Chapter 17
17
ISABEL
T he first thing I noticed when I woke was the warmth. Not just the lingering heat of sleep, but something solid, unyielding, wrapped around me.
Ryker.
His arm was draped heavily across my waist, his fingers curled slightly against the thin fabric of the t-shirt I had borrowed. His t-shirt this time. My back was flush against his chest, the slow, steady rise and fall of his breathing pressing into me, reminding me exactly where I was. Exactly what had happened.
I should have felt guilt, confusion, something resembling regret—but I didn’t.
What I felt was safe. And that was the most dangerous thing of all. Because I wasn’t safe.
Not with Will missing. Not with the way I had let Ryker take me, the way I had fallen so easily into his hands, like my body had always known it belonged there.
The morning light slipped through the curtains, stretching over the twisted sheets, the abandoned clothes, the proof of what had transpired between us. I stayed still for a moment, trying to memorize the feeling, knowing deep down that as soon as Ryker woke up, everything would change.
I was right. The second his breathing shifted, the second his body tensed behind me, I felt it. The walls snapping back into place.
His arm—once warm and heavy—disappeared as he pulled away. The heat was replaced with cool emptiness, and before I could even turn over, I heard the soft rustle of him standing.
I rolled onto my back, my stomach tightening as I watched him cross the room.
His broad shoulders flexed, his bare back taut with tension, every muscle drawn tight as he yanked on a pair of black sweatpants. He didn’t turn. Didn’t speak. Just stood there for a second, one hand braced against the edge of the dresser, his head hanging forward like he was warring with himself.
Something in my chest pinched.
"You’re going to pretend this didn’t happen, aren’t you?" My voice was hoarse from sleep, from him, but there was no mistaking the edge of irritation beneath it.
Ryker exhaled slowly. "It shouldn’t have happened."
A bitter laugh escaped me as I sat up, dragging the sheet with me. "Wow. That’s original."
Finally, he turned, his expression unreadable—but his eyes weren’t. His eyes were dark, wild, ravenous, like he was forcing himself to stand on the other side of the room because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
He raked a hand through his hair, looking as wrecked as I felt. "Isabel, this isn’t?— "
"Don’t," I cut in sharply. "Don’t say my name like that."
Like it was a warning. Like I was a problem to solve instead of a woman he had spent hours devouring.
His jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue.
The silence stretched between us, heavy, suffocating, until finally, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, the sheet falling away, leaving me bare except for the t-shirt. My panties had been destroyed by Ryker in the pool.
His gaze flickered—just for a second, just low enough to betray himself—but it was gone quickly, replaced with cold restraint.
I rolled my eyes. "You know, you’re not the only one who gets a say in what this is."
Ryker’s throat bobbed, but he said nothing.
I didn’t wait for him to. Instead, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and froze. One unread text.
Unknown Number.
You looked good in the pool last night.
A cold shiver crawled up my spine.
I swallowed as my pulse picked up. I had been flirting with Ryker’s jealousy—but who else had been watching?
I felt Ryker move before I saw him. One second he was by the dresser, and the next, he was in front of me, his fingers curling under my chin, forcing my gaze up.
"What?" His voice was low, sharp, already laced with danger.
I hesitated for only a second before turning the phone so he could see.
His entire body went still.
Then—he took the phone from my hands, his thumb swiping over the screen. I watched as his breathing deepened, his jaw clenching so tightly I thought he might break a tooth.
"Who the fuck is this?" he muttered, mostly to himself.
I shook my head. "I don’t know."
His lips parted slightly, his gaze narrowing as he read the message again. Then—without warning—he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, my phone still in his hand.
I stood there, watching him disappear, my skin still damp from sleep, from his touch, from the threat that had just entered the room and stolen away whatever moment we had left.
Suddenly, I realized something else. Maybe I wasn’t just trapped in Ryker’s world. Maybe someone else was trying to trap me in theirs.
I stared at the empty doorway long after Ryker disappeared, my skin still humming with the remnants of his touch and my pulse pounding for an entirely different reason now.
I had come here to escape my own thoughts, to distract myself, but instead, I had walked straight into another storm. One that had Ryker’s fingerprints all over it.
