Page 183 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
I find his reply amusing. Nothing usually rattles Hugo, so I find it surprising someone as timid as Brandon raises his hackles.
“Do you trust him?”
I shake my head without pause for thought. “Not at all. Hunter is digging for dirt on him, but for the moment, our priority is keeping Isabelle safe and getting her charges dropped. Once we’ve handled that, we’ll deal with him.” Conceitedness heats my blood when I drink in the large bruise on Brandon’s cheek. “Are you responsible for his shiner?”
Hugo crosses his arms in front of his chest, equally annoyed and pleased. “Nah, that wasn’t me…regrettably.”
My laugh gains the attention of Isabelle. Mercifully, the moisture pooling in her beautiful eyes has cleared away, replaced by the gleam that usually highlights them. When her tongue delves out to moisten her top lip, my cock becomes friendly with my zipper. They’ve formed a close kinship since she came into my life—even more so when she glides her eyes down my body as she is now.
When her eyes return to my face, I arch a brow, wordlessly advising her I spotted her avid glance. The thrill of the hunt thickens my blood when a pink hue creeps across her cheeks. She’s hot and bothered, praying I’ll act on the threat in my stare. I would if the stunning visual of her squirming in excitement wasn’t stolen by Hugo stepping into the frame.
“I forgot to tell you that Hunter called when you were…settling… Izzy earlier.” A vein beeps in his neck when he says ‘’settling.” “He tracked the call left on your voicemail to a payphone located at the front of a junkyard and mechanic shop on 93rd Street. He sent one of the guys there. The phone was wiped clean of fingerprints, and there were no security cameras within the vicinity. He also reached out to Henry. He said he loves you like a son, but he doesn’t invoke special privileges unless the source specifically requests it. He wasn’t your mystery caller.”
I scrub my hand over the stubble on my jaw as I cross one suspect off my list. Henry may be a mob boss, but he’s as honest as a nun. “Did Hunter divulge any information on the officers from the dashcam video?”
Hugo shakes his head. “He said the facial scanning software in Ravenshoe is slower than you signing our bonus checks this year.”
A grin lifts my cheeks high. “They’re coming. I’ve just had otherprioritieson my mind.” My eyes stray to Isabelle halfway through my explanation. I only have eighteen hours left to get my fill of her before I step back as Regan is requesting.
It’s going to fucking kill me.
“When we leave, tell Hunter to switch his focus to having Isabelle’s charges squashed. I want to know who has had access to Megan’s motel room and any evidence obtained from there. When I return from the marina, I’ll call in a few favors. We need as many eyes on those files as possible.” Hugo notches up his chin, pleased for the assistance. “Peters is returning from New York this afternoon. He’ll swap places with your guy tomorrow so I can officially meet him. If he’s a good fit, I’ll sign him on as part of my security team before introducing him to Nick and Jenni.”
“All right, I’ll let him know.” He nudges his head to Isabelle, who’s still frozen in place, gawking our way. “Let your team do the job you pay us to do. For the next…” he checks the time on his watch, “… seventeen hours and thirty-two minutes, let Izzy be your priority.”
A smile stretches across my fatigued face. “I have every intention of doing precisely that.”
For the next seventeen hours, Isabelle and I will become lost in one another. Her touch will erase the apprehensions plaguing my mind, and mine will chase away the bad memories contaminating hers. For the next seventeen hours, it’ll once again be the woman who reawakened me from my grave and me—the man who’d go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe.
When Isabelle curls her arms around Brandon’s neck to hug him goodbye, I shove my hands into the pockets to conceal my clenched fists. It’s clear as day Isabelle has no sexual interest in Brandon, but I can’t stomach the idea of her arms wrapped around any man, much less one whose cheeks inflame from the friendliest gesture.
“Oh my…” Regan fans her heated face as her mouth forms an ‘O.’ “We seem to have a blusher in our midst.”
“Go and get him, tiger!” The slap Hugo places on Regan’s backside echoes in the foyer of Hunter’s house. “Show him who’s boss, woman.”
After shimmering her shoulders to shake out her negative vibes, Regan prances toward Brandon like a lioness on the hunt, playfully growling on her way. Her gleaming-with-mischievousness eyes collide with Isabelle for the briefest second when they cross paths in the living area, but with her prey locked and loaded, she doesn’t stop to share salutations.
“Should I be concerned about Brandon’s safety?” Isabelle asks when she stops in front of me. I’d be worried she overheard my earlier conversation with Hugo if her tone wasn’t full of mirth.
“Only as concerned as you should be when you’re in my presence.”
The humor in her eyes triples, but it has nothing on the lust gleaming in them. “So, you’re telling me he doesn’t stand a chance?”
“Precisely.”
Her laugh instigates an urgent meeting between my cock and my zipper. That alone has me more than eager to get our plans underway. “Are you ready to leave?”
When she nods, I float my eyes to Hugo.
“Izzy’s bag is already in your car,” he intuits, sensing my request. “When I hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”
I catch Isabelle by her hips, moving her toward my car before all of Hugo’s reply leaves his mouth. I don’t have a second to waste but many to devour.
CHAPTER11
ISAAC
By the time we make it to the dock where my yacht is moored, it’s a little after noon. I grab the basket full of food Catherine brought to Hunter’s before enclosing my hand around Isabelle’s. When I assist her onto the polished wooden aft of the yacht, a growl emits from my lips. Her seductive scent is infiltrating my nostrils. When she hears my groan, her heavy-lidded eyes lift to mine. Her breasts thrust up and down when her breathing turns excited. She’s struggling as poorly as me.
