Page 40 of Bait and Switch (Subtle Deceptions #2)

Gabriel

Midwinter

“Quit twitching, you’re driving me and Bowie bananas.”

Gabe spun around to narrow his eyes at Casey instead of continuing to glare out the enormous plate glass window that framed an incredible view the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands.

“Quit twitching? That’s rich of you. You aren’t heading into the lioness’s den.”

Casey’s eyebrows drew together. “I’m here, aren’t I? Kind of am.”

“Fine. You are, you both are,” Gabe acknowledged, including Elton with his words, “and I appreciate the sacrifice. You didn’t have to join me on this—” He threw his hands up, unable to come up with the descriptors that would summarize it properly.

“Meet the relatives event?” Casey said with a stupid smirk.

“Yes, that. I don’t know how I was maneuvered into attending.”

“Because Claribel Delacombe invited you.”

“Thank you, Elton, for reminding me. I don’t know what to do with relatives ! I’ve never had any extended family before. This is so far out of my comfort zone I can’t see the shore!”

“Just so you know now, you don’t say no to Claribel Delacombe, not ever,” Elton continued, ignoring Gabe’s panic. “But especially not when it’s her birthday.”

“Apparently not,” Gabe muttered. He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to watch the ferry dock loom out of the mist.

Seconds later, the ferry bumped against the pilings. They had arrived at Piedras Island, and Gabe was seriously considering not getting off the boat.

“Come on.” Rising to his feet, Casey held out his hand. “Let’s get back to the car.”

He and Casey had been dating—for lack of a better word—since the day Eli Rizzi had been arrested on a variety of charges and John Stevens had ended his life. And Gabe was still having trouble getting used to Casey being there for him .

Just as he’d never had relatives, he’d never had a partner who looked out for him. The relationship was still new, and Gabe had plenty of time to screw it up, but he knew he didn’t want to, which made everything infinitely more difficult.

Christ. Gabe would never have predicted it would be he who struggled with acceptance. Not acceptance, he corrected himself, with believing . Different from acceptance.

Every adult relationship he’d been in before, Gabe had known prior to them even beginning that they would come to an end. They always did, didn’t they? And yet, Casey Lundin didn’t seem to be going anywhere. What was he supposed to do with that?

Taking a breath that Gabe hoped Casey would understand was not reluctance but something different, an emotion he couldn’t name, he accepted Casey’s outstretched hand.

“Okay, but if it’s too much, I get to call Uncle.”

“Gabriel.” Gabe sighed. He did like it when Casey called him Gabriel. “We’ve got your back.”

Claribel Delacombe’s birthday party was being held at some resort on Piedras Island.

Apparently, the limited number of living blood relatives Gabe could claim all resided on the island, along with the dead and buried ones.

With the exception of his mother. A quick search had revealed that The Brooch had begun its life as part of a lime mine operation and when that market failed early on, the owners had converted it into a resort for the well-off.

The guest rooms were named after famous and not-so-famous Northwest artists, and the management seemed to lean hard into the vibe.

They also had an award-winning chef on staff.

That was a glimmer of hope anyway. He might at least eat well while being interrogated.

Still, Gabe was pleasantly surprised when they rounded the last curve in the road and he got his first glimpse of the resort basking in the rare January sunshine.

There was a large three-story building as well as several other structures, all of which looked well-maintained with fresh paint and planters, just waiting for the weather to improve in a few months.

Something else also caught his eye.

“Is that what I think it is?” Gabe pointed toward the water where, between a few massive evergreen trees, he thought he spotted a lighthouse, but it was difficult to tell from the back seat.

“It is, indeed, a lighthouse. I’ve heard it’s supposed to be haunted,” said Casey.

Was that a skosh of wonder lacing his tone? Gabe peered over the seat at Casey. Did his Ranger Man have a romantic soft spot for lighthouses? It made sense to Gabe, seeing as Ranger Man was his own sort of human lighthouse, a beacon of sorts.

“Back in the old days, rumrunners used this area as a drop. Canada is literally a few miles that way,” Elton told them.

“Supposedly, someone was left behind once, and it didn’t turn out well.

But I can’t imagine that the smuggling stopped when the Coast Guard came in.

I’d bet that the runners just became sneakier. ”

“Okay, that is seriously cool. Can we go up into it? I hope we can.”

“I should’ve known that the less law-abiding aspects of your heritage would appeal the most.”

“Hey,” Gabe protested while Elton snickered. “I’m calling shotgun next time, old man.”

“Are you ready for this?” Elton asked once they were parked.

