Page 6 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

Wyatt: Friend, why are you not in the breaking room with us?

Drew: Break room. Is it something we said? It’s Janet’s fault, right?

Arthur: Why does the microwave still hate me?

Janet: Calm down. Our colleague has a lunch appointment.

Wyatt: Is he having relations in the janitor’s closet like Arthur and Ricardo?

Janet: I hope so!

Janet: Arthur, can you grab paper towels next time you’re in there?

Arthur: I’m firing you all.

I reached the water feature in front of the building.

The geometric design stood almost twenty feet tall, water splashing from one level to the next.

When they refurbished the grounds, Ricardo made sure there were plenty of spaces for employees to work outside.

It was nice in theory, at least until the birds chirped at a frequency breaking through my noise-cancelling headphones.

“I like to stop here each morning.”

I turned to find Hudson eyeing the top of the water fountain.

The brown of his beard made me wonder if he dyed it, perhaps at the suggestion of Witness Protection?

It faded perfectly along the sides before reaching his cropped hair.

The buzz cut could be a sign of a former life in the military.

Had he seen something while deployed that required them to squirrel him away in the mailroom?

As I studied his expression, my theories drowned in thoughts of touching him.

I shouldn’t be this taken after an awkward exchange.

I appreciated his straightforward statements, as if they curtailed my skepticism.

While his past might be cloaked in mystery, I wanted to talk with the man about the here and now.

“I like the sound of water splashing. It’s soothing,” I said.

The white noise from the fountain was my favorite part of the landscaping. It drowned out the wireless signals and nearby electronics. Outside the Dead Zone, it was the closest I could get to peaceful .

Hudson had an expression that reminded me of Wyatt whenever he snuck a piece of chocolate. I didn’t get alien vibes, at least not yet. When he blinked, his eyes lingered shut, and I knew we enjoyed the rush of water for the same reasons.

I struggled to come up with small talk. It didn’t come easily, especially not when I had already read every available file on him.

Connie made me promise not to start with an interrogation.

The fact that I listened to dating advice from my computer could be a sign that I needed more human interaction.

“So… you got a promotion?” Easy topic. We worked in the same building. Harmless conversation.

“Yes! Now, I’m allowed to leave the mailroom.” He laughed. “Sub-basement three is boring. Sorting mail goes in the ‘Not Fun’ column. At least now I get to chat with people.” He pointed at the taco truck, leading the way. “Handsome people at that,” he said over his shoulder.

Did he mean the two ladies working in the taco truck, or me? Did this constitute as flirting? Did I flirt back? What if?—

“You’re handsome, too.” Did that come out as desperate as it sounded?

Had I balanced sincerity with admiration, or did I kick off our date by shoving my foot in my mouth?

“I mean… you’re handsome.” It wasn’t getting better.

“In an attractive sort of way.” I needed a villain’s death ray to pu lverize me before I opened my mouth again. “I’m going to stop talking now.”

“Why?” He gave me a curious glance as I caught up to him. “I’ve never made somebody flustered.” He thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, that definitely goes on the list.”

If it wasn’t for the scruffy beard hiding my cheeks, the Martians would see them turn red from their lunar base.

Connie and I were ready to take down secret organizations and put an end to corruption, but telling Hudson that I found him attractive put me on my heels.

It’d be easier if he were part of one of my conspiracies.

Who knows, he could still turn out to be a clone?

Glancing at the menu attached to the side of the truck, he hemmed and hawed. “I’ve never had Mexican food before.”

The alien theory was back on the table. “No tacos?”

He shook his head.

“Quero? Camel?”

“Nope. I’m excited to try.”

For a moment, I thought he might be joking.

However, the enthusiasm on his face spoke for itself.

Where had he been locked away that denied him the wonders of Mexican street food?

“Okay, then.” Time to rock his world. “I hope you’re ready to have the best food of your life.

Taco! Taco! Taco! has a killer burrito. ”

“Not tacos?”

“That’s what they want you to believe.” Took me two months of Tuesdays to figure out their plan.

Once I found their secret menu online, there was no turning back.

I dreamt of their burritos. If I were going to introduce Hudson to Mexican cuisine, I wanted to knock his socks off. Well… his socks and maybe his pants.

“Do you trust me?”

Trust meant risk. My default answer had always been no.

It wasn’t something I gave freely, even to those I knew personally.

Wyatt and Drew were the closest thing I had to family.

Did I trust them? Enough. Connie might be the only person I’d trust without hesitation.

It was one of the things I was still discussing with my company-appointed therapist.

“Should I have a reason not to?”

Ah. He was one of those types. I silenced my inner critic, shoving the judgement as deep as I could. Not exactly as Kiki instructed, but it’d do in a pinch. I’d like to believe it fell into the category of personal growth.

I stood at the window. A young woman leaned out, eyeing my new friend. She gave me a wink, and then doubled down with an exaggerated wink. Was everybody nothing more than a sack of flesh controlled by hormones?

“The kid’s nachos.”

Her eyes narrowed. “The flag waves without wind .

“The flower blooms without rain.”

She nodded, accepting the secret phrase. “Two El Diablo Burritos, coming up.”

Each week it changed, and I found myself on their website piecing together hidden clues.

At first, I thought it was a clever marketing tactic.

While searching for an online forum about Vanguard's best-known villains, I spotted the username El Diablo Bur.

After a little investigating, I discovered it belonged to one of the sisters.

They, too, were truth seekers with their own agenda.

I respected their approach. Connie had them in my contacts as “Possible Allies.”

She handed me a bag. “May he have mercy on your soul.”

