Wow. Fifty chapters. Each with at least 2000 words. 100,000 + words. Little over two years working on this. Wow, just wow. Welp, here it goes:
External Narrator:
It was a darker night in LA. The night sky was filled with clouds, blocking off any form of natural light. It was predicated to start raining at any second now.
The man, Rob, hurries through the less crowded streets. He had been living on the outskirts of LA for the past two years, but never had he felt as he did now. There was a chill in the air and a pit in his stomach that no matter what he ate and how many times he went to the bathroom, just wouldn't disappear.
After the first hour, he had realized that it wasn't a digestion problem, but rather a deep, figurative gut feeling. He didn't like the feeling. He didn't like not knowing what was happening. He didn't like the chill in the air. Least of all, he didn't appreciate the silence of the child put within his care.
His footsteps echo in the night as he turns the corner, not quite running, but not walking either. He was so close, so damn close.
Until he wasn't.
They grabbed him from behind, appearing out of thin air. He lets out a yelp as he's dragged back down by his hair. They were wearing masks, but the symbol behind one's ear was shining in the moonlight.
These were not Night Howlers, this gang, these were the Lunar Praise.
For the first time within two years, it's true, raw fear that curls in Rob's gut.
-----
She shouldn't have come. There was a pit in her stomach while she had put on her black pencil skirt and lilac colored shirt which covered her cleavage, but hugged its shape.
When Alexander had turned towards her defensively, she knew that he didn't know anything. Shawn had told her as much, but she needed to be sure the leader wasn't keeping secrets, even from someone ranked like Shawn.
After leaving Alexander, she went looking for Amy Kuether. She had only seen glances from afar of her and her attire, but it seems that her oldest friend had attracted quite the audience.
"Hey," Shawn grins as he casually slides an arm around Riley's shoulder.
"Hey," Riley greets backs, but barely throws a glance in his direction.
"Do you want some birthday cake? I hear the punch is spiked though, so I'd stay away from that if I were you."
"No thank you," she mutters while scanning the room. "But I know what a sweet tooth you have, so have some for both of us babe."
"Hmm," Shawn moans and leans down to peck her lips before disappearing off to find some cake.
There was a chill in the air all around her. It could have been because she was wearing a skirt while there was still snow outside, but the chill was bone-shaking. It was something worse than a horror movie.
"Well, well, well, if it isn’t the spy," a bitter voice spits out.
"Well, well, well, if it isn’t the lost puppy. Tell me, where is your owner? Shouldn't you be following her around?" Riley raises an eyebrow without turning.
Wendy scoffs. "Take a good look around. You are surrounded by some of the most lethal people in this world. Now, by some miracle, no one knows who you are. Except, you have history around here, don't you?"
"Why would it matter to you?"
"Because you took something of ours, from my leader. He wants it back. Now."
"Fine," Riley waves her hand, dismissing her. "I have everything I need."
"And what does that m-"
She is cut off by a loud commotion happening on the other side of the ballroom.
"Get down!" Someone shouts before Amy Kuether is tackled.
Alarms go off and windows are boarded up with metal plates. Red lights flash while people panick. Bullets can be heard cracking through the windows and embedding themselves in the metal plates.
"Enough!" Alec Black shouts from somewhere in the room. Three bullets are fired from inside and immediately the crowd silences. "Those of you who are unable to fight, or don't know how, exit through the kitchen doors. Lola and Bree will lead you to our safe room."
A few select groups move towards the kitchen. When they leave, the majority of people in the room are men. Women were there, but they were the minority.
"I have to find Amy," Wendy mutters and quickly runs to the last place she was seen before she was tackled.
"Let's get something straight," Alec says. "If one of you is responsible for this, well, you better hope you aren't. Speak now, and my brother here, may or may not spare you."
No one says a word. "Very well then, Kylie, if you'd be so kind."
Every gang member looks around in wonder as projected on the metal panels are live footage of everything going on outside.
Riley walks closer to one on her left. She narrows her eyes as she inspects an image on an attackers upper arm.
She gasps. There was no mistaking the howling wolf on the arm. Gasps are heard around the room and she knows that she is not alone in this discovery.
"Hey!" Someone grabs her wrist. "Come on, we need to get you to safety."
Riley doesn't say a word as she lets herself get dragged out of the room by Shawn.
"Stay here," he says as he gently pushes her into a room. His room. "I'll be back, I promise you."
He pecks her lips before leaving.
She wastes no time before flicking out her phone and dialing a new contact. It rings before someone answers.
"What?" Helen snaps from the other end.
"This agreement?" Riley asks. "It's over!"
"What the hell?"
"This wasn't part of the arrangement. You were not supposed to attack Amy Kuether or Alexander Black. Much less do it at their engagement party. This room is filled with gangs of all levels from around this state. You will not get away with this." Riley snarls before hanging up.
She paces the room. There's a battle within herself, knowing that she should be out there, fighting, because she was better trained than half the people out there. The other half of her knows that no one knows what the Night Howler's are planning, and the smarter thing to do would be to stay put. At least for the time being.
------
Alexander Black looks around the beautifully decorated room. This was not supposed to happen, not tonight. This whole thing was not meant to trap them, it was meant to trap the Night Howler's.
"Have you figured out what they want?" Shawn asks as he sprints up the steps onto the stage.
"We're working on it!" Kylie sings from her spot on the floor. She was cross legged and typing furiously on a sleek silver laptop. Skirt manners be damned.
