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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Declan

“Babe, wake up. The sheriff’s calling.”

Cash sat on the edge of the bed beside me, holding out my cell phone. I wiped at my bleary eyes, trying to clear the sleep fog from my brain.

I could swear I’d only just closed my eyes, but the bright sunlight filtering in through the window suggested hours had gone by.

After the deputy left, it had been damn near five a.m. Cash, Gray, and I had gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and speculate about why Bruce would vandalize my property.

He could sell the supplies he’d stolen, but why damage The Roost at all? It didn’t make sense. And I didn’t care what the deputy said, there had to be some reason for it.

An ugly suspicion started to form, a pit in my stomach that said I knew the answer if I really thought it through. But the adrenaline from the confrontation dropped, and I started crashing hard. Cash had sent me to bed with a promise to wake me if there were any updates.

“Declan?” Cash prompted when I was slow to wake up. “Do you want me to take the call?”

“No,” I rasped, reaching for the phone and bringing it to my ear. “Hello? This is Declan.”

“Declan, sorry to disturb you. Sounds like you had a busy night,” Sheriff Roy Minnis said with a chuckle.

“We did. I assume that’s why you’re calling?”

“Yeah. We checked Bruce’s property. Found the exact number of polycarbonate sheets you reported stolen along with an industrial toolbox full of tools. Didn’t even have to get a warrant. The dang fool had it all sitting out in his yard in broad daylight. We’re getting it all documented, and then we’ll release the property back to you.”

I exhaled noisily. “That’s great news. Thank you.”

Cash leaned in closer, and I angled the phone so he could hear the other side of the conversation too.

“Once we told Bruce what we found, he was more forthcoming. Says he was hired to do the vandalism. The theft was just for his own benefit. His business took a hit from a new competitor across the lake. He’s been struggling.”

“Hired by who?” I asked. “There’s no one around here who’d benefit from it. The resort is my only competition, and they’re doing great.”

Not to mention Skylar would never do that anyway.

“Bruce didn’t have many details,” Sheriff Minnis said. “He answered an online ad placed by a company named Second City Acquisitions. They arranged everything via email. Have you heard of the company?”

“Nothing comes to mind,” I said.

“It could be a false name to hide the identity of the perp, but if you can think of any connections at all…”

“Second City is a nickname for Chicago,” I said slowly. “I got an offer from some developers based there. They wanted to tear down the B&B and put up condos. I turned them down. But I researched them thoroughly after everything that happened with those shady guys and the resort. They go by the name 360 Views, and they have projects all over the world. I don’t see why they’d want the B&B badly enough to resort to criminal acts.”

“It’s worth checking out anyway,” Sheriff Minnis said. “We’ll give you a call to let you know when you can retrieve your stolen property. This is almost over.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I hesitated. “What will happen to Bruce?”

“Well, I don’t know. He’s cooperating, so most likely the district attorney will offer him a more lenient deal. Restitution to pay for the damages, probation, maybe a little jail time. It won’t be too long, most likely. I know that may not be much comfort?—”

“No, it’s more than enough. Sounds like Bruce fell on hard times. I just want this to end so we can all move on.”

“I understand,” he said. “I’ll let you get back to your day. If you can think of anyone else who’d want to target you, let us know. We’ll look into 360 Views to be sure they’re not involved.”

“Thank you.”

I hit Disconnect, frowning to myself. Something wasn’t adding up. Yes, 360 was in Chicago and they’d offered me a development deal, but I’d had no contact with them. Every step of our deal had been negotiated through Nate.

My heart stuttered.

He wouldn’t…

“Declan?” Cash asked. “What is it?”

I swallowed hard, remembering the suspicions that had tried to form before tiredness got the best of me. They were back now, far too clear to ignore.

“I think…” I shook my head, unable to say it out loud. “I need to make another call.”

“Okay,” Cash said gently. “Do you want me to leave or…”

I latched onto his wrist. “Stay, please. I’m going to put it on speaker phone, just in case… Well, just in case. Don’t say anything though. Just listen, okay, and confirm for me I’m not being paranoid.”

“Okay, sure. Who are we calling?”

“An old friend in Chicago.”

I brought up Nate’s contact and hit Call. I was pretty confident he’d answer because after his apology text—which came not long after The Roost vandalism—he’d called twice to just check in . He hadn’t pushed for the development deal, not after our first fight, but he’d dropped hints it would be there when I was ready.

Nate didn’t give up easily, so I wasn’t surprised he was like a dog with a bone. But he’d seemed to accept that he couldn’t force my hand.

Or maybe he’d just decided to force it another way?

The phone rang twice.

“Hey, Declan!” Nate sounded happy to hear from me. “How’s it going out there in the boondocks?”

“It could be better,” I said.

“Oh?” He sounded concerned. Either I was wrong about Nate, or he was a damn good actor. “What’s going on? Maybe I can help.”

“We’ve been having a rash of vandalism out here,” I said. “Some supplies and tools were stolen last week.”

“Shit, man, that’s bad luck, but it’s not too late to sell and get rid of all those headaches.”

“Yeah, about that…” I said. “We installed cameras, so we were ready when he showed up again last night. We caught him.”

“Oh yeah? Well…that’s good then.”

“He was hired by someone in Chicago.”

I let the statement drop between us. I glanced at Cash. His eyes were narrowed, jaw tight. Obviously, he understood my suspicion, and it was taking all his restraint not to jump in.

I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. He had my back, however this talk went.

Nate broke the silence with a nervy laugh. “Why would anyone in Chicago care about vandalizing your property?”

“Good question. I was just sitting here wondering the same thing, and the only connection to Chicago I still have is you and 360.”

“Shit, you think 360 is behind this?”

