Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 279

In an instant, Duke—his toes barely touching the stairs—froze completely. His gun hand instinctively rose.

"Easy now."

Behind him, a man's low voice carried a magnetic quality.

But that kind of mild reassurance did absolutely nothing to help.

If anything, it made Duke's breathing grow heavier.

Tension forced him to swallow reflexively. Though he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Duke would swear he could feel the shape of the gun muzzle pressed against the back of his skull.

Judging from the barrel, most likely a small-caliber compact pistol—clearly a women's gun.

But the person speaking was definitely a man.

However suspicious Duke felt, he didn't dare show the slightest negligence. After all, the gun against his head was no toy.

He was certain he must have been spotted by Teddy inside the house.

Just as Duke's mind was racing, a basket extended from behind him. From that angle, Duke could only glimpse the basket's edge with his peripheral vision.

"Now put your gun in here."

Teddy held his gun one-handed, his other hand only visible at Duke's side.

He kept the rest of his body out of Duke's line of sight as much as possible. Though some of Duke's behavior seemed ridiculous, the guy was clearly a fellow professional—one slip-up could mean getting turned on and killed.

Duke tried to turn his head to see Teddy's position, but the moment his head moved, the other man immediately jammed the gun hard against his skull, even his previously relaxed voice turning harsh.

"Don't move!"

Duke immediately stopped.

The atmosphere froze.

Duke took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Okay, okay. I'll do what you say."

As he spoke, he gradually lowered his gun hand, trying to reach that basket he could barely see the edge of.

Seeing him finally cooperate, Teddy's furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

The handgun dropped into the basket.

The basket's light, elastic weave absorbed much of the gun's impact. Even chambered, it didn't accidentally discharge.

Teddy pulled the basket back, glanced at the gun inside, then set it on the floor before slowly moving forward. "Hands up."

With a gun to his head, Duke had no choice but to comply.

Raising both hands, Duke could feel the other man's hand moving toward his waist.

The search was extremely professional—didn't even skip his crotch.

Only after confirming he had no other weapons did Teddy withdraw the gun from Duke's head.

"Turn around. Slowly."

Teddy placed the confiscated handgun on the table and sat down slowly in a chair, his small-caliber pistol still aimed at Duke in the distance.

Hearing that command, Duke knew there was still a gun trained on him. He sighed, musing on how the tables turn, and turned around.

With that turn, he finally got a clear look at the man who'd caught him.

"Teddy?"

Though the lighting wasn't great, Duke could still make out the man sitting by the dining table—rugged, handsome features. Those features he hadn't seen in years made him call out the name instinctively.

Compared to Duke's excitement, Teddy remained much calmer.

He still held his handgun, his hand resting naturally on his thigh with the barrel aimed at Duke. "So it's you."

There was indeed some joy of reunion in his tone, but not much.

Duke smiled. "Never thought I'd run into you under these circumstances."

Teddy's eyebrow lifted slightly. "Neither did I."

During his military service, Teddy had been assigned to a joint peacekeeping operation in a desert region. That's when he'd met Duke.

Duke was Drovinskian, but his bloodline was heavily mixed—ancestors from Astoria and the Norvayne Confederacy, with the previous generation adding Asian heritage.

Back then, Duke had been a green mercenary, saved by Teddy on the battlefield. That's how they'd become acquainted.

During Teddy's tour, his relationship with Duke had been decent.

Many of Duke's combat techniques had been taught by Teddy.

Later, Duke had ended his mercenary career in the desert and headed to West Asia, still as a mercenary.

"Hey, Teddy, don't be so serious."

Realizing his opponent was an old friend, Duke relaxed considerably.

However, Teddy only wore a faint smile and didn't lower his weapon.

"Duke, at a time like this, we're not friends."

His tone remained calm as he offered the reminder.

The smile on Duke's face stiffened. Though he said nothing, his serious eyes already indicated his change in attitude.

The room fell silent again.

Outside the glass door, light swept past—the ten-minute back garden patrol.

Duke walked toward Teddy, pointing at the other chair in front of him. "Can I sit?"

Teddy pulled away the handgun on the table. "Be my guest."

Finally able to relax a bit, Duke wanted a cigarette. He made the smoking gesture at Teddy, who shook his head. "Don't have any."

"Nothing? You quit?" Duke frowned, clearly dissatisfied.

Teddy nodded.

The other man pressed, "Why?"

The reason involved his employer's privacy—naturally, Teddy wouldn't say.

When he remained tight-lipped, Duke—having worked as a bodyguard himself—immediately understood. "Got it." He glanced toward the upstairs. "Because of your employer, right?"

Teddy didn't react.

Rarely seeing an old friend, Duke became more talkative. "How'd you end up doing bodyguard work? I remember—weren't you an officer?"

Teddy glanced at him, the gun in his hand shifting slightly. The meaning was crystal clear.

"Alright, I'll stop asking."

Seeing he couldn't extract any critical information, Duke had to surrender.

But while he stopped asking, Teddy was ready to start. "What are you doing here?"

"Working, obviously." Duke smiled slyly—an answer that wasn't really an answer.

Teddy's expression didn't change, but his tone carried a teasing edge. "Switched from mercenary to hitman?"

"I'm not that low-class." Duke frowned, reflexively arguing back before immediately catching on. He laughed, pointing at Teddy. "Teddy, you really are..."

Teddy's expression remained unchanged, but the look in his eyes watching Duke was no longer entirely guarded.

They were old friends of many years—fairly familiar with each other.

"What have you been doing these years?" Teddy knew full well Duke had professional ethics, but not much of them. Direct interrogation wouldn't work, but catching up as friends could be quite effective.

"Not much." Duke shrugged and sighed. "You know how West Asia was at war a few years back? I worked as a mercenary there for a while. Thought I could make some money—nearly got killed instead."

Teddy wasn't surprised by this outcome. After all, if their unit hadn't passed through those ruins back then, this guy would have died.

"Later, some rich guy hired me as a bodyguard. A hundred thousand a month, and I don't even have to take bullets. Pretty sweet deal."

Duke smiled, clearly satisfied with his current situation.

"Is that so? Got this month's pay yet?" The corner of Teddy's mouth quirked up, amusement in his tone.