Chapter 21
21
ISABEL
T he world felt different now. Everything did.
I wasn’t the same woman who had walked through the gates of Dominion Hall the night of that party, wide-eyed and na?ve, still believing that my world was safe, that the darkness existed only on the edges, circling but never touching me.
I knew better now.
I felt it in my bones, in the lingering ache of Ryker’s touch, in the way my body still thrummed with energy from him. The sex had changed me—he had changed me. I wasn’t ashamed of it. I revered it. The way he wanted me, the way I could make him want me.
He might have been the one in control, the one who claimed me, but I had power, too. Power over him.
Over the way his jaw tightened when I stretched, when I let the hem of my skirt ride up just a little too high, when I parted my lips and watched his gaze drop before he caught himself. He didn’t want to want me, but he did .
I liked knowing that. I liked knowing I could unravel him the way he unraveled me.
But there were more important things than playing games with Ryker’s self-control. Will was still missing, and Ryker had made it clear—I needed to go through everything. Every message, every voicemail, every meaningless text my brother had sent me in the last few months. I needed to find something, anything that might tell us where he was, what had happened.
I would. Because I wasn’t just waiting to be saved. I wasn’t sitting on the sidelines, hoping for someone else to fix this. I still needed help, needed protection. I could admit that. But I wasn’t going to be powerless.
Marcus drove me to my apartment while Ryker stayed behind, and I spent the ride staring out the window, my mind racing. I hadn’t been home much lately. It felt like another life, like another version of myself had lived there—one who had never been in a wreck, who had never locked eyes with a black viper, who had never spread her legs for a man like Ryker Dane and loved it.
That girl was gone.
The Isabel who walked up the stairs to her apartment now was different. Stronger. Sharper.
Marcus followed me inside, shutting and locking the door behind him like it was second nature. I barely noticed. My focus was on the hallway, on the second bedroom. Will had lived there before Pia moved in. His presence still lingered, tucked into the corners of the space, in the old furniture we had never replaced, in the things Pia had shoved into the back of the closet instead of throwing away.
Before I could move toward it, Pia appeared, stepping into the living room, her dark eyes widening when she saw me.
“Oh my God, Izzy,” she breathed. “I was worried.”
She looked like she wanted to rush forward, to throw her arms around me, but she hesitated, her gaze flicking to Marcus, assessing him.
“I wanted to text you, but I figured you needed space.”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice rough. “It’s been … a lot.”
Pia studied me for a moment, then tipped her head. “Are you off today?”
I hesitated, my fingers brushing against the counter. “I, uh … didn’t go in.” I let out a breath, shaking my head. “Sasha covered for me, told them it was a family emergency, but I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to say now.”
Pia frowned. “Wait. Are you … even planning on going back?”
I exhaled sharply. “I don’t know.” The thought of standing behind the front desk at The Palmetto Rose, smiling at guests, handing out keycards like my life hadn’t just imploded—it felt impossible. It felt ridiculous.
I wasn’t the same person anymore. I had no idea how I was supposed to pretend otherwise.
Pia’s eyes darted between Marcus and me again, and this time, she arched a brow.
“And who is this?”
Marcus smirked, stepping forward with easy confidence. “Marcus Dane. Ryker’s brother. And usually, second-in-command.”
Pia tilted her head, crossing her tanned arms. “Second-in-command? What are you, the mafia?”
“Something like that,” he said, his grin widening .
Pia looked at me again, her expression full of questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
“Long story,” I muttered.
She didn’t push, but she didn’t back down either. Instead, she looked back at Marcus, and I swore I saw her posture shift—shoulders straightening, weight shifting onto one hip.
“Do all the guys at Dominion Hall look like you?” she asked, her voice full of teasing interest.
“Like me?” Marcus smirked. “No. But put all seven of us in a room, and people start mistaking us for a damn pro football team.” He leaned against the counter, muscular arms crossed. “We’re all brothers. All former military. Now we run the company together.” His tone was casual, but there was weight beneath his words—something Pia clearly picked up on.
