Page 157 of Discretion at Its Finest

The tension in the room had grown thick, but for reasons no one quite knew. However, from the corner of my eye, Blaine had gone still. Gone was the playful demeanor and idiotic glances he had annoyed Shin with. There were no more theatrics. He was simply quiet… watching our interaction.

He squinted as he tilted his head. It would have been comical had it not been aimed at me.

He pointed between Calvin and me.

“…Something’s off.”

Shin immediately put a hand to Blaine’s shoulder. “Don’t start.”

But Blaine shrugged him off firmly as Killian remained unreadable, watching everything without blinking.

Calvin huffed a laugh, dismissive. “You must forgive Porter.” He shook his head, eyes showing genuine sympathy. “He’s always had schizophrenic tendencies.”

“I do not!” he screamed, standing to his full height as Masahiko ran a hand through his hair, stressed.

“Blaine… what now?” Killian muttered.

Blaine shook his head. “I’m getting a sixth sense about something… It’s like my spider senses are tingling.”

“And you expect any of us to rely on your intuition?” Calvin asked, bemused.

As if a lightbulb went off in that dark abyss that was his head, Blaine’s eyes widened, casting his gaze back and forth as his hands rose to his mouth.

“Oh shit… oh shit—”

“Blaine—” Shin attempted, but Blaine shook his head.

“They know each other.”

The revelation was abrupt.

Calvin let out a small, carefully curated laugh, dismissive and patronizing. But no one seemed to register it. All the attention was on me as I took another sip of whiskey, this time letting the burn linger on my tongue.

“Well…” Calvin drawled lightly. “I suppose the cat is out of the bag.”

Chapter fifty-nine

Reid

“I’m like a prophet, you know,” Porter continued, already winding himself up. “Fucking call me a psychic, a damn fortune teller at that—”

“Blaine,” Killian interrupted, and he went silent.

God, I don’t know how he tolerates him.

“You two have history…?” Killian asked.

Calvin responded smoothly, “History is a rather… flexible term for the arrangement Reid and I had.”

“And what kind of arrangement was it?”

Calvin’s eyes slid to me, like he needed permission. I didn’t give him any.

But he talked anyway. “While Mr. Kaufman was in hiding…” he began lightly, “tensions in the Newman family were on the rise. A daughter making headlines, a son returning from the army, a family filled with revenge… he couldn’t sit back and watch any longer; he needed someone on the inside. Someone to keep tabs on Brielle. On Eugene. Someone… impartial. Someone with reach.” He paused. “Someone desperate enough to accept the risks.”

“Mmh,” Blaine hummed loudly into his fist. “Suspicious.” Shin elbowed him hard enough that he wheezed.

“And you,” Killian said softly, “were the man for that job?”