Page 47 of Enigma: An Isaac Retelling
Very rarely do children removed from abusive homes have more than the clothes on their back. A stuffed rabbit, teddy bear, or friendly rhinoceros won’t alter what they’ve been through, but more times than not, all most children want is comfort. You’ll never understand the true effects of affection until you give it to someone who has been mistreated more than they’ve been cherished.
With that in mind, the first thing I do when I re-enter Callie’s room after Nikolai leaves minus the bunny he took a million pictures of, is to lay my index finger in the middle of Callie’s tiny palm.
The first day, she keeps her hand as flat as a sheet of paper.
The second day, she curls the end of her fingers ever so slightly.
By day three, she clutches my finger so tightly, anyone would swear my return to Florida today is hurting her as much as it is me. There’s been too many close calls for me to stay, and as much as I wish I could simply pick Callie up and take her home with me, that’s far from feasible.
For a man who has always believed hard work is the solution for everything, the rules mafia sanctions are governed by are infuriatingly frustrating. Not even Henry, Sr., the top tier when it comes to cartel entities, can alleviate my annoyance. If I want to thrust my empire under a spotlight I never wanted it highlighted by, I must adhere to the rules. That’s no easy feat for a man as controlling as me, but once again, the matter has been taken out of my hands, and once again, it is all Isabelle’s fault.
18
It took two weeks for Callie’s injuries to heal enough for her care to be transferred from the hospital to a group of women affectionally known as the Popov housemaids, then an additional two weeks for her father’s second-in-charge to update me on her auction. It will still be taking place, but it won’t happen until the heat dies down.
Although my visits to Callie were done without scrutiny from anyone in a prestigious position in the Popov realm, it didn’t bypass the Bureau’s wearisome inquiries. They were aware I was in Vegas on business, and since my empire was ‘apparently’ built on the murky overtones of the underworld, they made sure not only was I aware of their watch, but so were any businesses I was ‘supposedly’ hoping to work with. If I hadn’t left when I did, Callie might not have recovered from her injuries. The Bureau’s chirps were too loud, and they were alerting more than the authorities to my presence.
After throwing down the documents Hunter is working in my favor to make it seem as if my business dealings are shadier than they are, I run a hand over my head. To everyone outside my inner circle, my life is progressing as usual. I’m a ruthless businessman hungry for the next million to plump up my bank account. Only a scarce few know how blatantly different my focus has been the past month. I barely slept before Callie’s incident, and that infinitesimal number slackened even more after it. Add that to the fact my little brother is purchasing a house in the burbs with no security system while his stalker is still on the loose, and Isabelle’s atrocious work slash life balance, you can imagine how teetering my astuteness is.
With everything going on, a weekend getaway should be the last thing on my mind. It would be if there wasn’t a certain brunette’s name jotted down on the flight manifest. I also have faith in my team. I hand-selected every one of them. They’re the best of the best, so I’m confident they’ll keep the ship moving even when the captain isn’t on deck.
I drop my hand from my head when my office door shoots open. Hugo saunters inside like he didn’t almost rip it from its hinges before he slumps into a chair across from me. Although conscious he hasn’t been seen in that part of the country in years, I invited him to travel with Isabelle, Cormack, Harlow, and me toMummo Koti—Cormack’s grandmother’s house. He turned down my offer.
I want to say his refusal stems from him not having a day off for almost as long as me, but I’m mindful it is more than that. He has as many ghosts north of Ravenshoe as I do. “The jet is fueled and idling, blockers are in place to ensure your time away isn’t eyeballed, and Izzy is at home packing. All stations are ready to go…” he lifts and locks his blue eyes with my gray ones, “… except yours. If I were you, I would have fired your ass by now.”
His riling commentary awards him half a smirk. “If you were me, you wouldn’t have any staff to fire.” Hugo has work ethics by the bucketloads, and he’s not once griped about how hard I work him, but he has no interest in branching out into business for himself. Regan and I have ventured into a handful of commercial endeavors, Hunter earns an eyewatering amount of capital from the private security firm he operates during the quiet periods of my empire, and I’ve been in business with Cormack for almost as long as I’ve known him, yet Hugo declines every offer I make him.
I would take his rejections personally if I believed they were based on anything more than a disinterest in the finer things in life. Hugo is one of the rare men who can’t tell the difference between a three-thousand-dollar bottle of scotch and an eighteen-dollar bottle.
To him, they all taste the same.
After reducing his chuckles from my truthful remark, Hugo nudges his head to the encyclopedia-thick file of Callie on my desk. “How’s she doing?”
My lips itch into a smile before I twist them. “From what I’ve gathered, good.”
I feel like I’m on the couch of a shrink when Hugo balances his elbows on his knees. “What was that? You did that twitchy lip thing you always do when you’re unsure about something.” Apfftvibrates in his chest when I furl my lips in silent warning for him to keep his thoughts to himself. When he isn’t faking the life of a regular joe, he takes a stab at Avery’s title of choice. He thinks he’s a therapist in the making. “I’ve only seen you do it twice. The first time was when you… ah…” he locks his eyes with my crotch, “… did that.” He’s talking about the vasectomy I had years ago. “And the second was when I collected you from the airport. I thought it was from Raquel going into labor in the middle of your business trip.” He rubs his hands together before he sinks into his chair with a chuckle. “I soon learned otherwise. It was about your balls…again.”
“Hugo…”
He stops chuckling long enough to raise a brow, granting me permission to continue.
“Get the fuck out of my office before I throw you out.”
Since there isn’t an ounce of coyness to my tone, he does as asked but not before he adds a final rile into the mix. “Enjoy your weekend away, Isaac. Soon they’ll be tied up with playdates and diaper duty…” He freezes, works his throat through a hard swallow, then spins around to face me. “Unless you’re planning to hire a nanny to do that?”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, honestly confused.
He floats his eyes over Callie’s file before cocking a brow. “She’s a child, Isaac, not a business premises. You can’t purchase her, then leave her remodel up to someone else. It doesn’t work like that.”
Although I don’t appreciate his tone, I understand what he’s saying. I fully intend to be a part of Callie’s life. I’m just not planning to be her sole influencer. I am hopeful Isabelle will be a major part of her life as well.
I flash Hugo a warning glare to get out of my head when he murmurs, “Izzy is still finding her feet. You know this, Isaac. If you didn’t, you would have told her about Callie weeks ago.”
I haven’t kept Callie’s auction from Isabelle to be cruel, nor am I concerned that Isabelle isn’t in the right mindset to be subjected to the spitefulness of her father for the second time in her life. I’ve kept quiet for one reason. I don’t want Isabelle to like me for what I bring to the table. I want her to like me solely for me and not my wealth, capital, or empire.
I don’t see how that will be achievable if she feels obligated to stay with me for the sake of her sister. That isn’t love. It’s indebtedness—the very thing that ruined my parents’ marriage. I want a relationship where both sides contribute equally. This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with time, commitment, and faithfulness. It will take a little while for my naturally engrained dominant nature to get the gist of this, but I’m confident it will occur eventually.
I make a mental note to spend less time with Hugo when he grins about my pensive expression before he re-enters my office, snatches my suit jacket from the coat racket, plucks me from my chair, then shoves me toward the door. “Hunter has Nick and Callie in lockdown, I’ve got operations covered, and Roger is…” he draws his brows together, “…Roger.We’ve got all bases protected. You just need to bring it home with a big-hitting homerun.”
