Page 8 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

No matter how much money I made, I still hated to pay high prices for food. If I could walk into the grocery store and buy a whole pie for five dollars, why on earth would I be okay with being charged four dollars apiece for an apple pie hot pocket? It made no sense to me whatsoever.

“Never that, old man. I’d sell all of your cars and jewelry before I ever go broke,” I joked to get under his skin.

“The hell you will. I may not be in the streets anymore, but I’ve got a few soldiers that will dust off their tools to handle some business for me,” Poppa warned with his shaky ass finger in my face.

“Gone on, man. The only soldiers you know are the ones in the army of the Lord. I’m not worried about the Bengay Brigade coming after me. They’ll end up with a slipped disk messing with me.”

“Boy, get out of here. I’m the one who taught you how to shoot your first gun. You can never outsmart the teacher, youngblood.” My mind instantly went back to the instance he was referring to. While it may have been a joke to him, the memories were nothing to laugh about.

“You’re a man now, Grandson, and it’s time for you to learn the family business.

” Poppa woke Pure and me up in the middle of the night and told us to get in the car.

We had no idea where we were going, but we knew better than to question Poppa.

Pure remained silent the entire ride, and I wondered what was going through his mind.

I always looked up to my big brother because he seemed so fearless.

We had experienced a major loss when our parents were murdered a few weeks ago, but he seemed to be handling it better than the rest of us.

He went to work and served as a father figure to our other siblings.

Even at the service, his face remained emotionless and unfazed.

I tried to pretend to be strong like him, but I failed miserably.

The pain was almost unbearable, and had it not been for the pills my friend Jayce had given me, I didn’t think I would have been able to make it day by day.

Once we pulled up to this big white and blue building, goose bumps covered my arms. Poppa stressed the importance of Taylor men being tough and fearless, so I tried to hide the fear inside of me.

When we parked, a few men stood by his Cadillac.

They were all dressed in black, and I realized that Poppa wore all black as well.

“Let’s go, boys.” Poppa wasn’t one to repeat himself, so we exited the car in silence.

The night air smelled odd, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I followed behind my brother as he trailed the men.

A few of them shook hands with Poppa and nodded toward Pure and me.

However, no conversation was being had. I’d heard rumors about what my family did for a living, but I’d never been around it.

Whenever I asked my father when we were going to be a part of the family business, he always replied that we weren’t ready.

Now that he was gone, I wondered who would be in charge now.

I assumed my grandfather would be stepping out of retirement, but he had been taking a bunch of phone calls since my parents passed.

Nana had been cussing and praying up a storm, which told me that whatever happened to my parents wasn’t over.

My nose scrunched up when I breathed in the air in the cold, stale building.

It reminded me of the old gym we used to play in at the rec center, only it was darker and more mysterious.

I had so many questions, and it bothered me that I couldn’t ask them.

I figured if I held on a while longer, someone would tell me what was going on.

“Where are they?” Poppa probed as he led us down a dark hallway. I played it cool, but I was terrified. When I glanced up at Pure, he wore the same emotionless expression he always did.

I trusted my grandfather with my life, so I wasn’t worried about anything bad happening to us, but I had a feeling that whatever took place tonight would alter us for the rest of our lives.

We filed into the room, and I pulled my shirt over my nose because the smell was so bad.

It only took a second for me to come face to face with the cause of the stench, and my eyes widened when I realized who it was.

Uncle Brent. He had been my father’s best friend since before we were born.

He was also Pure and Patience’s godfather.

I turned to my grandfather for answers because I couldn’t understand why he was tied up.

His face was covered in dried blood, but I was still able to recognize him.

His arms appeared to be tied behind his back as he sat in the metal chair.

Someone had done a number on him, and I had even more questions flooding through my mind.

Poppa’s eyes were as dark as charcoal, and they frightened me.

His shoulders were squared as he stood with his hands locked in front of him.

I turned back around, and that was when I zoned in on the other man next to him.

They had a sack over his face, so I waited for them to remove it.

Once again, my brain filled with confusion as to what was going on.

Poppa’s brother and my great uncle, Fletcher aka Uncle Fletch, had bruises and wounds like Uncle Brent.

Poppa began to speak, and I gave him my full attention.

I needed answers, and I needed them fast.

“The bible speaks about the last supper and how Jesus knew someone close to Him would betray Him. I could only imagine how He felt to be breaking bread with a snake, and the only thing He could do was wait for them to attack.” His tone was cold, yet smooth as he took a few steps closer to the men.

“Hmm, you know people often tend to believe that your enemies are the ones on the opposite side of the field, but in most cases, your biggest enemy is the one who hugs you and calls you a friend. They are the ones who give the speech at your wedding and teach your children how to ride a bike. One thing about a snake is that they have to be in close range in order to inflict the most pain.” Poppa reached into his suit jacket, and my eyes bulged when I saw a gun in his hand.

There was no way he was about to do what I thought he was.

“My son loved you like you came from my nutsack. I always taught him not to trust anyone with your whole heart because even your closest friends would turn on you for the right price. My son was convinced there wasn’t a price large enough to sacrifice one’s loyalty.

