by Shandi Boyes
A smile etches on my face when Ava gently nods. After snagging my duffle bag off the ground, I place a kiss on Joel’s head before pressing one on the edge of Ava’s lips. The battle not to slip my tongue inside her sweet, inviting mouth is tortuous. The ball-clenching kiss Ava and I shared a week ago has been the only kiss we’ve shared. Don’t construe my confession the wrong way. I'm more than interested in devouring every single inch of Ava, but it was only after Joel interrupted us with an expression of shock on his face did I recall Ava was only engaged to another man mere hours before our kiss. Not that Marvin will be a hard act to follow, but I don’t want to be the rebound guy. Once Ava becomes mine, there will be no going back - ever. So I need to ensure she has enough time to properly evaluate what she wants, because I know as well as the next man, rushed decisions can cause dire consequences.
When the final boarding call for my flight sounds over the speakers, I shift my eyes between Ava and Joel. “I’ll see you soon?”
A smile curls on my lips when they nod their heads in sync. Even with the feeling of a knife being stabbed into my chest, I spin on my heels and walk to my departure gate. I need to do this. I need to make things right with Isaac. Then I'll have a clear conscience to move onto the next stage of my life.
The flight back to Ravenshoe is thankfully uneventful and void of the nail-biting I experienced when I flew to Tiburon with Izzy last week. I can’t believe it has only been a little over a week since that day. So much has changed since then.
Exiting the domestic terminal, I spot Hunter’s hellcat parked illegally in a loading zone at the side. He's sitting behind the wheel of his car, either oblivious to the police officer filling in a citation for his illegal parking or he doesn’t care.
“I’ll be there in thirty. You better get that little red number out,” I hear Hunter murmur as I crank open the passenger door of his car and slide into the dark gray leather seat.
“I’ll call you back in a few,” he states into his cell phone, his tone more stern than earlier.
Snapping his untraceable cell shut, he throws it into the middle console of his car and turns his eyes to me.
“Who was that?” I ask, not bothering to hide the innuendo in my voice.
Hunter tries to hide his smile behind his scruffy beard, but I can’t miss it. Even if I could, the vibrant blaze flicking in his eyes is all the indication I need to know his heart is flipping in his chest.
“You’ll meet her in a few.” He snatches the parking ticket out of the officer’s hand then tears out of the loading zone.
When we reach the highway, he scrunches up the parking fine and throws it onto the pavement whizzing by. Once his window glides back into place, his eyes drift to me. He eyes me with curiosity but remains silent. My brow curves when he leans over and vigorously sniffs the edge of my jaw.
His lips quirk. “Hmm sweet,” he mutters, curtly nodding.
I adjust my position, moving away from him and his out-of-character awkwardness as I can in the confines of his car.
Hunter grins and winks before jutting his chin out.
“Your turn.” He peers at me from the corner of his eye.
I eye him with even more curiosity than earlier.
“You want to know if a beard captures a woman’s scent. Check.” He thrusts his beard-covered chin out further.
His chuckle booms around the interior of his car when I punch him in the bicep. He rubs the area, feigning injury before slanting his chin back in and returning his eyes to the road.
Inhaling deeply through his nose, he mutters, “Never smelled anything so delicious.”
I'm about to argue that there's no sweeter scent in the world than Ava, until I remember, what is one man’s meat is another man’s poison. A man may see one woman as a precious diamond, whereas another may only see her as a dirty stone stuck in a rock. Although I’m certain Ava is the sexiest woman alive and the sweetest smelling, it isn’t my place to convince Hunter. Actually, I'd prefer it if more men were unaware of the fact. Then I may have a chance of keeping my inane jealousy that only Ava incites intact.
“Does Isaac know I’m back?” I ask, endeavoring to return my focus to the task at hand. The quicker I fix things between us, the quicker I’ll return to my family.
Hunter nods. “Yeah, he requested your assistance with a task this morning.”
My brow arches. “What task?” I query, my words juddering. “Digging my own grave?”
