Page 43 of The Art of You

At Adelina’s second, “Possibly,” I pushed at my forehead as if I could physically force the answers to our problems to surface.

I was anything but zen after this morning. More like the antithesis. My hand plummeted to the counter when my brain cells fired up, circumventing the exhaustion. “Zen as fuck.”

“Excuse me?” A slight smile of confusion tugged at her lips.

“That agent, Clarke, right?” At her nod, I continued, “He’s itching to throw charges at Hudson for something, even if he has to make up a crime.” Well, at least it felt that way based on our conversation. “He’s in league with the AG, who’s planning to run for governor against Hudson’s dad.”

Adelina’s brows shot together, and I could see the wheels turning.

“Could Clarke be working with this reporter to help create problems for Governor Ashford?” Was that too much of a stretch, or just the right amount of leaning into the idea?Please say yes.

“He could be Kit’s inside source about the guest list, as well as the one to get her included in the press pool at the last minute.” Good. She was saying what I’d hoped to hear.

“Hudson never goes to these things, so when Clarke saw him on the list, he may have seen this as an opportunity to take a shot at him to get to his father.” I stood as more and more came together.

“The reporter may not know about the photo sent to you. Clarke could’ve arranged for it to be sent to keep everyone’s hands clean. He just planted her at the party knowing she’d make waves,” she suggested.

“And while they were both clueless about why we were really there, we gave them a headline they never saw coming.”

That night felt like such a blur. I had to untangle the web of memories before landing on one important “point” of the overall picture.

“Kit seemed genuinely surprised when I confronted her about the photo. Well, I didn’t outright mention it, but she was taken aback when I accused her of targeting me. As much as I don’t like her, she may be a pawn in a bigger game, and you’re right, she didn’t know about the photo.” The lengths people would go to for a campaign was sickening. “Of course, it may not even be Clarke, and I just want it to be because he’s an easy target to pin this on after how he treated us yesterday.”

“These are all theories,” she reminded me but kept her tone optimistic. “Good ones, but I still have to do my due diligence and bark up every tree and see what I can turn up. From Pablo to my colleagues.”

“Ineedit to be this theory, okay?” I wasn’t above begging for her to pull some magic out of her FBI hat and prove my hypothesis correct.

“The game of politics is ugly, so it’s possible,” she said in a somber tone as I took a seat. “But for now, I think we stick to the plan to keep an eye on this reporter’s next moves before we question her. See who she talks to and what she does. Probably a good idea to tail Clarke, too.” She stood and circled the counter, then sat next to me.

“What does your gut say?” Was hers right like Hudson’s often was?

She peered up at the ceiling before dropping words I didn’t want to hear. “If all evidence points to this theory, it’s because someone wants us looking one way when we really should be looking another.”

Chapter 16

Isabella

“A little early for drinkin’,don’t you think?”

I loved when Hudson’s Texas drawl made an appearance. Setting down the unopened bottle on the bar counter, I slowly turned around to find him doing that sexy lean thing in the doorway of my father’s game room. Arms folded. Attention locked on me with concern.

“Or, hear me out, we could pretend we’re at the airport. Rules don’t apply there. Well, at least not judgment of pre-noon drinking.”

He didn’t budge an inch at my joke. His brows remained tight, and so did every line of his body. Rigid and tense.

“Adelina’s gone,” he cut straight to business. “Constantine went with her. Enzo, too. They don’t want her running around the city without backup, especially since the questions she’s asking could get her killed.”

Good idea.

He pushed away from the doorway and came into the room, sweeping his hand along the felt pool table before stopping to pick up the eight ball. “She insisted she’d befine. Her job is dangerous after all, but we outvoted her on the safety thing. It was five to one. Callie ruled in our favor as well.”

His tone was almost eerily distant and detached, and I couldn’t stand it. Was he mad about Pablo, or knowing I’d be opposed to some medieval idea he’d probably conjured up? Like putting Pablo’s head in a guillotine.

“Will my brothers fly back here later with my parents?” My words were stiff and had me wondering whether I required a drink to get through this talk.

Hudson kept his eyes on the sphere in his hand, perhaps hoping it was one of those Magic 8 Balls, and if he shook it, all of the answers to our ever-growing list of questions would be revealed. “Constantine decided it’d be best for your parents to stay in the city for now. Your mom objected. She was also outnumbered.”

“So democratic of you all in your decision-making processes.” Despite my sarcasm—which was so second nature I just couldn’t help it—I probably would’ve voted the same as my brothers on that one. Having my nervous mother here would only increase my anxiety. “Where are Alessandro and Callie?”

---