the money, I reached for my Glock on the dresser. Misty caught me, and we got to tussling over it. The next thing I heard was the sound of the gun going off. It took a second to realize I’d been hit, but her ass wasted no time.

She stepped over my body and went back for the rest of the money. ”

Hearing him tell the story pissed me off even more. This bitch really came in his house with the intention to steal from him. I wonder if she knew who the money belonged to.

“How did she know you kept money in there?” Once again, he dropped his head. If he weren’t already injured, I would have pushed his ass out of the bed.

“I might have taken her with me to do a few pick-ups,” Remi admitted.

“Come on, Rem. You know that’s not how this business works. We don’t bring outsiders into our domain,” Pure chastised.

“So you basically gave her easy access to rob yo’ ass,” I interjected.

“I fucked up. In my defense, I thought we were a couple. Her vibe was cool, and she never asked me for shit.”

“Why would she need to ask you for a damn thing when she knows she’s getting ready to hit the jackpot? That bitch got away with two million dollars.” My anger grew the more I sat here listening to this shit.

Huncho called me to let me know he needed to get up with me.

I let him know I would meet him as soon as I finished up with Remi.

Now more than ever, I wanted to find out who set him up.

It was about more than the money; it was the principle of the matter.

Someone thought they would be able to steal from our family and get away with it.

“I have to go meet up with the fellas to follow up on a lead. You mentioned earlier that you were ready to get back to the money. I respect your passion, but unfortunately, you are no longer a part of the Taylor Gang. We want you to focus on getting your health in order. All of your bills have been paid up to give you time to get back on your feet. Maybe you should consider starting a business or investing in some real estate. We’ve got a few laundry mats and car washes that bring in passive income.

” Remi’s face twisted into a frown, but I expected as much.

“W-What the hell do you mean? The Taylor Gang is a family organization. How are you gonna kick me out of something our family built from the ground up?”

“If we’re being technical, Poppa Meech built this shit, and our father,” I pointed between Pure and I, “carried it on his back.” Remi’s father was a lot like him because he wasn’t built for this life either.

The only reason Poppa Meech allowed him to stay on the team was out of familial obligation and love for his daughter. None of which mattered to me.

“Is that the way you want to play this?” Remi attempted to sit up, but the pain flashed across his face.

“Look, I’m not trying to make this a big deal.

I’m happy as fuck you made it out of this alive, but this is a business.

Anyone else in your position would be in a body bag right now.

You are being given a pass because you’re my cousin, and our family has taken enough L’s.

However, don’t get shit twisted. You fucked up and allowed your judgment to be clouded by a bitch.

Not only did you put your life in jeopardy, but you could have cost us business.

“Now everyone is watching us to see how we’re gonna handle all of this.

Additionally, we took a major loss due to your mistakes.

A two-million-dollar loss. Money you can’t afford to replace.

I love you like a brother, but you’re a liability, and I can’t have that.

Like I said, we’re gonna help you until you’re able to get back on your feet, but after that you are gonna have to figure out your next moves.

” I laid down the law, and I didn’t care about whether he agreed.

He should have thought about the consequences when he allowed someone to get the best of him.

“Are you gonna let this happen? Come on, Pure. We’re family. What am I supposed to tell people when they ask why I’m no longer down with the crew?”

“Your priority needs to be on your health. We appreciate what you’ve done for the team, but as Soul stated, this is our legacy.

Our family has put their blood, sweat, and bullets into building this empire.

No one is going to get in the way of what we are trying to build.

We’ve spoken to Poppa Meech, and after what happened, he’s in agreement.

The most important thing for you to do right now is to focus on your healing.

“We’re family, so we will look out for you until you are able to get back on your feet.

As far as the organization, the fellas have been given strict orders not to speak with you about anything going on.

We cannot afford any holes in our foundation.

” Pure gave him the most politically correct response, meanwhile I wanted to tell him to go to hell.

He was lucky that we were blood because I was still pissed about my money being gone.

“This isn’t fair. I woke up from a coma and now it seems like I’ve lost everything I cared about. You say you love me, but you’re trying to strip me of everything I’ve worked for.”