“Not really, Nate. They’re too big to care about this one little deal.” I took a breath and forced out the words. “I think it was a bigger deal to you, though. Right?”

“Me? You think I’m behind this?”

“You brokered the deal. That meant a payday for you. It must have been a big one too, because you just couldn’t let it go, could you?”

“Jesus Christ, Declan, I can’t believe you’d accuse me of something like that based on some semantics bullshit. And after everything I did for you. I’m your only fucking friend because no one else wants to be around you!”

Cash leaned toward the phone I held between us. “Declan has plenty of friends, asshole. Real friends.”

“Who the hell is this?”

“I’m Cash, his boyfriend.”

“Ah, the reason he backed out on me. Let me guess? You wanted him to keep the B&B so he could take care of you. Is Declan your sugar daddy now?”

All Cash’s daddy jokes flitted through my head. I repressed a hysterical laugh. The image Nate was trying to paint, the gaslighting he was trying to do, was ludicrous.

Cash met my eyes. “I’d gladly let Declan spank me anytime he wants.”

“Jesus, Cash,” I grumbled.

“But our relationship is built on trust and mutual respect. I’m guessing you don’t know much about that, Nate.”

Nathan scoffed. “Sure it is. Declan, don’t let your dick lead you, man. You need to do what’s right for you, not what will please some piece of ass.”

Nate clearly had no idea I was graysexual or he might have tried a different argument.

“Even now, you’re still trying to sell him,” Cash said in disgust. Then he winced. “But I’m supposed to be staying out of this. Sorry for interrupting, Dec.”

“That’s okay,” I said with a tight smile. “You’re not wrong. Nate’s first priority is always closing a deal.”

“So the fuck what?” Nate growled. “Selling that lakefront land would have made us so much fucking money. I put my ass on the line to make it happen, and I was counting on that deal to go through. Did you even think about that before you backed out on me?”

“I didn’t formally agree to anything,” I said. “I told you not to rush me.”

“Well, I didn’t have time to wait around!”

“Why not?” Cash asked.

Nate went silent.

“It was you then.” It was no longer a question. “You hired Bruce to vandalize the property and get me to change my mind.”

“I never said that.”

“Maybe not, but I’m not stupid,” I said. “I let you play me for too long. I thought you were actually my friend, or I might have put this together sooner.”

“I didn’t play you,” Nate said. “I proposed that deal because you were unhappy there. I was being your friend.”

“But something changed. When it came down to money or friendship, you chose money.”

The pause that followed was its own kind of confession.

“I think I better call my lawyer,” Nate said.

“Probably,” I agreed.

The line went as dead as our friendship. I sat there, mind reeling as I replayed every interaction we’d ever had through a new lens.

Nate stopping by my office to bring me a coffee and chat about my work. A chat that always led to market trends, current speculation, and my latest data analysis.

At the time, Nate had validated my work. But now I could see it for what it was.

Nate used me to get a competitive edge over other brokers. He cultivated a relationship with me, but it was always about work. Even when he’d reached out to me here over the years, it’d been to casually ask my take on the markets or to float the idea I might want to come back to the city.

Why didn’t I see him for what he was?

Cash rubbed my arm, interrupting my internal spiral. “Are you okay?”

“I feel so stupid.”

“Don’t do that,” Cash said. “Nate betrayed your trust. He’s the asshole here.”

“And I didn’t see it.”

“He’s good at pretending. That much was obvious to me, even in this phone call.”

“If I hadn’t closed myself off to everyone, if I wasn’t so isolated…”

Cash cupped my face. “Listen to me, Declan.”

I met his gaze with difficulty, eyes burning and throat tight.

“Nate was a piece of shit, but you’ve got real friends now. You’ve got me. You’ve got Hudson and Fisher, Brooks and Skylar, and Pop?—”

“I’ve got Hudson, but the rest are your friends.”

“Remember how you said Kat was part of loving me? That we were a package deal?”

“Yes.”

“Well, so are my friends. They’re all your friends too, Declan. And you’re not closed off and isolated. You’re warm and loving and worth so much more than someone like Nate will ever understand. We’ve all got your back.”

I didn’t doubt him. Not after the way Gray stepped up last night. Not when Skylar never once protested I was poaching one of his best employees.

His friends had greeted me like one of their own at the cookout, but even before I dated Cash, they’d always welcomed me as Hudson’s friend.

I’d been the one holding back—and I was done doing that.

“I guess deep down I knew that Nate wasn’t the same kind of friend that Hudson was. Or even Mimsy and Pipsy, you know? People in Swallow Cove are just different.”

“We’re wacky but lovable,” Cash joked.

“More lovable than I ever imagined.”

“Aw, you’re just saying that because you’re obsessed with me.”

I laughed, loving how he could always lighten the moment, even a serious one like this.

“I guess you’ve got me all figured out.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Why else would I love you so much? I only do that to people who really deserve it.”

“Why does that sound more like a threat than a promise?”

Cash grinned. “Well, I can be a lot. You’ll have to put up with me.”

I leaned in to press our foreheads together. “It’s a burden I’ll happily bear.”

Cash kissed me softly. “Good. Now, call the sheriff and tell him what that asshole did. No one fucks with my man and gets away with it.”

I smiled grimly and hit Call.

Part of me had known something was off with Nate and this deal for a while. He’d reacted too strongly to my calling it off. He’d tried to apologize, tried to make nice, but it had never really rung true.

I should have realized he was behind the vandalism. Maybe I hadn’t wanted to see it. But now that I did, there was no going back.

Cash rubbed my back, reminding me I wasn’t alone. Never would be again.

I drew a breath. “Sheriff? It’s Declan. I’ve got a new lead for you.”