Page 62 of Enigma: The Final Chapter
My mind spirals. How can I prove I know Isaac without breaking his trust? Everything he’s shared with me has been done in confidence, so I will not break his trust just to prove a point.
“I’m not falling into your trap. I’m not going to unwittingly incriminate Isaac.”
Alex twists his lips. “So you’re admitting he undertakes in criminal activities.”
“I didn’t say that.” My angry voice bounces off the whitewashed walls.
“You didn’t need to. The truth is all over your face. You know he’s a criminal just as well as I do.”
“You're a real piece of work,” I snarl, rising from my chair. “First, you exploited Regan, a woman wholovedyou, all to get a fancy glass office, and now you're doing the same thing to me. I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Alex.”
He abruptly stands from his chair with his fists clenched into balls at his side. “Sit down, Isabelle.” When I ignore his request by snagging my satchel off the floor, he shouts louder, “Sit down!”
His cheeks are bright red, his chest thrusting up and down with every inhalation he takes. He isn’t the only one angry. I'm beyond ropeable, blood roaring through my body so fast, my cheeks are flushed.
“This meeting is over. If you wish to speak to me again, you’ll need to go through Brandon, the union representative for our division.” My tone is surprisingly calm for how much my stomach is swirling.
My brisk strides to the door halt when Alex snarls, “Brandon doesn’t work for this division of the FBI anymore.”
“What?” I breathlessly question, peering back at him.
“Foolish mistakes cause statutory consequences. You can’t side with criminals and not expect repercussions for your actions.”
Disbelief covers my face. “You're making a mistake, Alex. You’re so blinded by jealousy, you’re not seeing things clearly.”
“I'm not the one blinded.” He steps around his desk. “I'm trying to stop you from making a foolhardy mistake. To get you out of his clutches before you’re buried so deep you’ll never get out.”
“It’s too late. I’m already in that deep. I love him, Alex, and nothing you’ll say will change that.”
He laughs his scary witch-like cackle that sends nerves scuttling through my body.
I roll my eyes and continue with my pursuit to the door, my fast strides stopping when he discloses, “Isaac is working with Vladimir Popov.”
I'm paralyzed in shock, my hand gripping the door handle for dear life. Surely, I didn’t hear him right. There's no way Isaac would work with my father. He knows how much I despise him. He knows what a monster he is. He wouldn’t betray me like that.
“He made an illegal transfer to Vladimir’s enterprise for the amount of two point four million dollars.”
I pivot around to face Alex, my footing unsteady since I'm unable to secure a full breath. “Isaac doesn’t have any dealings with Vladimir. You must be mistaken.”
The harshness in Alex’s eyes softens when he spots tears pricking in mine. He yanks open the bottom drawer of his desk to pull out an FBI folder. He hesitates for only a second before he hands me the document wallet. My hand shakes when I flip it open. There is a heap of surveillance photos inside. The first thing my vision zooms in on is Isaac sitting at a table across from a gentleman I’ve seen in many photos the past few months. His face is familiar, but his name has slipped my mind.
“That’s Albert Sokolov.” Alex’s tone has returned to a normal level. “He's Vladimir Popov’s number two man.”
I nod, recalling seeing his face in the records I scanned into the FBI database. With my heart on lockdown, I flip past the photos to a document that shows a series of money transfers.
“It took a lot of work tracking their payments through the numerous channels they used. They kept the transfers under ten thousand dollars not to trigger an alert, but I linked the original transfers from business accounts of Isaac’s to an associate of Vladimir’s.”
Remaining quiet, I scan the information unable to form a response to what I'm seeing much less Alex’s comments.
The next lot of surveillance photos show Isaac climbing the stairs of a private jet. With the distinctive buildings in the background, it isn’t hard to unearth he’s in Las Vegas. My heart painfully squeezes when I take in the date displayed in the bottom corner. It’s the day I went to the gala with Brandon, the same morning Isaac was too busy to take my call when I was frantic about Clara’s allegations.
After snapping the folder shut, I hand it back to Alex. As my mind struggles to unjumble the information overloaded in it, I keep my gaze focused on a speckle of dust on Alex’s desk. My breath snags halfway to my lungs when my engagement ring glistens in the afternoon sun. I twirl it around my finger, recalling the glimmer Isaac’s eyes held when I agreed to become his wife. There has to be more to this story than what’s displayed in front of me. Isaac would never hurt me like this. He loves me, and I trust him.
“Thank you for sharing this information with me, but I trust Isaac. He’d never hurt me like this.” My words are strong even though I feel anything but.
Alex’s top lip twitches. “Isabelle, don’t be foolish. You need to get out of his stranglehold and investigate this more thoroughly.”
“I will. I’m going to. Just not here.” I gesture my hand around his office. “I have to go.”
