Page 39 of The Art of You

“Because we need more problems.”We have too many as it is.

“Just tell me you found something after we filled you in last night? Get a match on our mystery mailman?” Alessandro asked her, switching gears.

Adelina peered at me, silently requesting permission to share the Photoshop story, and I quietly gave her the OK. She outlined the conversation we’d had on the deck, and I couldn’t help but focus on Bella the whole time as she worked through her shock.

“I didn’t remember. I—I should’ve,” Bella whispered when Adelina was finished.

“None of us did. I was practically a shadow looming behind you.”Great, now I sound like I’m the stalker.

“As for what else I learned since I spoke with you all last night, I’ve had no luck yet matching the face to a name in our software. It becomes too pixelated when I zoom in, so I handed it over to someone on my team I trust who’s a wizard at that stuff. If anyone can get a clear image, it’s him,” Adelina quickly explained, bulldozing through Bella’s chance to simmer in guilt she had no business swimming in. “We checked for prints as well. The only ones we found were the ones we expected. Isabella’s, Callie’s, and Alessandro’s.”

“But it’s doubtful whoever dropped the envelope off is our suspect, right?” Bella asked.

“No. It’ll probably lead us in a circle or wherever someonewants us to go,” Adelina answered, and we were on the same page.

Someone was more than likely an unsuspecting errand boy.“What about the fourth-floor apartment across the way?”

“A woman in her mid-thirties lives there. She was home Friday night on a date with a guy she met from a dating app. She remembers him admiring the Porsche outside, so it’s possible he happened to open the curtains right when you were going to the car.”

“And I was just paranoid. I’d prefer that,” Bella murmured.

“You know what time her date left her place?” I asked, curious if he could’ve been a party crasher or secretly on the guest list, too.

“Around ten,” she let me know, which placed him within a window of possibility to make it to Scarsdale and be included on my suspect list.

“I told her I would stop by later today with some questions,” Adelina said what I needed to hear, that she wouldn’t take shortcuts regarding Bella’s safety.

When she faced Bella next, I knew what was coming. She wanted to ask her some uncomfortable questions, gather information I doubted any of us wanted to be privy to. Like her dating history and any men who might be obsessed with her after she kicked them to the curb.

Hearing about the men in her life, even in past-tense format, would make me nauseous.

“There are some things I’d like to go over with you to help me widen the suspect list so then I can actually narrow it down.” Adelina had barely finished talking before Alessandro took that as his cue to leave.

He stood, urging Callie to as well while he told Bella, “We’re going to give you some privacy.”

Bella flattened her palms on the counter. “I have nothing to hide.”

“Of course not.” Alessandro scrunched his face as if unsure how to explain he didn’t want to hear about his sister’s sex life. “I’ll help Enzo out with the valet’s names, then get started with going through social media to see if there was anything posted from the party that might help.”

“Good idea.” Constantine gave him the all-clear to continue his escape path, then he pinned me with a hard look. “Either help him or go rest.”

As much as I loved multiple-choice questions that were more like commands, I didn’t answer him. I needed to get a read on Bella first.

Uneasy. Worried. Scared. All three emotions were readily displayed and gave me a solid reason to add a third option. Stay.

I released a deep sigh, deciding to put my own shit to the side so I could be there for the woman who made me crazy, even if hearing her talk about other men would make me even crazier.

I stood, walked past my best friend and around the breakfast bar, and sat next to Bella. Then, as Alessandro had done to Callie, I scooted Bella’s stool closer to me, announcing multiple-choice letter C: “I’ll be staying.”

So much for those walls I needed to put up.

And so much for my word.

If I wasn’t more careful, it was only a matter of time before I broke it.

Chapter 14

Hudson

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