Page 130 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
Theresa’s condescending shrug reveals I just walked straight into her trap. She’s not only baiting me. She’s laying out traps left, right, and center. “I was hoping you’d elaborate on that for me, considering you were there when it happened.”
I shake my head, denying her false accusation. When she steps up to within an inch of my face, her rich-scented perfume makes my stomach swirl more.
“How many weeks did you sleep with a man you hardly knew?”
I stare her straight in the eyes before snarling, “I plead the fifth.”
I’m not usually a catty bitch—jealous, yes, bitchy, no—but Theresa makes me want to bring out my claws and scratch them down her obnoxious face.
Theresa’s eyes snap to the male agent who is watching our exchange with caution. “Let’s go, this tap has run dry.” For the first time ever, her smile appears genuine. “Ms. Brahn isn’t a viable asset. She's just ascluelessas the rest of us when it comes to Mr. Holt.”
I don’t give her the satisfaction of prying a reaction out of me. Instead, I fold my arms in front of my chest before returning her evil glare. Smirking like the smug bitch she is, she saunters to my front door, her hips swinging. The male agent shadows her, nodding farewell on the way by.
Just as she's about to exit, Theresa’s shoddy gaze turns to me. “Enjoy your weekend, Isabelle, because it may be the last one where you’re not sleeping in a four-by-four cell.”
CHAPTER16
ISAAC
When gravel crunching under tires rumbles through my ears, I lift my gaze, spotting a dark black sedan pulling in next to my Bugatti Veyron. It kicks up dust when it comes to a stop outside the warehouse I own. My jaw quivers when Theresa climbs out of the driver’s seat to saunter my way.
“Isaac Holt all alone on a Saturday morning, what are the odds?”
Her obnoxious smirk falters the instant my gray eyes glare at her. Stopping halfway between her car and mine, she crosses her arms in front of her chest, hoisting her fake breasts up high in her white blouse. Although she's dressed more casual than earlier this week, she's still on the job as her pistol is holstered on her hip.
“What do you want?”
My tone is short and clipped. I’m generally a tolerant person. I take the punches life inflicts as well as anyone else, but my back gets up when someone hounds an innocent who should have never been dragged into the saga to begin with. Theresa despised Isabelle on sight, and she's only targeting her because of me.
As Theresa moves in closer, she studies my body, which is leaning against the hood of my car. I’ve just finished working the bag in the derelict warehouse. I’m wearing black Nike gym shorts and cross- trainer shoes. I removed my sweat-drenched shirt and have it hanging over my right shoulder.
Once her heavy-lidded gaze returns to my face, I snarl, “Never going to happen.”
I drop my eyes back to my phone to see if I missed any calls from Hunter or Regan while I was working out. Upon seeing I don’t have any missed calls, I jog around my vehicle to dump my gym bag into the trunk. After slipping a dark blue t-shirt over my torso, I stride toward the driver’s side door.
“You think you're clever, but you'll slip up eventually.” Theresa’s tone is doused with arrogance.
“I don't think I'm clever, I know I am. You'll never find anything on me or anyone in my team as I always ensure my hands are thoroughly clean.”
Ray-Ban sunglasses cover her eyes, but I can feel them drifting over my face, absorbing every detail that makes the girls go weak at the knees.
“I just realized I forgot to thank you.” I stare into her mirrored glasses, which reflect my gray eyes. They’re darker than usual due to enlarged pupils.
Theresa swallows before her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. “For what?”
“For pointing out an oversight in my accounting.” My smirk picks up right along with my attitude. “Your invaluable information earned me thousands of dollars.”
Her head slopes to the side, apparently confused. “What information?”
“When you left my office, I realized I had heard of Ms. Brahn before.”
Theresa sucks in a quick breath that puffs her chest out.
“Once I dug a little deeper, I discovered Ms. Brahn is one of mymanytenants. During examinations of her account, my real estate agent found an oversight in the processing of her tenant application.”
She pulls off her sunglasses, so her icy blue eyes can glare into mine. “What kind of oversight?”
“My real estate agent failed to lodge Ms. Brahn’s application for expenses contributing to her move. Since she relocated to Ravenshoe for work, she had her rent reduced for the first twelve months. Because of your due diligence, my real estate agent has now lodged her application. The Bureau contacted my agent earlier today, and they’ve assured us Ms. Brahn’s backdated rent will be paid into my account by the end of the month.” A smug grin curls my lips high. “So, Ms. Brahn’s rental statement now reflects she was indeed paying the full andfairamount for her apartment.”
