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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Cash

Declan’s phone alarm cut through the room the following morning.

“Ah, god, already?” he grumbled, his voice muffled by his pillow.

He was normally an early riser, but he’d been up late making a report to the sheriff’s deputy, then compiling a list of all the supplies taken, property damaged, and locating receipts for the value of everything to submit to the sheriff’s department.

Some of that could have waited for morning, but I suspected he was too wired to sleep.

Eventually, I’d crashed out while waiting for him to come to bed.

I rolled over and nuzzled the back of his neck. “Late night, huh? What are the chances the authorities can catch this asshole?”

He sighed. “Not very good, and insurance won’t cover my lost supplies.”

I squeezed the back of his neck, massaging gently. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something more.”

“You’re here with me.” He rolled to face me. “That makes it easier.”

“Good.” I dipped down to kiss him and he turned his head so my lips grazed his jaw instead.

“I feel like something died in my mouth. Do not kiss me right now.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

His eyes fluttered shut, and he looked flat-out exhausted.

“Tell you what, how about I cover breakfast this morning?”

His eyes flew open. “Shit, what time is it?”

“Time for you to sleep in.” I patted his chest. “I’ll handle it.”

His brow furrowed. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Last night, you said you wanted to keep the B&B and let me manage it. Did you mean that?” I asked.

“Of course I did.”

“Then I might as well get started, right?” I said lightly. “I’ll have to give the resort a couple of weeks’ notice before I can take over entirely, but I can do this for you today. Rest up.”

I showered and dressed, then whipped up some simple pancakes and bacon for the guests since it was the weekend. It wasn’t anything fancy, and I made a mental note to text Ash later and ask for some kick-ass breakfast recipes.

If I was going to manage this B&B for Declan, I wanted to do a damn good job. He was putting a lot of faith in me, and I never wanted him to regret that choice.

Katelyn dragged her ass out of bed in time to help me serve coffee. “Where’s Declan?” she asked, still sleepy-eyed.

“Sleeping in,” I said. “He had a late night.”

Kat wrinkled her nose. “I don’t need to hear about your sex life.”

Last night, we did have some pretty incredible sex. I was tempted to overshare the details just for that smart-ass remark. But I had a feeling Declan would never agree to an outdoor blow job again if I did that.

“No, brat. There was a theft on the property last night.”

Stacy Gillespie, a cute thirty-something blonde who looked more like twelve with her hair hanging in two braids, looked up from her phone. “A theft here?”

Rina, her roommate—and probably girlfriend, though they hadn’t explicitly said—frowned at me. “Should we be worried?”

“It wasn’t here at the house. It was tools and supplies by the greenhouse.”

The women visibly relaxed, but another guest—Jed Hartnett—walked in just then. “What’s going on?”

I winced. Apparently, on my first day managing the B&B, I was going to be telling the guests about crime on the property. Not the best PR. But it was only smart to alert them in case they had seen something last night.

Unfortunately, no one had noticed any strange trucks. Or rather, they’d seen so many they didn’t pay any attention to them. With Gray and his couple of guys working on the renovations, it was normal to see vehicles coming and going.

Maybe not so normal at night, but by that point, most of the guests were in for the day. Unlike the first instance of vandalism, we didn’t have any partiers returning late last night.

After breakfast, I went outside and found Declan already up and talking to Gray. He must have slipped out the kitchen door while I was busy in the dining room.

“I’m going to buy out Dyck’s supply of cameras,” Declan was saying. “If you could help get them installed every damn where a vandal or thief might strike, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course. I can’t believe this shit happened again,” Gray said. “I wanna kick this motherfucker’s ass.”

“You and me both,” I said, stepping up to slip an arm around Declan’s waist.

He was so tense it was like wrapping my arm around a plank of wood. I squeezed his hip, tugging him against me, and he melted into my side. Better.

“You didn’t get anything off the cameras at The Roost?” Gray asked.

“No, those are too far away to get a visual on vehicles driving by,” I said. “They just cover the doors and windows right around the cabin.”

