Chapter Six
Isla
I can see Walker’s date surrounded by guys trying to convince her that they’re the one who can protect her and love her like she deserves. And she’s loving every second of the attention. I’m disgusted, not just by the scene that had played out with Walker, but also by the sound of her slapping him, the sudden silence that followed, and how Daniel told Walker to leave, as if he wasn’t the one wronged.
I get that Walker fights. He’s trouble. But this… this isn’t right. But the thought of how he’d reacted swiftly, his reflexes obviously honed from years of needing to protect himself, catching her wrist mid-air... The gesture wasn’t aggressive , just... protective.
“Daniel,” I say, but he lifts a hand in a sharp gesture for me to be quiet.
“He’s trouble. And it’s easier this way. We don’t have to worry about him being a problem in the future, either.” Daniel’s no-nonsense tone says I’m wasting my time trying to talk sense into him.
Daniel's jaw clenches as his gaze fixes on something by the door, and my heart thumps as I turn to follow his stare.
As if summoned by our conversation, Walker walks back into the bar, his presence sucking every last hint of oxygen out of the air. I know that look - he’s ready to fight.
“Walker, don’t,” I say softly, and his gaze flicks to me as if considering my words before dismissing them. His mind is made up and things are about to go south.
“I told you to make yourself scarce.” Daniel’s tone tells me he also knows what’s about to happen, and he’s ready. As he rolls up his sleeves, I try again to disarm the situation before it can blow up even more.
“Daniel, he was just protecting himself,” I say, my voice rising above the sudden outburst of whispers and hushed voices. The air is charged, and everyone has to feel what’s going to happen next. I notice - with some satisfaction, I won’t lie - that the men around Walker’s date dropped by half the moment he walked back in the door.
I know my words fall on deaf ears as Daniel strides over to Walker. The men stand toe to toe, and I try to calm my racing heart. I don’t want this to happen. Not now, not ever.
Then, like lightning, Daniel's fist arcs through the air, aimed at Walker's powerful jaw.
But Walker, with the grace of a great cat, evades the blow, his body moving with a fluidity that belies his solid frame. In a heartbeat, he counters with a jab that's too fast to see but impossible to miss. Daniel’s head snaps back, his nose gushing blood as he lets out a sharp grunt of pain and fury.
“Stop it! Just stop!” I barely recognize my voice as I yell at these grown men acting like children.
Liam - typically the peacemaker - springs into action. He vaults over the bar and rushes at Walker like a pro wrestler ready to take him down. And Walker watches him come before he’s taken to the ground by Liam’s powerful frame. Liam’s bulky form is a blur as he tries to wrestle Walker into submission while Daniel lands a few cheap shots. But there's an elegance to Walker's movements, a controlled power that makes my breath catch in my throat even as I plead for peace.
“Enough!” I shout, but they pretend not to hear me as their egos clash and their personal attempts to dominate the situation continue.
I'm caught in the moment, unable to look away from Walker—this brooding bad boy who commands the space around him with an unspoken authority. Every fiber of my being vibrates with the intensity of the moment, fear and undeniable attraction flooding my veins.
“Stop!” I yell again hoping against hope that my voice will break through the chaos and reach the man whose troubled past is written in every motion of his body. I think he likes to fight, and that makes me feel all sorts of ways.
“Back off, or I'm calling the cops!” I say as patrons begin to slip out the door, skirting widely around the fighting men. I rush toward them, ready to wade in and settle the chaos with calmness. I know it’s a stupid move, but what else can I do?
Suddenly, an elbow crashes into my cheekbone, white-hot pain exploding out from the point of impact. I stumble back, my vision blurring as my body forgets how to move. But before I can hit the ground, strong arms wind around me. Walker's arms.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble in the chaos. There's a gentleness in his eyes and touch that contradicts the fury I'd just witnessed. He’s almost… tender and everything about the moment sends my heart skittering.
“Let go of her!” Liam's roar fills my ears and I'm torn from Walker's grasp as if I weigh nothing. Walker’s warmth lingers on my skin, even as cold air floods in. Daniel and two bouncers clamp down on Walker, dragging him toward the exit. I’d swear Walker looks… satisfied? Amused? Happy ?
