Page 152 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
“I'll drive you out to the cabin, then I'll head back to Ravenshoe to update my guy.” Hugo shifts his focus to Brandon, who is standing at his right. “Brandon will stay here until the authorities arrive. He has assured me he won’t mention that we were here.”
Brandon nods. “I’ll tell them I was conducting further investigations on Megan as part of your case.” Nervousness is heard in his tone. I don’t know if he’s scared or worried. Considering he’s peering at Isabelle, I’d say it is the latter. “I’ll take care of everything here as long as you promise to look after her. I still recall the first time I saw a dead body. I’ll never forget it, and my discovery wasn’t as gruesome as that.”
I tilt my head to Isabelle. She's no longer looking up at the sky. Her beautiful eyes are locked on me. When she notices she’s captured my attention, her lips curve into an uneasy smile.
“I’ll take care of her.” Eager to get things wrapped up, I devote my focus back to Hunter. “Call Ryan to give him the latest. It’s out of his jurisdiction, and most likely a suicide, but I don’t want him in the dark. He has resources the rest of us don’t, and he owes me, so if the need arises, I’ll call in a favor.”
“All right.” Hunter jerks up his chin before straying his eyes to the horizon. “But we should get moving before we lose the opportunity.”
I nod. Sirens are growing louder with every second that passes. Hugo and Hunter shake hands before sliding into their transportation of choice, leaving me standing across from a man who falsely believes he cares for Isabelle as much as I do. He’s wrong because nothing could compare to the feelings I have for her. They’re irrepressible and unexplainable.
“I'll ensure you're compensated for your assistance with this matter.”
Brandon’s lips crimp. “Thanks, but payment isn’t necessary. I don’t do this for money.”
I halfheartedly nod. “Then, I guess I'll owe you.”
“That’s got to be more valuable than any monetary amount, surely.” Even though his comment could be construed as witty, his tone doesn’t allude to that. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Isaac.”
When I accept the hand he’s holding out, I’m shocked by how firm his handshake is. He seems a little too timid to pull off such a firm shake. “Likewise.”
After a final glance at Megan’s house, I slide into the back seat of my town car. My mind is jumbled with the diverse range of situations I’ve been hammering with it the past two months. So much is happening in my private life right now. If I don’t stop and assess each task, mistakes are bound to happen. By sticking with my original plan of taking Isabelle to my cabin in the foothills of the mountain, it’ll give me a chance to evaluate everything while also taking care of her. It will also bide some time for Hunter and his team to trace who placed the equipment in Isabelle’s apartment before she returns there.
As Hugo glides my car down the dusty driveway, I seize Isabelle’s wrist and carefully pull her over to sit side-straddled on my lap. She plasters her body as close to mine as possible before burrowing her nose into my neck.
The pulse beeping through her body is heard in her words when she murmurs, “The academy tries to prepare you for stuff like this, but nothing can prepare you for the smell. It was…” A shiver runs through her body before her tears wet the collar of my shirt. “I can still smell it on my skin.”
Hugo’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. After a swift lift of my chin, he raises the privacy partition without a word spilling from my lips. Once the barrier is in place, I undo the top three buttons of my business shirt before tugging it out of my trousers.
Isabelle’s tear-filled eyes stare into mine. “I… can’t.”
“I’m only going to hold you, baby,” I promise, staring into her glistening eyes. “I’ll remove the smell from your skin with my own. Then, once we arrive at the cabin, I’ll wash it all away.”
After sucking in a shaky breath, she nods. Because of the confines of the backseat, she has to assist in yanking her tight jeans down her shaking thighs. Once they’re dumped onto the floor, I raise her long-sleeve shirt over her head. Her hair flicks out a mere second before it falls down her back in dark, shiny waves.
Once she’s in nothing but her bra and panties, I draw her back into my chest. She splays her body into mine, every soft curve melting against me. When she trembles as if she is cold, I snag my jacket from the floor to cover her shoulders and back. She's shaking more from shock than the temperature. Hugo turned the heat up the instant he raised the barrier, but I’m happy to pretend she’s cold if it keeps her tears at bay.
In silence, I glide my hand up and down her back, offering her wordless comfort. The scene she just witnessed was horrific, and the smell was unlike anything I’ve ever sampled before, so I can comprehend her shocked reaction. Yes, she's a federal agent, but she's still a human being. I'd be more concerned if she weren't reacting the way she is. Only a woman without a heart would witness something so horrific and not react.
By the time we arrive at my cabin, Isabelle has stopped shuddering, and she managed a few hours of restless sleep in my arms. My eyes float to the privacy partition when Hugo lowers it down an inch. “Give me a few minutes to scope the premises.”
I nod, acknowledging his request. “Make it quick.”
The deep rumble of my voice causes Isabelle to stir, but when Hugo closes his door with more force than needed, her head rises off my chest. She scans our location for a few seconds before the faintest smile creeps onto her lips.
Noticing angry black marks careening down her cheeks, I lick my thumb before rubbing it under her eyes, clearing away the smears of mascara formed there. Once all the evidence of her tears has been removed, my thumb lowers to the cupid’s bow in her lip. My touch is as soft as a feather, but a shiver still darts through Isabelle's body. A smirk etches on my mouth, loving that even in the most distressing circumstances, she can’t help but react to my touch.
When three brief taps hit the driver’s side back window, Hugo’s way of indicating the cabin is clear of any threats, I place Isabelle onto the seat next to me. After adjusting my jacket to ensure she's covered, I fling open the car door. Pine trees and varnished wood infiltrate my senses the instant I step outside. Out of respect for Isabelle, Hugo has made himself scarce, but just in case, Isabelle holds down the hem of my jacket to maintain her modesty.
As we pace toward the log cabin, her freshly-woken eyes eagerly absorb all its quirk features. This is where I come when I need to get away. I came here the weekend I was arrested. I had to put distance between Isabelle and me, or I would have ended up at her apartment, seeking answers to the hundreds of questions filtering through my mind after she left Friday night.
There's no cell phone reception or internet connection in this part of the forest. Power is supplied by a generator in a shed attached to the back of the property, and an open wood fireplace heats the living room. Catherine organized for the cabin’s caretakers to crank the generator, ignite the fire, and replenish the fridge when I called her on the drive to Parkerville last night, so we have everything we need for a two-day stay.
Freshly picked wildflowers infuse the air when we walk into the living room of the cabin. The caretakers are a retired couple who live next door. Catherine must have told them I was bringing Isabelle as this is the first time they’ve left flowers.
After placing my keys onto the side table, I shift on my feet to face Isabelle. “Do you want something to eat before you shower?” She hasn’t eaten anything but the sugar-coated donuts Hugo arrived at our room with this morning. It’s now a little after noon, so she may be hungry.
She shakes her head. “No, I’d rather shower first.” Her voice is low, but it isn’t as shaky as it was earlier.
