Page 162 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
“Where is she?” My hammering heart is heard in my tone.
“She's paying cash for a motel on the outskirts of town.” He nudges his head like the motel he is referring to is outside the revolving door of my building.
“Does Isaac know?”
Brandon shakes his head. “Not yet, but he soon will.”
I eye him curiously, seeking more information. He said his statement with too much confidence for it to be hearsay.
He exhales deeply as the vein in his neck works overtime. “The hospital Nick’s fiancée is staying at requested a police presence this afternoon. I hacked the hospital’s mainframe. Jenni’s blood workup showed she had a high dosage of Misoprostol in her system when she gave birth. It’s an illegal abortion drug only sold on the black market.”
Oh, God.I think I’m going to be sick.
I talk through the hand clamped over my mouth. “Do you believe Megan drugged her?”
Brandon sucks in a sharp breath before nodding. “The drug is found stateside in New York City. Small minority groups use it for terminations when they can’t afford a doctor.”
“Isaac will… he won’t handle this, Brandon… he loves his brother,” I murmur through panicked breaths.
“I know. That’s why I haven’t passed on any of the information to Hugo or Hunter yet. I wanted to get your opinion first.” He stares intensely into my eyes, his admiration unexpected but highly craved. “You’re the only person I trust, Izzy.”
I jump in fright when someone unexpectedly touches my shoulder. Once I’ve gathered my heart from the floor, I swing my eyes to the person who just scared me half to death. It’s the security officer who’s been watching our exchange for the past ten minutes. “I’m sorry, Ms. Brahn, but there's a gentleman by the name of Hugo requesting to be informed if you're in the lobby.”
I nearly nod until the entirety of my exchange with Brandon trickles through my tired brain. Isaac won’t even let my work colleagues see me, so what are the chances he’ll let me investigate Megan’s reappearance in Ravenshoe?
With my heart in my throat, I shoot my eyes to Brandon. “Do you have your car here?”
Suspicion crosses his face, but he nods all the same.
“I need one final favor—”
“Anything, Izzy,” he assures without a snippet of hesitation.
After exhaling a big breath, I devote my attention back to the security officer. “Please inform Hugo that you have not seen me this afternoon.”
Ignoring his shocked expression, I clasp Brandon’s hand in mine before dashing toward the glass revolving door of my building. With my mind shut down and my heart wildly beating, I can only pray this won’t be the last time I break through the doors of this building.
CHAPTER30
ISAAC
Due to traffic, I pull into the lot of my nightclub a little after five o’clock. The drive from my cabin took longer than predicted. I took the scenic route so I could enjoy the vision of Isabelle in the passenger seat of my car. She was dressed in her regular jeans and a beige jacket, but her smile made her dazzle like a diamond in the sun.
Last night was starkly contradicting.
We hardly slept a wink. It wasn’t Isabelle’s sexual prowess keeping us awake. It was her nightmares. Usually, her dreams are filled with sweet little moans and sighs that make my cock as hard as stone, but last night, she whimpered in her sleep. The ghastly image she witnessed yesterday morning must be playing havoc with her mind. I’ll give it a few nights to see if I can settle her dreams by reverting them back to pleasurable fantasies. If not, I’ll seek professional advice on helping her through this traumatic time. A shiver runs down my spine when I recall the visual of yesterday morning, so I can imagine how much it plagues Isabelle’s thoughts.
After pulling into the manager’s spot, I grab the framed photo of Isabelle from my cabin out of the glove compartment. I'm no longer willing to hide my relationship, so I plan to place her photo on my desk for the world to see. She's mine, and I want everyone to be acutely aware of that—including Col Petretti. I’m ready if he makes a move. He won’t know what hit him if he threatens Isabelle again.
Tina stops replenishing the glassware under the counter when she hears the back door of the club opening. “Hey, you’re back. How did the negotiations go in New York?”
I smirk, pleased my ruse worked. “Good. Everything is great.”
As I stride into my office, I shrug off my suit jacket before slinging it over the coat rack. When I glance at my desk, I catch sight of the documents Isabelle presented to me at the dingy hotel. I still can’t fathom how Nick was so foolish he didn’t read the document his lawyer supplied him. I paid his bill, assuming he had read the full report. I shouldn’t be surprised. Nick has always been the goofball who cruises through life, happy to see where things take him. He was the very definition of a ‘player.’ Which isn’t surprising, considering he learned most of his traits from me. That’s all changed now, though. His fiancée, Jenni, was his game-changer. Just like Isabelle is mine.
After gathering the documents off my desk, I place them into the top drawer. I’ve just stored them away when a cell phone rings. My heart gallops when I realize it's my burner phone. I quickly pace across the room to dig it out of the breast pocket of my jacket. There’s no name attached to the call—that’s not unusual, we like to keep things simple—but I know who is calling me.
“I found Megan,” Hunter informs before I can greet him. “I got her on a CTV image at a local deli this morning. I’m backtracking the video footage so I can follow her through town.”
