Page 76 of The Art of You

“It’s about to get even smaller.” Enzo’s deep voice cut through the room, and he had to be lost to the past now, thinking about Bianca. Wishing so much his twin,oursister, could be found, too. But she’d been murdered, not taken.

With his free hand, Hudson reached for my elbow and guided me to stand, probably worried I’d lose my balance given the weight of the conversation.

“What do you mean by smaller?” Adelina asked as Constantine swapped the phone for the Disney mug.

“Your sister works with a friend of mine, Jesse McAdams.” Enzo stood and tore his hands through his hair. “Jesse’s the one who broke the news to me that I didn't kill the right person fourteen years ago for my sister’s murder.”

Really small world.

“Falcon, they, uh, well, we worked with them to figure out who really killed our sister,” Alessandro continued for Enzo, his accent growing thicker.

“I had no idea you did that. Or that you . . .” Adelina audibly cleared her throat over the line. “You were with them, weren’t you?” she whispered, as if now connecting the dots. “That’s why you really left the FBI, isn’t it?”

Hudson stared at the broken pieces of the Navy cup in hishand. More symbolism to complete the morning’s chaos.No, no, no. Where was my full cup of hope?

“Yeah, that’s why I eventually turned in my badge,” Hudson answered in a low voice.

“And this Agent Asshole knows about the deal our father cut with the AG to avoid prison time,” Alessandro let her know. “So, Clarke’s got an ax to grind with Hudson. Hell, with all of us. He’s not a fan of us playing outside the rules, but he sure is okay with doing it to try and fuck with us.”

“Hmm.” Adelina paused. “You’d think Clarke would also be pissed at his AG friend since he helped make the deal happen.”

“Dean, the AG, who I’ll now be referring to as Dean the Dickhead, probably manipulated Clarke the way he’s working over Kit and any other number of people to ensure he becomes governor next year.” I regretted part of my words the second I locked on to Hudson. He had to be thinking about Alfie now, wondering if Clarke or the Dickhead got to his old teammate, too.

“You should know, though, that the man we killed wasn’t a saint,” Constantine said, and I assumed he was speaking to Adelina now. He lowered his mug back to the counter. “He may not have been Bianca’s killer, but I don’t feel bad about taking his life, so let’s not start thinking about that now.”

Andthatcomment was meant for Enzo. I knew by the way Enzo was raking his hands through his hair, he was spiraling a bit. Was he thinking about Bianca? Or still feeling bad about killing the wrong man?

My brothers and Hudson took responsibility for that guy’s death, but I also knew Enzo took that man’s last breath.

“Constantine’s right,” Alessandro said with a nod. “We have enough to worry about than to focus on some sick fuckwho also deserved to die fourteen years ago. May that pricknotrest in peace as far as I’m concerned.”

Enzo slowly faced the room, dragging his hand across his mouth before moving it down the column of this throat. “We can’t bring Bianca back,” he said while peering at me, “but we can ensure nothing ever happens to Izzy. So, I’m not leaving New York until I know with absolute-fucking-certainty that she’s not in danger.”

“Of course,” Adelina said almost immediately, and I was relieved she seemed fine with dropping the discussion about what had happened all those years ago. “I’ll call my sister and ask her to talk to Sydney for me. If it’s okay with you, I’ll explain what’s going on, and see what Falcon might know.”

I looked to Constantine next, curious if he’d object. He had a beef with one of the owners of Falcon Falls, Carter Dominick. Although, I supposed they kind of buried the hatchet when they operated together last year in Upstate New York. That partnership ultimately led to Enzo killing Bianca’srealmurderer in our parents’ home on Long Island last fall.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Constantine agreed as Hudson tossed the broken pieces of the mug in the trash.

Hudson then checked his watch, noting, “My father will be here soon, so let’s touch base later today. Swap notes.”

After the call ended with Adelina, Enzo announced, “I need air.” He scanned the room, looking at us all one by one, finally resting his gaze on Hudson. “I’ll be back once your father’s helo touches down.” He left before anyone could object, and I hated that he was reliving the nightmare of his past all over again.

“Why do I feel like none of this is a coincidence?” I spoke my thoughts aloud while mindlessly wandering back to the cabinet, prepared to get a new mug. “Likeanyof it.”

Constantine came over and reached up into the cabinet for me, offering me an orange mug that saidHappiness is one cup awayas he confirmed, “Because I don’t think it is.”

Chapter 28

Hudson

I was donewith walks back into the past. I just wanted to go forward for once. Enzo had the right idea—I needed air.

I parked my ass outside on a bench that had a view of the helipad while waiting for my old man. My inability to sit alone with my thoughts led me to scrolling the internet. Probably not the best idea given my current state of mind.

One minute of “just checking” what else had been posted since yesterday turned into “oops, I-lost-track-of-time.”

Where was he, anyway?Late, like always.

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