The Final Chapter: Enigma, #4 Read online

  My eyes lift to Isaac. He's staring at me, his expression unreadable. “What did it say?”

  The pulse in my neck thrums when he replies, “I haven’t read it yet.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because I wanted you to be with me when I found out the results.” His eyes drop to the sealed envelope before he drifts them back to me. “No matter what’s in the envelope, nothing will change between us. You're mine, and I’m yours. Okay?”

  A smile curls my lips high. “Okay.”

  My heart beats in an unnatural rhythm when he removes the envelope from my grasp to pry it open. I keep my eyes on him, seeking a reaction that would disclose the results without me needing to read them. Isaac keeps his cards held close to his chest, not displaying any clue on his strikingly handsome face.

  My shaking hand rattles the paper when he passes the document to me. After shifting my eyes between his, I lower them to the document. The first thing my eyes zoom in on is the word excluded written in thick black ink on both documents, closely followed by the 0% in the probability of parenting.

  “You’re not their father?”

  Isaac shakes his head. “No, I'm not.”

  I don’t know whether to be disappointed or happy. I’m happy Isaac doesn’t have illegitimate children, but I’m sad that he’ll never see a mini version of himself running around.

  Isaac grips my chin before hoisting my face back to him. After his eyes flick between mine, he shakes his head. “Only you would be disappointed, Isabelle.”

  I roll my eyes, hating that he can read me so easily, where I could study his face for hours and not extract a single fact he didn’t want me to see.

  Chuckling, he gathers me under his arm where I remain until we arrive at a private airstrip in Hopeton. I eye him warily when Hugo drives onto the runway before parking next to an industrial-size hangar. “Please don’t say we're getting on a plane.”

  After Isaac took me against the wall in the hallway of our home, the next morning, he tried to bundle me into his car and fly us to Reno to get married. Thankfully, even blinded by lust, my levelheadedness resurfaced in enough time to gain back the shrewdness that always evades me when I'm in his presence.

  Although our marriage license has been filed, and the wedding rings have been purchased, I'm holding off on setting an official date until I come down from Cloud Nine. I want to make sure this is what Isaac truly wants, and I’m not forcing his hand because he’s unable to control his domineering nature.

  Isaac slides out of the car before leaning back in to assist me out. I grip his hand tighter the closer we get to the private jet idling near the hangar. When we stop at the bottom of the stairs, the galley pop door opens. I inhale a sharp breath when my dance partner from The Dungeon’s impressive frame fills the doorway of the plane.

  As my heart thumps my ribs, I drift my baffled gaze to Isaac. His eyes are scanning my face, acting nonchalant. With my heart in my throat, I return them back to Ayden. Like I could get any more shocked, I’m taken aback for the second time when a little girl peers out from behind Ayden’s thigh. At a first guess, I'd say she's a toddler of maybe two years of age?

  As Ayden walks down the jet’s stairs, she remains cowering behind his leg, only peering out when Isaac crouches down to her level. When he holds his hand out for her, her big brown eyes peer up at Ayden for several heart-clutching seconds before she leaps for Isaac. Her brisk movements have Isaac sprawling onto his ass, but the most scrumptious laugh also bellows out of him.

  After gathering her into his chest, Isaac stands from the ground. My pulse surges through my veins at a rapid pace as I stare at the little girl who just saw Isaac’s soul from one glance into his eyes—just like I did with my Uncle Tobias.

  Isaac removes the strands of hair fallen in front of her eyes before he twists her to face me. “Callie,” he croons, his tone calm and nurturing, “this is your sister, Isabelle.” I balk, shocked. “Isabelle, this is your sister, Callie.”

  Callie’s head pops off Isaac’s chest, so she can run her eyes over my face. I assess her with just as much eagerness. She has the same rich chocolate brown eyes that Enrique and I got from our father, the same small nose, but her skin is a shade darker than mine.

  I drift my watering eyes to Isaac. “The money? Your dealings with Vladimir?” In my disoriented state, I can’t form full sentences.

  “Yes, I bought her.” His gaze lowers to Callie. “When I saw her eyes, I knew without a doubt she was your sister.” He returns his focus to me. “I couldn’t stop wondering what would’ve happened to you if Tobias didn’t buy you. Where you would have ended up? What monster would have owned you? So I couldn’t stand by and watch it happen to Callie knowing she has your blood running through her veins.”

  Tears gush down my face. I never thought I could love Isaac more than I already do, but he continues to prove me wrong every day.

  “Callie turned three last month. She's a little small due to malnutrition, but Jae said she's very healthy. She's a fighter, just like you.”

  After adjusting Callie so he's holding her with one arm, he wraps his spare arm around my shoulders and draws me in close. My tears dampen his shirt, but the heat of Callie’s admiring will quickly take care of them. She’s staring at Isaac in awe like he's her knight in shining armor. In a way, he is. He did save her from the clutches of our father.

