Reed (Book 2, Southern Royals Saga)

Chapter 27: Planning

Liv got a text this morning, after my "stress-relief", from Abby, saying the four of us needed to talk. I had a feeling it couldn't be about anything good.

It's probably been months since I went to Bony's Café, avoiding it like the plague since graduation. I parked around the curve, holding Liv's hand as we walked through the glass double doors.

Abby and Noah were already seated in a booth along the wall.

"We're not that bad, are we?" I snicker, watching Noah swallow half of Abby's face.

"Not in public," she said, and I couldn't argue with her there.

I guided her to the booth, then tried, to no avail, to pull Noah and Abby from one another.

"Noah," I snapped; he knew. He knew my tones, and he knew when to head them.

Noah smiled at me apologetically.

"Why'd y'all wanna meet today?" Liv asks

Abby sighed, "Mya's told me somethin'... Something huge."

She was silent, letting the suspense fall upon the table.

"Well," I urged, "Spit it out." I laid my arm over the back of the booth, my girl's closeness keeping my temper at bay.

"Mya overheard Dad in his office with Will. That they were arguing, and that Will sounded furious."

"And?" Liv pushed from both of us.

"Your kidnapping, Zoey's murder; they were all in on it. All of them, not just Royce and his men. Will's the ringleader. Dad and Marcus, they'll do whatever Will says."

"Brandon," Noah spoke, "they've been working with Liam and Adrian for nearly a decade now, along with Royce and his men. Their next plan was to take down Anthony, so they can build their own empire."

None of this was new information to me.

"They're scared of you, Liv," Noah said, leaning in to whisper, "Will knows you've been scooping around. He wanted Royce to kill you, while Aaron and Everett killed..." Noah trailed off, unable to speak the name.

I noticed a change in Noah these last few weeks; he was being forced to finally take things seriously.

Zoey's dead, and so is his father.

We weren't those kids from last summer, dealing drugs and collecting dough.

This was a lot bigger than that.

"They're terrified that y'all have found evidence on Charles' murder," Abby finished.

"Have either of you heard from Adrian or Liam?" Liv asked, keeping her gaze on me.

My gut clenched as I gazed at Noah.

I watched Liam bleed to death that night. I allowed that to happen.

"They won't talk," Noah covered for me, for the murder of his own father.

I guess since it's been years that Liam's acted as a father to Noah it would be hard to be missed.

"It don't matter," Owen pulled a chair up to our table, looking like a dead man walking, "I have a plan for this... But we need everyone we can get."

Owen looked at me with bloodshot eyes. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Define everyone," Abby demands

"Everyone. We got us five, maybe get a few on the outside if we can get Mya to get us inside."