Pia laughed, a light, easy sound that I hadn’t heard from her in a long time.
And Marcus—he was interested. I could see it in the way his smirk turned into something real, in the way his gaze flicked over her, not in a careless way, but like he was seeing her.
This was … interesting.
Pia wasn’t easily impressed. But something about Marcus had her attention.
She leaned against the kitchen counter, her long blonde hair falling over one shoulder in soft waves. She was wearing one of her usual off-duty outfits—tiny black athletic shorts that showed off her toned legs and a cropped white tank that clung to her curves. Casual, effortless, and yet undeniably sexy. The kind of look that made men trip over their own feet when she walked past. It was a sharp contrast to the scrubs she wore during her long shifts as a nurse at the MUSC University Medical Center, where she spent her days saving lives and keeping patients in line with a firm but kind hand.
And Marcus? He was definitely looking.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, watching the way his gaze lingered, the slow smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. They both had that sun-kissed blonde thing going on, like they had just stepped off a yacht in the Mediterranean. Marcus with his easy surfer-boy confidence, Pia with her effortless charm.
I cleared my throat, drawing Pia’s attention back to me. “So … how’s Ben?”
Her expression barely flickered, but I caught the way her fingers tightened around the coffee mug she was holding. A beat of silence passed before she exhaled through her nose and shrugged. “We broke up.”
I blinked. “What? When?”
“A couple days ago,” she said lightly, like it wasn’t a big deal. “It wasn’t working out.”
I frowned. Pia wasn’t exactly the settle-down type, but she had seemed happy with Ben. At least, I thought she had.
Before I could press, Marcus spoke, his voice low and amused. “Ben?”
Pia turned her gaze to him, her lips curving slightly. “Ex-boyfriend.”
“Ah,” Marcus said, nodding. “So you’re single now.”
A slow, knowing smile stretched across Pia’s face. She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes locked on his. “That depends.”
“On?” Marcus leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the counter.
Pia tilted her head. “On whether or not you’re about to ask something interesting.”
Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. “I like you, Pia. ”
Her smile deepened. “I know.”
I rolled my eyes, half-exasperated, half-amused. “Oh, for the love of God, can we focus?”
Neither of them looked remotely sorry.
“Come on,” Marcus said, nodding toward the hallway. “We’ve got work to do.”
Pia looked between us. “Need help?”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted her diving into this with me, but she had been my friend for years. If something happened to Will, she’d be there to pick up the pieces.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I think I do.”
The safe was still there, tucked into the closet of the second bedroom. I had forgotten about it until the moment I saw it.
Will used to joke that it was his “secret stash of state secrets.” I always assumed it was just old deployment papers and a few valuables. But when I opened it, my breath caught.
There, resting at the bottom like it had been waiting for me, was an old, battered copy of The Hobbit.
A memory hit me—small, insignificant. Until now.
Will standing in this exact spot, holding this book, flipping through its worn pages.
Our dad used to read it to us when we were kids, his voice deep and steady, the scent of old paper filling the room.
Will had always teased me about it. “You’re gonna grow up to be a tomboy, Izzy.”
I smiled faintly. Ryker sure as hell wouldn’t call me a tomboy now.
I picked up the book carefully, running my fingers over the familiar cover before flipping it open. A note slipped out, fluttering to the floor .
I snatched it up, my heart hammering as I recognized the handwriting.
Will.
If anything happens, don’t come looking for me. Stay close to Ryker. He pretends to be a bad guy, but I know better. He’ll take care of you.
My throat closed.
He knew. He fucking knew. And he hadn’t told me.
I tucked the note into my pocket, my jaw tightening, my mind already turning.
What the hell was happening?
Will had left this for me. He had wanted me to find it. And he had trusted Ryker to protect me. I swallowed hard, pushing past the lump in my throat.
I was going to find out why.