Chapter 23
23
ISABEL
R yker’s entire body went still as he stared at his phone. I had spent enough time around him now to recognize the way his muscles tensed, the way his jaw clenched just slightly when something was wrong. But he didn’t say a word. He didn’t explain. He just turned on his heel, shoving his phone into his pocket.
“I have to go,” he said, his voice low, unreadable.
My stomach twisted. “What? Where?”
He didn’t answer right away. He moved across the room with smooth, calculated steps, his hands flexing at his sides, barely restrained energy vibrating off of him.
“Stay here,” he said instead, his dark gaze locking onto mine. “Do not leave Dominion Hall.”
“Ryker—”
“Isabel.” The way he said my name sent a slow, curling shiver down my spine. Not unkind, but firm. Absolute.
I wanted to argue. I wanted to demand he tell me what was happening, why he suddenly had that lethal look in his eyes. But I knew him well enough now to understand that he wouldn’t budge. Whatever had just come through on that phone, whatever had made him shut down like that—it wasn’t something he was willing to share.
Not yet.
He strode to the door, yanking it open, pausing just long enough to glance back at me.
“I’ll be back when I can.” His voice was gruff, his expression unreadable. “Stay put.”
And then he was gone.
The heavy click of the door shutting behind him echoed through the room, leaving me standing there, my pulse still thrumming with unease.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders as I turned away.
Fine. If he wanted me to stay put, I would.
For now.
I wandered through Dominion Hall, the grand corridors sprawling around me, sunlight streaming in through the tall windows. The place was breathtaking—imposing yet elegant, built for power but laced with undeniable beauty.
My footsteps were quiet against the marble, my fingers trailing absently along the intricate wood paneling as I walked.
I let my mind drift to Will, to the life he had chosen, to the risks he had accepted as part of his reality. My brother had never been the kind of person to sit still. He had needed action, purpose, something bigger than himself to fight for. The military had given him that.
Charleston was a military city, through and through. It was in the bones of this place—the old forts, the bases, the steady presence of uniformed men and women moving through the streets. But I had always felt distanced from it. It was something I respected but didn’t truly understand.
I thought of the massive Navy destroyer I had once seen docked in the harbor, its steel-gray hull rising high against the skyline, a silent, powerful guardian of the coast. I remembered watching cargo planes take off from the Air Force base near the airport, their engines roaring as they carried who-knew-what to who-knew-where. These things had always felt like background noise, part of the fabric of the city but not part of my world.
Now, it was personal.
Now, my brother was missing, and the only men capable of finding him were men like Ryker. Men who had lived and breathed that world of war and danger.
I sighed, shaking off the thought as I found myself in the courtyard, the sun warm against my skin. The pool shimmered in the midday light, the water still and inviting.
The thought of slipping into that water made my body stir, made my mind flash back to the last time I had been in there with Ryker, his hands gripping my hips, his body pressing me into the stone, his teeth scraping my skin as he?—
I swallowed hard, pressing my thighs together.
God.
I should not have been getting turned on right now. I was becoming insatiable. Ryker was making me that way.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair, telling myself I was just restless. Bored. Nothing more.
And then—my phone rang.
The sound jolted me back to the present, my stomach tightening as I pulled it from my pocket.
Micah Washington.
My boss .
I hesitated for half a second before swiping to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Izzy.” Micah’s voice was smooth but firm, the way it always was. Professional, but with just enough warmth to remind me that he wasn’t an asshole—just a man who had a hotel to run. “How are you?”
I hesitated, pressing my fingers against my temple. Exhausted. Confused. Turned on for absolutely no reason. “I’m … managing,” I said instead. “Sorry for missing work.”
Micah exhaled. “Yeah, about that. Sasha told me it was a family emergency. You okay?”
I swallowed. “It’s my brother.” That much was true. I didn’t elaborate. I didn’t tell him that Will was missing, that Ryker and his brothers were hunting for him, that my entire life had been flipped inside out in the span of a week.
There was silence on the other end, then Micah’s voice softened slightly. “Izzy … did he pass?”
I closed my eyes. God, I hope not.
“No,” I said quickly. “No, it’s just—complicated.”
Micah sighed, but didn’t press. “Look, I get it. Family comes first. We have bereavement leave if—God forbid—you need it.” He paused, then his tone shifted. “But if not, I do need to know what your plan is. The hotel doesn’t stop running, and you know how much I rely on you at the front desk. It’s high season, and we can’t be short-staffed for long.”
I swallowed, guilt threading through me. The Palmetto Rose had been my world before all of this. I had prided myself on being the best, on making guests feel like their stay was seamless. I had loved the quiet control of it, the way everything operated in smooth, polished efficiency .
It wasn’t just a job—it had been a stepping stone. I had studied hospitality management at Johnson & Wales University, pouring over coursework on luxury service, guest experience, and hotel operations with the kind of passion most people reserved for their actual vacations. My dream had always been to run a place like The Palmetto Rose, to be the one calling the shots, overseeing every detail, making sure every guest left feeling like they had been somewhere truly special.
Maybe even own my own hotel one day. A boutique place downtown, something elegant and timeless, steeped in Charleston’s history but modern in its approach.
But none of that would happen if I threw away everything I had built. I needed references. I needed to stay in the good graces of the hospitality community here. Charleston was small in the ways that mattered, and once you lost your footing in an industry like this, it was hard to regain.
And yet …
Did any of that even matter anymore?
Now, my world wasn’t linen sheets and luxury check-ins. It was bullet wounds and black vipers and the hard, unyielding hands of a man who had made me feel more alive than I ever had before.
“I just … I need to think about it,” I said honestly.
Micah was silent for a beat, then he sighed. “Take the weekend. But if you don’t come back Monday, I’ll have to fill your position. I can’t hold it forever.”