  I don’t know how long we stay huddled together on the runway. It could be minutes or it could be hours. It’s impossible to tell because when I'm with Isaac, time doesn’t matter. It just stands still.

  Epilogue

  Isabelle

  Six Months Later…

  * * *

  “Are you ready?” Ryan’s tone is as cheeky as the sparkle in his eyes. “You know this is bound to happen, so you may as well get the inevitable over and done with.”

  I roll my eyes before nodding. My sassiness is stripped from my veins when sirens bellow through the humid morning air. As my frightened eyes dart to Ryan, the beat of my heart turns dangerous.

  When the dark blue sedan pulls to the side of the road as requested, Ryan waggles his brow before he exits the vehicle. “Remain in your vehicle with your hands on the steering wheel,” he advises the driver of the car, his tone stern.

  I move to back him up, my legs quivering with every step I take. When the back passenger door suddenly opens, and Isaac curls out of the car, I freeze. Excitement dashes down my spine when I drink in his impressive body, which is concealed in an impeccably tailored three-piece suit.

  When Ryan advises him to place his hands palm side down onto the trunk and to spread his legs wide, his jaw sets into a hard line, but he does as instructed through gritted teeth, of course. When Ryan gestures for me to frisk him, I shake my head. I could never.

  Ryan glares at me before he motions his head to Isaac again, advising his demand is not a request. With my pulse shrilling in my ears, I glide my hands over the hard ridges in Isaac’s torso before drifting them down his splayed legs.

  “That’s all me, baby,” he croons when my hands float past the panty-wetting section between his legs.

  Desire shoots through my body, making the pulse in my sex as rampant as the vein working overtime in Isaac’s neck.

  Once my search comes up empty-handed, I turn my gaze back to Ryan. “He’s clear.”

  Ryan's lips twist as he huffs loudly. “Then I guess he's free to go… for now.”

  Mortified, I make a beeline for the unmarked police car parked behind Isaac’s flashy ride. Halfway there, Isaac calls my name. When I pivot around to face him, my pulse quickens. He has the most seductive smirk etched on his ridiculously handsome face.

  “Bring those handcuffs home tonight.” When his eyes drop to the cuffs holstered on my hip, it’s the fight of my life not to squeeze my knees together. “Catherine is collecting Callie this afternoon for a sleepover.” His voice is drenched with sexual undertones that has my pussy moistening in anticipation.

/>   After a wink that reveals he knows he has me on edge, he slides into the back of his town car. I stand still, frozen in the middle of the street as his vehicle merges into the dense flow of traffic that always impedes Ravenshoe. Restless yearning rushes through my veins, overheating my body when my feverish imagination flashes up all the positions Isaac and I have discovered the past six months. Particularly, the ones in the sex swing.

  I slide back into the passenger seat of Ryan’s unmarked police car before cranking the air conditioning full force with the hope of concealing my flushed cheeks that are shamefully displaying my arousal. When Ryan’s deep chuckle echoes around the interior of the car, my cheeks inflame even more.

  My bottom lip lowers into a pout when he adjusts the level of the air-conditioning to a more suitable temperature. “Air conditioning privileges, choice of radio stations, and which donut stores we visit are off-limits for a rookie detective.”

  He winks before pulling his car into the dense flow of traffic. I keep my eyes on the crowd, people watching, while also maintaining an observant eye on my surroundings. I’ve become more immersed in my love of people watching the past month. My eagerness spurred on by my desire to seek my brother, Enrique, in the dense crowd.

  A week ago, when I was leaving Isaac’s club, I found a postcard slipped under the windshield wiper of my assigned town car. It was void of any postmark that would have alluded to its origin, but I know the card was from Enrique because it had the saying scribbled on the back that he quoted about Isaac in the hospital room when we first met.

  On vash zashchitnik.

  On khoroshiy chelovek.

  * * *

  After some research, I translated the second half of the first sentence. The note translates to:

  He is your protector.

  He is a good man.

  * * *

  Considering the postcard didn’t have any markings, I'm assuming the card was placed there by Enrique himself. Even though I can’t see him, I know he's out there somewhere, protecting both Callie and me from any threats that may arise if our real identities are unearthed.

  My attention reverts to the present when the police radio crackling sounds through the air. Today is my very first shift as a detective for Ravenshoe PD. Surprisingly, Isaac was the one who suggested I put in an application. He said there was no reason why I shouldn’t have both my dreams and him. It was the ideal situation because by applying for a locally-based position, we wouldn’t run the possibility of being separated, and I also get to achieve my dreams of helping people the way my Uncle Tobias helped me. With glowing endorsements from Alex, Regina, and Ryan, I successfully gained a coveted position.

