13. Zayn
CHAPTER 13
ZAYN
Rye didn’t say a word until the door to the study clicked shut behind me. I’d taken Isla to the shower, fully intent on leaving her to it, but when she took the hoodie off and I saw the evidence of us trailing down her thigh, all good intentions of giving her some peace had gone.
I’d left her in the shower, fully sated, breathless, and giving me a stern warning to leave her to actually get clean. I could still feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine and the imprint of her fingers on my chest.
Rye’s eyes were on me like a goddamn spotlight as I crossed the floor and took a seat. He waited until I was seated before he spoke.
“This is a mistake.”
I leaned back in my chair, my eyes on him as I considered his words. “You’ve said that already.”
“And I’ll keep saying it until you start to listen.”
I watched him carefully. Rye could be unpredictable at times. “You think I’m not listening?”
“I think you’re not thinking ,” he snapped, crossing his arms, the muscles in his jaw twitching. “You’re making decisions with your dick, Zayn. Dragging her into shit she shouldn’t even know about. And for what? So you can get your cock sucked?”
I stared at him, my eyes hard. “Careful.”
He shook his head, rising from his seat and pacing a few steps away. “Never been careful. Not going to start now,” he grumbled. “This is risky. Delaney is pissed. You compromised a power position.” He held up his hand to cut me off before I even spoke. “I know why. I understand why, but it’s still done. You’re showing your hand, and it’s not just Patrick who’s watching. They’ll use her against you. You know it. I know it. They’ll know it.”
“I showed my hand the second Patrick took her,” I said, my voice quiet but firm. “It wasn’t a bluff, Rye. I would have burned them all to get her back.”
He stopped pacing and stared at me. “I know, but I would prefer if everyone else didn’t know.”
The silence was long. The air between us, thick with years of loyalty, was now laced with something darker.
“You trust me?” I asked him, my voice still low. The look I got made my lips twitch. “You trust me with everything else, Rye. Why is this different?”
“Because she’s not business,” he snapped. “She’s personal. We don’t do personal. Not like this and you were the one who fucking taught me that.”
I didn’t answer right away because I knew he was right. And I didn’t care. “I’m not asking you to like it,” I said finally. “But I’m telling you now—she stays.”
He gave a short bark of laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. “And what happens when she leaves?”
I met his skeptical gaze. “She won’t.”
Rye didn’t argue, but his silence was louder than anything he could’ve said .
My phone was on the desk, and I picked it up, scrolling through the list of messages and calls I’d missed since I came home last night. Enemies. Allies. All the people who needed reminding that I was still the one pulling the strings.
“We have a meeting with Angelo and his boss tomorrow,” I told Rye, my voice calm. “That takes priority. Then I’ll handle Delaney my way.” I looked up to see him watching me, his hands lightly gripping the bookcase as he leaned against it. “After that, I’ll start tightening the screws on every bastard who might think to use her as leverage.”
“You’re going on the offensive,” Rye muttered.
“I’ve never really played defense.”
He was quiet for a second. “You’d better be sure about this. About her.”
I didn’t blink as I met his look, my voice steady and calm. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He rolled his eyes, his sigh loud. “Ugh, keep that shit for the bedroom. I don’t want your lovey-dovey shit ruining my mood any further.”
I grinned as I watched him struggle to come to terms with what I had just told him.
He saw my smile and shook his head slightly as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing even though he knew he had. “You really think you can make her part of this?” he finally asked, crossing his arms, the lines around his eyes tighter than usual. “ Really let her in?”
I set the phone down. “That’s the thing, Rye. She doesn’t want in.”
“She’s already in , Zayn. The second they took her, the second you went nuclear to get her back—everybody in the club saw it. You showed the whole damn food chain where your weakness is.” He pushed off the bookcase, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “You should’ve let me handle it. Should’ve let her walk away before this got?—”
“What?” I snapped, pushing myself to my feet. “Messy? Uncontrolled? Human ?”
He gave me a flat look. “Don’t twist it.”
“What are you saying, Rye? That I don’t know the stakes? That I haven’t considered the possibility that any one of those bastards could make a move against her, just to see if I’ll bleed?” I held his stare. “You think I haven’t thought through every single tiny detail of my life with Isla in it and what that means for her?”
Rye’s jaw worked. “So what’s the plan, then? Lock her in this house forever?”
“No. I give them something else to focus on.” I walked around to the far end of the study where a folder still sat half-open from last week. “We shift. Pull a few projects forward. The distribution warehouse we’re planning, let’s start making it happen.”
Rye narrowed his eyes. “That’s a logistics play. Boring. Respectable.” He paused. “Legitimate.”
“Exactly. Let them see me doing what I always do—build something visible and clean. I’ll still be in Elixir, handling the pressure points. If anyone tries anything, I’ll be there to push back. Hard.”
