Page 27 of The Echo of Forever

“I got some valuable intel for you,” he mused, dropping his hands and leaning against the counter. “But I need something in return.”

I shrugged.

“Depends on the intel.”

“I know who killed Jeremiah.”

He pulled a folded piece of paper from inside his hoodie pocket.

“You know how I move, sis. My intel is always solid, and I know deep down you’d kill for this. It’ll only cost you one favor.Not now, but when I call for it, you’ll answer. No questions asked.”

I walked toward and stopped in front of him, slipping the paper from his hand. Doing a blind favor was the least of my worries.

And whatever Kai was up to didn’t matter either. We all had our agendas and his had always been very different than mine.

“Deal,” I agreed, locking eyes with him to seal it.

In this family, you never committed to something without looking the person in the eye.

“Source?” I asked, already unfolding it. “Word?”

The name written was unexpected but didn’t surprise me for reasons I didn’t have.

I looked up to find my baby brother smirking.

“All signs lead back to him. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?”

He reached out suddenly and gripped my chin.

“Did Eliel do this to you?”

Licking my lips, I relished in the sting that followed before knocking his hand away.

“Yup. Nothing new except he hits like a bitch now…” I turned and started toward my bedroom. “Leave the key on the counter on your way out. Thanks for the intel.”

Demetrius.Demetrius.

What the fuck are you up to?

CHAPTER 8

ECHO

I pulledthrough the Cannon compound gates, honking at the younger kids, who belonged to full-time staff, on the playground. What took my great-grandfather almost a decade to achieve had been handed to me much too early, but I took pride in keeping everyone who lived within the compound safe.

Thirty-one acres of safety, to be exact.

The winding road cut through the manicured grounds and identical homes in build, but worlds apart in style. I had every inch of this place mapped, monitored, and memorized since taking over. The compound wasn’t just land, it was one of the few places in Everwood where rejectors could breathe without looking over their shoulders.

Twenty homes dotted the landscape, arranged in a loose semicircle that swirled into another and opened toward the back of the property. From the air, it probably looked like two horseshoes.

At the center stood the community building, a two-story structure with floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck that wrapped around three sides. Family meetings, holiday gatherings, and whatever else we felt the need to use it for all happened there.

I slowed as I passed my grandmother’s house, debating if I should stop by and hear her mouth or wait until after the exchange tonight. She lived in the oldest home on the property, ranch-style with a wide porch and rocking chairs that never seemed to stop moving. Even now, it looked as if someone had just gotten up from one.

She shared it with my aunt Velma, who had no clue how to mind her business.

My grandma had turned eighty-five while I was away, but still had a little youth she was holding on to. And my aunt was her self-appointed spokesperson and snooper.