Page 54 of Enigma: The Final Chapter
I arch my brow, requesting further information.
“Theresa is…” He stops talking, unable to articulate a word to describe her.
“A vindictive bitch. Yep, I'm aware of that.”
He snickers. “Yes, that and a few other choice words.”
He steps closer to me until his breath flutters my lips. “She lost her position at Ravenshoe PD because she not only broke into my apartment on several occasions, she also used undercover officers for her personal benefit.”
My interests are immensely piqued, but I remain quiet, waiting for him to elaborate on his answer.
“She placed undercover officers in my clubs under the assumption they were to net me in a drug sting. She falsified documents, so it looked like she was investigating an illegal drug circuit that wasallegedlybeing run by my clubs, all to secure my DNA.”
I blink several times in a row, utterly confused. “What benefit would she get from that? Even if you were arrested, she couldn’t have requested your DNA without a legitimate reason. Drug trafficking isn’t a valid reason for needing DNA unless you were convicted of the crime. But even then, no judge would be eager to sign off on a warrant if you refused to supply your DNA. So putting them undercover was fruitless if her ruse was only to get your DNA.”
He coughs to clear his throat. “The undercover officers were all blonde and under the age of twenty-eight.”
My brows furrow even closer. “I still don’t understand.”
He arches his brow. “They were all attractive andfemale.”
Like the sun rising in the sky, lucidity forms. I swallow to clear the lump in my throat. “Did you… umm… sleep with the undercover officers?”
“No,” he replies with a swift shake of his head. “I have a knack for reading people, and I could tell something wasn’t quite right with them.”
I release the breath I'm holding in.
“But even if I weren't suspicious, I would’ve neverleft a used condom lying around. I'm smarter than that. Well, I was, until you arrived in the picture. You completely blindsided me.”
He drags his index finger down my screwed-up nose. I should be angry we’re discussing his previous sexual encounters, but I’m not. Even though I hate the idea of him with anyone else, I appreciate that he's being forthright and honest.
“How did you find out they were undercover officers?”
“Hunter,” he says like that one response should answer all my questions.
I stare into his eyes, still confused.
“He’s a brilliant researcher and hacker.”
Oh.
“Have you ever considered arranging your own paternity test?”
He nods. “Yes, but not because I believe Jeremiah is mine, but because I want to refute Theresa’s claims. Theresa never attended the appointments I scheduled. She always had an excuse. Jeremiah was sick, he had a temperature, or she had to work. After the fifth attempt, I gave up.”
“She made excuses as she knew what the results would be.”
“That I’m not his father.” He brushes a wayward hair off my cheek before his eyes turn back to mine. “She thought she was clever. She designed one of the most arduous ruses I’ve dealt with. She even slept with a man with a cleft chin to make her ruse more believable, but I'm smarter than her, and I know without a doubt he isn’t my son.”
My heart aches for little Jeremiah. He's caught in a battle he doesn’t belong in, but my anger on his behalf isn’t directed at Isaac. It’s wholly directed at Theresa. She's his mother, his blood. She should be sheltering him from matters like this, not using him as a pawn to force a man to interreact with her.
“I was a witness in Theresa’s incompetency hearing, but only on the agreement that my testimony was sealed. I didn’t want my personal information readily available to anyone who has access to a computer. They were lenient on Theresa at my request because she was pregnant with Jeremiah. I had her sign a non-disclosure agreement that she could not discuss anything pertaining to Jeremiah’s paternity case or the hearing on the agreement she resigned from her position. If I'd known she could join the FBI, I would’ve stipulated harsher terms to our agreement.”
“So she doesn’t know you’re sterile?”
“No, my testimony was done in private. Other than you, Regan, Jae, and Avery, no one else is aware.” His jaw muscles spasm. “Well, no one elsewasaware.” Air escapes his flaring nostrils. “Ryan informed me this morning that Alex is aware of Theresa’s claims.” The tick in his jaw amplifies. “There's only one way Alex could have found out that information.”
I try to suffocate the look of guilt on my face, but Isaac is too perceptive to miss it. His lips straighten as he glares into my eyes. “You know about Regan and Alex?”