He considered it. “Stay the same while building something new. A distraction.”
“Building something for my business that says I’m still in control .”
“And Isla?” Rye asked, quieter now. “What’s she supposed to do while you play with smoke and mirrors?”
“What she’s always done,” I replied. “She works. Builds her brand at The Grand and gets her world back on track. And if anyone tries to fuck with that…” I looked him dead in the eye. “I’ll make them sorry.”
He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “You need to stay the same, you know that?”
“I know.”
“Having Isla in your life will make you change.”
I didn’t hesitate. “No it won’t.” I spoke over him when he looked like he was going to interrupt. “I will not change who I am in business, Rye. If I give my competitors a reason to think I’m weak, they will try to exploit that weakness. Isla will never be used as a pawn against me. For any of those who are watching me, to see how Isla makes me weak, then they’ll see nothing but the same cold-hearted bastard they know and love.”
Silence once again settled between us.
Rye exhaled, nodded once, and picked up the folder. “Fine. I’ll start on this first. Place is crawling with wannabe arsonists. I’ll deal with the little fire starters still buzzing around. You need to keep eyes on Delaney’s side. If he even blinks ?—”
“I’ll know before they do.”
Rye had already slipped into strategy mode. “Yeah, I know you will. But I’m telling you now this game you’re playing? It only works if you win . There’s no middle ground here.”
“I don’t lose.”
I saw the hint of worry in his eyes before he looked away. “Remember that,” he muttered. “Because if I go down with you, I’ll never forgive you.”
I grinned, and he shared my smile. “Asshole.”
“Speaking of?—”
I knew that look. “Don’t say it.”
“Julian?” Rye carried on, ignoring my warning. “One of us has to mention the idiot at some point,” he added defensively when he saw the look on my face. “So what are you going to do about him?”
“Isla’s not mentioned him,” I said. “You gave him the cash to pay his debts?” I asked, and Rye nodded. “Julian’s out of the way.”
Rye let out a dry laugh. “Out of the way? He isn’t gone, and you know it.”
My eyes narrowed as I glared at him. “What? You think I should kill him?”
“I think ,” he said evenly, “the guy’s a walking liability who knows more about you than half the people in our operation, and those people are paid to keep their mouths shut. And unlike them, he has years of access. Trust. Protection. And he has even more access to her.”
It was my turn to look away in frustration. “She thinks of him as family,” I reminded him quietly. “She trusted him.”
“Yeah, past tense,” Rye reminded me bluntly. “He betrayed that because he’s dumb, selfish, and an addict.” He didn’t falter under my sharp glare. “You need to face it. He is the biggest threat to you and her. If you do this, if you say she’s it and you’re her one and only, and you both shut him out? You think he goes away quietly?”
I considered him. Considered his argument. “I haven’t spoken to him since I got Isla back.” I sucked my teeth as I thought about it. “He’d never turn.”
Rye didn’t answer right away. Then he let out a sigh, his head drooping, and his shoulders slumped. “I think…people do stupid things, really fucked-up stupid things when they’re desperate,” he said softly. When he looked at me, his face portrayed the bitterness of his own past. “Julian Turner looks pretty damn desperate to me. ”
I knew he wasn’t wrong. It didn’t make it any easier to accept.
Julian had made himself small since Isla’s abduction—radio silent, avoiding me, avoiding Rye, and, most of all, avoiding her . But silence didn’t mean safety. It meant he was thinking. Plotting. Maybe even spiraling.
“He still owes money,” Rye reminded me. “If they want paid, they’ll come to you. And now, they know to grab Isla. Or…they’ll bleed him out and leave him on her front step with a smiley face carved into his chest.”
I exhaled slowly. “You think he’ll sell us out?”
Rye snorted. “He already has. He’s just too fucking dense to know he was doing it.”
That truth landed harder.
Because that’s what made Julian dangerous— not malice but stupidity. Blindness . He’d seen the risk, and he’d walked straight into it. And that kind of man? He could burn everything down without striking a single match.
And what was worse…I already knew this.
I shared a look with Rye, who knew me too well. I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck, tension sinking into my spine. “She would never forgive me if I touched him.”
Rye wasn’t impressed. “If it happens again?”
I looked up at him, the hard truth setting in between us like a weight. “We keep him close,” I said finally. “Eyes on him at all times. No more free passes. No more loyalty tax.”
Rye arched a brow. “You’re sure?”
“No,” I admitted. “But if I disappear him now, she’ll never believe I didn’t do it for revenge. And I’m not losing her over him .”
Rye gave a slow nod. “So we keep the leash short. Watch for any cracks.”
I nodded. “And if he slips… ”
“I won’t hesitate,” he said.
