Page 174 of The Echo of Forever

This was the last thing I thought I’d ever have to do, but there was just some shit you couldn’t leave unchecked.

“Tie her hands,” I ordered. “And find something to gag her with.”

“Demetrius, you’ve lost your mind!” my aunt screamed, struggling against my grip as I held her in place. “I’m your aunt! Your father’s sister!”

I leaned in close, my voice dropping to a whisper meant only for her. “And that’s the only reason you’re still breathing right now. It’s the only reason I won’t torture you later, too.”

My aunt’s protests grew louder as Joel bound her hands and feet, more desperate as the reality of her situation sank in.

“You can’t do this! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Joel handed me a scarf from the dresser, and I pulled it tight between her teeth, silencing her pleas.

“Take her to the car,” I said. “Drive her to the bunker.”

He nodded and hauled her over his shoulders. She tried to resist, but he was stronger.

As we stepped outside, the commotion had drawn attention. Lights were coming on in nearby houses, curious faces appearing in windows. And then my uncle emerged from his home, moving quickly toward us as Joel forced my aunt into the back of his car.

“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, placing himself between me and the vehicle.

“Move,” I ordered, the single word carrying all the threat I needed it to.

“Not until you tell me what’s happening,” he insisted, his stance widening as if preparing for a fight. “That’s your aunt, for Christ’s sake.”

“That’s Solomon’s bitch,” I corrected, pulling my gun and aiming it directly at his head without hesitation. “She’s the reason Forever lost our baby. The reason she didn’t come home. Now move, or I’ll consider you complicit.”

He looked taken aback but still held his ground, further angering me.

“You need to think, Demetrius. This is family. We don’t—”

“She stopped being family the moment she betrayed us,” I cut him off, finger hovering near the trigger. “Last chance to move.”

I’d woken up this whole fucking end of the compound, but nothing would stop me from ending this shit before the sun came up. And then came the voice that might have been the only one capable of reaching me in that moment.

“Meechie.”

G stood in her doorway, leaning heavily on a cane. She’d only been home from the hospital for less than a day, but there she was, her presence commanding attention despite her weakened state.

“What are you doing to your father’s sister?” she asked, her voice carrying across the suddenly silent compound.

I didn’t lower my gun, didn’t take my eyes off my uncle either.

“She’s been working with Solomon. She’s the reason Forever lost our baby.”

Murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd. G took a step forward, wincing slightly.

“How do you know this?” she asked.

“Because I do,” I replied, unwilling to further explain myself. “There’s proof.”

G’s expression never changed.

Instead, she looked directly at me and said, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

She nodded slowly.