Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 292

But Kevin hadn't arranged a private jet right away. And instead of giving a legitimate reason—like being swamped with company business—he'd blamed air traffic control delays to avoid arriving that same day.

The whole thing reeked of something off.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind turning over possibilities.

Seeing his silence, Scarlett looked confused. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Marco and Sebastian had always suspected something was off about Kevin, though those suspicions had never been more than hunches.

Scarlett knew that much. So, watching Sebastian go quiet, she immediately assumed he'd spotted something suspicious.

And Sebastian had noticed something—but it was just another thread confirming Kevin wasn't quite right. Nothing concrete. So he shook his head.

"It's nothing."

...

Calvessa, Vesperia.

Following Sebastian's orders, Teddy drove to Kevin's residence immediately after Scarlett's call.

Because of Benjamin, the two of them moved to a different town—sometimes even a different country—every few months.

Which meant Kevin and Benjamin were almost always staying in hotels.

When Teddy arrived in the Hotel Caelstra lobby, he spotted Kevin leading two women toward the elevator.

He tilted his head slightly, about to go say hello, when Kevin stepped into the elevator. He seemed to say something to the women behind him, but Teddy was too far away to catch it.

As for the two women, one was obviously Lumarian, shorter with long hair. The other was Black, tall, and lean to the point of looking alarmingly thin.

Seeing Kevin enter the elevator while the two women stayed put, Teddy assumed they didn't know each other.

By the time Teddy reached the elevator bank, those two women had already taken a different elevator and left.

Teddy didn't give it much thought.

He pressed the up button and waited quietly for the next car.

"Sir, a Mr. Parker is here to see you."

After Teddy knocked on the door of Kevin and Benjamin's presidential suite, he watched their servant go fetch Kevin with an expressionless face.

But Benjamin arrived before Kevin did.

"Who are you?"

Benjamin had never met Teddy before. The moment he saw him, his brow furrowed. His forward steps slowed, then stopped entirely by the sofa in the sitting area.

"I work for Sebastian Howard. I'm also Ms. Seymour's bodyguard." Teddy's tone stayed neutral, his posture ramrod straight. When introducing himself, he only dipped his head slightly. "My name is Teddy Parker. Perhaps Mr. Cooper has heard of me."

Hearing the introduction, Benjamin immediately nodded in understanding and offered a smile. "You're here to escort us to Virella Island, right?"

Teddy nodded, his peripheral vision quietly cataloging everything visible in the suite. "Where's Kevin?"

"He just got back. Went to his study." Benjamin waved a hand, unconcerned about Kevin's whereabouts. As he spoke, he moved toward the nearby sofa.

A small table sat in front of it, topped with a gilded porcelain teapot.

"There's black tea. Want some?"

Teddy raised a hand in polite refusal. "I'm just here to ask you and Kevin when you're planning to leave."

"We can go right now—" Benjamin was about to agree immediately.

But Kevin's voice cut him off.

"Tomorrow!"

The word came out rushed, as if he was terrified Benjamin would finish saying 'today.'

Teddy followed the sound and saw Kevin hurrying out from the other side of the suite.

He was fastening the buttons on his suit jacket—clearly he'd just stood up from a chair, having only just unbuttoned it before needing to button it back up again.

Kevin reached Teddy and extended his hand for a shake. "Mr. Parker."

"Hello, Kevin." Teddy's tone remained even. In less than a second, he'd sized up the man in front of him. He didn't miss the panic flickering in Kevin's eyes.

Years of military service had taught Teddy how to keep his face completely neutral.

He lowered his gaze silently, tucking away what he'd observed. He withdrew his hand, rubbing his fingers together lightly. "Kevin, do you have something that's going to hold you up?"

Kevin gestured for him to sit on the sofa, his face full of smiles.

"Yes, I just spoke with the aviation company. Due to air traffic control issues, the private jet can't take off today." Once Teddy sat down, Kevin launched into his explanation. "My assistant checked other transportation options, but none are as convenient as a private jet—and they'd all waste a lot of time in transit."

The explanation was perfectly reasonable. Even Benjamin, who'd been visibly disappointed, could only nod with regret.

"If that's the case, I suppose Mr. Russo and Ms. Seymour will just have to wait another day."

Hearing this, Teddy's gaze settled on Benjamin. The man's expression seemed genuine enough. He gave a slight nod. "Understood."

Kevin visibly relaxed at that.

Since they weren't leaving today, Teddy had no reason to stick around.

But before Teddy could leave, Kevin called out to him. "Mr. Parker, when did you arrive?"

Teddy stopped at the door and turned back. Hearing Kevin's question, his expression didn't change. "Just now."

His gaze locked onto Kevin's face.

But Kevin's expression remained steady. He just smiled and continued. "I also just got back. We both just arrived—what a shame we didn't run into each other downstairs."

Teddy thought back to what he'd seen in the lobby. A thread of suspicion stirred in his mind.

But he said nothing, just nodded lightly. "Bit of a shame, yeah."

Both men's words were airtight.

After leaving, Teddy immediately sent Sebastian a message.

But he only managed to type out that Kevin and the others planned to leave tomorrow before two men blocked his path.

His typing fingers paused. He lifted his eyes slightly and met the gaze of the person in front of him.

Teddy had just stepped out of the elevator.

He'd assumed these two wanted to get on and moved aside to let them pass—but they didn't budge.

That's when Teddy realized something was wrong.

But he didn't panic. He pocketed his phone, his gaze sweeping across their faces. Light hair, light eyes—clearly from a Nordic country.

Teddy had worked alongside Nordic muscle before. Which made him even less afraid.

"Can I help you?"

"You Teddy Parker?" The man on the left spoke first.

He was taller—a good half-head taller than Teddy.

"Yeah." Realizing these guys weren't friendly, Teddy raised an eyebrow and confirmed.

Hearing that, the man finally stepped aside—but clearly had no intention of letting Teddy leave. "Our boss wants to see you."

Teddy's brow furrowed. He hadn't brought a weapon today. A glance at their waistbands showed telltale bulges—definitely packing heat.

He sighed silently and followed them toward a black Bentley parked outside the hotel.