The Mystery Unmasked: Enigma, #3
Page 1
Enigma: The Mystery Unmasked
Shandi Boyes
Edited by Mountains Wanted Publishing
Edited by Swish Design & Editing
Illustrated by SSB Design
Shandi Boyes
Contents
Also by Shandi Boyes
Want to stay in touch?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
About the Author
Also by Shandi Boyes
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
* * *
Christmas Trio (Wesley, Andrew & Mallory -- short story)
Falling For A Stranger (Short Story)
* * *
Coming Soon
Skitzo
Copyright
© Shandi Boyes 2016
No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Editing: Swish Design & Editing
Cover: SSB Designs
Models: David Turner & Alyse Madej
Photographer: Lindee Robinson Photography
Want to stay in touch?
Facebook: facebook.com/authorshandi
* * *
Instagram: instagram.com/authorshandi
* * *
Email: authorshandi@gmail.com
* * *
Reader’s Group: bit.ly/ShandiBookBabes
* * *
Website: authorshandi.com
* * *
Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/AuthorShandi
Dedication
To the man who inspires all my male characters.
I love you, Chris.
Shandi xx
Chapter 1
Isaac
The blood roaring through my veins is nearly as compelling as the fuel surging through the cylinders of my car’s robust engine. My pride and joy, my classic 1963 Aston Martin DB5, is being pushed to its absolute limit as it winds down the grueling St. Thomas Street hill in my hometown of Ravenshoe. My grip on the steering wheel is as tight as the hold I had on Brandon’s neck when he failed to tell me where Isabelle was. I knew something was amiss when the heaviness that’s been plaguing my chest the past week amplified. I just never anticipated for it to be something so mammoth.
The beautiful, kind-hearted, never-says-a-bad-word-about-anyone Isabelle has been arrested for murder.
You’d think I would have recognized the signs. The protectiveness she displayed earlier today, her statement about not being able to breathe without me in her life, and staining her hands to help my family were signs I should have been looking for. Isabelle’s possessiveness of me is as paramount as my protectiveness of her. I’ll do everything in my power to protect her—nothing is above me when it comes to keeping her safe. Clearly, she feels the same way.
One factor leaves me utterly baffled, though. What the fuck happened in the last hour to adjust the perception of reality so immensely? Isabelle went from glistening like a diamond in the afternoon sun to being arrested for murder in under an hour. Mistakes are made when you don’t take the time to evaluate a situation accurately. Hell, I’ve had lapses in judgment myself. Still, Isabelle’s spur-of-the-moment decisions are more based on love and lust, not murder and mystery.
As my car glides over the St. Thomas Street horizon, its tires lifting from the road surface due to my high speed, clarity forms. This is Brandon’s fault. He’s the only person who has seen Isabelle since we left the cabin, so he must have enlightened her with information that caused the change in her demeanor. That’s why he looked so gaunt when he arrived in my office. It wasn’t just remorse tainting his face. It was regret.
Regret he’ll pay for once I have Isabelle back safe in my arms.
A motorist toots when I cut him off to take the
entrance ramp of the highway in front of him, but it has nothing on the aggression I disperse when my car comes to a grinding halt a half-mile down. Because of the hour, commuter traffic is at its worst. Regrettably, there’s no alternative route for me to take, so I stick with my original plans.
After beeping my horn at the car in front of me, demanding for it to move, I pull into the emergency lane, narrowly missing a motorcyclist who is also using the lane as his personal road. My speed is reduced to twenty-five miles per hour, but it’s faster than the snail’s pace the other cars are traveling in the bumper-to-bumper traffic.
With my eyes darting between the road and my suit, I dig my phone out of the breast pocket of my jacket. I hit the speed dial for Hugo before squashing it to my ear. It rings numerous times before he picks up. “Hey, Hunter said you found Izzy.”
I did but not where I anticipated. “I need you to go to the Ravenshoe Police Station.”
My request is met with so much silence. If Hugo’s deep breaths weren’t thundering down the line, I would have assumed he’d hung up. I understand his apprehension, but if he’s still in Isabelle’s apartment, he’s closer to Ravenshoe PD than me. Although the tightness around my chest won’t ease until I see Isabelle is safe with my own two eyes, I’ll get a small amount of reprieve hearing it from Hugo.
Sensing his reluctance, I inform him, “It’s Isabelle… she’s been arrested.”
A deep sigh barrels down the line. “I’m on my way.”
As I lower my phone from my ear, it vibrates in my hand. The screen displays it’s a call from Hunter. I press the call button before pushing it back against my ear.
“We can’t get close to Megan. Cops are swarming the motel.” He sucks in a quick breath, remembering he needs to breathe to talk. “There are over a dozen of them, so we’ll scope the premises, talk to some locals, see if we can squeeze any info out of them on what the fuck is going on.”
My jaw tenses as my grip on the steering wheel firms. “I want every detail you unearth relayed directly to me. I don’t care how minute it seems, I want to know everything.”
The sharpness in my voice places Hunter on edge, causing him to rattle when he says, “I’ll gather everything I can find.”
After disconnecting our call, I throw my cell into the console before scrubbing my hand down my face. When my hand glides across the two-day-old stubble on my chin, my jaw ticks. Isabelle squirmed even more than usual when my prickles grazed her sensitive clit on the dining room table this morning. Her excitement has me reconsidering my stance on shaving every day. Not only would Isabelle have an additional thrill added to our already combustible encounters, but I’d also smell her seductive scent hours later.