“Are you okay?” Liam's concerned gaze searches my face as he sets me on a stool. His hand takes my chin and tilts my face as he assesses the damage.
I nod, still stunned about everything that had just happened. “Yeah, I think so.”
He walks around the bar, scooping some ice into a bag and turning to me again. “Here.” He wraps the bag in a clean towel and gently holds the cold material against my throbbing cheek. “Keep this on it.”
“Thanks,” I say, the cold compress numbing the pain, but not the confusion rising in me.
Daniel looms over us, his expression hard as stone. “You should go home, take the rest of the night off.”
“Why did he come back?” I ask, wondering if anyone understands.
“Just to fight. It’s Walker. He lives for a good brawl.” Daniel sounds convinced, but I’m not so sure.
“Did you throw the first punch?” I ask, blinking at Daniel. I know I’m pushing my luck, but something in me says there’s more to the moment than any of us know.
“I think you should go home,” Liam says, obviously trying to get the conversation back into safer territory.
Home. I don’t want to go home. All I’ll do there is think about Walker. How his eyes had softened the instant before he caught me, how his grip had been firm yet careful. Is he truly the villain they say he is? This dangerous ex-gang member who has somehow burrowed under my skin.
His touch lingers in my mind, and I try to make sense of the whole situation. Was his instinct to protect me genuine, or just a reflex? Maybe a remnant of a life he's supposed to have left behind?
“I don’t want to go home,” I say.
Daniel and Liam glance at one another, and Daniel lifts his shoulders. “I won’t try to make you, but it’s an open invitation. Go home whenever you’re ready, early or not.”
“Thank you,” I say as I press the ice harder against my face, seeking relief from the aching throb. But all I find is an ache that goes deeper than the bruise forming on my skin — the ache of not knowing whether Walker is the monster they claim, or the protector my foolish heart wants him to be.
*
The next day…
The clink of glass against wood pulls me back to the present, and I blink away the memories that have kept me company for the past hour. My best friend Amber is sitting across from me at the bar, her eyes narrowed in concern—or is it impatience? —as she waves a shot of tequila under my nose.
“Earth to you. Are you still thinking about him?” Her voice is a mix of amusement and exasperation.
I nod, unable to find the words to explain the confusing thoughts and feelings that have been warring within me since yesterday. The scent of his cologne, the intensity of his gaze, the gentleness of his touch—it all lingers like a vivid dream I can't shake off.
Amber's lips curve into a smile as she leans forward, resting her elbows on the bar. “So how is Chase?” The question is casual, but I know exactly what she’s doing; she’s reminding me that I’m with someone else and shouldn't be so focused on Walker.
“Chase is great,” I hear myself say, the words automatic, practiced, even. “We talk every day. He's... so sweet.” It's true; Chase is the kind of guy you bring home to your parents, the kind that sends good morning texts and remembers your coffee order. Chase is safe, and I love that about him.
“He’s… sweet,” Amber says, her eyes scanning my face as if searching for something more convincing than my almost dismissive compliment. She doesn't press further, though, instead, she slides a shot toward me with a raised eyebrow.
“Drink up. It'll help you forget Mr. Tall, Dark, and Murderous.”
At my expression, she offers a playful shrug. “What? He was in a gang, what are the odds he hasn’t killed someone?” Her tone is light and teasing, but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. And I know exactly what she’s doing - she’s trying to make me afraid of Walker, so I reconsider any feelings I’m having for the man.
She doesn't need to do that. I’m faithful to Chase. Even Walker can’t tempt me away from the good thing I’ve got going. I won’t let him or anyone else come between me and the man I’m going to marry.
I take the shot, feeling the liquid fire burn all the way down my throat, before searing through my veins. But even as the warmth spreads through my chest, I think about Walker’s tender look, his warm eyes. And I force my thoughts back to Chase, because he’s the one I’m with, the one I love. This infatuation with Walker… it’ll pass. What Chase and I have, that’s real. And I’d be stupid to throw it away for anyone else.
