Page 36 of Search My Soul
“I’m good, but I appreciate the offer. There is nothing for you to be concerned about. Your money will never be affected by anything we have going on.”
“It would be unfortunate if it did. Well, I’m getting ready to get my afternoon massage, so I’ll be in touch.”
“Say less.” I hung up the phone and tried to put the call to the back of my mind. I had bigger fish to fry, and like I told him, his money would never be affected. Hell, if anyone shouldbe upset, it should be me. I had to use my own funds to replace Salavadore’s portion. When I finally caught up with the people who robbed Remi, I planned to make them suffer. They’d better hope I got my money back because no one was off limits when it came to stealing from me. I would wipe out their entire lineage behind my money.
“You good, boss?” Huncho inquired.
“I’m straight. He ain’t want shit. Just wanted to be nosy. Have you gotten any word on who did this?”
“Yeah. Remember the bitch we caught him with the last time he missed the drop? I have a possible address for her, and I plan to slide over there and see if I can catch up with her. With the amount of money that was missing, I know for a fact this wasn’t a one-man job. Once I get the information I need, I’ll be hitting you up for disposal.” The information Huncho gave me was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits.
“That’s what I like to hear. I need every person involved to pay.”
“Roger that. Has there been any improvement with Rem?”
The thought of my cousin lying there with all of those tubes coming from him sent me into a rage. We didn’t play about our family, and the fact that someone thought they could come in and hurt someone in our family rubbed me the wrong way. We fed our community, and they knew better than to fuck with our family. Whoever did it was either bold or ignorant. Either way, they were going to learn a very valuable lesson about fucking with a Taylor. We played for keeps, and if you fucked with one of us then you fucked with all of us.
“Naw. Emilio transported him to another hospital to see a specialist to remove the bullet from his spine. Apparently, there were some complications during the surgery. They put him in a medically induced coma until his body can heal itself. Shit is all messed up.” My grandparents were upset about him beingmoved, but they respected Emilio’s decision to get the surgery. I still believed he should have waited, but it was his child, so ultimately the choice was his to make. My only concern was his recovery.
“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know if God even knows who I am, but I’ll still say a prayer for him.”
I chuckled because I used to say the same thing when I was growing up. After I lost my parents and then my best friend, I was convinced big dude didn’t fuck with me.
“Naw, my nana said he loves us sinners too.” I dapped him and Draco up then headed to my whip. I would address the detective situation later on. Right now, I have some more pressing matters to attend to.
The soundof my bills running through the money counter was music to my ears. Last night was a good night, and I could tell by the stacks of bills that I made at least six bands, which was cool for a weekday. I smoked my blunt as I scrolled through videos my cousin Peaches sent me from a party her and her twin sister, Passion, went to. It looked like it was lit, and I hated that I missed it, but the money was calling.
My phone rang, and it was a video call from her. I answered, then propped my phone up so I could finish my count.
“What’s up, fav!” I smiled into the phone as I wrapped another stack with a rubber band. I’ve been meaning to go to the bank so I could finally set up an account, but I’ve been so busy lately. At some point, I needed to go ahead and take care ofit because I had too much money sitting around my apartment. The neighborhood I lived in was decent, but you never knew who may be watching you.
“What’s up, fav! Girl, when I tell you that party was everything! I can’t even make it up. Luxx the rapper made a guest appearance and Sagon Riley. It should be a crime for men to be that fine. I wish I would have worn some panties because I would have thrown them at them.”
“Peach, please get your life together. They probably would have thrown you out of the party.” I giggled when she shrugged in the camera.
“It would have been worth it. I’m so mad you weren’t there. They had some strippers there, and they looked like someone picked them up from the swap meet. The wigs were stiffer than a sugar daddy on Viagra, and the BBLs were botched. Kwame gave me some money to throw, but I tucked that shit right in my purse.”
“Cousin, you ain’t right. You’re supposed to throw the money. They might have needed that money for their rent or something.” I reasoned. This was a hot topic at the club because men would bring their girls to the club, and they acted like they didn’t want to throw the money. I rarely went to strip clubs unless I was on vacation, but I loved throwing money at the dancers.
“By the looks of it, they probably stay at the trap house.” She scoffed. When I looked at the clock, I realized I only had forty minutes to get dressed for my hair appointment. My wig looked good, but I wanted to switch it up to something different.
“You are a mess. Speaking of parties, how are things coming with the party planning?” The twins were planning a birthday party, and I had already made plans to attend. It was going to be one of the biggest parties of the century, plus they were some of the few family members who hung around outside of my dad’sfamily, who lived in Virginia. My aunts and cousins on that side would visit occasionally.
“It’s all coming together. All of the vendors have been paid, and the caterer is a beast in the kitchen. We had an appointment to sample the food, and it was the bomb. I’m telling you this party is about to be one for the books.”
“I know that’s right. Well, I can’t wait to turn up with y’all. I’m getting my outfit custom made because I’ll be damned if I step on the scene and another bitch has my outfit on!” I exclaimed.
“Exactly. We ended up getting three outfits designed. One for our entrance, one for the actual party, and one for the after-hours spot. Y’all better rest up because we are about to be up all night and into the morning!” Peaches yelled excitedly with her hands in the air.
“You deserve it.” We continued to talk while I got ready for my appointment. I heard the sound of a knock on the door and wondered who it could be. When I checked my phone, there were no missed calls or messages.
“Hold on, cousin. Someone is at my door. I’m gonna call you back later.” My face was twisted up into a frown until I checked the peephole. The smile came before I even realized it. I never gave this man my address, yet he was standing at my door at eleven in the morning, as if he had an invitation. Pulling the door open, I came face to face with the star of all my dreams and nightmares.
“Are you a stalker now?”
“I can’t stalk what’s mine. I like to think of it as checking on my investments.” The cocky smirk on his face made my nipples harden. This man made me feel things that were out of the ordinary for me, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
“Real smooth, but you’re still a creep. I never gave you my address.”
