The Fall of East: Book 3 in the Hear No Evil Trilogy, Malone, Nana [inspiring books for teens txt] 📗

Ben was enjoying this. I could tell. A small smile played across his lips. He was having a fucking ball. Well, if anyone deserved it, it was him. He'd been under a lot of stress. We all had. I just wanted this over so I could go back to Nyla and tell her that for once, we were safe.

“I call for a blackball removal. After all, he is not who he says he is. And the Elite must remain intact, evolve. We’re not a den of murderers. We are the Elite, gentlemen, above all.”

The hushed murmur resounded yet again as the members were obviously taken by surprise from Ben’s revelations. “We are the Elite. But we need to change. I know. No one likes change. Change is difficult. Change requires blood. But if we cannot grow and conform ourselves to the dynamics of society, we will lose our power. There are those here that intend to convince you that I want to do away with our traditions. And I do intend to change some of them, but not all. Some of them are worthwhile. They got us where we are today, after all. But if we do not evolve, others will come for us, and we will lose our strength. So we must change in order to grow. If you have no confidence in me to lead you through that, fair enough.”

Behind my mask, I couldn't help but grin. Goddamn, he was enjoying the fuck out of this. Leave it to Ben to have a great time. Git.

And then he stepped back, replaced his mask, and stood silently.

I watched the so-called ‘Jamesons.’ Henry Warlow was already trapped. There was nowhere for him to run.

Garreth, though, was scowling. And then he pulled a gun and made a run for it.

* * *

East

Why was it always some kind of dramatic exit?

The guard had been focused on Lord Jameson, not Garreth, so he was able to slip around and pull a gun from his robes, brandishing it as he tried to shove his way through the crowd.

Idiot.

This was always the scenario. The attempt of criminals to escape when trapped, fools who thought they could get away with their crimes.

In the flurry of activity, he shoved several members out of the way, sending one elderly gentleman to the ground.

Ben growled. "Fuck. We’ve got a runner."

I grabbed my com unit so that Nyla, Telly, Emma, and Amelia outside would know that he was coming. They weren't on the grounds because obviously, they weren't supposed to be there. But they were just outside the perimeter at different stations. "Garreth Jameson is coming your way. I'm not sure which exit though."

Nyla's voice was calm. "Copy that."

My mates were already on my heels as I ran after him. The Five were trying to call the meeting back to order, but Jameson turned back and fired around inside the chamber, so that was the end of that meeting.

It was total chaos. Luckily, I knew the place like the back of my hand. And also, I had wired it with a brand-new security system. Reaching inside my robe, I pulled out my phone. With a few quick taps, I accessed it and searched for Garreth’s location. I saw him moving toward the inner courtyard, and I directed Drew and Ben to go one way while Bridge and I went the other. Right in the direction of Emma and Telly.

I could hear Bridge's feet slapping on the marble and stone outside along with mine.

Bridge kept pace with me easily. Jameson was quick and sporty, but he was no match for our agility.

In the coms, Ben was panting. "Do you have him?"

"I see him, but he’s moving quickly. Emma, Tells, he's coming your way."

Telly laughed briefly. "Yes! I might get to fire a gun."

Over the coms, Nyla's voice was a little bit antsy. "Nope. No gun firing for you, Telly."

I could hear Emma bickering. "I’ve got her."

Bridge's voice next to me was terse and angry. "Emma, stay in the fucking van."

I glanced at the security feed on my phone again, and Garreth was at the hedges, getting ready to jump and escape. We were going to lose him. I looked for the nearest gate that led outside the security perimeter. There was one straight to the right of the hedges he was headed for. I pointed Bridge in that direction, and we booked it. We turned one last corner to find Jameson about to go over the hedge.

Emma was standing below him, fully clad in black, holding a baton. "Where do you think you're going? A fancy-dress party and you didn't even invite me? I feel sad."

Jameson turned around and faced her. "Bitch."

"No, no, we've never met. I feel like you can't make a proper assessment. I mean, you’re probably accurate, but honestly, how would you know that?"

He lunged at her then, but she managed to deliver him an elbow to the temple, and he groaned and staggered. Bridge hesitated for a moment because clearly, Emma was no shrinking violet. She knew how to handle this idiot.

"Let's not do this. I might break a nail, and I'd be irritated by that."

He lunged for her again, and Bridge sprinted toward him.

I was right at his tail.

Telly jumped out of the van, pepper spray at the ready. “Get out of the way so I can spray him."

Emma didn't even spare her a glance. I could hear her trail of laughter at Telly’s attempt to join in the fracas.

Emma was good. Really good. Clearly, she'd been training for something like this, because there was no way that Toby's little sister miraculously knew how to fight.

Still, Bridge tried to jump in, but I held him back. "We need a better opening. He has a gun."

Bridge scowled at me then. "It's fucking Emma."

Why was it so hard to reason with love-whipped men who refused to admit it? I tapped into the coms. "We have a situation at the van."

Nyla answered back. "On my