His boisterous chuckle booms around the interior of his car when I punch him in the bicep. He rubs the area, feigning injury before slanting his chin back in and returning his eyes totheroad.
Inhaling deeply through his nose, he mutters, “Never smelled anything sodelicious.”
I'm about to argue that there is no sweeter scent in the world than Ava, until I remember, what is one man’s meat is another man’s poison. A man may see one woman as a precious diamond, whereas another may only see her as a dirty stone stuck in a rock. Although I’m certain Ava is the sexiest woman alive and the sweetest smelling, it isn’t my place to convince Hunter. Actually, I'd prefer it if more men were unaware of the fact. Then I may have a chance of keeping my inane jealousy that only Ava incitesintact.
“Does Isaac know I’m back?” I ask, endeavoring to return my focus to the task at hand. The quicker I fix things between us, the quicker I’ll return to myfamily.
Hunter nods. “Yeah, he requested your assistance with a task thismorning.”
My brow arches. “What task?” I query, my words juddering. “Digging my owngrave?”
Hunter chuckles. “Come on, you know as well as the rest of us, Isaac doesn’t mind getting his hands a little dirty if he needs to. If he wanted your grave dug, it would have alreadybeendone.”
I smirk and nod my head. “True,” Idrawlout.
Hunter shifts his eyes between the road and me. “His asset is arriving this morning. You were an integral part of securing her. He wants you there to see Izzy’sreaction.”
I shake my head. “I don’t deserve any credit for what Isaac did. He put up the money, and pushed his empire into dangerous territory to secure her. All I did was recognize a pair ofdistinctiveeyes.”
“Yeah, but a lesser man wouldn’t have cared what happened to her. You knew Isaac. You knew he would have responded to your discovery. If you didn’t care about him or Izzy, you would have just hidden that little girl’s existence to save your own ass. You didn’t. That deservescredit.”
I grunt. It is the only plausible reaction I can give. Although some would see my decision as loyalty to Isaac, I’ve been anything but loyal. Neither Hunter nor I have been totally forthright with Isaac the past three months. After Isaac ran into Izzy at the airport, he requested for Hunter to gather any information he could on her. Hunter did as requested. He just failed to discloseeverythinghe found on Izzy. Although, I'll admit, it took Hunter a lot of effort to unearth the real Isabelle Brahn from the deep pile of rubble Brandon hid her under. But since Hunter is the best hacker in the world, he eventually found achannel.
Both Hunter and I saw a change in Isaac the day he met Izzy. We knew without a doubt she was his Achilles heel. So that night, we made a plan. Izzy had a month. If she didn’t disclose her true identity to Isaac within a month of them being a couple, we were going to out her. Isaac was arrested before we got thechance.
My palms begin to sweat when Hunter pulls his hellcat into the front entrance of Isaac’s property and enters the security code into the black security panel. The beat of my heart climbs astronomically as he guides his car up the driveway and parks at the front of the double French doors. My eyes lift to the half-circle window on the top floor of Isaac’s residence as I climb out ofHunter’scar.
“You coming?” I ask when Hunter’s seatbelt remainslatched.
Hunter smirks and shakes his head. My pupils widen as I swallow the brick in my throat. Spotting my panicked expression, Hunterchuckles.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you scared,” hecackles.
Rolling my eyes, I slam the passenger door shut. With a laugh, Hunter tears out of the driveway, leaving nothing but the smell of dust and burning gasoline in his wake. I’m going to be honest, I’m shitting bricks. Before, I never had a reason to fear Isaac. I had nothing to lose, so I never worried about retribution when I'd taunt him. Now, I haveeverythingtolose.
Running my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans, I walk up the small flight of stairs to the front door. Before I can grab the gold engraved door handle, the French doors swing open. Isaac’s dark eyes stare into mine for numerous stomach-churning seconds before they lower to absorb my long-sleeve shirt and rippedjeans.
“There is a spare suit in the guest bedroom,” he says, gesturing his head to one of the numerous rooms in his privateresidence.
Unsurprisingly, his tone is clipped and stern. Surprisingly, this is the first time he has spoken to me as if I'm a member of his staff and not his friend. I’m not going lie, his coldness stings my ego and bruises myheart.
“Isaac,I--”
Any further words preparing to seep from my lips are cut off from the stern glare he directs at me. His furious wrath causes the guilt I’m carrying on my shoulders to become moreweighted.
“Not now,” Isaac demands, glaring into my eyes. “This day is not about me or you. It is about Isabelle. I know you care for her.” His jaw gains a twitch from his last sentence. “And she cares for you. So for her, I’m willing to push aside the overwhelming urge todestroyyou like yourbetrayalguttedme.”
After seeing Isaac fight in the charity UFC match last week, I thought his fists were his greatest weapons. They aren’t. His words and the desolate look in his eyes are inflicting more damage to my already guilt-ridden heart than his fists evercould.
“We leave in five minutes,” he says, staring intomyeyes.
When I nod my head, he paces into the living room at the side of the foyer. I move into the spare room and change into my work attire: a black suit and a crisp white dress shirt. My movements are sluggish, weighed down by the guilt strangling my heart. After I’m dressed, I return to the foyer to await furtherinstructions.
My eyes lift from the ground when I hear a small pair of feet padding down the stairwell. Izzy stops halfway down the stairs. Her hand shoots up to clamp over her mouth and her eyes well with tears. After brushing away a few stray tears, she gallops down the stairs and throws herself intomyarms.
“Hey, Isabelle,” I greet her, returning herembrace.
Deep down in my heart, I knew Isaac would take care of Izzy, but it still feels good to see her back to her carefree, happynature.