But the text—that was something else entirely.
It wasn’t Ryker. It wasn’t Marcus, or Noah, or Charlie, or anyone at Dominion Hall who had spent the last several hours watching me like I was some fractured, delicate thing.
This was someone else. Someone who had been watching from the shadows.
I shivered, rubbing my hands over my arms before moving quickly, going to the guest bathroom, grabbing my dress off the floor, and pulling it on. The thought of staying here, waiting for Ryker to come back with more orders, more cold restraint, more goddamn rules made my stomach twist.
I needed out. I needed to breathe.
By the time I made it downstairs, Marcus was in the foyer, leaning against the wooden staircase with his arms crossed. His hair was still damp, his broad frame relaxed but alert, like he had been expecting me.
“I was gonna make breakfast,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “But something tells me you’re about to make a run for it.”
I sighed, tugging at the hem of my dress. “I need to go.”
Marcus arched a brow. “You sure about that? Because I get the feeling Ryker isn’t done with you yet.”
“I’m done with him,” I shot back, though the words tasted hollow.
Marcus didn’t argue. He just studied me for a beat longer before finally nodding. “Come on, then. I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
I exhaled in relief, following him out to the driveway.
Marcus drove me back to The Sound Barn, where my car was still parked in the lot, miraculously untouched and untowed. A small mercy. I slid into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel for a second, trying to ground myself before starting the engine. My body ached with exhaustion. I needed more sleep.
I headed straight to my apartment, the familiarity of it feeling both comforting and foreign after everything that had happened. Pia was already gone for work—another small mercy. I wasn’t ready to explain everything yet, to see the concern in her eyes, to answer the inevitable questions that I didn’t have answers for .
Instead, I took the fastest shower of my life, scrubbing away the salt, sweat, chlorine, and Ryker from my skin. As if washing him away would erase what had happened between us.
It didn’t.
I pulled on a pair of soft joggers and a loose sweater, something comfortable, something that made me feel normal even when my world was anything but. My damp hair hung in loose waves, and I swiped a bit of concealer under my eyes, but it wasn’t enough to hide the exhaustion, the way my eyes felt too hollow, too haunted.
Still, it was enough to make me look put together, enough to make sure I didn’t walk into The Palmetto Rose looking like a woman on the verge of collapse.
I grabbed my keys, took one last deep breath, and headed out the door.
I found myself standing outside the hotel, staring up at its grand facade, feeling like a stranger in my own world.
I should have been here hours ago.
Should have been standing behind the front desk, smiling at guests, handing out keycards, acting like my life hadn’t just been ripped apart at the seams. But I hadn’t shown up for my shift. Because how could I?
Sasha had covered for me.
She had texted me earlier to say she told management I had a family emergency, and it wasn’t a lie.
My brother was missing.
I stepped inside, the cool air-conditioning washing over me as I made my way through the marble-floored lobby. The familiar scent of jasmine and rose did nothing to soothe me. Instead, it felt wrong. Like I had outgrown this place overnight.
Sasha was behind the front desk, speaking to a guest, but her eyes widened when she saw me. She quickly finished up, then rounded the counter, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the back office.
The door barely closed before she turned on me.
“Where the hell did you go last night?” she demanded. “You ran out of The Sound Barn like the devil was on your heels, and then I didn’t hear from you again. What happened?”
I exhaled slowly, wrapping my arms around myself.
“It’s Will.”
Sasha’s expression shifted instantly. The irritation vanished, replaced with something sharp, concerned.
“What about him?”
I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “He’s missing.”
“What do you mean missing?”
“He never made it to the airport,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He was supposed to be wheels up hours ago, but he never even checked in. No one’s heard from him. No one knows where he is.”
Sasha stared at me, processing.
“Holy shit, Izzy.”
I nodded, biting my lip.
She ran a hand through her curly hair, shaking her head. “Jesus. No wonder you freaked last night. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know how,” I admitted. “And everything was happening so fast.”
Sasha softened, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
I exhaled, forcing a nod. “Thanks. ”
She studied me for a moment. “Is that why Ryker was there?”
My pulse stumbled.
“What?”
