Page 11 of Run

Abasi followed, his gun still in his hand. “Do I tell the team to pull out?”

Marcus paused in the doorway. “Where’s Leo?”

“Searching the apartments he found on the top floor.” He lowered his voice. “Nowhere near an exit.”

“Then we let the cops deal with that bastard. He’s out of control.”

“But he’s one of Tommy’s pets.”

“Which makes him even more of a liability.”

“You know he’ll sell you out to the cops,” Abasi said.

“I have witnesses who’ll testify I was elsewhere when this went down.”

Abasi pointed to the camera in the stairwell. “And that?”

Marcus strode over to stare up into the lens. “Elle, I know you’re watching. Delete this footage.” With that, the two men disappeared out of camera range.

Ryan gaped at the screen, a custard cream biscuit halfway to his mouth. “Does he seriously expect you to do what he says? Does he even know you?”

Elle let out a long, frustrated groan. “He’s right. The cops can’t get the footage. I’m on there too, telling the world I have something on the James Syndicate. But it’s more than that; he’s sacrificed one of Tommy’s favorite psychopaths—the guy, Leo, they mentioned. If that gets out, there’s no telling what Tommy might do in retaliation.”

“Are you saying that you care if they take each other out?” Megan sounded incredulous.

“I care about all the innocent people who’d get harmed while they did it.” Elle felt suddenly weary beyond her years. “The stuff you see in the media about the James Family? It doesn’t even scrape the surface. Everything you’ve read or heard about them? That’s the sanitized version. Tommy and Marcus are both power players. If they take each other on, there will be city-wide casualties. It wouldn’t take much to set Tommy off. He thrives on violence.

“Tommy doesn’t only eliminate those who cross him. He takes out their family and friends first. What he calls soft targets. He told us to always hit a man where he’s weakest and would feel the most pain, and to make it last. The longer, the better. It sends out a message, he said. He’s unpredictable, and there’s no way of telling how he’d react to this footage. He could go nuclear or laugh and pat Marcus’ shoulder for being a bastard.”

She’d been thirteen when she’d first Googled psychopath and realized the definition fitted her father to a tee. It hadn’t surprised her. By then, she’d known Tommy delighted in other people’s pain and enjoyed the notoriety that came with being vicious in his dealings with those around him.

Including his family.

Elle caught Callum’s eye. “You’re all on his radar now. Tommy will go after Isobel…the kids…” She took a deep breath and turned to Ryan. “Your grandparents aren’t safe either. And, Julia, your family’s high profile and easy to find. I’m so sorry for all of this. Sorry that I’ve put all of you and everyone you care about in danger. Megan’s right: I should have come clean about my past long ago.”

Julia paled, but she forced a smile. “Don’t worry about my family. They might be in the spotlight, but they can also afford the best security on the planet, and we’ll warn them to be careful. Right, Joe?”

He nodded as he put an arm around his wife.

Callum pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “Isobel, love,” he said when she answered. “Take the kids and your sisters, all of them, and head for Invertary. Lake will be expecting you. We’ve run into a wee bit of trouble here, and his team will keep you safe.” He lifted his chin at Elle when he finished.

“Cops are here.” Ryan pointed at the screen.

Together, they watched as the armed response squad rounded up what remained of the James Syndicate men.

Once the intruders were disarmed and secured, a familiar figure strode into the building—Tessa Sharp, commander of the Serious and Organized Crime Unit of London’s Metropolitan Police. Tessa had worked with Benson Security on a number of cases and was a trusted contact of Lake Benson. She was smart, relentless, and respected within the ranks. She also didn’t suffer fools gladly, which was probably why she was one of the few people Callum could tolerate.

“Who are we dealing with here?” Tessa asked as she picked her way through the rubble, her uniform making her rank clear to everyone around her.

“James Family Syndicate, ma’am,” the nearest officer said.

Tessa cocked an eyebrow. “Benson Security staff?” She surveyed the damage with a keen eye.

“Aren’t in the building.”

“Were they in the building when this happened?”

“Hard to tell, ma’am. We noticed they have cameras, and we’re working to access their feed.”