I guess he was wrong. Three hundred thousand dollars was all it took for you to lead your best friend and his wife to their deaths.

” My eyes shifted between Poppa and Uncle Brent while my head shook in denial and disbelief.

There was no way he would do anything like that.

Uncle Brent loved us and treated us like family.

He would never betray my father for money. I refused to believe that.

Poppa’s attention focused on Uncle Fletch. There was duct tape around his mouth, but he was squealing as if he was trying to say something.

“I always knew you were a rotten son of bitch, but for you to conspire against your own flesh and blood is a new low.” My grandfather called out to my brother.

“Come here, Pure.” Pure swiftly moved next to him and turned to face him.

Poppa placed his gun into Pure’s hand. The two of them stared into each other’s eyes as if they were engaging in a conversation no one else was a part of.

“Taylor men are strong and fearless. We don’t let people betray us and get away with it, you hear me?

This man had your parents killed, and you need to remedy this situation.

Nobody hurts a Taylor and lives to tell the story.

Aim, hold it steady, and pull the trigger.

Go ahead.” My heart was beating out of my chest as I watched my brother walk up to Uncle Brent.

This was all too much for me, and my knees felt as if they would give out at any moment.

Pure walked up to Uncle Brent, and I’d never seen my brother look so cold in my life.

It was like something had taken over him, and he snapped.

Using the bottom of the gun, Pure crashed it into his nose, causing blood to squirt out everywhere.

Pure didn’t stop there. Blow after blow, he unleashed his anger.

No words or even sounds were made, but the intentions were clear.

One of the men stepped forward to intervene, but Poppa held his hand up for him to stop.

“Let him have his moment,” he commanded.

The palms of my hands grew sweaty as I watched the scene unfold before me.

Pure’s chest heaved up and down, yet he still remained silent.

I thought he would leave things as they were and hand Poppa back the gun, but he surprised me when he placed it in the center of Uncle Brent’s forehead and pulled the trigger with no hesitation.

My body jerked from the sound of the blast, and I watched in astonishment as brain matter splattered all over the place.

Pure stood there frozen, but there was no fear in his eyes.

It was something else that I couldn’t put my finger on.

Pure handed the gun back to Poppa and got right back into his stance.

Poppa’s attention focused on Uncle Fletch, who tried his best to break free to no avail.

“I won’t waste my breath on you because you aren’t worth it.

Madea took out two life insurance policies on each of her children, and they are worth a million dollars each.

It won’t bring my son back, but I’ll sleep better at night knowing that your worthless life will pay for his children to live the life they deserve once they are of age.

It’s really a shame that you had to go out this way, but I’ll make sure they send you off in style , little brother.

A service fit for a bitch. Soul, come.” I gulped when Poppa called my name.

I won’t lie and say I hadn’t snuck and played around with my father’s guns, but this was a completely different scenario.

I’ve never taken another person’s life, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

On one hand, I was hurt that my parents lost their lives at the hands of people they loved and trusted…

But could I be a killer? I guess I had no other choice.

My feet shuffled as I made my way over to my grandfather. When he placed the gun in my hands, the weight of it caught me off guard. The cool metal rested against the palms of my hands as I stood there waiting for further instruction.

“In life we are often put in a position to choose between what we have been taught is right and what we know is right. The man in that chair is not your family. He is the monster who took your parents away from you and your siblings. When you look that mothafucka in his eyes, you should feel nothing but hatred. A life for a life. Always remember that.” Poppa patted me on my shoulders as he nudged me forward.

“Make me proud, Grandson.” My hands shook as I walked over to the man I once loved.

Uncle Fletch was the middle child, like me, so we connected on many levels.

He would always make me laugh and hand me money whenever we were at my grandparents’ house.

I used to look up to him and Poppa for the way they carried themselves.

We were hood royalty because of them, and I thought the shit was cool.

As I stood in front of him, my stomach twisted in a knot.

His eyes were pleading, and that only upset me more.

Two weeks ago, he hugged Pure and me at our parents’ burial site and told us we were going to be the next generation of the Taylor Gang.

He promised that he would come and get us so that we could see his new ranch house.

The fact that he smiled in our faces as if he hadn’t stripped us of everything we had ever known made me sick to my stomach.

My hands shook as rage took over. My body grew hot as I held the gun toward his heart.

It was obvious that he had no love in his heart for his family, so that was where I chose to shoot.

I held the gun to the side like I’d seen a million times in the movies I watched growing up and squeezed the trigger with all of my might.

I ended up shooting him until the only thing that could be heard was clicking sounds. Tears rushed down my face once I had emptied the clip. My momma and daddy were really gone, and I would be forever changed.

Those years after my parents were killed transitioned me from a boy to a man.

I learned early on that you couldn’t trust anyone, because for the right price, a loved one could quickly turn into an enemy.

After I dropped Poppa Meech off, I headed straight to my house.

I wasn’t one of those people who liked to party all night and be seen.

The perfect night for me was chilling at home with some good food, a bottle of dark liquor, and my begging ass dogs by my side.

Peace was a rarity for me, so I took advantage whenever I could.

My nana used to tell us there was no rest for the wicked.

The older I became, the more I believed her words to be true.