“It was a mistake to only put cameras there,” Declan said, “but I thought it was just kids looking for a place to party.”

“No way it’s just kids making off with over a grand worth of polycarbonate though. Not to mention my toolbox. That sucker is worth five grand with all the tools inside.”

“I’m so sorry,” Declan said. “I’ve never had problems like this before. I promise I’ll compensate you for the loss.”

Gray shook his head. “Let’s make the bastard who did this compensate me.”

“We should put a camera at all entry points to the property,” I said. “If we can catch even his license plate on camera, we can give the sheriff’s department a lead.”

“Then I hope he comes back,” Gray said. “Maybe I can be here when he does. You know, I could camp out in the Tree Hut for a while. Keep watch over there. It’s got a good vantage point.”

“Really?” Declan sounded relieved. “That would be a load off my mind.”

“And we could stay out in The Roost,” I told Declan. “We’d cover more property that way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Declan said.

Over the next week, we all operated in a state of high tension.

Each night, Declan collapsed into bed exhausted, then tossed and turned because he couldn’t sleep.

He checked his camera feeds every few hours, and at least once a night, I found him out walking the grounds. Sometimes, I joined him on the patrols, knowing it gave him a sense of control in an unpredictable situation.

But I worried about how long he could go on this way without burning out. He still had to work all day—at least until I finished out my last few shifts at the Swallow’s Nest—and I hadn’t seen him tend to his garden all week.

Hudson had given me rides home, staying long enough to have a beer and check in with Declan, so I knew I wasn’t the only one who worried.

Friday, the bed jostled me awake in the middle of the night. Declan sat on the edge of the mattress we’d placed on the bedroom floor of the Roost, fabric rustling as he kicked off his shoes and pants.

I reached for my phone, squinting at the display to read the time: 3:30 a.m.

“Hey,” I rasped. “It’s really late. Or should I say early?”

“Sorry.” Declan scrubbed a hand over his face. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I don’t care about that. You need to rest.”

“I can’t relax,” he admitted. “Every time I close my eyes, I think, what if he’s out there right now? Then I check the cameras. Then I think, what if he’s just outside the range of the cameras?”

“Declan, there’s a possibility he won’t even come back.”

He groaned. “I know. I just can’t turn off my brain.”

I knelt behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him from behind. “I’m worried about you.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “This shouldn’t be your problem.”

I drew back. “Are you kidding? This is my life too, right? I may not own the B&B, but you said?—”

He turned and kissed the protest from my lips. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry, love. I just hate that this is infecting your life, too.”

I smoothed his hair back from his face. “I signed up for this, Dec. There’s no other place I want to be.”

“That means a lot.”

“Good. Lie down. You’re going to stay in this bed and rest, even if I have to tie you down.”

He chuckled. “I’m not into that kinky shit.”

I guided him down to the mattress, wrapping an arm around him so he couldn’t sneak off on me.

“You’re not too old for a spanking, so don’t push it.”

He remained still, but he practically vibrated the whole dang bed with tension. I rubbed his shoulders. Damn, they were tight and hard as a rock. I kneaded until his flesh warmed and his muscles softened, then slowly made my way down his back.

When I squeezed his glutes, he startled.

“Shh, relax.” I moved my hands to his thighs, working his quads and hamstrings. “I’m not trying to dick you down.”

His laugh was heavy and slurred. “Might not even notice if you did. So tired.”

“I know, sweetheart. Just close those eyes. I’ll check the cameras for you, okay?”

“Mm.”

He exhaled, body slack and heavy, and finally slept.

And that’s when the camera alert finally went off. I lunged for the phone, checking the stream, and sure enough, there was a truck passing by the camera at the entryway.

It would drive right by the Tree Hut, so I grabbed my phone and called Gray.

“Yeah?” he answered gruffly.

“He’s here.” I checked Declan’s camera. “Look out your window.”

There was a rustle of bedcovers shifting, then the rattle of blinds. “I see him.”