Gabe sighed, staring around at the beautiful grounds and various buildings. It didn’t look like it was going to kill him. “As ready as I’m ever gonna be.”

After a great deal of discussion back on Heartstone, Gabe had insisted they time their arrival with the beginning of the party.

His reasoning was that he’d be able to blend in with the other attendees and be generally ignored.

Surely there would be a lot of other guests.

After all, Claribel was some sort of island matriarch if Elton was to be believed.

“You’re not being taken to the executioner, Gabriel,” Casey said with a chuckle.

“Fine.” Taking a final deep breath, Gabe stepped through the door Casey’d opened for them. Once inside, he blinked for a second, trying to get his bearings.

Alas, the older woman he’d met a few months ago was lying in wait. There was no other explanation for her being Right There . Gabe wondered if Elton had texted her from his new cell phone. If so, Gabe might have to lose it for him. Would she have a cell phone, though?

Focus, Chance.

“Ah, Gabriel!” Claribel said with fiendish delight as she moved toward him, an intricately carved walking stick clutched in one hand to support her and her free one reaching for Gabe.

Two men attended Claribel, one on each side.

The one on the right was Shay Delacombe, whom Gabe had met previously, and the other could only be Niall Hamarsson.

Except for the scowl, there was no denying the two shared similarities.

And Gabe too. He may have wished he could deny them, but all he had to do was look in the mirror.

He was, of course, the best looking of the three.

Gabe took Claribel’s hand and bussed a kiss across the top of it.

“Such a gentleman,” she crowed before swatting Shay on the shoulder. “You hulks could learn a thing or two.”

“Gabe,” Shay said with a friendly smile, “this is Niall Hamarsson.”

“Yes, the other half brother.” Gabe turned to Casey. “This is Casey Lundin, my?—”

“Boyfriend,” Casey supplied, shaking Shay’s and then Niall’s hand.

Gabe could not fathom why Casey, who insisted on “going slow,” was the one announcing their boyfriend-ship to the entire world. He decided that his confusion revealed more about him than about Casey and that it was something he’d deal with later.

“Ha! I knew it,” Claribel practically chortled. “Come now, don’t keep an old lady standing around. The party’s in the ballroom.”

“Er, what year are we celebrating for Claribel?” Gabe murmured as Niall stepped over to walk beside him.

“Whatever year I damn well want to,” Claribel said, changing her course to head toward a hallway that likely led to the ballroom.

Elton snorted and Shay coughed into his fist. Niall grunted. Gabe wasn’t sure if the sound was supposed to be a laugh or not.

“We don’t think it’s actually Claribel’s birthday,” Niall murmured back. “She just wants an excuse for all of us to wait hand and foot on her.”

“If I did want to be waited on, it’s not working, is it? Cody and I were forced to plan the whole thing ourselves.”

Niall scoffed. “And she has selective hearing.”

“As if either of those two would give up Party Control long enough for the rest of us to voice an opinion,” said Shay. “Don’t worry, Gabe, we’ll protect you,” he added with an irritating and slightly oily chuckle.

“Who’s this Cody person?” Gabe did not need to meet yet another new-to-him relative today.

“Cody’s the owner-manager of The Brooch,” Shay said. “I’m sure you’ll meet him later.”

“We’re not related, are we?”

Niall snorted. “Thank fuck, we are not. You’ll meet Mat and Ryder later, they both had to work.”

Mat Dempsey, Gabe knew was Niall’s husband while Ryder Mann was married to Shay. He was fine with waiting to meet them. Sometimes the extrovert in him needed a rest.

Niall and Shay steered Gabriel and Casey to a table in one corner, and Gabe noticed Elton take Claribel’s elbow as they continued toward the table of honor.

“Is that a bingo wheel?” Gabe asked, nodding in the direction of a silver basket filled with numbered balls. It sat at a place of honor near the table Elton settled Claribel at.

Shay replied, “Yes, and she cheats, so don’t take her bets.”

“Noted.” Why wasn’t he surprised to learn that Claribel didn’t play fair?

“Dinner and an ungodly number of pastries are coming soon. Can I get you something to drink?” Shay indicated the open bar.

“Nothing alcoholic for me, but I love a good berry fizz.” Gabe always felt a bit weird about not drinking. Alcohol was such A Thing in society, but he might as well tell them right out of the gate.

“Me neither these days,” Niall said, pulling a chair out. “Ben’s been making some great spritzes lately. They’re pretty popular.”

“What do you want, Casey?” Shay asked.