Page 21 of The Echo of Forever

She was purposely concealing her face.

A society girl, if I had to bet.

“Later, Ollie!”

She slid past me, eyes connecting with mine but only briefly before dashing up the hall and out of view.

“Damn, you really scare every woman I bring around.”

I shook my head and stepped completely inside.

“Which family does she belong to?”

The annoying nigga pressed two fingers to his temple as if I were giving him a headache. Didn’t matter to me one way or another as long as I got answers.

Keeping tabs on his conquests meant keeping him safe when shit hit the fan, because it always did.

“You’ll be proud to know she’s the broker’s assistant. I’m warming her up to switch sides. Two assassins on the team are always better than one, right?”

I sighed but didn’t respond.

He wasn’t wrong per se.

She was an assistant in name, only based on society’s rules. The second highest ranking assassin in that faction of the Collective.

Her role was also inherited.

“How long?”

He shrugged and started packing up his desk.

“Since long before you left…” Our eyes met. “Wasn’t planned or anything. Had no clue she was that high up until after we got the scoop on Forever. I figured, why not keep her around, even if she’s plotting against us for their benefit.”

I nodded.

“What time is the meet tonight?” he asked before I could dig deeper.

“A little after midnight. Just outside of town. Your uncle is shutting down the compound just in case. We’ll leave from there, though.”

He rounded the desk, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Are you sure we can trust the O’Sullivans? You still haven’t told me how you managed to get them on our side.”

He wouldn’t believe they were actually on our side if I told the full story.

“They couldn’t resist my charm,” I told him as we headed down to the lobby. “We don’t trust anybody. But I know a solid group of people when I meet ‘em.”

I was prepared for every possible outcome. There was a backup for my backup plan.

“Mr. Cannon!” a kid about half my size yelled across the lobby, stalking toward us. “Can we talk?”

I stared down at him when he stopped in front of me.

“There are two Cannons standing here,” Oliver said, but we both knew who he’d been talking to. “Be specific.”

The kid’s eyes bounced to my brother, and he cracked a smile that showed his youth. Definitely a new rejector if he was standing in front of us.

“My bad! I ain’t mean no disrespect. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Damon Halstead. My dad rents a space across the street.”