Chapter 18

chapter

eighteen

Rylan couldn't focus.

He'd told Zak he'd look over his notes from his sessions with Pierce to see if the guy had mentioned anything that could help them find him, but his mind kept wandering. He skimmed the pages without absorbing a word.

He still couldn't believe Rhiannon was gone. Dead. How was it possible he'd never see her again? Never hear her laugh, never see the playful light in her eyes as she teased him about needing a love life.

The weight of loss pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

He pushed back from his desk and crossed the room to the far wall. He traced his fingers over a framed map of Lost County down to where the coastal highway used to be, where Rhiannon had last been.

His sister's face swam in his memories, her ready smile already dimming in his mind. How long before he lost her completely?

He shook his head, furiously blinking against the sting of tears. He hadn't known it was possible to cry so much. Even after losing his arm and most of his SEAL team, he hadn't cried like this.

No, this pain was different. It seeped into his marrow, clawing at the very essence of who he was.

His phone buzzed violently on the desk, and he pivoted sharply at the sound. He crossed back to it, but just as he reached for it, his office door flew open. Izzy burst in, her face flushed, her dark hair falling out of its usually neat bun, her eyes wide and shining with something he hadn't seen in days—hope.

"Rylan!"

He spun toward her, his heart rate spiking. The way she said his name—filled with breathless anticipation—made him instinctively step toward her.

"What is it?" His voice came out hard, tight. He didn't dare let himself believe. Not yet.

"They found her." Izzy's voice trembled as she spoke, the words coming fast. "Rhiannon's been found. She's alive."

For a second, he couldn't move. Couldn't speak. The words slammed over him like a wave, knocking the wind from his lungs, drowning him in giddy disbelief. Alive. He blinked, trying to wrap his head around what she was saying.

Izzy's hands fluttered at her sides as if she wanted to reach for him but wasn't sure how to close the distance.

He surged forward and gripped Izzy's arms as if to anchor himself to reality. "What—where is she? How do you know?"

"Ash just got the call from the Mendocino County Sheriff. She was never on that highway! She got off at a rest stop just before the section that collapsed. There was a landslide, and she and fifteen other people were trapped in the gift shop there. They're pulling her and the others out of the rubble as we speak. They're alive, Rylan. All of them."

His sister was alive. The news was too much and yet also not enough. He needed to see her, to hold her, to make sure she was really okay. He needed to call his parents. He needed to?—

Without another word, he pulled Izzy into a fierce embrace, his arms locking around her as he pressed his face into her shoulder. It was an instinctive reaction, a surge of gratitude and something deeper that he didn't dare try to define. He exhaled shakily, feeling the sharp edges of the pain he'd been holding onto for days start to dull.

The scent of her shampoo—something faintly floral—hit him as he breathed in. He couldn't think, couldn't form words, but he needed this. Just for a moment, he needed to let go of everything—the fear, the anger, the crushing weight of not knowing.

Izzy stiffened for a brief second, then softened, her hands tentatively wrapping around his back. The warmth of her body seeped into him, and her breath tickled his neck.

Rylan pulled back slightly, his hand sliding up to cup her face of its own accord. His gaze roamed her features, taking in the flushed cheeks, the slight part of her lips, the way her dark lashes fluttered as she met his gaze. He could feel the rapid beat of her pulse beneath his fingertips, where they rested against her neck.

"Thank you," he whispered. "For being here. For telling me."

Izzy's breath hitched, and she nodded, her hands still resting lightly on his waist. "Of course. Ash was going to call, but I couldn't wait to tell you."

The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with an electricity that made Rylan's skin prickle. He became acutely aware of how close they were standing, of the warmth of Izzy's body against his, of the way her eyes darted to his lips and back up to meet his gaze.

He leaned in. Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she tilted her chin up, her lips parting slightly.

Their faces were so close now that he could feel her breath, warm and sweet, against his lips. Time seemed to slow, stretching out like honey dripping from a spoon.

Izzy's fingers tightened on his waist, her body swaying towards his. The air crackled, electric and alive with possibilities. Rylan's gaze dropped to her lips, full and inviting. He watched, mesmerized, as the tip of her tongue darted out to wet them.

His hand slid from her cheek to the nape of her neck, fingers tangling in the loose strands of hair that had escaped her bun. Izzy's eyes fluttered closed, her lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheekbones. Rylan could feel the rapid flutter of her pulse beneath his fingertips, matching the frantic beat of his own heart.

Jesus Christ. What was he doing?

