Reed (Book 2, Southern Royals Saga)

Chapter 2: Distractions

Brandon Reed, age 16

October 5, 2012

Bristol, Tennessee

Now Entering

Bristol

Pop. 26,792

"Where we meetin' this guy?" I ask Liam, who tightened his hands around the steering wheel.

Liam was unhinged, but then again, he was almost always like that.

Ever since Makenna died.

That was a pretty rough time for our family.

Car accident.

My cousin, Noah, was with her, but only sustained a broken leg and fractured wrist; thank God for seatbelts.

Not that I ever wore one.

Hell, my Shelby didn't even have any.

Thanks, Dad.

"Just outside of town," Liam replied gruffly. He sported a growing bruise on his chin, which wasn't new. He got into altercations almost daily.

Liam's bottom lip was also busted open, dried blood still on his chin; this meant it was probably painful for him to speak.

I get the reigns on the deal tonight.

Yes.

It wasn't my first.

No, my first was over a year ago.

I was fifteen.

July 15, 2011

Selma, Alabama

"Well, I don't give a shit about your rules, Anthony! My rules! First come, first... Well, you know the rest." Liam slammed his phone down on the console, laughing a rich laugh.

"And that's how you get shit done, boys." He clasped his hand on my shoulder, "This one's all yours."

"Really?" I tried to keep the enthusiasm out of my voice.

"Yep. Then, we're gonna get some ass."

"Girls?" Noah popped up from the backseat.

Liam smirked, "No, not girls. Women."

"Women," Noah repeated, excited at the thought; he slid back into the leather seat.

Noah was younger than me at 13, but he sure did love the opposite sex.

Hell, I did, too. At 15, my hormones were raging.

Liam turned down a bumpy road, to the outside of Selma.

The town we were supposed to stay away from.

"That's our guy," Liam said, shutting off the engine, "Caius. Ugly as hell, but a damn good maker of meth, I tell you what."

Caius was, in so few words, ugly.

Liam, Noah, and I inched down the gravel road where Caius waited by a beat-up Ford truck, puffing on a cigarette.

Caius reached for the cigarette in his mouth, revealing he only had three fingers: index, fore, and pinky. He glanced skeptically our way.

The entire right side of his face was...melted; I guess that's the right word.