Chapter 890

chapter890

They had boarded a rickety shuttle van at 7:30 AM.

Corley, unluckily, got motion sick from the bumpy ride.

Owen turned his head to look out the window.

After rinsing his mouth with bottled water, Corley's first words were, "I don't get motion sickness."

His second were, "Your breakfast sandwich was bad."

"Oh," Owen replied.

"I'm telling you, I don't get carsick."

"I never said you did."

*But your expression, your every move, is screaming it!* Corley thought. Owen was genuinely trying not to laugh, which only made it funnier.

The driver, noticing the exchange, kindly offered, "If you're feeling sick, just open the window. A little cold air will help."

"I! Am! Not! Sick!"

The driver chuckled. "You city boys are all the same, too proud to admit it. What's wrong with a little carsickness?"

Owen's interest was piqued. "From the sound of it, you've driven other people from the city?"

"Sure have! Just a couple of days ago, I drove a few young folks out here. One of the guys reacted just like him. Looked green as a gourd but swore up and down he was fine, hehe..."

Corley caught on and sat up a little straighter. "Was it a group of two women and one man, headed for the Smith family's place in Low Creek Village?"

"Hey, you know them!"

Owen and Corley exchanged a meaningful glance. They took the opportunity to ask the driver about the Smiths, which inevitably led to mentioning Fabian and Jay Moore.

Suddenly, the driver became evasive, mastering the art of playing dumb.

Corley pulled out his wallet. It was full of credit cards but not a single bill of cash. Just as he was cursing his luck, a wad of cash appeared in front of him. Following the hand up, he saw Owen gesturing with his eyes toward the driver's seat.

Corley glanced at Owen's backpack and silently took the money, making a mental note: *Next time, I'm bringing a backpack. And I'm packing everything.*

He first lit a cigarette for himself, took a couple of drags, and then offered one to the driver.

"Here you go, Jean."

That friendly tone made Owen turn his head in surprise. Corley, the proud and aloof man he was could actually humble himself enough to butter up a local driver?

Corley shot him a look, a flicker of a merchant's shrewdness in his eyes. *Watch and learn, rookie.*

Owen was speechless.

Seeing the cigarette, Jean didn't refuse, accepting it with a wide grin. "Thanks! A

premium brand, I see... I could tell the moment you lit it up!"

Corley let out a soft chuckle. "So you know your stuff."

"Of course! A good smoke is a good smoke!"

Noticing Jean's hands were on the wheel, Corley smoothly offered, "Here, let me get that for you."

"Oh, you don't have to....." Jean said, but the cigarette he was about to tuck behind his ear found its way to his lips.

Corley flicked his lighter and lit it for him.

Jean took a couple of deep drags, his smile growing wider. "Look, it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just... you can't mess with the Moore

If

family they found out kwas

running my mouth..."

Corley nodded. "I understand. You'd

be taking a risk, and we wouldn't ask

you to do that for nothing.

stuffed the wad of cash into the driver's jacket pocket.

With that, the floodgates opened. Jean told them everything, from the Moore

family's rise to power to the brothers' reign of terror in the village.

"...The reason Fabian Jay is so brazen is because he's got powerful backing. Word is..."

The more Owen and Corley listened, the graver their expressions became. It was clear that charging in unprepared was not an option. They needed a solid plan.