Ryan nods, and any remark from Alex is interrupted when a doorbell rings through the foyer. Lifting my gaze, I spot Jae standing outside the glass French doors with an antique brown leather doctor’s bag in her hand.
“Go with Jae into the living room. I’ll join you in a few minutes after I see Ryan and Alex out,” I instruct Isabelle, peering at her.
An egotistical smirk curls my lips high when Isabelle bids farewell to Alex and Ryan with a quick smile before she does as instructed without protest. Once she and Jae enter the living room, I face Alex and Ryan head-on. “Did you arrest the second assailant who kidnapped Isabelle?”
Ryan nods. “Yes. The information supplied by Enrique was extremely accurate. We netted his assailant and another four members of his crew earlier this morning.”
“Do you have any leads in the disappearance of Enrique?” I keep the same panicked tone to ward off any suspicion.
Alex’s lip set into a hard line. “No, but rumors are Vladimir was grooming him to take over the family business, so I wouldn’t be surprised to discover this is the work of Vladimir’s crew. We put a ban on all travel, but by the time it was processed through all the appropriate channels, Enrique was long gone.”
I nod to conceal the smile curving on my mouth. “Have you questioned the police officers regarding who framed Isabelle for Megan’s murder?”
Ryan grimaces. “No, they were admitted to Mercer Hospital for dehydration, exposure, and for psychiatric evaluation. Until they're given the all-clear, the union reps won’t let me close to them.”
I glance into Ryan’s eyes, snubbing Alex and his furious glance. “You have your suspicions on who it is?” Ryan is like an open book, easy for me to read.
“I have my theories. I just need proof.”
When I arch my brow, requesting further information, Ryan cranks his head to Alex. Alex’s top lip twitches as he runs his hand over his head. He huffs before shrugging, giving permission for Ryan to divulge additional confidential information.
Ryan’s gaze returns to me. “One of the captives was Rodney Parvok.”
My nostrils flare when I inhale a big breath. Rodney was a rookie officer working alongside Theresa the year before she was removed from her position of detective at Ravenshoe PD. He falsely testified during her incompetency hearing, trying to save the woman he was secretly infatuated with. It was fortunate that the security in my apartment is impeccable, so I had surveillance evidence to corroborate my claims against Theresa.
“The other was Chase Springfield.”
The muscle in my jaw tenses. “What more proof do you need than that?” My tone is dangerously low as my eyes drift between Alex and Ryan. “Theresa’s minion and her cousin were the two men who brutalized Isabelle during her arrest. Enrique said he learned of the plot to kidnap Isabelle from them, and that he only kept them alive because they had useful information on who framed Isabelle. I think it’s pretty obvious who set her up for murder.”
“Anything Enrique said to Isabelle is hearsay. It will never hold up in a courtroom—”
“I don’t give a fuck what will hold up in court. If you stopped wasting police resources pursuing a spiteful grudge against me, you wouldn’t need to worry abouthearsay. You could have squeezed the information directly from the source. Instead, you’re walking around with your head stuck up your ass because your ego got bruised by a womanwayout of your league to begin with.”
A narcissistic smirk curves on my lips when Alex steps closer to me. The veins in his neck protrude as his face reddens in anger. I sniff, purposely baiting him, hoping to force him to react to my taunt, so I can finally wipe the conceited expression right off his obnoxious face.
My gibe is working until Ryan steps between us. “You really think coming to blows will help Isabelle?”
Just hearing Isabelle’s name quells some of the fiery heat scorching my veins.
“You have a week. If you don’t arrest Theresa by then, I’ll take matters into my own hands,” I inform them, my tone relaying the truth in my statement. Any reply from Alex is cut off when I shoot him a wry look. “If I’m going to be accused of something, I may as well do it.”
With that, I spin on my heels and walk toward the living room, not bothering to show my guests the way out.
Chapter 15
Isabelle
“And how are the headaches?” Dr. Jae stores her portable blood pressure monitor back into her retro-looking hospital bag before shifting on her feet to face me.
I grimace. “I’ve been suffering from tired headaches the past few weeks, so I can’t determine whether these headaches are associated with the concussion or if they’re from the nightmares,” I whisper the last part, ashamed to admit I’m still being plagued by nightmares weeks after the ordeal at the Shroud farmhouse.
Dr. Jae’s eyes shimmer with concern. Her lips move, but no words escape her mouth. That may have more to do with Isaac’s impressive stature filling the doorway than a lack of words. His jaw is tense, and his fists are clenched at his side. He couldn’t be more riled up if he tried. I guess the remainder of his meeting followed the path it was on when I was there.
I was hoping Alex would have realized by now that Isaac isn’t the man his FBI file portrays him to be, but apparently, the truce was null and void the instant I was safely located. I was a coward when I fled the foyer at Isaac’s request, but I was embarrassed they heard me orgasm, so I took the opportunity to escape the awkward situation when it was presented.
Isaac’s stern eyes drift to Dr. Jae after running them over my face. “How is Isabelle?”
“She's well. Her blood pressure is a little high, and she's still suffering from headaches, but she's doing remarkably well for someone who suffered a stage three concussion.”
