54. Paradise. Part 1

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"I was wondering when you'd come out of the shadows," I grinned. "I've got to say, ten on ten for dramatic entrance."

Ethan nodded at my words, "Yeah, that was totally cool."

"You could be in a movie," Matt pointed out.

"Sometimes I forget you all are just teenagers," Ellie sighed, walking forward.

"Rhea, look! Someone just called you a teenager," I chuckled.

Smack!

Everyone winced as Mason managed to get Rhea away from me and Torryn rubbed my back. 

"Damn, that must've hurt," Owen commented.

"It did," I grunted, and Torryn dutifully slid a chocolate into my palm. I grinned up at the boy with jet-black hair and forest-green eyes that made my heart melt. "This is why you're my boyfriend, Cole."

"Glad to know," Torryn deadpanned before a small smile flitted to his lips.

"Are you guys going to kiss?" Ethan whispered, his eyes wide with happiness. 

"Not anymore," I concurred, Torryn nodding in agreement as we shot Ethan creeped-out looks. 

"You all get distracted ridiculously fast," Ellie sighed tiredly. And you don't get distracted at all. Dammit! 

"Oh, sorry for being rude," Mae muttered sarcastically. "It's not as if we're all sacrificing our precious sleep to figure out who killed your grand-daughter!"

"No one asked you to," Anthony exclaimed. 

"Oh, and he's not even grateful? God, Anthony, you're just the worst, aren't you?" Matt scoffed. 

"He is," Ellie agreed. "And as fun as it is to see him tied up, may I ask why?" 

"We thought he killed Elektra," I smiled cheerfully. 

I could feel all the confused vibes coming from my friends, along with a hungry vibe. My nose scrunched up on it's own as I turned around to see Ethan eyeing the kitchen door. Ah.

"Oh?" Ellie raised a cold, elegant eyebrow. "Thought?"

"Oh, yes," I confirmed. "Well, for one, he's too dumb to have done it—"

"Hey!" 

"—and secondly, he didn't kill Elektra, because you did." I smiled at Ellie who was expressionless for a moment before a cold, amused smile covered her face. 

"I did?" 

I nodded at her words. 

"Why, I had no idea," she drawled. "Just one thing though, why would I kill the only person I loved?"

Everyone in the room turned to face me.

"I've got to admit, that part confused me, too," I nodded, "at least, until tonight." 

Flashbacks of who I'd met at the police station and what Jax, my coworker at the cafe, had told me, ran through my head. 

"You see, when you had Elektra kill this guy, Deo Angelis, for giving information to the FBI about the Queen organization, the gangs and other illegal groups, she continued to carry on his good work. Of course, no one knew about her having changed sides. Not even you," I leaned back in my seat. "At least, not until later."

Ellie watched me with cold, electric blue eyes, neither confirming nor denying my words.

My voice grew soft. "You say you loved her?"

Ellie nodded, sadness flashing through her eyes, the first real emotion she had shown tonight.

"Hm, but you loved your 'family business' more," I shrugged, doing air-quotes at the words family business. "Elektra was changing and you were the only one who could see it. She was going to take down the business you had helped build. All the years of effort your ancestors had put into Paradise, and your grand-daughter was taking it all apart. She was being a traitor. She had to be put down."

"I loved her," Ellie declared, her voice harder than her stare.

"Yes," I agreed, my voice growing soft once more. "But you knew you couldn't love who she was becoming. So, you went to her house one night, making sure no one saw you, and then you strangled her. Only one question remains," I leaned forward in my seat, the air thick with tension, "what kind of arm exercises do you do, that enabled you to strangle Elektra to death?"

Mae face-palmed next to me.

Ellie sighed. "I'd hoped you'd let this go but, it seems like you won't. Pity, I really would've preferred you all alive," She announced, her gaze sliding over everyone and then stopping on me. "Especially, you."

"Men!" She called and immediately we were all surrounded by giant, armed men.

"I can't believe you killed Elektra," Anthony whispered at Ellie.

"That's your concern right now?" Matt exclaimed.

"This is why no one loves you, Anthony!" Ethan declared, sounding more annoyed than ever.