My stomach twisted, but I only nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I understand.”
“All right,” he said, voice clipped. “Take care of yourself, Izzy.”
“You too, Micah. ”
The line went dead.
I exhaled, staring down at my phone. I might actually lose my job. A week ago, that thought would have made me spiral. Would have made me panic. But now? Now, it barely registered.
This wasn’t just about me anymore.
I tapped over to my contacts and scrolled until I found Sasha’s name. If anyone would have an opinion on this, it was her.
The phone barely rang twice before she picked up.
“Izzy,” she said immediately. “Jesus, girl, are you okay? Where the hell are you? I’m covering for you as best I can, but it’s getting harder and harder.”
I let out a breath, rubbing my forehead. “It’s … a long story.”
“Well, I’ve got time,” Sasha said. “It’s slow at the desk for the moment. Spill.”
I hesitated. How did I even begin?
“It’s Will,” I said finally, keeping my voice low as I glanced around Dominion Hall’s courtyard. I wasn’t worried about someone overhearing me—the guys were busy—but I still felt the need to be cautious. “He’s still missing, and I found a note that makes it seem like he knew something might happen.”
There was a beat of silence, then Sasha exhaled sharply. “Wait—what?”
“Yeah, it’s bad.” My fingers curled around the phone. “Sasha, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
“Of course,” she said immediately. “But Izzy, have you—have you gone to the police?”
I bit my lip. That was the logical response, the normal response. But this wasn’t a normal situation, and I had no doubt that Ryker and his team wouldn’t want the authorities involved. “No,” I admitted. “And I don’t think I should.”
“Izzy,” Sasha hissed. “What the hell do you mean, you don’t think you should?”
I exhaled, my grip on the phone tightening. “I can’t explain everything, but … Ryker and the guys he works with, they’re handling it. I don’t know. I don’t think they want the police involved.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Right. Of course, they don’t. Because that’s not suspicious at all.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Sash, I swear to you, I’m safe. I just—I don’t know what to do.”
Sasha sighed. “God, Izzy. This is insane.”
“I know.”
She was quiet for a moment, then her tone softened. “I’m worried about you. Not just because of Will, but because of … everything. You’ve been different.”
Different. That word struck something deep inside me, because it was true.
Sasha exhaled. “Are you still sleeping with him?”
I startled slightly at the sudden shift in conversation. “What?”
“Ryker,” she said, like it should be obvious. “Are you still hooking up?”
I swallowed, heat creeping up my spine. “Yes.”
Sasha let out a groan. “Oh, my God.”
I bit my lip, half-exasperated, half-amused. “What?”
“You have no idea how insane that is,” she said. “Like … the most dangerous man in Charleston just happens to be the guy you’re screwing.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “I mean … yeah.”
Sasha huffed. “Well, is it still good?”
A fresh wave of heat rolled through me, pooling low in my stomach as memories from the pool, the bedroom, the shower slammed into me all at once.
“Oh, it’s good,” I murmured.
Sasha made a strangled noise. “How good?”
I pressed my thighs together, my body betraying me at just the thought of Ryker’s hands on me. “Like … I can’t even think about anyone else good. Like I’ve never had sex like this in my life good. Like I didn’t even know my body could feel this way good.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I know.”
Sasha let out a long sigh. “I need you to find me a man like that.”
I smirked. “There are others at Dominion Hall. Ryker’s brothers.”
“Are they single?”
I laughed. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
As Sasha chuckled, I hesitated, my fingers tracing idle patterns on my leg. “Hey, listen … Micah called me earlier.”
That got her attention. “Oh?”
I exhaled. “Yeah. He said if I don’t come back by Monday, he’s giving my job to someone else.”
Sasha groaned. “God, he’s such a hard-ass.”
“I mean, I get it,” I admitted. “The desk might be quiet at this particular moment, but that won’t last long. The hotel is slammed right now, and I’ve already missed too much time.” I rubbed my temple. “But I don’t know, Sasha. I don’t know if I can go back. If I even should.”
She was quiet for a second, then sighed. “Do you want to?”
I hesitated. That was the real question, wasn’t it?
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “I love it. Or I did. And I worked so hard to get where I am. But it just—it doesn’t feel important anymore.”
Sasha made a thoughtful noise. “I mean … if you still want to move up in the industry, you probably shouldn’t burn bridges.”
“I know.”
“But,” she added, “if this is just a safety net? If you’re only holding onto it because it’s familiar? Maybe it’s okay to let go.”
I swallowed, considering. “I need to decide soon.”
Sasha hummed. “Well, if you don’t come back, you better make sure Ryker is loaded. Ask him to buy The Palmetto Rose for you.”
I snorted. “Sasha.”
I didn’t tell her that Ryker is loaded. I mean, I don’t know the specifics, but he’s obviously a wealthy man. Anyone who steps onto the grounds of Dominion Hall or rides in his Bentley knows that. And if he wanted to buy The Palmetto Rose? He could. Without blinking. Hell, he could probably buy the whole damn historic district if the mood struck him.
“What?” she teased. “You need a plan, babe. If you’re gonna be a kept woman, at least do it right.”
I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I try,” she said breezily. Then, after a pause, her voice softened. “For real, though. If you want my advice? Take the weekend. Think it over. If you still want it, come back. If not?” She shrugged. “You’ll figure something else out.”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah.”
There was a pause, then Sasha’s voice grew more serious. “Izzy … are you sure you’re okay?”
The shift in her tone made my chest tighten .
I swallowed. “I don’t know.”
Because Will was still gone. Because I was tangled up in something bigger than I had ever imagined. Because Ryker was taking over every inch of my body and mind, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop him.
And because I had no fucking clue what was coming next.