Page 17 of Duality

We continued our walkthrough of the property. I took notes as Sebastian talked about the security measures we would have to install, including a ten-foot fence around the property and a full camera package. My hand flew across my tablet as I tried to keep up with everything he was saying. The only time I struggled to keep up was when Sebastian got like this. When he dove into a project, his brilliant brain worked faster than us mere mortals, and it was only with years of practice keeping up that I didn’t miss anything he said.

My phone buzzed in my pocket when he took a breath. A notification from our messaging app flashed across the screen. Looking up, I saw that Sebastian had engaged Adrian and Alexander in a conversation about the command center they wanted to install, so I took a chance to check it, clicking on the app.

Liam:Get out of there now. Two groups took the contract. I’ve got four SUVs converging on your location.

I froze, ice filling my veins. Fuck, this was bad. We were outnumbered, outgunned, and quickly running out of options. There was no way I could get them out of here without blowing my cover, but faced with the decision, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I wasnotgoing to lose anyone else, even if it meant blowing up my life and the best source of information the Archers ever had. We could rebuild, but I couldn’t watch these men die.

“We have to go. Now.” My voice was sharp as I slipped into the persona of Eve Harper, head of the Archers. The woman who protected her own and not the quiet, professional assistant.

The brothers stared at me in shock. They had never heard me speak like that before.

“What—?” Alexander began, but my phone buzzed again.

Liam:Two minutes out. Sending Izzy to the corner of Third and Fenton. Alleyway to your right.

I locked eyes with Adrian. His green eyes stared into mine, searching for something. I said the one word that I could think of that would get him moving.

“Archers.”

His eyes widened, and a curse slipped through his lips. “We have to go now.” He echoed my words and ushered us towards the SUV.

I shook my head and slipped my phone into the pocket. “This way.” I took off in the direction Liam indicated.

Pounding footsteps echoed behind me as they followed. Alexander demanded. “Evel—Miss Harper! What is going on?”

I looked over my shoulder. “Explanations later, but if we don’t move now, we’re dead.”

We ducked into the alleyway just as the roar of engines and squeals of tires filled the air. Sebastian opened his mouth, and I clamped a hand over it before he gave away our position. He stared at me like he had never seen me before, and I guessed he hadn’t. Not this part of me. I slowly inched around the building.Four SUVs converged around the SUV we drove here. At least ten men poured out of the SUVs. They were all dressed in tactical gear and dark clothing. All of them carried guns at their hips and a few had rifles slung over their chests. They’d come to kill. One man started barking orders, and I inched backwards.

My phone buzzed again.Izzy is two minutes out.

I turned and saw them all staring at me expectantly. But there was no time to satisfy their burning curiosity. Ignoring them, I locked eyes with Adrian, the one person in the group I knew would listen to me.

“We have to get to Third and Fenton. There are at least ten hostiles.”

Adrian nodded, drawing his weapon. I tugged my blouse out of my pants and reached into my shoulder harness, pulling out my gun.

Marcus cursed softly. “What is going on? Why do you have a gun?”

“I’ll explain later.” I couldn’t resist winking at him, enjoying the way he stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

I had worn the mask of Evelyn Harper for so long it felt like a part of me, but here and now, with the gun in my hand and adrenaline flooding through my veins, I knew this was the real me. Time would tell if they could handle that.

“But first, we have to get out of here.”

Sebastian was staring at me with something like awe in his eyes. He bounced on his toes, entirely too happy for the situation we were in. Alexander stared at me like I was a puzzle he was determined to figure out. I wished him luck. My brain could be a fucked-up place at times.

The voices grew louder, and Adrian signaled me to take the lead. I kicked off my heels. They would only slow me down, and the noise could give us away. I tucked them under a box so they couldn’t track us down this alley. I kept my gun trainedon the ground as I led them through the maze of buildings. The shouts from behind us increased as they figured out the brothers were no longer on the property. They weren’t even trying to be stealthy. Whether they were overconfident or just that good, I didn’t want to stick around to find out. Adrian flanked our group, his gun in his hand and his sharp green eyes watchful of our surroundings.

My phone buzzed again.Thirty seconds out.

I picked up our pace, confident they could keep up. The brothers stayed silent, the gravity of the situation clearly settling in, but they wouldn’t be quiet for long. I had officially blown my cover, but I had no choice. There was no way I could have gotten them into the car before the groups came. And there was no going back now.

The alleyway we were in opened up to Fenton, and I looked to my left. An SUV flew around the corner, screeching to a stop in front of us. Strong hands shoved me behind someone, and I blinked when I realized it was Marcus. He was protecting me from what he thought was a threat. That gave me a small bit of hope I would make it through this without seeing the inside of a prison cell.

“Stand down. She’s one of mine.” I shoved past him as Izzy rolled down the window. “Get in.”

Marcus folded his arms. “Hold on. I’m not going anywhere without a goddamn explanation. Who are you? You clearly have been lying to us, because you’re not a goddamn secretary.”