Page 56 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
My lips tug into a broad smile that remains planted on my face while Hugo stows our luggage in the back of Isaac’s car and during the entire trip back to my apartment. It only falters when I catch the quickest glimpse of remorse in Isaac’s eyes when he follows me into the elevator of my apartment building.
“Did you want to come inside?” I ask once I reach the front door of my apartment.
My heart plummets into my stomach when Isaac shakes his head. “I have some business to take care of.”
He’s lying.Isaac always maintains eye contact, but his eyes strayed to the floor the instant I asked if he wanted to come in.
“Okay.” Ignoring the gnawing pit in my chest, I thrust my hand toward him. “Thank you for a lovely weekend.”
He smirks at my gesture, but he doesn’t shake my hand. He raises it to his mouth and places a kiss on my palm. My heart leaps.
“The pleasure was all mine, Isabelle,” he croons before spinning on his heels and striding down the hall.
I stand mute in my hall, utterly confused. I also have the worst case of whiplash I’ve ever experienced in my life.
CHAPTER25
“If you sign a contract, you’re required to fulfill your contract for the set amount of time on the said contract.”
“But…”
“No buts, Isabelle. You’re not getting out of your contract. I don’t care if your cat gets run over by a truck or your grandma dies. You signed a contract. You’ll fulfill your obligation,” Alex snarls. “Now go and do the job you’re paid to do.” His angry roar reverberates through the office building.
After gathering the scraps of dignity I have left, I scamper out of his office. I’ve just experienced the worst shredding of my life. He literally tore me apart.
After tossing and turning all night long, I concluded my relationship with Isaac, no matter how confusing it may be, is highly unethical. Not wanting to shroud Alex’s team and my uncle’s name in controversy, I decided it would be best to have my position relocated to another unit.
There are hundreds, no scrap that, there are thousands of people the FBI targets every week, so it wouldn’t be difficult to be transferred to another unit, but the instant I suggested a transfer to Alex, he shot it down. He refused my request, wadded up my transfer application into a ball, and then threw it into the trash. He then went on a half-hour long rambling tirade about my integrity and due diligence to his team, and how I’d be letting everyone down by transferring to another unit.
Who would have thought a coffee girl was such an integral part of a team?
Brandon’s eyes lift to mine as I scurry past his desk. “What crawled up his ass and died?” I ask.
Brandon grins a full grin while shaking his head. Dumping my satchel into the bottom drawer of my desk, I plop into my chair and fire up my computer. The first thing that pops up onto my monitor is the extended search I’d started for Megan Shroud before I went away. I’d completely forgotten about her the entire weekend.
I’m so immersed in reading Megan’s extensive medical history, I don’t notice Brandon sitting on my desk until he waves a blue manila folder in my face.
“Hey,” I greet, my mind hazy. “Did you look any further into Megan Shroud over the weekend?”
“No. I showed Alex her license details you gave me. He said to drop it. It looks like she’s just a random acquaintance who has formed an attachment after a one-night stand. Every guy’s worst nightmare.” Brandon chuckles over his comment.
Gritting my teeth, I snub the pain burrowing my chest from his comment.
“Why, what did you find?”
“Your worst nightmare.” I swivel my monitor to face him.
The more Brandon’s eyes glance at the screen, the more his brows furrow.
“Jeez, that’s what you call a certified lunatic.”
“When was she last photographed at the nightclub?”
“Umm…” Brandon flicks through a selection of photos in the blue manila folder he’s holding. “She was at the club this weekend.” He hands me two pictures of Megan standing in the queue to enter Isaac’s nightclub, The Dungeon.
“Shit. According to her medical records, she’s supposed to be admitted as an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital in Hopeton.”
Brandon eyes me apprehensively, but he doesn’t utter a sound as I print out the extensive collection of medical records on Megan and bolt toward Alex’s office.
