24. Echo
ECHO
It brought me great joy to hear my woman kiss her teeth.
“Ayo, Moonlight!”
Violet turned and tilted her head in warning.
I knew when to pick my battles, but using the nickname meant to leave only her husband’s lips was me pushing the limits on purpose. Not to fuck with Violet but to…
“You two on a nickname basis?” Forever asked from beside me.
We were supposed to split up after talking to Lucien and postponing meeting my family for a few extra days. But I couldn’t let that happen just yet, not before giving her something to look forward to in the coming days.
I looked at my wife and smiled, relishing in the jealous woman I loved showing face.
A little push went a long way.
“Yeah, baby. You jealous?”
She kissed her teeth and then laughed.
Mmhm.
I could fuck this woman right now for playing into my bullshit.
“Now I see why Finn was adamant I act on his behalf while here,” the woman sitting next to where Violet stood said.
She was unfamiliar to me, not an O’Sullivan or Lucia, whose face I’d gotten myself acquainted with already. Her soft features threw me a little, cause her eyes were kind of dead. Not like Lucien’s, but almost as if she were playing a role.
“And you are?” I asked, tugging Forever closer to them.
We were meeting in Millicent’s bar before opening on purpose; it’s where Violet had been working out of during off hours, and the perfect place to lure Millicent into my trap.
“Gaia Carter…” She smiled, but only at Forever. “You sort of remind me of my cousin, but moodier.”
Now that Forever and I were well past what my original plans had been, putting my baby in the same space as Violet and her friends was important. They were exactly what she needed.
“Oh?” Forever mused, slipping her hand from mine to sit at the table. “Who’s your cousin?”
Gaia rested her head in the palm of her hand and said, “Someone who prefers to make her own introductions.”
She was staring at Forever as if she’d had a hard time figuring her out recently.
“I’ve never met a person whose life was locked up tighter than Fort Knox,” she went on, eyes bucking a little in… excitement? “Had to come meet you myself. Ten out of ten experience so far.”
That had my baby laughing, and all was right in my world. I met eyes with Violet and tipped my head for her to follow me.
We went to the bar and turned to face them.
“Where did the killer puppy come from?” I asked, amazed by the women Everwood made laws to keep out.
Gaia had perfected jumping between her two personalities. There was indeed a killer inside her, but I could tell she was soft as fuck otherwise.
“Lucia’s cousin,” Violet said, cutting her eyes at me. “When I agreed to come here, it wasn’t to help you overthrow an entire organization.”
I nodded, knowing this was beyond what I’d asked for.
“True…” I smiled and she shook her head. “What if you get to leave here on a new council that binds our organizations together. Separate from The Delegation and Red Society, but with representatives from both included.”
Her eyes met mine again, but this time with intrigue. I would never allow her to stay if it weren’t beneficial to do so.
What kind of ally would I be otherwise?
“What do you say, Moo—”
I put my hands up as her brow rose, officially throwing in the towel on this little number.
“Give Finn visitor access, and we have a deal.”
Ah.
“You miss hubby, huh?”
She gave me a bored sigh and pushed off the bar, starting in Forever and Gaia’s direction.
“Give my husband full access to me, and the answer is yes.”
Forever turned in her chair, eyes still swimming with the pain she forced herself to ignore.
It’d been a couple of hours since Alyssa dropped that bomb on us, but my mind was still working through what it meant.
What registered was her immediate grief. That shit hit me soul deep, and I never wanted to experience it again.
I beckoned Forever, and she came to me immediately, stopping to share a few words with Violet along the way.
“Your head hurt, baby?” I asked, cupping her face with both hands. “What you want your man to do?”
She closed her eyes and sighed, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.
“Which camera do you think she’s watching on?” she asked, popping one eye open at a time.
I pulled her face to mine.
“Above us. Can I stick my tongue down your throat, my pretty dragonfly?”
