Page 43 of Duality

“We could use a little help over here.” Danny’s voice crackled over the comms, and Evelyn’s smile dropped into a frown.

I finally understood my brother a little bit more as murderous feelings rose in me at her frown. Fuck, Sebastian would never let me hear the end of it if he found out.

Evelyn dropped her opponent with a kick to his side, followed by an uppercut to his jaw. He sprawled backwards, and she made quick work of flipping him over and zip-tying his hands behind his back.

By the time we made it to the east side parking lot, the action was over. Four men lay groaning on the ground. Sebastian, Marcus, and Adrian seemed to be fine, though Adrian was favoring his left leg. Danny sported a black eye that had Evelyncursing as she held his chin to examine it. He tried to wave her off, but she was insistent. He conceded and let her fuss over him. I left them to it as I headed towards my brothers by blood and choice.

“You okay?” I checked in, my voice low.

Sebastian bounced on his feet. “They only sent eight men.” He pouted like a child denied candy. “We had it under control.”

Marcus scoffed. “You did when Adrian and I got here. How are your ribs feeling?”

Sebastian glared at Marcus as I yanked him by his shirt collar closer to me. I lifted his shirt. The stupid man wasn’t even wearing a vest. I examined the blooming bruises against his ribs. He hissed but otherwise let me examine him. Satisfied they weren’t broken, I released him and made a mental note to have him checked out by our doctor. Unfortunately, when Sebastian was out for blood, he often overlooked little things like bullet and stab wounds. I learned early on to check him over, even when he said he was fine.

“Everything okay?” Evelyn asked behind me.

“Everything’s perfect, my darling Evie. The only thing that would have made the night more perfect is if you were fighting by my side.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Danny glared at Sebastian, but there was no heat behind it.

“Compared to my Evie? Yes,” Sebastian said seriously.

Danny shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Danny was clearly on board with us getting closer to his cousin. It was just Evelyn who was holding out. And Marcus.

“How bad is cleanup?” Evelyn asked. She ignored Sebastian’s words, her professional mask firmly in place. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I could see the lines of exhaustion on her face and how her muscles trembled slightly. She was exhausted. I needed to get her home to rest.

“Not bad,” Adrian said. “The pool took the worst of it, but it shouldn’t be bad. Izzy and I managed to get our two down fairly quick. We’ll just need to replace a few vehicles. We need to decide what to do with these guys, though.” He gestured at the men on the ground next to us.

Evelyn opened her mouth, most likely to issue orders, and I jumped in. “Marcus, organize cleanup with Adrian and Sebastian. Use the Alpha team so the Archers can get some rest. I’m taking Evelyn home.”

“Oh, you are, are you?” Evelyn arched her eyebrow.

I smiled at her and put a hand on her back, guiding her across the parking lot towards the SUV we parked there.

“I am,” I murmured to her. “You’re exhausted and need sleep. Let the others take care of it.”

She pursed her lips, but a yawn slipped through. She huffed, then let me guide her into the passenger seat. She must have been really tired as she didn’t put up more of a fight.

I navigated the SUV smoothly through the dark streets of the city and out to the countryside. I pulled into the driveway of the Manor. Even dark with no windows, the place felt like home. I had grown up in the city, and we currently lived in a penthouse suite in one of the city’s skyscrapers, but this place out here in the country felt like home. Although that probably had more to do with the woman climbing out of the passenger seat than the house itself.

Instead of heading straight into her room, Evelyn headed towards the kitchen. I followed behind, close on her heels. She pulled a kettle out of one of the bottom cabinets and filled it before setting it on the stove. She rummaged in another cabinet, pulling out a collection of teas. I frowned. I had only seen her drink coffee before, but I made a mental note of which teas she had on the counter to stock them in the office. I wanted to know everything about this intriguing woman.

She caught me studying her while we waited for the tea to steep and she shrugged. “Tea helps me unwind at night.”

She scooped a spoonful of honey into each mug and offered me one. I accepted it and pulled out a chair for her at the table. She settled into it, cupping the mug in both hands and lifting it to her mouth. I lifted my own mug and took a sip. It was sweet and slightly tangy, the hibiscus chamomile flavors exploding across my tongue.

Evelyn sipped her tea, a distant look in her eyes as she studied the wood grain of the table. The silence was comfortable, like a warm blanket on a cool evening as I left her alone to her thoughts. If she wanted to talk, I would be here for her. If she needed the silence, I would sit here with her. It was her call. She just needed to realize we weren’t going anywhere.

As if she could hear my thoughts, she asked. “What happens when this is all over?”

“What do you mean?” I had a feeling I knew what she was asking, but I wanted her to say the words.

“I mean, what happens to me when this is all over? Are you going to turn us into the cops?”

I was stunned. Did she really think we would do that? I leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “No. Never,” I said forcefully, gripping her hand tightly. “What you’ve built here is incredible. We would never want to take that away from you.”

I meant it. Over the last month, interacting with Evelyn and her lieutenants had really opened my eyes about everything that went on in our city right under our noses. We thought we were making an impact, keeping our clients safe, but Evelyn and the Archers were doing the real work.