Page 19 of Unraveling an Enigma
“Who are you protecting them from?” I ask, my voice trembling with nerves.
He coughs, clearing his throat as his hand runs over the top of his freshly clipped hair. After a few minutes of contemplation, he mumbles, “Col Petretti.”
My fists ball at my side as my teeth grit hard. I don’t understand Col’s vendetta against Isaac. Isaac might be capable of many great things, but he can’t be held accountable for a traffic accident.
“Col Petretti doesn’t blame Isaac for Ophelia’s death. Only Isaac blames himself for that,” Hugo informs me, answering my silent questions. “Col thinks Isaac is a snitch.”
My eyebrows scrunch as a mask of confusion slips over my face. “Why would he think Isaac is a snitch?”
“Roberto Petretti got his elusive deal to stay out of jail after he ran down my sister by advising the DA on numerous shady dealings his father was involved in. Although Col ensured his name wasn’t linked to any illegal activities, many of hisbusiness associateswere caught in the intangible ruse of Roberto’s confession. Several of them did time behind bars, and Col’sfamily businesssuffered immensely from Roberto’s testimony. Col would never believe it was his own son who deceived him, so with a few birdies whispering in his ear, he came to the conclusion Isaac was the one who ratted him out,” Hugo explains.
Oh, God.
“Roberto has already made one family suffer enough; I’m not going to let his family hurt another,” Hugo mutters under his breath.
My heart breaks for Hugo. Even though he tries to mask it, you can see the pain straining his ruggedly handsome face over the loss of his sister and nephew. I lean over and grasp his calloused hand with mine. When I squeeze his hand in silent support, his eyes lift back to mine.
“Don’t give up on Isaac, Izzy. He looks at you the same way my best mate Hawke always looked at my sister, Marjorie. For years, I forced them to stay away from each other as I didn’t want my best mate dating my little sister. In the end, they only got four years together because of my stubbornness. I should have realized you can’t fight fate.”
“I’ll try,” I mumble.But I don’t like my chances of getting Isaac to trust me again.
“But how will you protect Isaac from Col if you're always shadowing me?” Genuine fear for Isaac is heard in the rattle of my voice.
Hugo chuckles and the sternness straining his face weakens. “Isaac doesn’t need protecting; he is more than capable of looking after himself, just ask Col’s right-hand man,” he says with a cheeky wink. “As I said earlier, I'm here to take care of the people Isaac loves.”
My heart nearly bursts from Hugo’s statement.He thinks Isaac is in love with me?
For the rest of the drive, Hugo remains quiet, but his brain is obviously ticking over with information, as he works his jaw side to side on numerous occasions. I also stay silent. Half of me is excited Hugo thinks Isaac loves me, where the other half is petrified I’ll never get the chance to see it from Isaac myself.
I am surprised and a little apprehensive when Hugo pulls into a parking lot at the front of Destiny Records and climbs out of the car along with me. I eye him curiously.
“Have you ever met Peta, Cormack’s receptionist?” he queries, his voice drenched with cheekiness.
One of my brows lifts into the air before I shake my head.
“When you do, you will understand,” he explains with a brazen wink, strolling into the front door of Destiny Records’ head office.
Okay, I can understand Hugo’s fascination. Peta is beautiful, in a sexy school teacher type of way. She is wearing a tight, fitted high-waisted red skirt with dangerously high stilettos shoes. Her legs literally look like they never end. She reminds me of a young Halle Berry. Even their skin tone and facial structure is a perfect match.
“Leave the talking to me,” Hugo suggests as he struts to Peta’s desk.
I mill around in the vast Destiny Records foyer, leaving the talking to Hugo as requested. Peta’s uniquely colored eyes lift to Hugo the instant he stops at her desk. I say unique, as, from this distance, her eyes almost look yellow. She bats her eyelashes as her plump, nude lips nervously chew on the end of her ballpoint pen. After a few minutes of chitchatting, Hugo walks back to me. His lips have curved into an illustrious grin, and he is wiggling his brows.
“Cormack is finalizing an important appointment, then the next twenty minutes of his schedule is free,” he says once he stands next to me.
A smile sneaks onto my face. Although Hugo is talking to me, his gaze never leaves Peta. “Why don’t you ask her out?”
Grimacing, his shoulders lift into a shrug. Any reply he was considering is halted when Isaac strides out of Cormack’s office. I stiffen, the pulse in my neck thrumming. Isaac’s demeanor commands the attention of everyone in the vicinity. He is so breathtakingly beautiful, my eyes hurt after assessing his face and body.
After shaking Cormack’s hand, Isaac’s head turns toward Hugo and me. Even though his outward appearance doesn’t give any indication his composure has changed, I feel the warmth of his heated gaze raking my body. Every fine hair on my body bristles and my knees touch.
When Isaac’s eyes shift to Hugo standing next to me, his jaw muscle quivers and his nostrils flare. My confused gaze flicks between Hugo and Isaac. The air in the room turns stifling when Hugo and Isaac undertake an excessive testosterone-filled stare-down. Isaac smirks victoriously when Hugo is the first to turn his gaze away.
No words are spoken between us, but I relay to Isaac that I miss him and I’m sorry for hurting him. Like he can hear my soundless pleas, Isaac dips his chin before he continues striding toward the front door of the building. Every step he takes away from me makes my heart constrict more.
Once Isaac exits the front door of Destiny Records, my gaze lifts to Hugo. “You’re not on a day off, are you?” I question, my voice soft and riddled with apprehension.
“Nope.” Hugo’s gaze shifts from gawking at Peta to glance down at me. “I set a new record by getting fired twice in the one night.”
