Page 57 of Unraveling an Enigma
Her eyes lift and lock with mine. The concern relayed through her eyes has me on edge. “When the FBI first investigated Megan, we were under the assumption she was one of yourmanyflings,” she stammers out quickly. When she said “we,” her eyes flicked to Brandon.
After swallowing harshly, she continues. “It was when I followed Megan the day before your arrest that I discovered her interests were focused on Nick, not you.”
She followed Megan?My furious eyes dart to glare at Hugo. “Where were you? You were supposed to be her shadow!”
“I asked him to go and collect those documents you required from Regan,” Hunter informs on behalf of Hugo. “We thought Isabelle would be safe as she was supposed to remain at her workplace for a few more hours.”
My jaw muscle tightens as my furious eyes flick between Hunter and Hugo.
Ignoring the thick stench of wrath plaguing our gathering, Isabelle shuffles through the printed photos on the coffee table. When she finds the picture she is after, her gaze lifts back to me. “When I discovered Megan had a baby crib set up in her hotel room, I assumed she was pregnant. When I saw the ultrasound photo, it all but confirmed it,” she says, handing me a picture showing a crib and an ultrasound photo.
My eyes lift to Isabelle. “Megan was pregnant, but it wasn’t Nick’s baby. He had an in-utero paternity test done a few months earlier.”
“Megan was never pregnant,” Isabelle interrupts. I stiffen, my eyes darting between hers. “She has never been pregnant,” Isabelle says with a fleeting shake of her head.
With reticence, she hands me the documents Brandon gave her. My eyes drop to assess the reports. They are the itemized bill from the lawyers who represented Nick during the paternity case. Leaning over, Isabelle flips through a handful of pages. Her teeth catch her lower lip when she finds the place she is searching for.
Through trembling hands, her finger elongates to a section of the medical report in front of me. My knuckles popping echoes around the room when I clench my fists tightly.
“Are you kidding me?” I ask, glaring furiously at Hugo and Hunter before turning to look at Isabelle.
She bites hard on her bottom lip before she shakes her head. “No, Megan has never had sexual contact with anyone, let alone Nick.”
I throw the documents onto the coffee table before raking my fingers through my hair. The twitch of my hands is in sync with the tick in my jaw. “Then why did she have a crib set up in her hotel room?”
“Because she is extremely unwell,” Isabelle responds, her voice shuddering with nerves. “Megan has been in and out of mental hospitals since she was a little girl. After her latest hospital stint, the doctors diagnosed her as having pseudocyesis. Even though Megan isn’t pregnant with Nick’s baby, she truly believes she is.”
“If she is so unwell, why isn’t she admitted to a hospital now?” My tone is flat, exposing I am on the verge of losing my temper.
Isabelle coughs to clear her throat. “She struck an orderly with a steel chair, knocking him out so she could escape her latest hospitalization.”
My furious eyes snap to Hunter as I jump up from my chair so abruptly, Isabelle startles. “So she isn’t just a psychopath, she is dangerous,” I sneer, glaring furiously at Hunter.
“We assessed the situation and acted accordingly with the information we had on hand at the time, Isaac. That is why Nick has Peters shadowing him,” Hunter remarks, speaking for the first time since I arrived.
I know what they're doing. They assigned the talking to Isabelle as they know I won’t lash out at her as I would them. They are being cowards, and they will be reprimanded for it.
Isabelle winces as her nervous eyes shift across the room to Brandon. After exhaling a deep breath, she returns her remorse-filled eyes to me. “Brandon, Hugo, and I believe the current threat pertains more to Jenni and her unborn baby than Nick.”
Her gaze shifts to Hunter. “Nothing against Hunter and his team, as they could only go off the information they had before them, but after we called you, we completed a more in-depth search of Megan’s room. The threat to Jenni and her unborn baby is credible,” she warns, her voice surprisingly firm for how much her hands are shaking.
Sensing my composure slipping, Hugo moves to stand next to me. “When I couldn’t reach you on your cell tonight, I called in a few favors. I have one of my guys watching Jenni’s house. He has been reporting back to me every thirty minutes. The house has remained dark throughout the night. I assure you he is good, Isaac; he won’t let anything happen to them.”
I scratch my brow while drifting my gaze between the four pairs of eyes watching me with concern. I wasn’t reachable as I’ve been at the hospital and then on a plane.
“Jenni gave birth this morning,” I announce, my gaze locking in on Isabelle’s glistening eyes.
A deep sigh spills from her plump lips as the strain marring her beautiful face relaxes. “Oh, thank god,” she mutters under her breath. “Is everything okay, the baby—”
“They are both fine. He was five weeks early, but he is doing well,” I interrupt. “Jenni seemed a little rattled, but she is okay.”
Isabelle’s eyes float between Brandon and Hugo before they lock with mine. “Did she give birth naturally?” Her is voice riddled with apprehension.
Her breathing stills as she awaits my answer. When I nod, her eyes snap shut so fiercely, a tear drips down her white cheek. Even irritated over the situation with Megan, my heart stops beating.I hate when she cries.
She brushes the tear from her cheek with a quick sweep of her finger before opening her eyes. She looks exhausted, which isn’t surprising, considering it is a little after two in the morning.
My gaze strays to Hugo. “Can the rest of this wait until the morning?”