“I’ll have Declan call the sheriff.”

“He might be gone by the time they arrive,” Gray said. “I’m going out there to detain him.”

“Gray, that might be dangerous?—”

“Call the sheriff and get him out here ASAP then.”

Click.

He’d hung up. I turned to see Declan awake and alert. He held out his hand. “Give me the phone. I’ll make the call.”

I handed it off and reached for my clothes. “I’ve got to get out there. I don’t want Gray handling this guy alone.”

“I’m right behind you,” Declan said grimly.

I tugged on my shorts while Declan talked to the sheriff’s department, then raced outside. Without the camera feeds on Declan’s phone, I had no idea where our trespasser might be. I headed toward the Tree Hut, since that’s the last place he’d been—and the place Gray was most likely to have intercepted him.

There were sharp voices coming from the middle of Declan’s garden. I veered left, heading toward the two man-shaped silhouettes. As I watched, one took a swing, the other ducked and lunged, and then a full-on scuffle ensued.

Shit! Who knew how dangerous this guy was? Even if he was a petty criminal, he wouldn’t want to be caught.

I poured on the speed, barely noticing when I passed too close to a rosebush and a thorn tore through my calf. I reached the scene just as Gray wrestled the perp’s arms behind his back, pinning him to the ground with a knee.

“You okay?” I gasped.

“Fine.” Gray grinned wolfishly. “Caught me a vandal.”

The guy squirmed. “There’s been a misunderstanding!”

I crouched down, eyes widening when I recognized Bruce Ford. He ran a fishing charter about ten minutes south of town. He used to work with my father.

“Bruce?”

“Cash! Thank god. Will you tell this man to get off my back? Please. My arms feel ready to snap.”

Gray eased up the pressure, though he didn’t let go. “You know this guy?”

“He worked with my dad back in the day.”

My phone rang with Declan’s number, and I picked up. “Hey, we’re in the garden. Gray has him pinned down, and I know who he is, so even if he gets away, he isn’t getting away with anything.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Bruce shouted, bolder now that he wasn’t pinned like a bug.

“Be right there,” Declan said.

By the time he arrived, sirens sounded from the main road.

“Bruce was just telling us what he was doing here,” I said as Declan arrived.

“I was just out for a walk,” Bruce said.

“So why did we see your truck on camera?” I asked.

Bruce faltered. “Yeah, I mean I, uh, was just out for a drive, and then I saw this great garden, so I decided to get out and enjoy?—”

“Bruce, you live half an hour away, and it’s four in the morning. Try again.”

“You can’t prove anything,” Bruce snapped as Declan slipped away to wave the deputies over. “A man can be outside!”

“This is private property, sir,” a deputy named Wade said.

Luckily, Gray had released Bruce when the deputy cars arrived and was standing there looking menacing but innocent. I’d hate for him to get hauled in for tackling the guy for us.

“Well, I didn’t realize that,” Bruce said. “I apologize. I’ll just leave.”

Wade shook his head. “I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. We’re going to have to take you in for questioning in a series of vandalism and thefts on the property.”

Bruce swallowed hard, and I could see by his expression he was scared shitless. This was our guy. There was no doubt in my mind.

“Why would you do it?” Declan asked Bruce. “You’ve got a business to run just like us.”

He scoffed. “My business is in the shitter, not that anyone gives a damn. You’ve got plenty of family money stashed away. We’re nothing alike, you and me.”

Deputy Wade pulled the cuffs off his belt and read him his rights. After he put Bruce in the back of his car, he tipped his hat at us. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t you folks worry. Get some rest, and I’ll check in tomorrow. You can let me know then if anything else was disturbed tonight.”

“We’ve got camera footage too.”

Wade nodded. “Send me anything that’ll help the case against Bruce.”

“Deputy,” I called as he turned away.

He paused next to his car. “Yes?”

“I don’t think Bruce would do this on his own. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sometimes men just get angry and desperate. In my experience, crime hardly ever makes any sense.”