Part 29:
**************************************************************************

Jenn took a deep breath and looked around the table before starting.
Everyone was looking at her anxiously, waiting to hear whatever it was she
had to say. "This is straight from AJ and I know he's telling the truth.
They're being blackmailed by Lou."

"For what?" Alec asked confused. 

"He wanted them to break up the group, apparently he was a little too
jealous over their success without him and couldn't handle it. He has
something on each of them...I'm not sure if any of its true or not but
he's using it against him. Howie's could be the most damaging but i only
know D's and AJ's."

"Uhm how bad is D's?" Lis asked quietly

"He's supposedly laundering money for the mob. And Lou called a meeting
yesterday...AJ went with Howie...to keep more information quiet from the
authorities, he wants to manage all the guys in their solo careers."

"I'll kill him first." Ty stated, her eyes still on her coffee cup.

"So what do we do?? Just sit around and wait for Lou to attack them
again?" Jenn asked.

"I'm still voting for killing Lou." Ty mumbled, "E why don't you tell them
your info."

"Okay. Nick's hired David to look into some things. He has all the
envelopes or he did and made copies. The secrets, well their bad if they
ever did get leaked...very slim chance their true...Kevin has an alleged
son; Nick's cheated on Lis and there's photographic proof which David's
working on proving their false and Brian has a first wife that no one
really knew about and the divorce may have not gone through. That one
could be legal."

Shan nodded, "And he's apparently still sleeping with her."

"Okay that I don't believe." Jenn commented, "Rok loves you Shan, he
wouldn't cheat on you."

"I saw pictures." Shan said, "And pictures..."

"Don't lie?" Lis finished raising an eyebrow. "They could be the same kind
of pics I saw of Nick..."

"Do you have them?? I could send them to David and he could do some
checking." E suggested.


Howie was paying the delivery man as the rest of the guys sat around the
living room, talking quietly. "What are we going to do?" AJ questioned.

Nick shrugged, "I love D like a brother you guys know that, but I can't
let Lou manage me...I don't even know if I wanna go solo right now."

Brian nodded, "Right now the last thing I want to do is step on a stage.
If there was some other way..." he stopped as Howie walked in with the
bags of food.

"Should my ears be burning?" Howie joked setting the food down on the
coffeetable. "Look guys I know Lou's asking for a lot and I can't make any
of you go back to him...I don't even want to go back to him. But I've
gotta do what's best for me and Ty right now."

"And going back to that money hungry bastard is the best thing?" Kevin
asked, trying to refrain from yelling. "He's destroyed the band Howie,
he's tried to destroy our marriages, hell I think he succeeded on that
one too." he said bitterly.

"Kev you don't know for sure Alec..." Brian started putting a comforting
hand on his cousin's shoulder but he pushed it away.

"You didn't see her Brian, you don't know how angry she is. She thinks
I've been hiding this child away for years."

"Have you?"

"NO!!!"

"Then fight this man." Nick commented, "I don't want to lie down and wait
for Lou to ruin what I have left. Shit he almost cost me Lissy...I'm not
going to let that happen again. And I'm not going to let him bring down
one of my brothers either."

"Thanks man." Howie said quietly. "I'd do the same for any of you."

"Ditto." Brian and AJ agreed and Kevin nodded.

"We got any ideas what to do?" Kevin asked, running a hand through his
hair.

"Why don't we sleep on it and talk tomorrow?" Brian suggested, realizing
how tense Howie was getting.

Everyone nodded their agreement and made their way upstairs to the
bedrooms, all wondering what they were supposed to do.