Page 18 of Duality (The Archers #1)

EVELYN

T he sound of something clattering jerked me awake.

Adrenaline shot through my body as I jolted upright in bed.

It took me a few seconds to process the familiar green walls.

I was in my room at my house. My house, where I had brought my bosses last night.

Another muffled clatter from the kitchen slipped under the door. The guys must be awake.

I flopped back on the bed as another noise slipped into the room, heart still pounding from what I thought were intruders.

I guess they were intruders of a sort. It was odd having someone in my house.

Danny stayed over occasionally but not often.

My lieutenants had been out here, but they respected my need for space and privacy.

This place was my sanctuary. And now it was invaded.

Well, could I say invaded when I was the one who had let them in?

I groaned and turned over, pulling the sheets over my head.

I was the one who’d suggested bringing them here.

I let them in, and now I was worried I would never get them out.

They had already dug deeper under my skin than I had let anyone else besides my lieutenants.

And that happened when I only let them see the professional Evelyn Harper.

Now that they were here, in my home, seeing the badass Eve Harper who ran the vigilante organization the Archers, what would they think?

Would I be able to keep them at a distance like I had been trying to for the last six years, or were they going to dig even deeper under my skin?

I wasn’t sure what option I was hoping for more.

I threw back the covers and dragged myself out of bed. If they were up, I needed to get up. The clock on my bedside table read 5:30 a.m. Fuck, when was the last time I had gotten more than four hours of sleep?

I stumbled blearily into the ensuite bathroom, hissing when I flicked on the light. I quickly fumbled with the switch and turned on the soft lamps on either side of the mirror instead of the harsh overhead light. The heated floors were warm and soothing beneath my feet.

While the rest of the house was in disrepair, my rooms were a perfect oasis.

I had started with my suite first, finishing the bedroom and bathroom before moving on to the kitchen and then the rest of the house.

What little time I got to spend here, I wanted to enjoy.

The walls were painted a soothing peacock green.

The wall with the windows that faced the back of the house was covered with a beautiful silver filigree wallpaper that had had me cussing several times when I had installed it.

The rest of the room was done in shades of cream and accents of silver.

In the bathroom, the light gray tiles under my feet were heated, which made all the difference in this drafty house in the winter.

The cabinets matched the color of the bedroom walls, and the countertops had streaks of silver through the white marble. Silver fixtures completed the space.

I splashed some water on my face, scrubbing it with a washcloth until I didn’t feel like death anymore. Frowning at the rats’ nest my wavy hair had become overnight, I decided on a messy bun piled high at the top of my head. My walk-in closet was in the bathroom, but I hesitated in the doorway.

Clothes were like armor for me. And a line was drawn down the middle of the closet.

On one side were the clothes I wore as Evelyn, the sleek, professional assistant.

Blouses, dress pants, pencil skirts, and blazers.

All in muted neutral tones. On the left side, deep jewel tones popped through the sea of black.

These were the clothes I wore as Eve. Darker and edgier, the difference in the styles was clear cut, and that’s how I liked it.

It helped me keep the two lives separate; the two personas I wore every day.

But now, those two worlds had collided, and they happened to be under the same roof. Which side did I pick from?

It should be an easy choice. It was just clothes, for fuck’s sake, but I still hesitated way longer than I should have.

Finally, I decided on a compromise. I chose a pair of black fitted cargo pants and a white collared blouse.

I skipped over the heels and settled for some boots instead.

I checked my reflection in the mirror that hung at the back of the closet.

A mix of professional and vigilante. I checked my watch.

It was almost 6 a.m., the time Alexander usually showed up at the office.

We would need to come up with an excuse as to why the guys weren’t in the office today.

I had a feeling they would want to keep the news about the hit quiet and not endanger anyone at the company, so it was best to lie low.

I typed out a message to the department heads and the three assistants below me, informing them that the guys and I had food poisoning from the takeout place we were at last night and wouldn’t be in for a few days.

