Page 135 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
“I’m still your frien—”
“Don’t even go there, Hugo. You'renoteven close to being my friend.”
Hugo has a rough exterior, but the cheeky gleam in his eyes dampens from my harsh words. “Everything I said the past week was true.” Hugo keeps his tone low, hoping Brandon won’t overhear his confession. “Whether you believe it or not, I’m your friend. Everything I’ve been doing is to help you.”
Out of the blue, a cell phone rings, startling me so much my heart almost leaps out of my chest.
As Hugo’s hand slips into his jeans pocket, he grins. “I'd say that's for you.”
Unappreciative of his disappearing hands, Brandon redraws his gun. With his vibrating cell phone halfway out of his pocket, Hugo cocks his head to the side. “Easy there, blondie. If you keep drawing your gun on me, I’ll be forced to retaliate.”
Snubbing the fact he has a gun pointed at him, Hugo hands me his phone. It’s an ancient-looking cell that requires me to flip open the screen to answer it. My knees weaken when the seductive purr of Isaac sounds down the line a mere second after I squash it to my ear. “You drew your gun on one of my staff members?”
I swallow the lump in my throat before nodding. “Yes.” I hate the nerves projected in my short reply, but in my defense, adrenaline is surging through my body so hard and fast, thinking rationally is above my caliber right now.
Isaac remains quiet, but I can hear his jaw ticking. I keep my gaze planted on the asphalt, not needing to look up to know Hugo and Brandon are watching me. Their heated gazes are all the indication I need to know they’re spying on me.
After a short period of silence, Isaac speaks, “You had a tail—”
“I know, hence the drawing of my gun.”
My attitude gets nipped in the bud when Isaac snaps, “It wasn’t Hugo, Isabelle. It was a white Range Rover that’s been following you the past week.” Although his tone is stern, nothing can take away the concern in his rough and rugged voice. “Hugo ran a decoy to get them off your tail.”
“What?” My hand not clutching my phone shoots up to cradle my neck. My pulse is racing so fast, I’m afraid I might burst an artery. I was so concerned about the dark blue sedan, I didn’t check my surroundings for an additional threat. “I have a lady from the Internal Affairs Department investigating me.”
“I know.” Isaac’s tone is less harsh. “But the plates on the Range Rover aren’t government-issued. I have my security team looking into whom the car belongs to, but for the time being, Isabelle, Hugo will be your shadow.”
My heart plummets into my stomach when I hear something he didn't mean to express. “Do you think it’s Col?”
He sighs heavily. “I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances. I promised to protect you, so that's what I'll do.”
Even though he can’t see me, I nod. He isn’t the cold-hearted, ruthless man everyone makes him out to be. He told me he’d keep me safe, and I trust he’ll follow through with his pledge, even if he can’t stand the sight of me.
“For once, please do as you're told, Isabelle, and don’t let Hugo out of your sight,” Isaac requests before disconnecting our call. Although his voice was clipped, his request still came out more like a plea than a demand.
In a blur of confusion—and a slight haze of lust—I attempt to hand Hugo’s phone back to him. He shakes his head before he commences gathering his possessions from inside his car. My brain is so fried, I can’t get any words to form in my mind, let alone spill from my lips. Brandon seems just as perplexed. His handsome face is stained with uncertainty, and his eyes are flicking between Hugo and me.
The only one who doesn’t look like a stunned mullet is Hugo. Without seeking permission, he exits his vehicle then cockily strides to Brandon’s. My mouth gaps when he slides into the driver’s seat. He pushes it back as far as it can go, ensuring his large build can fit comfortably.
Once he has made himself at home, I drift my eyes to Brandon. “I’m sorry, Brandon.” I have no clue what I’m apologizing about. It just seemed like the right thing to do, so I ran with it. “I understand if you want to turn around and go back to Ravenshoe.”
My suggestion is met with awkward silence. I never knew thirty seconds could feel like a lifetime until now.
“I know this is hard for you to understand, but Isaac is trying to protect me—”
“From what?” Brandon interjects, his voice loud. “Himself?”
Even though I’m mad at his snapped tone, I shelf my retaliation. He has a right to be angry. I just put him in a horrible predicament.
“Six weeks ago, I was threatened by Col Petretti.”
Brandon’s brows draw together as his eyes dance between mine.
“Isaac said a tail has been following me the past week.”
Nothing but panic is heard in his tone when he asks, “Does Isaac think it’s Col?”
I halfheartedly shrug. “He doesn’t know, but he doesn’t want to take any chances either. That’s why he wants Hugo to join us.”
