32. Echo
ECHO
I watched Kai’s eyes sweep across the street, taking in my territory as if he were cataloging every detail for later.
He sort of reminded me of Forever, but less tense; my baby didn’t have a fun bone in her body when we first met.
It was clear to me they shared DNA, but also that their upbringings were completely different.
He intrigued me because, as the oldest, her duties should’ve been his. Why was she chosen to represent the James legacy?
You never been over here before?” I asked, starting up the block.
Forever had gone up to my office the second we arrived, more than likely sensing I wanted to talk to her brother alone.
Kai’s gaze continued to scan the buildings, lingering on the people who’d stopped to watch us pass. His shoulders were relaxed, but I could sense his sudden discomfort with the attention.
Mm.
“Nah. I like going where I’m welcomed,” he said without malice but with clarity of the truth.
Rejectors were just as unwelcoming to society members as they were to us, especially to those with reputations like Kai.
It was easier to hate the enemy you could see, even when you knew there was someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Before I got down to my real line of questioning, I caught a glimpse of Solei as we passed a bakery near the end of the block, stopping me in my tracks. She was sitting alone, staring down at the table. I could tell something was wrong and went inside to find out what.
The bell chimed, but Solei didn’t look up, not until I slid into the chair across from her. Kai stood close enough for his presence to be felt.
“Who did it?” I asked, tapping the table.
She blinked, finally registering my presence. Then her eyes shifted past me, narrowing at the sight of Kai.
“Why is he here?” she asked, disregarding my question.
I tipped my head at her, then glanced back at my companion. “Why? He do something to you?”
Kai pointed to himself, eyebrows raised in question. After a second, Solei’s dead expression changed into a curious one.
“Never talked to him before,” she admitted, leaning back in her chair with a tiny smile pulling at her lips now. “You’re Forever’s brother, right?”
I turned my chair slightly for a better view of their exchange, curious about where this was headed. Solei could handle herself, and I wanted to see how Kai would respond to her energy.
“You got a problem with a nigga or something?” Kai asked, taking a step back as if inviting her to address it right here.
I watched as my sister stood and walked toward him, something a little more predatory about her approach than usual. Kai didn’t move, his gaze locked with hers in undisguised interest.
“Not you,” she said, stopping in front of him. “But I do have a problem you could help with.”
The corner of my mouth twitched. She’d hooked him with a smile, and he didn’t even know it yet. Kai was known for taking on pet projects, and Solei loved to dip her toes in new businesses.
I stood, grateful my sister had unknowingly volunteered to take Kai off my hands for a little while. Whatever was bothering her, she apparently preferred to handle it without my help.
“You two should get to know one another,” I said, forcing myself not to laugh as I slid past them. “We are family now.”
Kai’s eyes flickered to mine, a silent question in them. I tapped him on the shoulder twice as I passed, effectively leaving Solei in his care.
Whatever problem she needed help with, I had a feeling he would be more than willing to assist.
“I’ll check on Forever,” I added, heading out. “Take your time.”
I pushed open my office door shortly after, my gaze immediately finding Forever curled up on the couch, one arm tucked beneath her head and a leg hanging off the edge. The sight of her there hit different, feeling like when we first got married.
No matter what, Forever always sought me out when she wanted to sleep in peace.
I moved to my desk without making a sound, wheeling my chair to the edge of it for a better view of her face. Leaning back, I studied her soft features, wondering if she was in pain and hiding it from me. Then my thoughts shifted to all the other shit she was keeping to herself that I wanted in on.
How long would it take for her to admit she’d fallen in love with me again?
The words were there, dancing behind her eyes whenever she looked at me, lingering in the space between our bodies when we touched.
She didn’t even realize how clingy she’d become.
How she gravitated toward me in sleep, how her eyes searched for me whenever we were in a room together.
But I did. I noticed everything about my wife.
Like now…
Forever shifted on the couch, her brow furrowing slightly. I sat perfectly still, not wanting to wake her but picking up on her discomfort. She needed rest, needed to heal. To be taken care of by someone who gave a fuck.
Her entire family had dropped the ball, including Kai.
Including me.
Letting eleven months pass had been a mistake.
“No…” she murmured, her voice so soft I almost missed it.
I tensed, recognizing the beginning signs of a nightmare. Her fingers twitched against the couch as she shifted again.
“I won’t tell,” she whispered, more urgent now. “Don’t hurt her…”
Her body jerked back violently, as if trying to escape something or someone.
“Please.”
That single word had me out of my chair before I could blink. I’d never heard Forever sound like that, not even when death was on the table.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp, looking around until her gaze finally settled on me as I crossed the room to reach her.
Tears welled in her eyes, just before a sob tore from her throat and startled the fuck out of me. It was nothing like the soft cries she let loose when we were fucking. This was something else entirely, something I felt deeply.
I pulled her against my chest, and she clung to me, body trembling as I moved us to the end of the couch.
“Can’t be true,” she murmured into my shirt. “Can’t be true. Can’t be.”
I tightened my hold on her, cradling the back of her head with one hand while stroking her back with the other.
I didn’t know what the fuck to say; there weren’t any promises that could ease whatever demons had found her in her sleep.
All I could do was hold her, let her feel my heartbeat against her cheek.
The heart that beat for her and no one else.
“I got you,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m right here, baby.”
She cried for a long time, or at least, it felt like a lifetime had passed. I found myself blinking rapidly at one point, surprised to feel my own eyes burning. Her pain resonated within me, echoing in places only she occupied.
Gradually, her cries subsided and breathing evened out.
She slumped against me, and I carefully adjusted our position so she could lie more comfortably. Within minutes, she was asleep again but still clinging to me as if I’d disappear.
I stayed perfectly still, my mind working through different scenarios. What had she seen in her dream? The little she’d spoken gave nothing to work with, but combined with her mother’s fixation on protecting Forever from some unnamed threat, it really weighed on me now.
The door to my office swung open at some point, breaking my trance.
Solei stepped in with Kai right behind her. I reacted at the sight of him before I could stop myself, wanting to be very clear about who mattered to me the most. About how far I’d go to end anybody who meant her harm.
I dropped my hand off the side of the couch, fingers gripping the handle of the gun holstered to the frame.
“Why does Quinn think she’s protecting Forever from something?” I asked calmly, pointing the pistol at his head. “And do you know what that something is?”
Kai’s eyes drifted to Forever before meeting mine again.
“You really love my sister, huh?”
Solei had gone completely still beside him, her own hand drifting toward the gun I knew she kept tucked at all times. She wouldn’t interfere unless I asked, but she was ready.
“I don’t know shit about shit,” Kai said, tipping his head. “Don’t mind dying either to prove it.”
He shrugged, and all I could think was, kill him now. Deal with the consequences later.
But then she shifted against me, a small sound escaping her lips as she nestled closer. The weight of how much she trusted me to make sound decisions about her personal life settled over me. She needed her brother alive, and for that alone, I lowered my gun and holstered it.
The truth would come out, one way or another.