“At The Sound Barn,” she clarified. “He showed up out of nowhere and dragged you off like he had some kind of claim on you.”
A claim.
I thought about the way he had touched me, the way he had possessed every inch of my body like he had a right to it.
Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a second.”
I shifted under her gaze, suddenly feeling too seen.
Her lips parted. “Oh, my God.”
I sighed. “Sasha?—”
“You slept with him?”
I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face.
“Holy shit, Izzy.”
I dropped my hands, glaring at her. “Not the reaction I was hoping for.”
She let out a short, incredulous laugh. “What kind of reaction were you hoping for?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
Sasha shook her head, looking both exasperated and intrigued. “So that’s why you didn’t show up for work this morning.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.
She let out a breath, still shaking her head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s insanely hot—but, Izzy, come on. Ryker Dane? He practically radiates bad decisions.”
I sighed. “I know.”
Sasha crossed her arms. “And yet, you still let him?—”
“Yes,” I cut in. “I did. Can we move on now? ”
Sasha gave me a look, but dropped it—for about two seconds.
Then, she arched a perfectly manicured brow, leaned in, and lowered her voice. “Okay, fine. We’ll move on. After you tell me how it was.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” she said, completely unbothered. “I mean, come on, Izzy. Ryker Dane? That man walks around like he knows exactly what he’s doing in bed. And judging by the look on your face, I’m guessing he does.”
A slow heat crept up my neck, but I didn’t deny it. Because how could I?
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “It’s—” I paused, shaking my head, searching for the right words. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
Sasha’s lips curved. “Go on.”
I exhaled, shaking my head, but the memories flashed too easily—the way Ryker had pinned me down, the way he had touched me like he owned every inch of me, the way he had looked at me like I was something sacred and breakable, but only if he allowed it.
I met Sasha’s gaze. “He makes me feel …” I trailed off, pressing my lips together. “Like I’m not even the same person anymore.”
Her teasing expression softened. “That sounds like a bad thing.”
I swallowed. “I don’t know if it is.”
Because maybe I didn’t want to be the same person anymore. Maybe I didn’t want to be the version of myself who played it safe, who made good choices, who avoided dangerous men with even more dangerous hands.
Maybe I wanted this—this feeling of being claimed, wanted, desired in a way that felt more like obsession than attraction.
Maybe I wanted to be his.
Sasha tilted her head, studying me. “Izzy, babe … be careful.”
I scoffed. “A little late for that.”
She let out a breath, shaking her head. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
“Can we move on now?”
“Fine,” she said. “But let’s circle back to the fact that your brother is missing and Ryker is probably involved in whatever the hell is going on.”
I swallowed. “Yeah.”
Sasha exhaled. “Okay. So what’s the plan? What are you going to do?”
I hesitated, shifting on my feet.
She caught it immediately.
“What?” she demanded.
I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. Then I turned it so she could see the screen.
Sasha’s brows furrowed, but as soon as her eyes landed on the text, she went rigid.
Unknown Number.
You looked good in the pool last night.
Sasha snatched the phone from my hands. “Who the hell is this?”
“I don’t know.”
Her head snapped up. “This was last night?”
I nodded.
Her lips parted slightly, her shock morphing into something else. Something dangerous .
“You were in a pool? And someone was watching you?”
The weight of it pressed down on me all over again.
I hugged my arms around myself, my fingers digging into my skin. “Yes. And yes, looks like it.”
Sasha cursed under her breath.
She paced the small office, running a hand through her hair, muttering something about this being insane, about how she had heard rumors about the men at Dominion Hall.
I frowned. “What rumors?”
Sasha hesitated.
Then, she sighed. “Look, I don’t know if any of it’s true, but people talk. They say those guys don’t just run a business. That they handle problems the way normal people don’t.”
A chill crept down my spine.
“Like what?” I pressed.
Sasha met my gaze, her expression serious.
“Like bodies disappear when they need to.”
The words hung between us, thick and suffocating.
I swallowed.
I had always known that Ryker wasn’t like other men. That his world wasn’t clean. But he wasn’t the only danger. Someone else had been watching me.
And now? Now I had no idea who to be afraid of.