Page 74 of The Art of You

“Which part? Him walking in on us while I was getting off, or the fact he didn’t kill you?”

“Both.” He dropped his forehead as if fearing that despite what just went down, he’d lost his best friend. “Fucking both.”

Chapter 27

Isabella

Decidingit’d be better to show up in something other than PJs after my big brother embarrassingly walked in on us, I went ahead and changed.

I switched into jeans and the one hoodie Callie did pack for me. A simple Lululemon white one. Now, of course, I’d never look at Lululemon the same after seeing Hudson in those briefs.

Once in the kitchen, the anxiety of facing my big brother kicked up a notch.

I tugged at the hoodie drawstrings as I laid eyes on Constantine. He was standing in front of the bay window with his back to me, dressed more casually than normal in jeans and a black tee.

Enzo and Alessandro were also there, sitting behind the breakfast bar, focused on a laptop. They didn’t shoot me any knowing looks or lopsided grins. Or scowls, for that matter. Just quick good mornings.

“Callie still asleep?” I asked, making a beeline for the Nespresso machine.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake her.” Alessandro peered over the screen at me. “Malik’s outside the pool house, though.”

I popped the hazelnut-flavored pod into the machine and set one of the bigger mugs in place, then covered my nervous stomach with a shaky palm.

“So, what’s the news?” At Hudson’s deep voice, I spun around to face him. “What’d Marc find out in Arlington?”

He went straight to the laptop, not meeting my eyes, locked into operator mode. He was probably assuming that’d be the best way to cut through the awkwardness.

Enzo slid the laptop to his right so Hudson could have a look while bringing us up to speed. “Marc took a video of what he saw. We waited to wake you until we could get an ID on the man at the park with Clarke.”

When the coffee was ready, I decided to give it to Hudson instead, along with Advil. Only when I held out a single gel tablet for him did he look up. He accepted the coffee but didn’t touch the Advil until I upped it to two. He grumbled under his breath, then nodded his thanks before returning his attention to the laptop.

It was a miracle I didn’t need anything myself. My arm and shoulder weren’t even sore anymore. The poor guy seemed to have taken the brunt of the accident.

“The man Clarke met with is Seth Maverick. He works for the DOD at the Pentagon,” Alessandro explained after Hudson tossed back the pills.

Constantine faced the room, brows drawn, gaze tight on me. I couldn’t get the best read on him, not when I was pre-caffeinated.

On that note, I went to the machine to make myself a cup. Or better yet, a peace offering for Constantine in the form of java.

“Their conversation could have been related to the investigation,right? Or maybe he’s trying to find out why the case was taken from the FBI and handed over to the Agency,” Hudson suggested.

“Could be what he told his boss, at least.” Enzo pointed at something on the screen. “But look at this exchange here. Seth’s pissed. Shoves Clarke. Pointing back and forth between them. He’s angry about something.”

I abandoned my coffee endeavor and headed toward the viewing party. “I take it Marc couldn’t get close enough to overhear them?” Standing alongside Hudson, I pointed at the screen. “Can you zoom in so we can try and read his lips?”

“You’re always mouthing words, how about you give it a go?” Enzo teased.

He probably forgot I’d learned American Sign Language in college and could read speech damn well. Either way, he slowed down the video speed and hit play.

I watched the heated back-and-forth between Agent Clarke and this Seth guy. When I leaned forward in front of Hudson, he straightened his posture to give me a bit more space, keeping our bodies from colliding in front of Constantine.Good thinking.

“I’m almost sure he said the letters AAR,” I interpreted. “Rewind and replay again.” Hands to the counter, I brought my face closer to the screen. “Then after he pushes him, I think he says the word girlfriend. And that’s all I can make out.” I stood upright, drawing my hands to my waist.

“AAR.” Hudson’s eyes moved to his coffee mug. “What if Seth somehow got his hands on the real version of the after-action report for the operation in 2010 and gave it to Clarke?”

“And what, Clarke gave it to his girlfriend?” Enzo picked up with the line of thought.

Then I ran all the way home with it. “So, Kit and Clarke aredating, and he gave Kit the AAR. And now Seth’s reaming Clarke out at five in the morning, which says to me she wasn’t supposed to publish that. Maybe not yet, at least.”And the plot of this madness thickens.“Does that mean Kit, Clarke, and this DOD guy are working together to try and take down your father? Or did Clarke lie to Seth Maverick about his plans for the AAR?”

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