That alone is enough incentive to grow a full, scruffy beard like Hunter’s.
By the time I make it to the Ravenshoe PD, another thirty minutes has passed. My panic didn’t diminish during the delay. If anything, it’s more noticeable.
After illegally parking in the emergency vehicles’ only bay located in front of the entrance, I fling open my door, then hotfoot it up the steps, taking them two at a time. The lobby falls into silence when I step inside. Even the phones stop ringing. I’d have given it more than a second thought if I hadn’t located Hugo. He’s standing near the reception desk in an angry confrontation with a male officer.
When he notices my gawk, he quickly closes the distance between us, his steps more stomps than strides. “She’s here, but they won’t let me see her.”
As I head to the inquiries counter, I trek my finger over my sweaty brow. An overweight, middle-aged lady whose uniform is bursting at the seams greets me with a wonky smile. She has a lazy eye, so I can’t tell if she’s looking at me or Hugo, who’s standing behind my right shoulder.
Her good eye must be her right as it faces me when she asks, “How can I help you, Mr. Holt?”
I want to say my infamous reputation even surpassed my expectations, but that would be a lie. Everyone in Ravenshoe knows who I am, including local law enforcement officers. You don’t take years building a reputation as prestigious as mine and not have it gain you the attention of others.
“I want to speak to a lady you have in custody.” I add a touch of seductiveness to my voice, hoping it will make her too weak at the knees to deny my request.
She arches her brow, acting nonchalant about the throaty purr of my words, but the hue on her cheeks gives away her deceit. “Are you her lawyer?”
“No—”
“Then you can’t see her.”
When her good eye shifts to Hugo, her cheeks flush even more. He’s decked out in his standard work uniform consisting of a black suit with a crisp, white dress shirt underneath. He doesn’t wear a vest or a tie like me, but his pricy suit enhances his rugged appearance. The two buttons left undone on his shirt gives a sneak peek to his vast collection of tattoos, and his crew-cut hairstyle makes it seem as if his blue eyes pop off his face. I can understand the desk sergeant’s interest. She looks like she hasn’t had a hard fuck in years, and Hugo’s size and build assures her he’s more than capable of pinning her to the wall to give her the fuck she’s seeking.
Hmm, I wonder how far Hugo will go to keep his job?
“Don’t even think about it.” Hugo’s slit eyes float up from the ground to glare at me. “Unlike some people, I have standards.” The way he growls ‘some’ reveals to whom he is referring—me.
His attitude gets sliced in half when I ask, “Not even for Isabelle?”
His pupils widen as his mouth gapes. Just like me, Hugo will do anything to protect Isabelle. He cares greatly for her. That isn’t surprising. Anyone who meets her is immediately besotted with her. Hugo cares for her differently than me. He treats her more like a sister than a love interest.
Before Hugo can form a response, from the corner of my eye, I catch the quickest glimpse of a profile I’ve seen many times before.
“Ryan!” I call out.
He stops midway through the door, his head turning to see who called his name. I jerk up my chin, requesting a minute. He gives me exactly that after ushering a female detective into the hub he was entering before I spotted him.
When he strolls toward me, his smile enlarges with every step he takes. “I never thought I’d see the day Isaac Holt in a police station, and even more shocking than that is the fact he doesn’t have cuffs on.”
If my visit were for any reason other than Isabelle being arrested, I’d laugh at his banter. Ryan and I could be classified as friends. I use the word loosely as I’m confident if he ever had the opportunity to arrest me, he’d happily oblige. Despite the badge on his hip, he’s one of the rare good guys in this town who don’t line their pockets with the dirty money my competitors offer. He knows the grit it takes to become successful like me as he too dug himself out of the trench I climbed six years ago, and he did it in a fair and just way.
Ravenshoe PD is littered with dirty, scheming cops. But, unlike his peers, Ryan doesn’t formulate an opinion on a suspect without evaluating his own motive. Because of this, I class him as a friend. He’s not a close confidant like Cormack, but he can count on me if he needs anything as I can in return.
With that in mind, I curve my lips high before accepting the hand he’s holding out in greeting. He uses our handshake to pull me in for a quick man hug. “How the fuck are you?” His friendliness gains me even more suspicious eyes than I had upon arrival.
“I’m good.” My clipped tone advises how short my tether is. Usually, I’m calm, cool, and calculated. That’s null and void when it comes to Isabelle. “I need a favor.”
Ryan runs his hand along his jaw, tracking the quiver there. “You called in your favor when I let you see Jacob Walters after he was arrested.”
When Nick’s friend, Jacob, was arrested for assault, I bartered with Ryan to see him. He granted me fifteen minutes alone with Jacob before a public prosecutor was brought in to represent him since he couldn’t afford counsel on the covenant that th
e favor Ryan owed me from years ago would be cashed in. I stupidly agreed, having no clue someone as mesmerizing as Isabelle was about to enter my life.
If Jacob and Nick were close friends, I would have never dragged Jacob into the ruthless world of underground fighting, but from what Nick told me, he was a brilliant fighter. He practically beat a man to death with his bare hands. He had both size and speed, which is a rare combination. He was so impressive, even Hugo had heard of him.
On the agreement I’d supply Jacob the best lawyer money could buy, he signed on to be my fighter for twelve months. Jacob was ordered two years of probation, which was impressive considering he was looking at a minimum of three years in jail before I arrived on the scene. Jacob chose wisely when he accepted my agreement nearly two years ago, just like Ryan will if he agrees to assist me today. His assistance will be immensely awarded.