Hunter chuckles. “Come on, you know as well as the rest of us, Isaac doesn’t mind getting his hands a little dirty if he needs to. If he wanted your grave dug, it would have already been done.”
I smirk and nod. “True,” I drawl out.
Hunter shifts his eyes between the road and me. “His asset is arriving this morning. You were an integral part of securing her. He wants you there to see Izzy’s reaction.”
I shake my head. “I don’t deserve any credit for what Isaac did. He put up the money, and pushed his empire into dangerous territory to secure her. All I did was recognize a pair of distinctive eyes.”
“Yeah, but a lesser man wouldn’t have cared what happened to her. You knew Isaac. You knew he would have responded to your discovery. If you didn’t care about him or Izzy, you would have just hidden that little girl’s existence to save your own ass. You didn’t. That deserves credit.”
I grunt. It is the only plausible reaction I can give. Although some would see my decision as loyalty to Isaac, I’ve been anything but loyal. Neither Hunter nor I have been totally forthright with Isaac the past three months. After Isaac ran into Izzy at the airport, he requested for Hunter to gather any information he could on her. Hunter did as requested. He just failed to disclose everything he found on Izzy. Although, I'll admit, it took Hunter a lot of effort to unearth the real Isabelle Brahn from the deep pile of rubble Brandon hid her under, but since Hunter is the best hacker in the world, he eventually found a channel.
Both Hunter and I saw a change in Isaac the day he met Izzy. We knew without a doubt she was his Achilles heel. So that night, we made a plan. Izzy had a month. If she didn’t disclose her true identity to Isaac within a month of them being a couple, we were going to out her. Isaac was arrested before we got the chance.
My palms begin to sweat when Hunter pulls his hellcat into the front entrance of Isaac’s property and enters the security code into the black security panel. The beat of my heart climbs astronomically as he guides his car up the driveway and parks at the front of the double French doors. My eyes lift to the half-circle window on the top floor of Isaac’s residence as I climb out of Hunter’s car.
“You coming?” I ask when Hunter’s seatbelt remains latched.
Hunter smirks and shakes his head. My pupils widen as I swallow the brick in my throat. Spotting my panicked expression, Hunter chuckles.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you scared,” he cackles.
Rolling my eyes, I slam the passenger door shut. With a laugh, Hunter tears out of the driveway, leaving nothing but the smell of dust and burning gasoline in his wake. I’m going to be honest, I’m shitting bricks. Before, I never had a reason to fear Isaac. I had nothing to lose, so I never worried about retribution when I'd taunt him. Now, I have everything to lose.
Running my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans, I walk up the small flight of stairs to the front door. Before I can grab the gold engraved door handle, the French doors swing open. Isaac’s dark eyes stare into mine for numerous stomach-churning seconds before they lower to absorb my long-sleeve shirt and ripped jeans.
“There's a spare suit in the guest bedroom.” He gestures his head to one of the numerous rooms in his private residence.
Unsurprisingly, his tone is clipped and stern. Surprisingly, this is the first time he has spoken to me as if I'm a member of his staff and not his friend. I’m not going lie, his coldness stings my ego and bruises my heart.
“Isaac, I--”
Any further words preparing to seep f
rom my lips are cut off from the stern glare he directs at me. His furious wrath causes the guilt I’m carrying on my shoulders to become more weighted.
“Not now,” Isaac demands, glaring into my eyes. “This day is not about me or you. It is about Isabelle. I know you care for her.” His jaw gains a twitch from his last sentence. “And she cares for you. So for her, I’m willing to push aside the overwhelming urge to destroy you like your betrayal gutted me.”
After seeing Isaac fight in the charity UFC match last week, I thought his fists were his greatest weapons. They aren’t. His words and the desolate look in his eyes are inflicting more damage to my already guilt-ridden heart than his fists ever could.
“We leave in five minutes.”
When I nod, he paces into the living room at the side of the foyer. I move into the spare room and change into my work attire: a black suit and a crisp white dress shirt. My movements are sluggish, weighed down by the guilt strangling my heart. After I’m dressed, I return to the foyer to await further instructions.
