Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 296

Duke and Teddy were old acquaintances. Even a single glance was enough to convey meaning. He gave an awkward laugh and reached for the spoon in Teddy's hand.

"Misunderstanding. All a misunderstanding."

He smiled, completely relaxed in front of an old friend.

The food he hadn't touched earlier had already been cleared away, but Teddy still caught a faint whiff of decay. He frowned slightly, genuinely confused. "Not eating—trying to starve yourself to death?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the sound of aggressive eating broke out beside him.

He glanced over. Duke was hunched over the table, shoveling food into his mouth like he wanted to choke himself.

Teddy lit a cigarette. Thanks to Scarlett, he'd followed Sebastian's lead and quit for nearly four months. Now he only dared light up under the pretense of interrogation.

Cigarette between his fingers, he watched Duke eat in silence, waiting for the right moment. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and tapped his fingers on the table. "Slow down. Are you trying to eat or kill yourself?"

Duke's frantic eating paused. With greasy hands, he grabbed the soup bowl and drained it in one gulp. "Nothing beats Lumaria food."

Teddy didn't respond. He just leaned back lazily in his chair, watching Duke eat, biding his time.

When the meal was almost gone, Teddy took a drag and spoke casually. "Know Averly Stafford?"

The name made Duke's head snap up. His mouth was still full of food, his words coming out garbled. "How do you know about her?"

Duke's reaction told Teddy everything—though just knowing they were connected wasn't exactly a breakthrough.

Teddy stayed put at the table, quietly watching Duke wipe his hands with a warm towel.

"How do you know about her?"

Duke seemed to have lost his appetite completely. The warm towel kept shifting shapes in his hands until the heat faded. He wiped his mouth and tossed it aside carelessly.

Teddy's gaze followed it briefly before sliding back. "She approached me. Asked me to put in a good word for you with Mr. Russo."

Such a naive statement made Duke snort. He kept his head down, refusing to meet Teddy's eyes, and muttered quietly, "Idiot."

Teddy didn't react to the cursing.

"She seems pretty into you." His tone was conversational, like friends shooting the breeze. "She likes you, doesn't she?"

As Teddy asked, something sly flickered across his usually blank expression. From the corner of his eye, he watched Duke's jaw clench tight, the bone jutting out near his back molars. Then Duke sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"God... that fool..."

That reaction said it all.

Teddy looked away, eyebrows lifting. "Then you're pretty lucky."

Duke caught the teasing note and shot him a look. "Lucky? You know her father wants to skin me alive and feed me to the wolves, right?"

"So he had you kill Ms. Seymour?" Teddy picked up the thread smoothly, his tone even more amused.

But Duke's next words sent ice flooding through his veins.

"Kill? I don't recall admitting to that." Duke's eyes went dark as they locked onto Teddy's. "My assignment was to 'take' Scarlett Seymour. As for the rest—I don't know anything about it."

'Take?' Just 'take?'

Teddy's pulse kicked into overdrive. His soldier's instinct screamed that there was far more to this than Duke was letting on—but he couldn't piece it together yet. He filed it away silently.

Duke clearly knew Teddy had come to extract information. He spread his hands. "I honestly don't know much. But if you really want answers, tell your boss to find a girl named Adeline Morgan."

That name made Teddy's head jerk up, his gaze sharp as a blade, his voice ringing out. "Who did you say?"

This was only the second time Duke had seen Teddy react like this. The first was when he'd insisted on becoming a mercenary after recovering at the base. The second was now.

"Adeline Morgan."

He realized the name was a major breakthrough. He spoke slowly, enunciating each syllable as clearly as possible.

Teddy inhaled deeply. His hand curled slightly against his knee. "Have you seen her?"

"Who? Adeline?" Duke didn't seem to notice Teddy's tension. He looked over, tone relaxed. "Nope. Just overheard it. That Adeline seems pretty important to them, though."

Hearing that, Teddy nodded once. Then he pulled out his phone and messaged Sebastian right in front of Duke.

Duke didn't stop him. He took a sip of water. "How much did she offer you?"

The question had no clear subject, but Teddy understood immediately. "No idea. I didn't take it."

"You're such a Boy Scout." Duke smiled like he'd expected as much, his tone teasing. "Me? I'm not that lucky. After spilling this much, who knows when I'll catch a bullet."

But Teddy smiled back. "Relax. You're good at what you do. Now tell me—who do you work for?"

"Hans Stafford." Duke didn't hesitate, throwing the name out immediately. Then he leaned in slightly. "Hey, if I just walk out of here, there's no telling how I'll end up dead."

In front of Teddy, Duke didn't need to spell things out.

Teddy studied him, tone calm. "That depends on how much you can give me."

Half an hour later, Teddy emerged with a report—and a request. "Duke wants to make a phone call."

When he delivered the report, Sebastian was playing indoor golf with Marco in the next room.

Hearing Teddy's words, Sebastian didn't even look up. "Have Tommy give him a phone. You supervise."

Teddy nodded and left quickly.

Marco happened to be taking a break. He casually picked up the report Teddy had brought. The moment he started reading, he bolted upright. "Jacob!"

Right as he shouted, Sebastian swung his club. Even with Marco's sudden outburst behind him, Sebastian's form didn't waver.

The perfect shot sent the announcer into raptures.

Sebastian returned the club to its rack and walked over to Marco. "What's wrong?"

Marco was still flipping through the file. At Sebastian's question, his eyes lit up brighter and brighter. He looked up at Sebastian, waving the thin report around carelessly. "This is all evidence of his financial crimes!"

Hearing that, Sebastian took it to review. By the end, even his perpetually cold expression cracked into a smile. "A bodyguard knows all this?"

"Bodyguards are the closest, aren't they?" Marco spread his hands helplessly.

Both of them had employed bodyguards for years. They knew exactly what kind of intel bodyguards could access.

"Looks like this Duke is done with the bodyguard life." Sebastian tapped the report, then forwarded it to Mark while he talked. "Or maybe he's using this as his pledge of loyalty."

But Marco scoffed. "Who'd dare hire him?"

Employers loved bodyguards who kept their mouths shut. Someone like Duke? No one would touch him again.