Page 20 of His Forever

Chapter Nine

Leo

I sat in my office swirling the amber whiskey in my glass and watched the liquid catch the dim light of the room. I had slipped into my office after leaving Brynn in her room. The calm was welcome, but my mind was far from at ease. The burn of the whiskey hadn’t done much to dull the thoughts racing through my head.

Brynn. Maranga. What the hell?

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I straightened in my chair, already knowing who it would be.

“Come in,” I called, my voice rougher than I intended.

Apollo entered quietly, moving with that careful precision he always had. He slid into one of the chairs in front of my desk, the leather creaking softly under his weight. He didn’t say anything right away, just watched me with those sharp, assessing eyes of his. I was surprised it had taken him this long to track me down.

I let the silence stretch between us for a moment, draining my glass before setting it down on the desk with a solid thud. The sound broke the tension in the room, and Apollo finally spoke.

“You want me to ask, or are you just going to tell me?” His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it—one that said he wasn’t leaving until he had answers.

I met his gaze, but I didn’t have the answers he wanted. Hell, I didn’t have the answersIwanted.

“Pretty sure most of your questions are the same ones I’ve been asking myself.” I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “And I’m not sure I have any more clarity than you do.”

Apollo leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Why don’t you start with Brynn being married to Maranga?” he suggested, his voice low but insistent.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “Still trying to wrap my own head around that one.”

“How the fuck does that happen, Leo?” Apollo’s voice was sharper now. “We kept tabs on her all these years. There was never any indication—none—that she was married. Let alone toGuy Maranga.”

I tipped my head to the side, rubbing my fingers together as I thought. “I guess that’s one of the perks of being the most powerful man in the world. You can afford to fly under the radar, no matter what.”

Apollo stared at me, waiting for more. I knew he needed an explanation, but the truth was, I didn’t have one. I’d been blindsided when I found out just as much as he had.

“Do you think she knew who he was when they got married?” he asked, voice quieter now.

I shook my head, feeling that same gnawing uncertainty creep up again. “I don’t know, Apollo. Part of me says no, because she would’ve never gone down that path willingly. But another part…” I trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought.

He rubbed his hand over his face. “This complicates things.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” I reached for the bottle on the desk, pouring another glass of whiskey. “We’re in deep now with their help with Candace, and I don’t even know how far.”

Apollo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “She was a part of your life a long time ago. You’ve changed since then. So has she.”

“I know that too,” I said quietly, the weight of those words settling over me. We had both changed and yet, seeing her again stirred up things I hadn’t expected—things I thought I’d buried along time ago. But this was more than just old feelings. This wasdangerous, and the stakes were higher than they’d ever been.

“Let’s roll this back a bit,” Apollo said, his voice tight with frustration. “How the hell did Maranga get involved with this? I didn’t know you had connections to him. Did Brynn reach out to you or something?”

I took a slow sip of my whiskey, the burn of the alcohol doing little to ease the weight on my shoulders. I wanted more than anything to tell Apollo the truth—that Brynn wasn’t just involved with Maranga now because she wanted to be, but becauseGuy was dead. But that was Brynn’s secret, not mine, and I knew she’d never forgive me if I spilled it.

“Maranga’s got his eye on everyone,” I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “He got wind that Candace was coming after us and… offered to help.” I made it sound simple, though it was anything but.

Apollo leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “But then he sendsBrynn?”

I could see it in his face—he wasn’t buying my watered-down version of events. Not fully. Apollo was too sharp for that. I held up my hands, trying to keep things from spiraling further out of control.

“I can’t give you all the answers right now, Apollo, because they aren’t mine to give.” I hated saying it. But it was the truth.

Apollo’s eyes hardened. “So, you want us to blindly follow you? But now also Brynn and Maranga?” There was an edge to his voice.

I pointed a finger at my chest. “You followme, and you know I will never put you guys in a situation where there’s known trouble. Ever.”

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