My eyes lift from the ground when I hear a tiny pair of feet padding down the stairwell. Izzy stops halfway down the stairs. Her hand shoots up to clamp over her mouth and her eyes well with tears. After brushing away a few stray tears, she gallops down the stairs and throws herself into my arms.
“Hey, Isabelle,” I greet her, returning her embrace.
Deep down in my heart, I knew Isaac would take care of Izzy, but it still feels good to see her back to her carefree, happy nature.
When I place Izzy onto her feet, her eyes drift over my face. From the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Isaac exiting the living room, carefully watching the exchange between Izzy and me. Even though his gaze remains stagnant, I know he sees it. Izzy is like family to me. Nothing more. Nothing less. There are no fireworks or sparks. There's nothing but friendship and mutual respect.
When Izzy spots Isaac standing to the side, she gnaws on her bottom lip before she scurries across the room to greet Isaac with the same enthusiasm she bestowed on me. Well, minus the kissing part. Watching them interact should settle any concerns Isaac has. The fireworks he's searching for are exploding before his very eyes – between him and Izzy.
“I’ll bring the car around,” I advise, slipping out the front entrance.
The heaviness of my steps soften when my cell phone buzzes in my trouser pocket. Lugging it out, my chuckle sounds over the gravel crunching under my feet when I peer down at the screen. Ava snapped a picture of her and Joel playing Monopoly last night. Instead of using fake money, they used the multiple bags of Skittles I left in Joel’s sock draw as leverage.
I quickly type a message as I move to the garage at the side of the main house.
Me: Lucky his mom is a dentist?
There's no doubt who the real estate mogul is in the photo Ava snapped. Joel has a pile of candy nearly bigger than his head. Ava has a small scattering of Skittles that wouldn’t even fill half of her small hand.
Ava: Lucky he agreed to save his candy gorging until his daddy returns.
As I type a message, eclipses trickle across the screen. A grin stretches across my face when my message is sent at the same time Ava’s is received.
Me: I miss you guys.
Ava: We miss you.
I’ve only been away from them for a few hours, and I’m already missing them more than I could possibly express. That proves, without a doubt, my life will not be complete until they're in it. Both of them.
When I hear Isaac and Isabelle walking toward the garage, I quickly type a message and hit send before housing my cell phone into my trouser pocket. I rush to the driver’s side door of one of Isaac’s many town cars and crank the ignition.
Halfway to the private airstrip Isaac instructed me to drive to, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. Dying to know what Ava’s reply is, I shift my eyes between the road and my trousers while retrieving my phone. My hearty chuckle traps in the front partition of the car since Isaac has the privacy divider lifted between us.
Ava: That was even more pathetic than that time in your office.
It takes me several tedious minutes to type a reply since I’m gripping the steering wheel with one hand and typing with another.
Me: Come on, cut a guy some slack. I’ve never done this before.
I can’t wipe the grin off my face as I pull into the private airstrip on the outskirts of Ravenshoe.
Ava: Well, for one, you missed a box.
Me: No, I didn’t.
Ava: Yeah, you did.
I scroll up the screen to check the original message I sent her: Will you go out with me? Yes or Maybe. To dinner. I meant to say, will you go out to dinner with me?
Me: I don’t see what the problem is.
Ava: Imagine a rolled eyes emoji here if I could work out how to do them on my new phone.
Me: Lol. Ask Joel. He would know.
Ava: I can’t believe you type Lol. How old are you? Anyway, you forgot the “no” box.
Me: And? What’s wrong with that?
Ava: You can’t ask a girl out without a no box.
Me: Hell yes, I can. Saying I can’t do something is pretty much daring me to do it. And we both know, I never back down from a dare.
I place my phone into my lap and pull Isaac’s town car beside Cormack’s private jet Isaac regularly uses.
Me: There isn’t a no box as I’m not going to take no for an answer. Come on, Ava. It’s dinner. A guy’s got to eat.
Ava: What if the restaurant stops serving breakfast at 11 AM?
I chuckle.
Me: We’ll go to another restaurant.
