Page 27 of Duality

Marcus and Adrian shared a look, and Marcus seemed to deflate slightly. Good. He needed to get over this so Evie would trust us.

“Besides,” Alexander continued. “The way I see it, is we can decline to help, fire Evelyn, and expose her as a leak, which damages our reputation and compromises our clients by admitting she snuck in under our noses, then Evelyn will still go after Citadel without us. Or we can help her and take care of oneof our biggest rivals in the process. A rival that has been allowing corruption to flourish in the city.”

Damn. Big brother wasn’t playing. I liked this new attitude.

“And what about his plan?” Marcus nodded towards me. “You can’t seriously be considering going along with it.”

Alexander leaned forward on his elbows and pinned Marcus with a familiar big-brother look. “Look at me and tell me you don’t find her attractive.”

Marcus’s lips thinned into a tight line.

Alexander huffed. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t find her attractive.” He made a subtle dig at Marcus’s rigidity. “She’s smart and fiery and everything I ever dreamed of. And she’s been firmly off limits because she’s been our employee. But what Sebastian forgets”—it was my turn to receive the big brother look—”is that it’s Evelyn’s choice. She might not want anything to do with us when this is over.”

I frowned. That wasn’t an option. Besides, Danny all but told us she had feelings for us earlier.

Adrian curses and rubs his forehead. “I can’t believe you’re considering this.”

“We’reconsidering this,” I corrected. “Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at her.”

Adrian glared at me. “I’m too old for her.”

Marcus scoffed. “You’re ten years older, so what?”

Adrian glared at Marcus, and Marcus just flipped him the finger. We weren’t going to decide anything tonight. But the seeds had been planted, and I would continue to water them.

“Okay.” I clapped my hands together. “We just have to woo our woman into a five-way relationship and take down a company that has a black market hit out on our heads.”

Piece of cake.

CHAPTER 14

EVELYN

The sound of something clattering jerked me awake. Adrenaline shot through my body as I jolted upright in bed. It took me a few seconds to process the familiar green walls. I was in my room at my house. My house, where I had brought my bosses last night. Another muffled clatter from the kitchen slipped under the door. The guys must be awake.

I flopped back on the bed as another noise slipped into the room, heart still pounding from what I thought were intruders. I guess they were intruders of a sort. It was odd having someone in my house. Danny stayed over occasionally but not often. My lieutenants had been out here, but they respected my need for space and privacy. This place was my sanctuary. And now it was invaded.

Well, could I say invaded when I was the one who had let them in? I groaned and turned over, pulling the sheets over my head. I was the one who’d suggested bringing them here. I let them in, and now I was worried I would never get them out. They had already dug deeper under my skin than I had let anyone else besides my lieutenants. And that happened when I only let them see the professional Evelyn Harper. Now that theywere here, in my home, seeing the badass Eve Harper who ran the vigilante organization the Archers, what would they think? Would I be able to keep them at a distance like I had been trying to for the last six years, or were they going to dig even deeper under my skin? I wasn’t sure what option I was hoping for more.

I threw back the covers and dragged myself out of bed. If they were up, I needed to get up. The clock on my bedside table read 5:30 a.m. Fuck, when was the last time I had gotten more than four hours of sleep?

I stumbled blearily into the ensuite bathroom, hissing when I flicked on the light. I quickly fumbled with the switch and turned on the soft lamps on either side of the mirror instead of the harsh overhead light. The heated floors were warm and soothing beneath my feet.

While the rest of the house was in disrepair, my rooms were a perfect oasis. I had started with my suite first, finishing the bedroom and bathroom before moving on to the kitchen and then the rest of the house. What little time I got to spend here, I wanted to enjoy. The walls were painted a soothing peacock green. The wall with the windows that faced the back of the house was covered with a beautiful silver filigree wallpaper that had had me cussing several times when I had installed it. The rest of the room was done in shades of cream and accents of silver. In the bathroom, the light gray tiles under my feet were heated, which made all the difference in this drafty house in the winter. The cabinets matched the color of the bedroom walls, and the countertops had streaks of silver through the white marble. Silver fixtures completed the space.

I splashed some water on my face, scrubbing it with a washcloth until I didn’t feel like death anymore. Frowning at the rats’ nest my wavy hair had become overnight, I decided on a messy bun piled high at the top of my head. My walk-in closet was in the bathroom, but I hesitated in the doorway.

Clothes were like armor for me. And a line was drawn down the middle of the closet. On one side were the clothes I wore as Evelyn, the sleek, professional assistant. Blouses, dress pants, pencil skirts, and blazers. All in muted neutral tones. On the left side, deep jewel tones popped through the sea of black. These were the clothes I wore as Eve. Darker and edgier, the difference in the styles was clear cut, and that’s how I liked it. It helped me keep the two lives separate; the two personas I wore every day. But now, those two worlds had collided, and they happened to be under the same roof. Which side did I pick from?

It should be an easy choice. It was just clothes, for fuck’s sake, but I still hesitated way longer than I should have. Finally, I decided on a compromise. I chose a pair of black fitted cargo pants and a white collared blouse. I skipped over the heels and settled for some boots instead. I checked my reflection in the mirror that hung at the back of the closet. A mix of professional and vigilante. I checked my watch. It was almost 6 a.m., the time Alexander usually showed up at the office. We would need to come up with an excuse as to why the guys weren’t in the office today. I had a feeling they would want to keep the news about the hit quiet and not endanger anyone at the company, so it was best to lie low.

I typed out a message to the department heads and the three assistants below me, informing them that the guys and I had food poisoning from the takeout place we were at last night and wouldn’t be in for a few days. It was Thursday, and with the weekend, we had until Monday to figure something out. It wasn’t until I was at the kitchen door that I realized they might not want me working for them anymore, and I probably should have asked before I sent that message. I mentally shrugged. Oh well, it could be one more thing they could be pissed at me about.

“Good morning,” Alexander greeted me as I crossed into the kitchen.

I blinked at him. He was standing at my stove, dressed in sweatpants and t-shirt, looking way more casual than I had ever seen him. The casual clothes highlighted every muscle in his body, and I swallowed hard. In the last six years, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him without a suit on. I swore he slept in them even. And he was cooking?

“Coffee?” Adrian asked, standing next to my simple coffee maker. “I can offer you black, or black?” His lips quirked at the corner, betraying his serious expression.