The crowd was growing restless. They wanted to know what was going on, and they wanted to know sooner rather than later.
"Alexander," a voice calls out. "What is happening?"
Zumeya Pitts stands down stage with her hands on her hips and a furious look on her face.
"We're under attack," he mutters while scanning the metal panels and the images projected onto them.
"Well no shit," she snarls. "Why? What the hell is this about? Why is a gang, from New York nonetheless, here, in Minnesota, and attacking you, tonight? This was supposed to be a private event."
"Let's just say we have history," Alec interjects. "And yes, this was supposed to be a private event which means, we have a mole."
"Riley Smith," Wendy growls as she enters from stage left. Amy Kuether follows behind her. "I've told you that she was a danger, especially being left loose and running around. She stole information from the Black Mississippi gang."
"Riley is a spy?" Amy asks bewildered. She was wearing a navy blue dress with a straight, strapless neckline and a free flowing skirt that reached the ground.
"No."
"Yes."
Shawn and Wendy glare at each other.
"She wouldn't betray us - me - like that."
"Just how much do you really know of her?"
"Excuse me," Zumeya exclaims. "Who exactly is this Riley Smith that you speak of?"
"My girlfriend."
"A spy."
"Just drop it already!" Shawn growls at Wendy. "She. Is. Not. A. Spy."
"Yes. She. Is."
"Enough!" Kylie shouts while standing up from her seated position. "This arguing is going to get us no nowhere. I, however, am."
"What did you find?" Alexander asks while going to stand at her right shoulder.
"The leader. It's this guy," she points to the man on the screen. He had sandy blond hair and brown eyes. "It's live footage from our cameras outside. He's the one giving orders."
"He looks familiar," Amy adds while scrunching her eyebrows together.
Alexander stays silent while everyone turns to Amy. This guy was familiar to him as well. He knew deep down in his gut who it was and it hurt his ego to admit it, but this was life or death, and he still had quite the life to live.
"He's one of the attackers. He jumped me a few months ago."
"Why?" Zumeya asks.
"They warned us," Kylie swallow. "They told us to stay away from their Heir."
Zumeya turns and glares at Amy who stands confused. "And yet you still went ahead with the engagement?"
"We went ahead because this would be the only way to end them," Alexander explains. "This is business. You know that."
She nods as her eyes sweep the interior of the ball room. "Why is there a problem between you two? Why so much hate?"
"Guys!" Kylie exclaims. Everyone turns to look at her and the laptop in her hands which was now smoking. With a shrink, Kylie drops it to the floor.
Lights flicker in the ballroom before they are enveloped in darkness. The darkness lasts three seconds, maybe four, before new images are being projected onto the screen. This one being of the attacking groups leader, Ben.
“We want Alexander Black. In exchange, no one gets harmed. We have you surrounded, outnumbered. You have no change of survival. We’ve hacked your system, and we’ve cut off your phone signals. There is no way for you to contact the outside world. You have two hours to decide,” Ben speaks with a neutral, cold face. “Alexander Black. He’s all we ask.”
The room goes dark again. This time, everyone turns to look at Alexander with accusing looks in their eyes.
“Get those looks off your faces,” Alec Black speaks up. “We are not trading my brother in. We are some of the most dangerous populations in Minnesota. We will not play to their rules.”
“Think again asshole!” Someone shouts in the crowd.
“No, you will think again!” Fred growls as he climbs onto the stage. “This is nonnegotiable. Alexander Black is not dying tonight. Do you know who is? Those who have dared to target us.”
Zumeya Pitts turns to the crowd. They were spooked, wondering if this was the Black Knight’s plan all along: to gather them all in one place, and to take them all out at one time. She knows that that wasn’t the plan. She doesn’t know how, but she knows someone deep down inside of her that this was unplanned for. That is why she decides to put aside her differences with them, and side with them.
“Listen up!” She shouts. A lot of people ignore her, but some do turn and stare. “This was unplanned for. These people did not betray us. But someone in here did. And when we find out who it was . . . well, let’s just say that us gangsters are not the forgiving type, especially when it comes to our loved ones.
“I am one of you. I do not know thee people. Like you, I came here either to form alliances, or out of plain curiosity of how those considered ‘elite’ live. However, I can feel it deep down that they did not betray us.”
“That’s because we didn’t,” Kylie looks up. “Sorry, but just now, I hacked into all of your phones with a different laptop, because that one was totally fried.”
She glances in longing to the still smoking laptop she used to own. They were still sitting in the dark. “The person who betrayed us had a burner phone, however their last text message sent was to a Ben Flawton - who doesn’t have a burner phone. I couldn’t continue my hacking because they hacked into our system, but it’s clear that whoever it was, they had this planned. The burner belonged to a person going by the name Olivia Mondez. Ring any bells?”
The crowd murmurs amongst each other. “Well, it doesn’t matter I guess,” Kylie murmurs from her spot on the ground. “Once I hack myself back into our system, to at the very least turn the damn lights on, that person, well, they’ll be seeing the last light of their lives.”
Hey! 👋
Sorry this took longer than expected; my parents took my phone away. What can I say? 2020 🤷🏽♀️ (actually, that's normal, can't really blame 2020 for that)
Anyways, here's chapter 50. I've always know this book would have around this many chapters, however, there's still a long ways to go until Amy's birthday. I love long books, so i hope you're willing to stick around for the ride! - no longer how long it may take me, i swear i will finish this book and its series. Trust me, ya won't know what hit ya! 😉
Let me know what you think!
Till next time!
Bye! 👋