I looked around at all the men. There were at least eight men and they were blocking any and all exits. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fu—

My eyes zoomed in on two men near the door and I pursed my lips. I glanced at Torryn out of the corner of my eye, he seemed to have followed my gaze. Torryn gave a single nod and got to work.

Ellie, on the other hand, had decided to embrace her role as psychotic villain and had brought out a gun, pointing it at Anthony.

"I'll be damned before I lose all the work gone into Paradise," She growled, nodding at her goons. "I will not see my empire fall."

Anthony winced as her hands shook from excitement and hit him in the head.

"These children are right," Ellie narrowed her eyes at Anthony. "You are the most annoying person I've ever had the displeasure to know. For that," She cocked the gun, "you will die first."

"Do you really want to do that?" I asked, my words cutting through air.

"No, I was just messing around," Ellie rolled her eyes, reminding me why I liked her in the first place. "Of course, I want to shoot this weasel."

"In front of so many witnesses?" Mae raised her eyebrows, getting where I was going. 

"You can't be a witness if you're dead," Ellie pointed out and I couldn't help but agree.

Dammit, Aria, stop agreeing with the enemy and focus!

"Well, won't it be hard for you to kill all of us alone?" I asked.

"Did she hit her head?" Ellie asked Mae, her eyes still focused on me.

"More times than is possible," Mae snorted.

"That would explain why she can't see all the guards," Ellie nodded, about to continue with her previous task of shooting weasel-face through the head before I snorted.

"Right, guards," I snorted once more. "They don't have coordination, Ellie, they couldn't even protect a pinãta, let alone you." The words flew out of me with ease, as if I'd done this before. And I had, almost every day of my life. "For instance, look at those two there," I pointed at the two giants standing near the door. "They look like they're enemies rather than colleagues."

"What?" The giant with a low ponytail scowled. "We're best friends, okay?"

"Yeah," His best friend, Mr Ginger confirmed. "Stop distrac—"

"Really?" I asked Ponytail. "So you aren't banging the sister of Mr Ginger here?"

"What?!" Mr Ginger snapped, looking at Ponytail for an instant denial. Only thing was Ponytail stumbled over his words.

And that was all it took.

All it took for Mr Ginger to start punching poor Ponytail and cause more chaos. While Torryn ran forward and punched the gun out of a very startled Ellie's hand.

Ethan and Matt took on two goons and the others spread around trying to take down the remaining goons. Mae had even got out her knives.

I passed a struggling Owen a pepper shaker from the table behind me. He immediately shook it in the face of the person holding him and the goon broke off sneezing and crying out loud.

"Take that!" Rhea flung a chair at a goon near the kitchens, her mom energy at work. "Pointing a gun at me? Seriously? You have no manners!"

Mason provided her with more throwing material while Mae had somehow rendered the goon next to them unconscious. Matt was playing a deadly game of tag with another goon near the back. 

Ellie was yelling at Ponytail and Mr Ginger but they weren't really paying attention.

I sneakily glided over to Anthony and struggled with the ropes tied around his legs.

"Can't you do it faster?" Anthony demanded, his eyes wide with panic.

"I'm trying. Shut up!"

Thank God Ellie was distracted or else—

"Everyone stop moving or I shoot pretty little Aria here!"

Yep. Ellie was aiming the gun at me.

There were resounding thuds around the cafe.

"You'll regret this," I warned her, noticing a movement thought the corner of my eyes.

"Yoh remind me of Elektra, you know? She was just as cunning," Ellie shook her head as it hardened. "I did everything for her. I took her in when her parents were stupid enough to get themselves killed and betrayal is how she chose to repay me. I don't regret killing her and I won't regret killing you," Ellie hissed. "You and your friends have caused enough trouble in Paradise. It's time to say good-bye."

Then a shot rang out.

*requests readers not to shoot* I know this is the about the latest update I've ever made (probably) but please forgive this humble penguin for not wanting her book to end.

Also, maybe I can also blame my exams for this but eh....

Who were you guys expecting to be the murderer btw? I'm curious.

Anyway, let's see what happens next!

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Pengy: Vote for moral support, my friends!

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