Page 171 of The Echo of Forever
I tucked the token away and continued, “He also gave me the file from Forever’s last job before she lost her memories.” I paused, letting the next part settle in my mind before saying it aloud. “Turns out we have a brother. He’s almost ten years older than me, and the reason there was a hit out on ma’s alias.”
Oliver didn’t physically react, but I knew he was thinking long and hard about that new piece of information.
“That’s some convenient timing,” he finally said. “The Collective knows we’re Aurelia’s children, just that she isn’t Soleme, right?”
I nodded, but pushed that tidbit to the side. It didn’t matter anymore who knew what and who didn’t.
“Nothing about Amal was in the file Lucien sent Forever after the ritual,” I told him, getting down to the real issue here.
“So the high priest is hiding shit. What does that mean for us?”
I shrugged, knowing all I gave a fuck about was Forever.
“Not sure yet.”
We rode in silence for a few minutes before Oliver spoke again.
“That’s cool and all, but why the fuck we headed to a bar?” he asked, turning onto a less populated street that would take us directly to The Vault. “I could be with my girl.”
Finnegan, who had been silent since I entered the car, turned to look back at me with a knowing smirk.
“Cause his wife is there with mine,” he said, filling in the blanks. “And according to my baby, we should really see what they’re seeing.”
Oliver pulled up behind Forever’s car, parked at the end of the block from The Vault. I immediately noted the line stretching from the entrance. Security wasn’t letting anyone in, but they were all waiting.
“Back of the line,” the bouncer said as we approached, barely looking up from his phone.
I glanced at Oliver, a silent communication passing between us. Without having to say a word, he pulled his gun and pistol-whipped the man three times until he dropped to his knees, blood streaming from his temple.
“Fuck yo line, nigga,” Oliver said, ignoring the screams and commotion as people scrambled away from us.
We stepped around the fallen bouncer and pushed through the heavy door into the club. The bass hit me first, vibrating through my chest as we entered. The place was packed, bodies pressed together on the dance floor while others clustered around the bar or in elevated seating areas.
Finn tapped my shoulder and pointed upward. Following his gesture, I spotted Violet leaning against a railing on the second level, surveying the crowd below. Her eyes met ours, and she nodded toward a stairwell to our right.
We made our way through the crowd, ignoring the stares and whispers that followed us. People moved out of our way instinctively, creating a path that led us where we needed to be.
As we climbed to the second level, my eyes immediately found Forever. She was standing near the railing, engaged in conversation with Lucia, Kai, and someone else—someone whose back was to me.
Forever noticed me first, and she started moving toward me with an eyebrow raised. But for the first time since we’d reconnected, my attention wasn’t solely on my wife.
It was on the man who had turned to face me, whose features mirrored aspects of my own in a way that could only mean onething. Our eyes met, and a flash of recognition passed in his eyes before he schooled it.
He’d been waiting for this moment, I realized.
Waiting for me.
“This family affair feels strategic, no?” Amal asked, his gaze moving between me and Oliver, who was watching him closely. “You two should know our mother has been dead for over a year. I’m the one who sent her shit to you in the mail…” His gaze shifted from me to Forever, then back to Oliver. “She isn’t fighting to bring Everwood together with that sick ass nigga she shared a womb with. However, her last wish was to bring all of us together…” He looked around again, his brow furrowing slightly. “Where’s Solei?”
The question and the revelation that our mother was dead hung in the air for a beat before it was answered by the unmistakable crack of gunfire. One shot, then another, then a rapid succession that sent people screaming and diving for cover.
My hand was already reaching for Forever as more shots rang and then stopped abruptly. It was clear they’d come from outside, but through the chaos, I caught Amal’s eyes and noticed he hadn’t moved from his spot.
Kill that, nigga.
It was my last thought before I fired two shots in his direction, only formyfuckingwifeto push my hand just enough for me to miss him.
“You protecting him?” I asked, barely able to see through the rage building inside of me.