He jerked away, breaking out of her grasp, and put the distance of his desk between them. He snatched up his phone, unsurprised to see the call had been from Ash.

Izzy blinked rapidly, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink as she took a step back. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze darting around the room before settling somewhere over Rylan's left shoulder.

"I should... I should go," she said, her voice slightly husky. "You'll want to call your parents, and I need to get back to the station."

Rylan nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His heart was still racing, his body humming with the lingering tension of their almost-kiss. He watched as Izzy turned and headed for the door, her usual confident stride slightly unsteady.

At the threshold, she paused and looked back at him. "Rylan, I?—"

"It's okay," he cut her off, forcing a smile. "We don't have to talk about it. Let's just focus on Rhiannon, alright?"

Something flickered in Izzy's eyes—disappointment? Relief? He couldn't tell. She gave a quick nod and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Rylan alone with the echoes of what might have been.

He slumped back against his desk, running a hand through his hair. What the hell had just happened? One minute, he was drowning in grief, and the next...

He'd nearly kissed Deputy Isabella Delgado.

He shook his head, trying to clear the lingering fog of desire. He needed to focus. Rhiannon was alive.

His sister was alive.

With trembling fingers, he called Ash back. "Is it true?" he asked the moment the sheriff picked up.

"Rylan," Ash's gruff voice said. "I take it Deputy Delgado beat me to the punch?"

"Yeah," Rylan managed, his voice thick with emotion. "She told me. Is it... is it really true?"

"It's true," Ash confirmed. "Your sister's alive. They're extracting her and the others now. From what I hear, she's in pretty good shape, all things considered."

"When can I see her?" Rylan asked, his voice rough.

"They're airlifting the survivors to Redwood Memorial. I've already arranged for a chopper to take you there. It'll be at the helipad in thirty minutes."

Rylan's legs felt weak. He sank into his chair. "I'll head there now. Thanks, Ash. I owe you one."

Ash grunted. "You don't owe me a goddamn thing. Just go be with your sister. And Rylan?" His voice gentled uncharacteristically. "I'm glad she's okay."

He ended the call and immediately dialed his parents. As it rang, his gaze drifted to the doorway where Izzy had stood moments ago. They had come so close to crossing a line he wasn't sure he wanted to cross?—

His mother answered on the second ring. "Rylan? What's wrong?"

His throat suddenly tightened, and he swallowed hard to ease it. Still, his voice came out hoarse. "Ma, they found her."

"Her—her body?'

"No," he said quickly. He should've realized she'd think that. "They found her alive. Ma, Rhia's alive."

A choked sob came through the line, followed by muffled voices as his mother relayed the news to his father. Rylan closed his eyes, letting their joyful cries wash over him.

"Where is she? Is she hurt? When can we see her?" The questions tumbled out rapid-fire, and he answered them as best he could.

"Ash—Sheriff Rawlings—is sending a helicopter to take me to Redwood Memorial. That's where they're taking her. I'll call you as soon as I know more, okay?"

"We'll meet you there," his mother said firmly. "Your father's already looking up flights."

Rylan hesitated. "Ma, it might be a while before they let anyone see her. Maybe you should wait until?—"

"Don't you dare tell me to wait, Rylan Montgomery Cross," his mother cut him off, her voice sharp. "That's my baby girl. I'm coming."

He smiled despite himself. "Yes, ma'am. I'll see you soon, then."

As soon as he hung up, Rylan grabbed his keys and jacket. He paused at the door, his hand on the knob, as the memory of Izzy's breath against his lips flashed through his mind. He pushed the thought away.

There would be time to sort through that weird tangle of emotions later.

Right now, his sister needed him.

He walked out of the building. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink. It felt fitting somehow, like the world was celebrating Rhiannon's return along with him.

As he strode down the walkway toward the parking lot, he nearly collided with Zak coming around the corner of the building.

"Whoa, where's the fire?"

Rylan gripped his friend's shoulder. "They found her, Zak. Rhiannon's alive."

Zak's eyes widened. "Holy shit, that's incredible! Where was she?"

"Trapped in a gift shop at a rest stop," Rylan explained quickly, already moving past Zak towards the exit. "I'm heading to the hospital now. Can you hold down the fort here?"

"Of course, man. Go, go!" Zak waved him on. "And when you get there—" His phone signaled with a text, and he looked at it.

Something in his expression had Rylan pausing. "What?"

"Jesus," Zak breathed and held out his phone so Rylan could read the text from Ash. "It's Pierce. They found him, too. He was one of the survivors trapped with Rhiannon."