Although I’m loving Ava’s playful banter, on the inside, I’m dying. I haven’t inhaled a full breath since her first reply was received.
I stare at the screen of my phone, willing for it to hurry up and deliver Ava’s reply.
Ava: Alright. Let me know the day and I’ll ask Mrs. Mable to watch Joel.
Fuck yes!
Me: Let me take care of everything.
My eyes lift from my phone when the door of the private jet swings open. My brows hit my hairline when the guy who was dancing with Izzy steps out of the jet with a little girl wrapped around his legs. My eyes snap to Isaac, wanting to gauge his reaction to being confronted by the guy who had every intention of adding Izzy’s name to the notches on his bedpost. My brows furrow when Isaac seems oblivious to the man’s significance in Izzy’s life. Isaac’s reaction can’t be true. He's always watching Izzy. Always.
I turn my eyes back to my phone and quickly type out a message.
Me: I gotta go, babe, I’ll call you later.
Ava: Okay. Talk to you later.
I sit in the car for several minutes, quietly watching the exchange between Isaac, Izzy and Izzy’s half-sister, Callie. You’d think witnessing Isaac spend millions of dollars to secure Izzy’s sister would be the most admirable thing I’ve witnessed him do the past five years. It isn’t. It’s not even close.
After settling Callie into her new room, Isaac strides into his office. His brisk pace slows when he notices me standing at the side of his desk, glancing at a photo of Izzy he has there. He seems to have an odd obsession with watching Izzy sleep, as this is only one of many photos he has of her dozing.
I place the photo on his desk and turn around to face him. “You knew what Izzy was going to do. You knew why she went to the Dungeon,” I say.
Although you could construe my statement as a question, it isn’t. I know Isaac. I know him very well. So I'm well aware my statement is factual, not fiction.
Isaac unbuttons his suit jacket, removes it, and slings it over the coatrack in the corner of the room. Remaining quiet, he ambles to a crystal bar set up at the edge of his desk and pours a generous serving of whiskey into a crystal glass.
“You intuited Izzy’s next move before she even knew what she was going to do.” Just like I knew Ava would accept my invitation to dinner before I even sent the message.
The corn
ers of Isaac’s mouth lift in a wry smirk. “A game of chess is not a hard game to win if you study your opponent in great depth.”
My eyes widen. “You sent Ayden in knowing he was going to kiss her?” I ask in disbelief.
The smirk on Isaac’s face vanishes and a set of hard-lined lips ruefully take its place. “No,” he growls. “I sent Ayden in to stop Isabelle from kissing someone.”
He pivots on his heels to face me. “Isabelle knows me better than anyone. She knew I’d kissed Ophelia without me even needing to confess. In her heart, she knew I betrayed her. So she went to the Dungeon to exact her revenge. Ayden was the closest man I had on the ground. I sent him there to stop her kissing another man.”
He slams his whiskey glass onto the bar so roughly, the crystal chips from his brutal force. His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, filling his thrusting chest with air.
“Ayden had one task: use any tactic he could to keep Isabelle safe until you arrived. What I didn’t expect was to be blindsided by the man I trusted. I never suspected the man I would have bled for would be the one to cut me open and tear my heart straight from my chest.”
The heaviness in my chest turns lethal. “Isaac, I did--”
“You did it because you knew I'd be watching,” he interjects, his tone lowering to a vicious snarl. “Because you wanted me to see it.”
Isaac’s face lines with anger when I nod, agreeing with his statement.
“What I can’t comprehend is why you did it. I’ve seen you with Isabelle. I know you care for her, but I never suspected it to be anything more than friendship. I’ve only seen the spark of admiration in your eyes once before. It wasn’t directed at Isabelle.”
“Izzy is my family, Isaac. Just like you,” I state, staring into his pained eyes.
Isaac’s face reddens, and his jaw muscle spasms.
“I wanted you to fire me,” I confess, taking a step closer to him, putting myself in the danger zone by moving within reaching distance. “After everything you did for me, I didn’t feel like I could leave your empire of my own freewill. So I took the coward’s way out. I forced you to do it for me.”