  My plans were put on hold for the past six months so I could ease Callie into our lives. She’s a little darling with a heart of gold, and she has Isaac firmly wrapped around her pinkie finger. If I thought his protectiveness of me was extreme, it’s nothing compared to his protectiveness of Callie. I feel sorry for any boy who tries to come between them. No man will stand a chance in hell of dating Isaac Holt’s daughter, let alone breaking her heart.

  We officially adopted Callie three months after she arrived in Ravenshoe, using the fake passport, social security number, and birth certificate Isaac organized through Henry Gottle, Sr.’s contact, Cooper. Even though Callie isn’t related to Isaac by blood, she's his family, and he treats her as exactly that.

  My gaze shifts from the heavy foot traffic to Ryan, who’s wearing a similar blue suit to the one he wore on our date. When I discovered he was my superior officer, I assumed Isaac would request for me to be transferred to another section, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered Isaac invoked a favor to ensure Ryan was my superior. Even though the kiss Ryan and I shared still irks Isaac, he said Ryan is the best detective he’s ever worked with, and the best should only work with the best.

  That statement alone had me falling in love with him even more.

  Feeling my heated gaze, Ryan glances at me. “You all right?”

  “Yep.” My grin is as mischievous as the one he was wearing when he pulled over Isaac’s town car. “I was just wondering how you ended up in this crazy, mixed-up family?” I wave my hand to the residents of Ravenshoe milling on the sidewalks.

  A broad grin curls Ryan’s plump lips, exposing his two dimples. “With me vomiting on my brand-new shoes.”

  I remain quiet, waiting for him to elaborate.

  He doesn’t keep me waiting for long. “It all started when I arrived at the scene of an accident that claimed the life of a little boy…”

  The end!

  The next book in the Enigma series is Hugo. It is available now: Beneath the Secrets

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  If you enjoyed this book - please leave a review.

  Also by Shandi Boyes

  Perception Series

  * * *

  Saving Noah (Noah & Emily)

  Fighting Jacob (Jacob & Lola)

  Taming Nick (Nick & Jenni)

  Redeeming Slater (Slater and Kylie)

  Saving Emily (Noah & Emily - Novella)

  Wrapped Up with Rise Up (Perception Novella - should be read after the Bound Series)

  * * *

  Enigma

  * * *

  Enigma (Isaac & Isabelle #1)

  Unraveling an Enigma (Isaac & Isabelle #2)

  Enigma The Mystery Unmasked (Isaac & Isabelle #3)

  Enigma: The Final Chapter (Isaac & Isabelle #4)

  Beneath The Secrets (Hugo & Ava #1)

  Beneath The Sheets(Hugo & Ava #2)

  Spy Thy Neighbor (Hunter & Paige)

  The Opposite Effect (Brax & Clara)

  I Married a Mob Boss(Rico & Blaire)

  Second Shot(Hawke & Gemma)

  The Way We Are(Ryan & Savannah #1)

  The Way We Were(Ryan & Savannah #2)

  Sugar and Spice (Cormack & Harlow)

  Lady In Waiting (Regan & Alex #1)

  Man in Queue (Regan & Alex #2)

  Couple on Hold(Regan & Alex #3)

  Enigma: The Wedding (Isaac and Isabelle)

  Silent Vigilante (Brandon and Melody #1)

  Hushed Guardian (Brandon & Melody #2)

  Quiet Protector (Brandon & Melody #3)

  * * *

  Bound Series

  * * *

  Chains (Marcus & Cleo #1)

  Links(Marcus & Cleo #2)

  Bound(Marcus & Cleo #3)

  Restrain(Marcus & Cleo #4)

  Psycho (Dexter & ??)

  * * *

  Russian Mob Chronicles

  * * *

  Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance (Nikolai & Justine #1)

  Nikolai: Taking Back What’s Mine (Nikolai & Justine #2)

  Nikolai: What’s Left of Me(Nikolai & Justine #3)

  Nikolai: Mine to Protect(Nikolai & Justine #4)

  Asher: My Russian Revenge (Asher & Zariah)

  Nikolai: Through the Devil's Eyes(Nikolai & Justine #5)

  Trey (Trey & K)

  K: A Trey Sequel

  The Italian Cartel

  * * *

  Dimitri

  Roxanne

  Reign

  Mafia Ties (Novella)

  Maddox

  Demi

  Rocco

  Clover

  Smith

  * * *

  RomCom Standalones

  Just Playin’ (Elvis & Willow)

  Ain't Happenin' (Lorenzo & Skylar)

  The Drop Zone (Colby & Jamie)

  Very Unlikely (Brand New Couple)

  * * *

/>   Short Stories

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  Christmas Trio (Wesley, Andrew & Mallory -- short story)

  Falling For A Stranger (Short Story)

  * * *

  Coming Soon

  Skitzo