Page 66 of From Us, Forever

“Yes, I keep the East clear. No one lives to tell the tale otherwise.” Julian’s voice was exuberant with power—coming from generational wealth, the Stormholds had been manning the Alacteon divisions in the East, which were more than just a club but an intricate web of money, power, and secrets.

I sighed, telling him all the information I gathered.

“I admit the situation does sound weird, but I doubt it has anything to do with my end. Everything’s been all clear since Douglas was dealt with. But I can ask my people to look into it.”

“I have Silas on it already.”

“Ah, he’s the best. If anyone can find anything, I would bet my money on him, but I’ll still have an eye out. Until then, keep your girl safe.”

Downing the rest of my drink, I threw my phone on the couch and padded to the bedroom.

Even though it felt like there was a war waging inside my head, it all went quiet at the sight of her. Her hands were tucked to her chest, rising and falling with her deep breaths as calmness clouded her face.

Like a moth drawn to the flame, every cell in my body dragged me to her. Crawling beside her, I gently arranged her in my arms and the tension magically disappeared from my body when her weight landed on me.

She nuzzled her cheek on my chest. “Jay,” she mumbled heavily in sleep and then went back to softly snoring.

I tightened my hold against her and let my thoughts run wild. Cece’s threat and all the new information only added to the looming cloud inside my head. Nothing made sense to me anymore. I was going to give myself till this weekend to put an end to this, or else I’d rather pay so she could leave us alone.

I didn’t like living in this constant loop of looking over my shoulder, hoping my woman wouldn’t get hurt more than she already had because of me.

One way or another, I must find an end to this soon.

CHAPTER 14

JAY

An hour after sunrise peeked through the blinds, Evelyn finally woke up with a wide smile on her face. My heart skipped a beat at how happy she looked. I knew I had to tell her about my phone call yesterday because I promised no more hiding, but I wanted nothing to ruin her happiness at the moment.

“Good morning.” Her hair fell over like a veil around my head as she pressed a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Morning, sweetheart.” I let my hands swim over the warmth of her curves.

Frowning, she peered at me with a narrowed gaze. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough.”

Her eyes narrowed further. “You didn’t sleep at all, did you?”

I sighed.

“Why?”

I shrugged, joking. “Because my girl made some promises last night, yet she didn’t keep them.”

A flush of color heated her cheeks while she poked out her tongue. “What time is it?”

“I think around eight, but we should get going if we want to reach by sundown.”

She nodded. After a quick shower and some coffee for my girl, we were back in the car, cruising down the highway.

“You’re in a mood,” Evelyn commented. We were three hours in, letting the comfortable silence and one of her girl pop playlists wrap the car while her eyes glued to the scenery outside.

“I’m not,” I muttered, keeping my gaze focused on the road ahead, but I could feel her eyes on me.

“Don’t lie. You are.”

“I’m just tired.” I flashed a smile her way, but she still looked skeptical.

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