Page 158 of The Echo of Forever

This was Forever in her element, and I hung back, content to watch her work.

“Ms. James—” the man started, a little too much bass in his voice.

“That’s Mrs. Cannon, to you. To every one of you,” she spat, pulling the safety and then the trigger right after.

The gunshot echoed through the lobby, followed by murmurs and the heavy thud of the man’s body hitting the floor. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand, then gestured toward her uncle, who leaned against the reception desk.

“Millicent ain’t coming back…” she continued, pointing to Etienne. His arms were crossed, and his lips quirked up in a satisfied smirk. “Etienne is now the chief of operations for Everwood Group. Not only has Millicent’s grandfather been approved, as he’s too old to return to the position, but the board of trustees swore him in this morning. The decision is made, and it cannot be reversed.”

Her eyes swept across the stunned faces surrounding her. “Anybody else want to speak up for their dead boss? More specifically, does anybody else feel like dying today? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The silence that followed said all that needed to be said. Forever’s gaze continued to move across the crowd until it landed on me. A smile spread across her face, softening her features without diminishing her power.

“Demetrius Cannon, you shouldn’t be here,” she said, tucking her gun away and walking toward me. Her heels clicked against the marble as she approached. “But since you’ve made this silently grand entrance…” she raised her voice for everyone to hear. “…it’s best I introduce you properly. My husband is to be treated as if he were me when you see him in this building from this day forward. Disrespect won’t be tolerated.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. This woman made power look like an art form. Watching her command a room full of society’s elite while casually establishing my position alongside hers had my dick hard and heart full.

When she reached me, she turned back to address the room once more.

“Check your privilege and bias at the door, and when you’re finished, clean that body from the floor and get back to your regular schedules. Etienne’s replacement will be announced tomorrow.”

She took my hand then, her fingers intertwining with mine as she led me to the elevators.

Her office door had barely closed before Forever pressed me against it, her lips finding mine in a hungry kiss that tasted so goddamn good. I gripped her waist, pulling her body flush against mine as she maintained control over me.

“You like the way I assert myself, baby?” she asked silkily, her voice dropping to that bass that drove me crazy. She stepped back after a moment and walked toward her desk, hips swaying with each step. “I didn’t even want to kill the guy, but—”

I followed, sliding in front of her to lean against the desk as she sat.

“But you can’t let any of them think you’re soft, I know. It was a sacrifice for the greater good.”

Forever leaned back, kicked her heels off, and lifted a foot to my chest, then closed her eyes with a deep sigh. The tension seemed to drain from her body at my understanding. This was the Forever only I got to see, the one who carried the weight of her position and sometimes needed reassurance that her actions, however brutal, were necessary.

She wasn’t the kind of killer you’d expect her to be.

“How bad was meeting with my dad?” she asked, her voice softer now.

I pulled her to me by her foot and pressed the sole to my lips, smiling at the moan that escaped her in response. Even in these quiet moments, I couldn’t resist teasing reactions from her.

“Don’t worry about that,” I said, massaging her foot gently. “How’s your head, baby?”

She sighed but didn’t open her eyes or look at me. Forever hated admitting weakness, especially about her migraines. They’d become less frequent since we’d been together again, but stress still triggered them.

I was taking notes on her behalf, for when she was ready to tackle it.

“You stressed, dragonfly?” I continued, keeping my voice low. “What you need from me?”

She pulled her foot from my hold, dropped her leg, and leaned forward, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist and pressing her face against my abdomen.

“Just stand here and let me hold you for a little.”

And I stood there, one hand stroking her back while the other massaged the base of her skull, feeling her breath even out against me. We remained like that until a knock at the door broke the spell. Carmen entered after Forever’s muted “come in.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But there’s someone here to see you.”

Neither Forever nor I moved from our position. I continued to massage her temples gently, mindful of the pain she wouldn’t voice.

“This is… cute,” Lucien said, revealing the someone to be him. “But the three of us need to have a chat about how things go moving forward.”