Page 296 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
Snubbing the tears pricking my eyes, my gaze strays to Alex’s glass office. My breath snags in my throat when I catch his infuriating glare. His backside is propped on the edge of his desk, and his arms are crossed in front of his broad chest. I warily smile. He doesn’t smile back.
I snatch Isaac’s business card out of the drawer, shove it into my pocket, then hesitantly pace toward Alex’s office. When I enter, he gestures for me to close the door. Nerves quiver in my stomach when the glass turns frosted. He only ever does that when I’m in trouble.
After releasing a handful of the butterflies in my stomach with a big exhale, I pivot around to face him. His eyes roam over my face before gliding down my body. I unclench my fists when his gaze stops at my balled hands.
While removing the sweat from my slicked palms onto my jeans, I take a seat in the chair across from him. Once I’m seated, he pushes off the desk and moves to sit in his chair in silence. My heart crazily palpitates when his stern blue eyes lock on mine. He waits for me to commence our conversation. It’s an extremely long ten seconds.
“I'm here to advise of my resignation—”
“Shut up, Isabelle.” My eyes bulge, shell-shocked at his bluntness. “For once, shut up and listen.”
His anger quells my shakes by replacing it with unbridled fury, but before I can announce that, he continues, “Your resignation from my department has been declined. You signed a contract, and you'll fulfill your obligation as stated in that contract.”
I attempt to refute his statement, but my words entomb in my throat from the furious glare he directs at me. He’s burning up everything because he just noticed the diamond on my ring finger. I thought he was angry before, but it has nothing on his fury now.
“You'll remain on unpaid leave until you've had time toproperlyevaluate the situation. Once you have all thefactsand the chance to accurately formulate a decision on your position without Isaac influencing you, I'll consider accepting your resignation.”
I cover my engagement ring with my right hand, protecting it from his bitter words. “Isaac isn’t influencing my decisions. I made my own informed choice, and since I’veagreedto become his wife, I can’t ethically work for the department investigating him. It would be highly immoral for me to do.”
“If you're worried about being immoral, then I highly recommend you remove the blinders you’re wearing and take a step back. You're letting your feelings for Isaac blind your judgment. Lust and love are two very different things—”
“Like you’d know the difference.”
His top lip twitches, advising that he heard my brash statement. “I'm not the enemy, Isabelle.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest, then sinks low in his chair. “The man you're sleeping with is.”
“You don’t know him, so your opinion doesn’t count.”
“And you don’t know him either.”
“I know him.”I know him better than anyone.
“Prove it,” Alex taunts, his tone condescending.
My mind spirals. How can I prove I know Isaac without breaking his trust? Everything he’s shared with me has been done in confidence, so I will not break his trust just to prove a point.
“I’m not falling into your trap. I’m not going to unwittingly incriminate Isaac.”
Alex twists his lips. “So you’re admitting he undertakes in criminal activities.”
“I didn’t say that.” My angry voice bounces off the whitewashed walls.
“You didn’t need to. The truth is all over your face. You know he’s a criminal just as well as I do.”
“You're a real piece of work,” I snarl, rising from my chair. “First, you exploited Regan, a woman wholovedyou, all to get a fancy glass office, and now you're doing the same thing to me. I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Alex.”
He abruptly stands from his chair with his fists clenched into balls at his side. “Sit down, Isabelle.” When I ignore his request by snagging my satchel off the floor, he shouts louder, “Sit down!”
His cheeks are bright red, his chest thrusting up and down with every inhalation he takes. He isn’t the only one angry. I'm beyond ropeable, blood roaring through my body so fast, my cheeks are flushed.
“This meeting is over. If you wish to speak to me again, you’ll need to go through Brandon, the union representative for our division.” My tone is surprisingly calm for how much my stomach is swirling.
My brisk strides to the door halt when Alex snarls, “Brandon doesn’t work for this division of the FBI anymore.”
“What?” I breathlessly question, peering back at him.
“Foolish mistakes cause statutory consequences. You can’t side with criminals and not expect repercussions for your actions.”
Disbelief covers my face. “You're making a mistake, Alex. You’re so blinded by jealousy, you’re not seeing things clearly.”