“Good,” I muttered. “Because I might.” Anger still burned through my veins at the thought of Isla being taken because of her best friend’s gambling addiction. I knew this was the right thing to do, but it didn’t make it any easier. “I’ve known him for years,” I said quietly. “Never thought she’d be the reason it would come to this.”
“Yeah, well, it has.” Rye could be as blunt as I was sometimes. He looked at the folder in his hand. “I’ll start on this. You coming to work tonight, boss?”
“Fuck’s sake, Rye. I had one night off.”
“Yeah? Don’t make a habit of it.” He turned and walked out, taking the heat with him.
I stood there in the quiet. The weight of everything I hadn’t said pressed against my ribs. With a sigh, I took the seat behind my desk, thinking of everything and what I needed to do to control it all. Because the truth was, I didn’t know if I could win this time.
Not with her in the mix. Not when losing her already felt like it might kill me.
“Rye looks angrier than normal,” Isla said from the doorway.
I looked up, seeing that she was wearing the same pants as yesterday and a soft, knitted sweater that just screamed to be touched…or removed. The way it hugged her frame while still appearing loose was distracting. My fingers twitched as I thought about touching her.
“Rye usually looks pissed off.” I beckoned her to come in. “You’ll get used to it.” I fought the smile as I saw her grimace. “He’s also an almost permanent fixture,” I added softly.
“I know.” Isla looked over her shoulder to the open door. “I don’t think he likes me.”
“I don’t think he likes anyone,” I told her truthfully .
“He likes you.”
“Don’t bet on it.” I leaned back as she took a seat across from me, and I saw her about to ask more questions. “Rye’s history is Rye’s.” I saw her eyes widen at the unspoken command don’t ask .
“Of course, sorry.”
Now I felt like shit. “Don’t apologize.” Tapping my desk, I watched her. “He’s private. He’s complicated. If he has anything to share, he’ll tell you himself.”
Isla nodded, understanding in her eyes. “Ah, I get it…he’s you?”
That made me laugh. “Yeah, he probably is.”
“Not as sexy,” she conceded with a playful smile.
“As sexy?” I asked. “You thinking of him as sexy at all disturbs me.”
Isla tipped her head back and laughed. “You really are possessive?”
I watched her relax, in awe at her beauty. “You’re surprised?” I asked her, matching her amazement.
She shook her head. “No. Possessive. Obsessive. Asshole.”
“Write it on my epitaph, babe.” I got up and walked over to her seat. Leaning down, I caught her lips in a punishing kiss.
She melted into it for half a second—until she realized it was meant to distract her. To remind her who was in control. Her hands pushed lightly against my chest. “You kiss like you’re trying to erase my thoughts.”
I grinned against her mouth. “Sometimes, I am.”
She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “Does that usually work?”
“Almost always.”
I let the smile fade slowly, the air thickening between us. Her expression shifted as well—almost as if she sensed it coming. The turn. I ran my thumb along her jaw, and my voice lowered to something quieter. Measured. Serious.
“But there’s something I need you to hear, Is. No jokes. No kissing distractions.” She stilled beneath me, her breath hitching. “Julian’s not safe right now,” I said, watching her closely.
Her eyes searched mine. “You think he’s still in trouble?”
“I think he is the trouble,” I replied bluntly. “Not intentionally. But that doesn’t matter anymore. He’s vulnerable, and people like Patrick Delaney don’t let vulnerability go to waste.”
Her mouth pressed into a tight line. “So what? You think I should stay away from him?”
Stubborn, beautiful girl. “I want you to be careful with him,” I corrected. “He’s not who you thought he was. Maybe he never was. He’s in a corner, and cornered men either beg or bite.”
She leaned back slowly, curling her fingers into the hem of the sweater. “I know he’s in a tight spot. I’m not stupid, Zayn.”
“No. You’re not.” I crouched beside her, forcing her eyes back to mine. “But you’re loyal. And he’s going to count on that. Use that.”
She looked away, swallowing hard. “You’re saying he can’t be trusted.”
“I’m saying he already broke it , Is,” I said gently. “You just haven’t let yourself look too closely at how deep the damage goes.”
Silence stretched between us for a few seconds.
“Would you hurt him?” she asked finally, voice small, avoiding eye contact.
“Only if I had to.”
Her eyes darted back to mine. “But you would?”
“If it meant protecting you?” I nodded once. “Every time. ”
She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. I kissed her forehead softly and stood, giving her space to breathe through it.
“He’s still your friend, Isla,” I said over my shoulder. “But he’s also your blind spot. And in my world, blind spots get people killed.”
I watched as she closed her eyes, her lips pressed together, nodding once as she understood what being with me truly meant. I knew I had just lit a match between her past and her future.
The only question now was…which side she’d choose when the fire finally hit.