When I turned, Hudson’s eyes were wide and his mouth agape. “What just happened? Are you buying drugs?” The disbelief on his face only made him cuter. What would he say if I introduced him to the secret world hiding in plain sight?

“Only if you’re into sniffing hot sauce.”

“I mean, maybe? I haven’t tried that either. But let’s start with burritos.” His nose scrunched up as he thought about it. “I take it back. That just sounds painful.”

Something about Hudson struck me as na?ve.

Who in Vanguard hadn’t tried Taco! Taco!

Taco!, let alone Mexican cuisine. This man must have had a sheltered upbringing.

We walked to a picnic table where I laid out the burritos.

He took a seat opposite me, his foot bumping into mine.

I hid the smile as I thought about playing footsie like a smitten teenager.

We unraveled the tinfoil in unison. I held my burrito up in a toast. The first bite came with an explosion of flavor, the heat clearing my sinuses.

Hudson’s eyes lit up, and he let out little moans while he chewed.

Before I could ask him if he liked it, he went in for another bite, and then another.

I liked a man with a solid appetite. It led to a belly, and who could say no to those?

He covered his mouth while he enthusiastically chewed. “This is the best date ever.”

No air quotes. My investigation had been bogarted, and now I was one-half of a genuine bona fide date. I didn’t hate it. Connie had been right. Seeing the enthusiasm as he stuffed more in his mouth was almost enough to wipe away the stain left by Jared.

I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression…

but that smile. It stretched from ear to ear, pure, unadulterated glee.

I couldn’t ruin his day. It had been so long since I went on a date, a genuine ‘let’s get to know each other’ situation, that I stumbled over my words.

Asking him if he had seen suspicious packages coming into the building didn’t meet the standards of small talk.

I tried to think of the files and what little intel I had on the man .

“Do you like working here?” His question came across as innocent, and his smile didn’t fade. Did he want intelligence on the company? Was he a secret operative…

Deep breath.

Kiki would suggest I take it at face value. No conspiracy, no double meanings, just a simple request with the potential of friendship. My next therapy session was going to be loaded with questions, and for once, I wouldn’t be asking if she worked for MI6.

“I do.” Good start. Now add a personal detail. “I got hired to help Arthur with the code for the HeroApp?. He’s a fine coder, but—” I chuckled, recalling the first time I dove into the backend of the app. “—he needed help.”

“I have thirteen so far.” Did he speak in code? He reached into his pocket and produced his cell phone. Sliding it across the table, I recognized the Rogue Gallery of superheroes in our app. “I’m trying to find Prime. But he doesn’t stay long after he saves the day.”

Thirteen? I rarely used the feature, and I was already in the high double digits. Vanguard had become a hotbed of super activity, both good and bad. Only having thirteen made sense for a tween with a new phone. Perhaps he came from a small town in Maine with no Wi-Fi?

“I see you have Mr. Supreme.” Wyatt would blush when I told him. “Wait.” I zoomed in on the photo. He didn’t just have a photo of Wyatt in his costume; he had posed with the big guy. With both of their hands on their hips, they looked like they could be the next superhero team-up.

“I can’t believe you made this. Was it hard?”

Not for a technopath. “More time-consuming than hard. I love it, though. It’s like a giant puzzle, and I get to figure out where the pieces go.” Good job. Now turn the conversation around on him. “How about yourself? Do you like Synergy?” Kiki made it sound like socializing required skill.

He shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. It’s my first job… sort of.” Filing that away for further investigation. “I like the office staff, but the researchers are not the friendliest people. They’re not rude, but they really like to hide in their labs and do their secret experiments.”

He stared at the building, and I swore I could hear the hum of code radiating from him.

With a quick glance, I couldn’t find where it came from.

He didn’t have any obvious implants, nor mechanical limbs.

I eyed his cell phone, brushing a finger against the screen.

I could hear the machine, a run-of-the-mill generic cellphone.

Curious. Hudson might be a straight shooter, but he also had a mystery I wanted to unravel.

“I’ve freelanced at Synergy a few times. They’re kind of?—”

“Boring. Lackluster. Incapable of having fun.”

“I know that feeling,” I said. Work consumed my life, both of them .

Hudson swallowed the last of his burrito. “I don’t know. We’re at work and I’m having fun.”

There was no hiding the heat intensifying on my face.

I hid in my burrito, taking the last few bites.

When I looked up from the table, he had that grin again.

The dab of sour cream on his beard only made him more adorable.

I handed him a napkin, pointing to his face.

Instead of wiping it away, he tried reaching for it with his tongue.

“Did I get it?”

I snorted as he gave it his damndest. “Me too.” When he raised an eyebrow, tongue still wagging, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.

“I’m having fun.” Fun hadn’t been the goal, but it seemed my priorities had shifted.

When was the last time I muttered those words?

It didn’t stop the nagging feeling that something about Hudson required more research.

Though, instead of scouring databases and security cameras, I might need to give this a personal touch.

“Should we head back?” I asked, not wanting it to end.

He shook his head. “Not until we’ve had dessert!” He eagerly went digging in his pockets, producing two plastic baggies filled with trail mix. I could see he favored the chocolate morsels over the nuts. Wyatt would be in love.

“Who can say no to this bounty?”

“Now…” He slid a bag across the picnic table. “Tell me your favorite places in Vanguard.”

This wasn’t an interrogation anymore. This was me, smiling like an idiot.

I expected to get as much information out of him as possible.

He didn’t filter. Didn’t scheme. Instead, it morphed into a lunch date between employees.

He asked with such an energetic tone that it almost wiped away my need to figure out his place on the wall. For now, I’d play along.

“Let me tell you about Skye’s Arcade and Pizzeria…”