Page 169 of The Echo of Forever

I still hadn’t met her husband, but I could only imagine he had a big personality to complement Violet’s nonchalance.

My gaze met Lucia’s in the rearview mirror. She’d been watching me since she sat back.

“You got something on your mind?” I asked, slowing the car as we approached a building with no visible signage, just a line of people waiting behind a velvet rope. “Let’s talk about now before we enter unknown terrain as strangers.”

Lucia smiled, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but smile back. There was just something about her I really liked; the energy coming off her appealed to me.

“Just thinking about an offer presented to me recently. I plan to turn it down, but not before finding a replacement, you know, as a gesture of goodwill.”

I hummed and parked at the end of the block.

“Let’s delve deeper into that later,” I said, not sure why she was considering me for anything at all. After shooting off a text to Kai, we waited until he emerged from the building to get out and meet him at the entrance. He nodded at Violet and held Lucia’s gaze for a moment after I gave him a quick introduction before looking at me.

“Why is there always someone new beside her?” he asked as security pulled the door open for us. “Never mind. I didn’t say much through text, but you had to see this in person to believe it.”

The second door, resembling a bank safe, swung open to reveal a space that was on theme. Instead of the typical flashy nightclub interior, The Vault lived up to its name with stonewalls and dim lighting. It was clear that the design was meant to evoke feelings of being underground despite being street-level.

Kai took a table in the corner elevated slightly above the main floor.

The music was loud but not demeaning, and the crowd parted for us like we were royalty, whispers following in our wake. My name rippled through the room, accompanied by glances that ranged from curious to hostile. The Cannon name carried weight here, but it wasn’t always the good kind, and I was alright with that.

My brother turned to me, leaning close to whisper in my ear.

“I’ll explain how I got here later, but look up and tell me that nigga doesn’t look just like your husband.”

I counted to three and lifted my gaze to find a pair of brown eyes staring directly at me. He was a couple of shades lighter, but the resemblance was uncanny. In fact, I saw parts of Oliver and Solei in him, too.

He lifted his head in greeting and walked away from view as Kai said, “Calls himself Amal Samuels, but word on the street is he’s the son Solomon doesn’t claim.”

Amal Samuels.

There was no fucking way.

And then he appeared from around a corner and started toward me.

“Never thought the first time I met my sister-in-law would be here, of all places,” he said, his gaze only briefly leaving mine to address my crew as he stopped in front of us. “Glad to have you. Drinks are on me tonight, unless you’re here for something else.”

The expression in his eyes said he knew exactly why we were here.

CHAPTER 44

ECHO

I sat across from Eliel,waiting for him to get the point of this after-hours meeting. His office felt different tonight, less hostile. Maybe it was the late hour, or maybe it was the fact that this time, he’d reached out to me first. Either way, I could tell he’d decided to get with the program.

“Here’s all the information on the job I assigned Forever a year ago that resulted in her accident,” he said, sliding a folder across his desk. “The contract request was anonymous, but stamped by the former high priest as top priority. I submitted a request for the anonymous party’s name and was approved this morning.”

I didn’t reach for it immediately, making him wait as I held his gaze. His jaw tightened, just slightly, but enough for me to notice. Eventually, I took the folder, opened it, and scanned the contents. Thetwonames staring back at me, my mother’s alias and another I hadn’t expected at all.

Amal Samuels.

A photo was paper-clipped to the page of my ma, but I couldn’t be sure how long ago it’d been taken, just that it had to be after she left us behind. But it was the detail about Amal thatreally stood out. He was her son and almost ten years older than me.

This information hadn’t been in the file that landed on Forever’s desk after the ritual, the one that came directly from Lucien.

What the fuck was up with that?

“What are you saying?” I queried, wanting to make sure I had the details correct.