It was Thursday, and with the weekend, we had until Monday to figure something out.

It wasn’t until I was at the kitchen door that I realized they might not want me working for them anymore, and I probably should have asked before I sent that message.

I mentally shrugged. Oh well, it could be one more thing they could be pissed at me about.

“Good morning,” Alexander greeted me as I crossed into the kitchen.

I blinked at him. He was standing at my stove, dressed in sweatpants and t-shirt, looking way more casual than I had ever seen him.

The casual clothes highlighted every muscle in his body, and I swallowed hard.

In the last six years, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him without a suit on.

I swore he slept in them even. And he was cooking?

“Coffee?” Adrian asked, standing next to my simple coffee maker. “I can offer you black, or black?” His lips quirked at the corner, betraying his serious expression.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore how handsome he looked in the morning, his short hair rumpled from sleep.

“Not all of us can afford the monstrosity you have at the office,” I said, accepting a mug from him and sitting next to a bleary-eyed Sebastian.

His hair was sticking up in all directions, and his eyelids were heavy as he shot me a sleepy grin. I usually never saw him in the office before 8 a.m., and it looked like the youngest Stone brother was not a fan of mornings.

He rested his head on my shoulder, and I ignored the way my stomach jumped. “You don’t even have cream or sugar,” he complained.

I resisted the urge to comb my fingers through his curly locks. “I’m not really here often enough to keep anything but the basics stocked, but I can have Danny make a grocery run on his way over here. There’s butter in the fridge if you’re a fan of that.”

Sebastian lifted his head and screwed up his face. “Butter?”

Adrian chuckled, and I ignored the shiver that went down my spine. Sebastian didn’t miss it though, and his lips twitched in a small smile. He laid his head back on my shoulder. His body was so close that our entire sides were pressed together.

“Some guys in the military do it,” Marcus explained as he came into the kitchen.

He was dressed similarly to the guys in sweatpants and a shirt that stretched tight across his chest. He frowned when he saw Sebastian and me.

I shifted away from Sebastian, dislodging his head from my shoulder.

The last thing I needed was to give Marcus more things to be pissed with me about, and that included having inappropriate contact with one of my bosses. Well, if I was still employed.

Sebastian frowned at Marcus and shifted his chair closer to mine again but didn’t rest his head on my shoulder again.

“Breakfast is ready,” Alexander announced, breaking the weird tension between Sebastian and Marcus.

Alexander and Adrian carried the food over. They had made bacon, eggs, and toast. It was simple, but I was impressed.

“Don’t look so shocked.” Sebastian grinned. “Big brother can cook pretty well, actually.”

“Not that I really have time to anymore.” Alexander shrugged. “But it’s a nice stress reliever.”

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets, even if my secrets were bigger than being able to cook.

The table was quiet while we all dug in. The eggs were perfectly fluffy, and the bacon was crispy. Alexander was definitely selling himself short on his skills.

“We need to come up with some excuse for why we’re out of the office for the next few days,” Alexander said after a few minutes.

I swallowed hard, coughing when a piece of bacon got lodged in my throat. Sebastian patted me on the back while Adrian got up to get me some water.

“Sorry,” I rasped, taking a small sip. “Umm…” I hesitated, then decided to just fuck it. “I already sent an email to the department heads and the three under-secretaries that we had food poisoning and would be out for a few days.”

Marcus frowned, and I braced myself for their anger. Surprisingly, Alexander just nodded. “That works. That gives us a few days to come up with a long-term plan.”

“Hopefully, it doesn’t take that long,” Marcus grumbled, and I winced. This whole situation must be killing him. He was probably ready to wash his hands of me and this whole situation.

“Sorry, I should have checked with you before I sent it,” I apologized, my eyes on my plate.

“No, it’s fine,” Alexander said. He looked around at the others. “I think, for the time being, you should continue to work as our executive assistant until all of this is resolved. Or at least act like it. We don’t want to tip off any of our clients or our employees just yet.”