Page 38 of Isabelle’s Forbidden Love

“I know the drill.” She leaned over to him, which in the tight interior of her car involved only a minor shift.

He dipped his head to hers. “I assume you want a kiss?”

“You’re smart.” She smiled. “I’ve always known that.”

“Vixen,” he murmured and kissed her. He severed the kiss just as quickly, not wanting to give an X-rated show to any of the workers in the car repair shop. “Now get out of here.”

He opened the car door and exited, then watched Isabelle put the Thunderbird into reverse and leave the garage.

“Your girlfriend?” José asked from a few yards to Orlando’s left.

Was Isabelle his girlfriend? He hadn’t thought of what to call her. He shrugged. “Something like that.” Then he pointed to his Hummer, which was parked in one corner of the garage. “Is it ready?”

“Almost.” He rubbed his neck. “So you must have really pissed somebody off big time.”

Orlando raised his eyebrows.

“Somebody slashed those tires pretty good, practically sliced them into ribbons.”

“So, not an odd coincidence then.” Not that he hadn’t ruled out a coincidence already. But this confirmed it. Somebody hadn’t wanted him to drive his Hummer last night. But why?

“Let’s go into my office. I’ve got something for you.”

Orlando followed him into the office which only had a window into the garage but none to the outside and was therefore safe to enter. José reached for something on the messy desk and handed it to him.

“One of my guys found this on the windshield when he towed your car.”

Orlando looked at the envelope. It was the same size and shape as the one he’d gotten two nights earlier. There was nothing written on the outside. He turned it over and opened it. A single notecard was inside. And just like the previous one, only a few words were written in neat handwriting.

Now I’ll take from you what’s most precious to you, just like you did to me.

It wasn’t signed.

But it confirmed several things. The person behind the anonymous notes was the one who’d slashed his tires, he was out for revenge, and Orlando had to assume that he knew about Isabelle. Because the most precious thing in his life was Isabelle.

And he couldn’t lose her.

It was time to reexamine the past to secure his future.

20

Samson looked up from his desk in his office on the top floor of Scanguards HQ.

“You wanted to see me?” Thomas asked, popping his head in. As so often, he wore black leather pants and a casual shirt, rather than a business suit. He was a biker through and through.

“Come in, and close the door.”

Once the door was closed and Thomas stood in front of him, Samson gestured for Thomas to walk around his desk to look at his computer monitor.

“I got an email a few minutes ago.” He pointed to the screen.

“About?”

“Read for yourself.”

As Thomas read the short email, Samson read it again for the tenth time.

Subject: Mailman murder in Glen Park