Page 131 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
Theresa's eyes narrow into thin slits as her stance stiffens. “Even if Isabelle gets cleared of all charges by my department, she’ll never talk to you again after the information I’ve shared with her this week.”
Other than my jaw involuntarily ticking, my outward appearance gives no indication her statement has affected me.
“You should have seen the tears in her big brown eyes when she watched the video of Ophelia begging you to stop senselessly beating her brother.” She steps closer to me, her glare vicious. “Isabelle thought she knew the real Isaac Holt, but she's learning she doesn’t know you at all.”
My nostrils flare as blood courses through my body at a rapid pace.
“Have a pleasant day, Mr. Holt.” Her voice drips with sarcasm.
After placing her glasses back on, she returns to her vehicle. Only once her government-plated sedan is nothing but a blur in the distance do I slam my fists into the hood of my car. The dark metal crumples from the brutal force of my knuckles, but I don’t hold back. The night she referenced earlier forever haunts my dreams. It changed me to the man I am now. It’s the reason I became the myth. The unattainable. The ruthless enigma…
Months and months of relentless chasing, denied requests, and returned flowers all came down to this. Ophelia had accepted my pleas, and our date had gone well. I impressed myself with how much of a gentleman I was. I opened her car door, pulled out her chair, and participated in an intellectual adult conversation. Then it all came down to dropping her home after the date. Was I supposed to kiss her? Should I invite her on another date right then or wait a required amount of time? It was a new experience for me.
Don't get me wrong, I was certainly not a fumbling virgin who didn't know what he was doing. I had bedded plenty of women before Ophelia. I just never dated any of them. Even the best lays I had didn’t compare to how I felt when Ophelia’s light brown eyes glanced into mine. The chase was enthralling and addictive. My heart would constrict, my palms would sweat, and all I wanted to do was claim her as my own.
That night, when I pulled into her driveway, my mouth was unexpectedly engulfed by a pair of warm and soft lips.“Pick me up tomorrow at six,” she instructed before jumping out of my car and walking toward the dorm she lived in without a backward glance.
One date turned into six, then six dates turned into three months. Time was flying by. Ophelia blew my mind. She kept me fascinated. She was unlike any other girl I’d been with before, but it all changed when I received a call during one of our weekly dates.
“Twenty Gs! Are you fucking serious?” My tone indicated my disbelief, confident I didn’t hear Cormack right as there's no way twenty thousand dollars was being offered for one fight. I received the occasional higher offer from Col, but they rarely went over seven thousand.
“Yeah, man, twenty thousand, but your ass has to be here within an hour, or the deal falls through.”
My eyes darted to Ophelia. I hadn’t been entirely honest with her about what I did for a career. I mentioned it was sports-related, but when she failed to probe me any further, I neglected to mention it again. Although I was unsure about what her reaction would be, there was no way I was giving up that amount of money for one night's work.
“I’ll be there in forty-five.”
After disconnecting my call, I gathered Ophelia’s jacket, hat, and scarf from the coatrack in the diner where we had just finished eating. Her beautiful giggle echoed around the grease-smelling space when I wrapped her scarf around her neck before plopping her beanie on her head. I plucked her from the chair by a tug on her wrist, then eagerly ushered her out of the diner.
“Where are we going?” she questioned curiously, still giggling.
“You know that car you’ve been saving up for?” I stopped to help button up her jacket. Snowflakes were already making the little point on the end of her nose turn bright red, I didn’t want her getting sick.
“Yeah…” Her high pitch exposed her hesitance.
“We’re going to buy it… tonight.” I waggled my brows. “We just have to make a little detour first.”
I grasped her hand within mine before jogging down the slippery, icy grounds, dragging a giggling Ophelia behind me. Once she was buckled in my car, I slid into the driver’s seat and took off down the street. The massive compression of my foot on the accelerator made my car skid out of control on the icy roads.
Once I righted my wrong, I peered over to Ophelia. Her eyes were slitted, and she was glaring at me. After mumbling a quick apology, I continued on our route. She had been working at Buck’s Diner the past six months, saving up to buy a car. All the money I earned fighting was locked in a high-interest account, and with the way the stock market was going, it would have been ludicrous for me to sell any shares I had, but with the money from the fight that night, I could buy Ophelia the car she had been working so hard to save for.
When I pulled into the old gym where the underground fights were located, Ophelia’s fretful eyes turned to mine. “What are we doing here?”
“This is the quick detour I need to make first.”
I jumped out of my car before darting around to the passenger side to help her out. Before I could get to her door, she opened it and stepped outside. Her hands splayed across her hips, and her nostrils expanded with every breath she took.
“Please, Isaac, tell me you don’t participate in the events they hold here.”
I balk, unaware she knew about the events held in that old gym. Before I could answer her, Cormack was at my side, slapping my shoulder in greeting. “Can you believe it? Twenty Gs.”
After curling his arm around my shoulders, Cormack guided me toward the entrance of the run-down warehouse. Ophelia followed behind us but remained quiet. Needing time to prep my body for the fight, I headed straight into the locker rooms at the back of the arena to commence a dynamic warm-up routine. While I did that, Ophelia nervously paced back and forth. She mumbled incoherently and cursed several times in a row, her angry strides only halting when Cormack left the room.
“Please don’t do this, Isaac.”
I placed the jump rope onto the wooden bench before standing in front of her. Her pupils were wide, her face pale. She looked like she was going to be ill at any moment.
“I won’t get hurt.” Call me cocky, but the chances of me being beaten that night were non-existent as far as I was concerned.