“So, are you two gonna tie the knot anytime soon?” Her words are casual, as if the sting of the alcohol did nothing to her. I don’t drink a lot, but I need a minute to recover.
“Maybe,” I murmur, feeling like gasoline fumes are coming out of my mouth. “I hope so.”Chase is everything I want, and I love him. I have since we were kids.
A man lifts a hand and I nod at Amber. As I turn away and busily attend to a customer's request for a refill, my fingers wrap around the cool glass, but it does nothing to chill the heat within me. “I’d hate to see the other guy,” the old man says, gesturing at the bruise on my face, and I let out a laugh.
I wouldn’t hate to see the other guy. My thoughts run wild, as the image of Walker invades my mind once more, unbidden and unwelcome.
*
One month later…
A sudden silence fills the place and something electric tingles through me. I glance up, only to see Walker at the front doors, flanked on both sides by the very bouncers that had thrown him out last night.Close behind him is another man – one I don’t recognize, but who seems almost as imposing as Walker himself.
Confusion fills me as I notice the bouncers both have expressions of discomfort and frustration. My heart catches, then begins to pound as Walker’s gaze sweeps the space. He stands, framed by the doorway, his posture threatening, and when his eyes find mine, something crackles between us.
The world fades to a blur, the background noise droning into silence. It's just him and me, locked in a moment that seems fleeting and forever. Then, his gaze tears away from me to land on Daniel, who's been watching Walker’s every movement with narrowed eyes.
Walker strides forward and Daniel tenses beside me. I see Amber glance over her shoulder at him, then see her give a double-take before glancing at me and mouthing is that him? I nod in response. Oh my god , she mouths, putting a hand on the side of her face as if to hide from him. He’s hot!
With every step, Walker exudes power, and when he reaches the counter, without hesitation, he speaks, his voice low and dangerous. “Daniel, you're fired.”
The laughter that erupts from Daniel is sharp, disbelieving. He crosses his arms over his chest, a smirk twisting his lips. “You can't be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious,” he says, gesturing to the bouncers. “I own this place now, and you’re no longer employed.”
Daniel’s smile vanishes as the men approach. “I’ll walk out, thanks,” he says, before glaring at Walker. “I don’t know what you did, but I’m going to make sure you regret this.”
The corners of Walker’s lip twitch. “I hope you do,” he says in an even tone that sends a shiver down my spine.
Daniel leaves, followed by the bouncers, and I can see Amber watching Walker with her mouth hanging open and I want to say , See? I told you so! This guy is impossible to ignore!
The silence stretches out as everyone - patrons, me, Liam - stare at him.
Walker surveys the room, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade. “Anyone else have a problem?” he asks in that low tone that’s unexpectedly threatening. No one dares to meet his gaze.
I'm rooted in place, my pulse dancing wildly in my throat. Part of me is exhilarated by the thought of him as my boss—Walker, the man who watches me with a fierce intensity, the man who commands the room just by standing there.
But the image of Daniel's abrupt firing brings my little fantasy to a halt. The way he was escorted out, no explanations, no second chances—it sends a chill down my spine. So much for job security.
My hands tremble slightly as I grab a rag, trying to wipe down the counter but finding the motion impossible. Walker's presence fills the space, and no one has a damn thing to say to him.
He hasn't even glanced my way since that initial connection when he first stepped in, but I'm acutely aware of him, every inch of my skin prickling with the knowledge that he’s close, and now he’s my boss.
“Good,” Walker says after a moment that feels like forever, his voice echoing in the quiet bar. “I expect professionalism and dedication from my staff. If that's going to be a problem for anyone, speak now.”
But who would dare?
The silence answers for us.
He nods once, satisfied, and a collective exhale from the room tells me everyone was holding their breath, not just me. As I watch him take control, the reality has my heart sinking like a stone in a pond. This man, who does funny things to my pulse and dominates my thoughts, is now in charge of my world. And I can't decide if I'm more scared… or thrilled.
With a newfound authority, Walker begins talking to the man who’d come in with him in hushed voices. Neither glance at me, and all the while, I stand there, caught between the fear of the unknown and the pull of an attraction that's impossible to ignore.