Forever laughed and opened her mouth, giving me just enough room to dive right in and devour what I hadn’t been getting enough of lately.
“Mmm,” she moaned, biting down on my bottom lip before pulling away. “Be good, husband. There’s eyes on us.”
I leaned to the left a little and winked at Gaia, who clearly enjoyed the show, and Violet, who couldn’t care less what happened or why we were doing it.
“Never expected to see you two here,” Millicent said, announcing herself as she descended the stairs. “What would happen if someone learned you two were…”
She twirled her fingers in our direction.
“…involved.”
Forever slid her arms up my chest and looped them around my neck, pulling my attention back where it belonged.
“I want to kill her,” she whispered, the fire burning in those pretty dark eyes making my dick hard. “Tell me to stick to the plan.”
You still don’t know I’ll end it all for you, huh?
“Maleficent, right?” Gaia asked out of nowhere, earning a rare snicker from Violet. “Where’s your router?”
Forever turned in my arms, leaning into me as I tightened them around her.
“It’s Millicent. And is the WiFi not to your standard? There’s a—”
“How about this?” I cut in, taking advantage of the opportunity forming before me. “Cannon towers has empty office spaces with secure, high-speed internet…”
Forever snorted.
“They can work as late as they want and in private. It’s a win-win,” I added.
Being in the Collective’s care limited what either of them could do. Even with Solomon’s decision-making power, we had to tread carefully.
Placing them in my neck of the woods was the perfect start.
“Demetrius, can I have a word?” Millicent asked, looking down at where my hands were and then adding, “Alone.”
I released Forever, who tossed a look that had me doubling back to write my wrong.
“That’s okay with you, my forever?” I asked loud enough for them to hear.
My jealous baby rolled her eyes, and I hid my smile until after she agreed.
“I got ten minutes for you,” I said, walking past Millicent toward the stairs.
Once we were behind closed doors, she spun around and pointed to the floor.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked, eyes wilder than I’d seen before. “Your business is yours, but bringing it here is out of pocket.”
I could feel my face twisting up before my thoughts formed.
“Let me ask you something…” I stepped closer. “Do you think I’m one of your subordinates?”
The expression in her eyes changed in an instant.
“Excuse my tone, but I agreed to work with you, not help you fall in love.”
Yeah, remember who the fuck you talking to.
Disrespecting women wasn’t part of my genetic makeup. I preferred getting on their nerves for the hell of it, not the alternatives left on the table afterward.
But this one filled me with a different kind of irritation.
“I’m happy to break the news to you,” I started, moving back a step. “Forever was mine before you sought me out. The respect you give should automatically extend to her. Or did you forget who broke Collective law first?”
She… growled? And walked toward the bar.
“You still haven’t delivered on the last job.”
More like the order hadn’t come in, and I don’t move without a contract. Thankfully, she slacked on her responsibilities, or I would’ve missed the opportunity to catch wind of Seo-Yeon’s secret meetings.
“Where’s the contract?” I asked, leaning against the two-way glass.
She took something dark off the liquor shelf and started to pour.
“I can’t use society funds to pay you.”
The fuck did that have to do with me?
“And I don’t move without a contract or funds. So, it seems we’re at a crossroads.”
She left the bar and sat on a stool closer to where I stood.
“You only helped with Jeremiah to get access to Forever.”
I nodded.
“Everything I do is for her,” I said, putting it all on the table now, to clear my conscious for when she stepped out of line again. “Procure the funds, issue the kill order, and I’ll follow through. Anything else you’d like to discuss?”
Millicent shook her head, and I went to leave, confident in what would come next.
“Oh,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “Do you agree with Violet and Gaia working out of Cannon towers from here on?”
She downed the rest of her drink and stood.
“As long as they follow my check-in protocols, it’s fine.”
I smiled and went in for the kill.
“By the way, Forever and I haven’t shared with our families yet. Your discretion is appreciated.”
She gave a slow but fake smile and nodded.
Don’t let me down.