“Hey, Miss Bradshaw.”

“What on earth are you doing here? Especially this late.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” At least he has the decency to look ashamed.

“Of course you didn’t.” She gasps as she steps closer, reaching out to touch the small cut on his face. “What happened? Are you all right?”

“Yeah. It happened when this guy tackled me to the ground like a sumo wrestler.”

The little fucker has the balls to jut his thumb in my direction and glare at me.

“That’s what you get for trespassing at three o’clock in the damn morning.”

“Yeah,” Walt chimes in, backing me up.

“All right, all right. That’s enough. All of you. Come on. Let’s clean you up.” She ushers the kid to the kitchen, settling him in one of the chairs before retrieving the first aid kit from the cabinet.

Walt puts away his gun before returning to the kitchen to take a seat next to the kid. It makes him uneasy and he scoots away, putting some more distance between them.

Liv soaks a cotton ball with alcohol before applying it to his scratch, making him flinch. “Shit.”

“Sorry, you don’t want it to get infected.” She finishes cleaning the small wound and puts a Band-Aid on it. “Now tell me, why are you here?”

He looks at Walt then shifts his eyes up to where I stand next to him with my arms crossed.

“Can we talk alone, please?” he asks, turning his attention back to Liv.

“No.” I answer before she can. Her eyes seek mine with a silent plea. I shake my head. “Not happening. Whatever he has to say he can say in front of me.”

“I told you, I don’t trust cops.”

“Too bad. I don’t trust anyone with my woman.”

Liv lays her hand on his arm. “Brandon, you can trust Grayson and my grandfather. They’re the good guys. I promise.”

He swallows hard and his eyes fall to the table in front of him. After what seems like a fucking eternity, he finally speaks. “I’m real sorry about what happened to you…about Reggie and them.”

Suspicion forms in my gut.

Liv’s face falls. “It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.”

Dropping his head, he keeps his eyes averted, mumbling something beneath his breath.

“What’s that?” she prompts softly. The kid lifts his chin, tears tracking down his face. Her hand moves to his back. “Talk to me, Brandon. What’s going on?”

His jaw grinds as he tries to speak. “I tried to stop them, but I was too late. My call didn’t make it in time.” He completely breaks down, his body deflating as he lowers his head to his arms, that are resting on the table.

“Jesus, you’re the one who called in,” I say, as realization hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest. Both Liv and Walter’s eyes snap to me. Before I can stop myself, I reach for the kid and haul him out of the chair. “Tell us what you know,” I demand, my face only inches from his.

Liv jumps out of her chair, trying to get between us. “Grayson, stop it!”

“You knew they were going to do this to her, and you didn’t do a goddamn thing to stop it!”

“I tried, but I knew they would kill me. I had no one I could trust.”

“The cops, goddammit. You tell the police.”

“Wrong,” he roars back. “I can’t trust them. But you know what, I made the call anyway. I didn’t want this to happen. I never wanted anything to happen to her.”

“Grayson, I mean it, let him go now. You’re scaring him.”

I release him, collecting a step back. “No more stalling. Tell us what you know, right now.”

His brown eyes harbor an extreme amount of fear, edged with anger. I begin to worry he’s going to bolt but then he looks at Liv, his chest rising and falling harshly. “I’m sorry. So sorry,” he whispers.

Liv gently pushes him into his chair, keeping her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Brandon. I promise. Just tell us what happened. From the beginning.”

He wipes his face with the back of his hand. “I hate Reggie, I’ve never liked him or his crew,” he starts. “When Jamal started hanging with them I warned him he was going to get into trouble, but he didn’t listen. He said he was family and Reggie was good to him. Once he made that first run for him all he saw was the money.”

“You saying he was running drugs for West?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah, and by the time he realized I was right about Reggie he was in too deep. He eventually said he wanted out, that he didn’t wanna do it anymore, but Reggie told him he had to do one more run.” He shakes his head. “Jamal came to me that night, begging me to help him, said he didn’t wanna go alone with them. I didn’t want to. I even said no at first, but when I saw how scared he was I had to.”

“The last run. That was my house?” Liv whispers, hurt evident in her tone. “You were the other one with him?”

His gaze darts nervously to Walt before he drops his head in shame. “Yeah, but we didn’t know it was your place until it was too late. Reggie pulled up to the back where the fertilizer container was. Once they started siphoning, Reggie told Jamal to douse the barn with gas and light it up. For the first time, he stood up to him and said no. That’s when Reggie hit him and pulled his gun out. Told him to do it or he would kill him.” He lifts his head again, his face soaked with tears. “He didn’t wanna do it. He liked you a lot. He just…he was so scared. We both were, but now he’s dead. My best friend is gone and it’s partly my fault.”

Liv grabs him, her beautiful face twisting with agony as her own tears begin to fall. I spare a glance at Walt and see him wiping his own guilt-filled eyes.

“Everything has fallen apart since that night,” Brandon continues. “The whole damn town has gone crazy, and knowing I had a hand in all of this is eating me alive. I didn’t see any way out. But after what I saw today, I can’t do it anymore. I don’t care if they kill me.”

Liv gasps and leans back, gripping the kid by his shoulders. “No one is going to kill you,” she says firmly. “I won’t let that happen.”

“How can you say that after knowing everything you do?”

Her face softens. “Because I care about you. You made a bad choice, Brandon, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. We all make mistakes, but what matters is owning them and trying to do right by them. You coming to me now is very courageous. Besides, if you hadn’t made that phone call I would be dead right now, and for that I’m grateful.”

His head swivels with disbelief, shocked by her forgiveness.

“Why now?” I ask. “What did you see today that made you come forward?”

His eyes fall to the wood table in front of him, as unbearable silence rents the air around us. “There’s a video,” he whispers.

Blood rushes to my ears, my heart pounding through my chest. “Who has it?” I grind out, a dark rage surging through my blood.

“De’Shawn Miller.”

Liv’s hand flies to her mouth on a gasp. “No. Was he one of them?”

Sincere remorse washes over his face. “Yeah. There were four of them. Reggie, De’Shawn, and two other guys I don’t know very well. One of them is Reggie’s right-hand man. He’s been taking care of everything while he’s been locked up.”

I grab a pad of paper and a pen from a nearby drawer then slam it down in front of him. “You’re going to give us everything you know. I want names, where they live, and I want the location of West’s operation.”

He nods. “I’ll help you get the video, too. It’s on De’Shawn’s phone.” His eyes find Liv’s again, regret weighing heavily in his gaze. “You’ll never know how sorry I am. I never wanted this to happen. Never wanted you to get hurt.”

Her hand lands on his, her breath hitching as she tries to hold in her pain. “I know you didn’t. Everything will be okay. I promise. We’ll make sure Reggie pays for what he did, not only to me but Jamal, too. And Grayson will be with you every step of the way. He won’t let anything happen to you. Not by anyone. Right?” She looks over at me for reassurance.