Chapter 2 #2
Late that night when Declan let himself into his apartment under the High Water artists’ studio, his body was loose and spent. But beneath the surface, his soul pulled tight with a need he couldn’t name.
He moved around the unit quietly, putting things away more out of rote habit than with deliberate thought.
The place was cool, the fan on the heater/air conditioner running with a soft hum.
In the shower, cold water sprayed down and enveloped him, goosebumps rising even as he washed traces of Sydney off his skin.
Crawling under his cold sheets to lay staring up at the ceiling, it didn’t take more than a minute for clarity to arrive.
The scent of her lingered even after the quick rinse. But it wasn’t just her touch he couldn’t shake—it was the way she looked at him, as if she saw everything.
Enough moping. He had other things that he needed to concentrate on for the good of his family and the good of High Water.
As always, when he thought about the ranch, Jeff’s old saying came to mind. Pay it forward. The reason High Water existed.
Declan had needed a major distraction after Sadie died. And Jake needed something to focus on after becoming completely disillusioned with his job with the RCMP going sideways.
But if he wasn’t here in Heart Falls with his brothers, Declan like to think that he’d still be doing something like this with Sadie. Giving to those who needed some help. Offering a second chance to people who had taken a wrong turn.
It wasn’t exactly what Jeff had done. Declan and his brothers hadn’t been doing anything wrong when their mom died. They’d been three little lost boys, and Jeff had been there, a solid place for them to stand as they dealt with loss and sorrow.
A shot of pain cracked through Declan’s chest.
He gasped, pressing a hand to his heart
Not often, but sometimes—grief still hit brutally hard. The pain of losing someone who was your whole damned world.
When he lost his mom, there were moments when he couldn’t breathe. He’d gone deep inside himself, and his stepfather was the one who’d let him grieve yet kept him from sliding into the darkness.
Losing Sadie—
Another shot of pain.
I still miss you, babe, he thought. You left way too soon.
At moments like this he swore the cool caress of her fingers over his cheek was real. Reassuring him. Chastising him.
Remember, I said you weren’t to spend the rest of your life mourning me.
No, he was smart enough to have realized that, despite the grief he bore because Sadie’s life had been cut off far too short, she wouldn’t have wanted him to crawl into a grave as well.
In fact, she would’ve really liked Sydney, he decided. They were alike in some ways—
Which made sense. He had a type. It wasn’t on the physical side because there they were polar opposites. But when it came to what mattered, both Sadie and Sydney had a way of looking straight at him and letting him know in no uncertain terms they wouldn’t put up with his bullshit.
Which meant right now, he had a very fine line to walk. Because while he had listened to what Sydney said, her words and the look in her eyes hadn’t lined up.
He was smart enough to know what that meant, and she should have known better than to try and hide it.
He’d accepted her scold for cutting himself down.
She was right—he had a way with animals, and with people.
Sometimes he could sense a second before it happened when a horse was about to bolt or a dog fight was about to break out.
He often knew when someone was uncomfortable in a room full of people or when they were plotting mischief.
Sasha and Jinx didn’t like that he saw right through their plans at times.
Well, Jinx pretended to not like it when he casually mentioned he forbid them doing something they shouldn’t, but she was secretly pleased to have adults who cared about her in the right ways.
So yeah, as he lay there feeling dejected and rejected, he also knew something was up. Sydney might’ve said no, but he’d like to think he wasn’t just some creeper reading more into her body language than was there. And the way she’d clung to him during sex—
He needed to keep his eyes open and his wits about him. He wasn’t holding his breath, but damn it, if she gave him even a hint there was a crack in that wall—he’d be there.
Hell, he would be there for her no matter what. If nothing ever developed, at least he’d have continued to follow the mandate that the best man in the world had taught him.
Not because he could get something out of her, but because as Jeff always said, it was the right thing to do.
A sense of mental ease and satisfaction slid in. Strange, considering the things that had been shut down that day, but somehow Declan felt as if he was in the right place at the right time. He’d take it even though it was a bunch of touchy-feely shit.
The upside of having an emotional bender come to a satisfactory conclusion? Declan slept like a log, and when five a.m. hit, he was ready to take on the day.
He grabbed a quick breakfast out of the fridge and a cup of coffee and made his way up the stairs and onto the porch outside the artists’ studio.
The view over the rolling foothills as the land slowly shifted upward into the jagged silhouette of the Rocky Mountains never got old.
Sunlight painted the tips of the rugged peaks a pale yellow gold, the tree line far below the rich green of full summer.
Declan sipped his coffee and counted his blessings.
He also got to silently observe when Brian, the ranch hand who’d arrived four days earlier, crossed to the barn and vanished inside.
Which was fine until a few minutes later, Russ also strolled across to the barn, checked both ways, and slipped inside.
That sensation in Declan’s gut clicked on full. The one that said he needed to be aware.
Brian had assigned chores. Russ did not.
Declan abandoned his coffee cup and plate, moving quickly but without running. He slipped into the barn as quietly as the man ahead of him had.
He probably could’ve been as noisy as he wanted because raised voices echoed off the walls.
“That’s all I’ve got. I can’t get you more. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“Bullshit. You’ve got access. You’ve got contacts. Use them—”
“I’m out of that, and so are you. That’s why we’re here.”
“Broke with no prospects? Fuck that.”
The voices cut out as a fight began. Grunting, the smack of fist on flesh, wood creaking, and gasps of pain. Declan’s gut clenched.
Not just fear—certainty. Trouble had come through their doors.
He rushed around the corner and spotted Russ with Brian in a headlock as the man clawed desperately at the forearm wrapped around his throat.
“You’ll get me what I want,” Russ snarled.
Words weren’t necessary, surprise was. Declan barreled into Russ, fingers on his right hand held in a tight beak-like shape as he aimed hard and low into the man’s gut.
With his left hand, he pushed at Russ’s face, and the arm trapping Brian in place loosened enough the man dropped out of the hold and scrambled away.
A second later Russ was on the ground, arms pinned behind his back as Declan sat on top of him to keep him down. “Seems as if we have a problem.”
Brian stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I should’ve come to you, but last night he told me if I didn’t meet him, he’d hurt the kid. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Bullshit,” Russ snapped, writhing under Declan. “He’s lying. He knows my name, and he was trying to—”
“I saw enough to know which one of you is lying,” Declan said quietly, increasing the pressure on the arm twisted behind Russ’s back.
Russ stilled instantly.
Yeah, that position hurt like a motherfucker, and Declan knew it from training with Jake. “Brian, you okay?”
The man stretched his neck from side to side then nodded. “Yeah.”
Keeping a firm grip on Russ, Declan slipped his phone from his back pocket, thumbed it open and hit the emergency call for Jake. He kept most of his attention on the man on the ground, just to be safe.
“Yeah?” Jake muttered sleepily.
“We need a Bluejay, stat.”
Sleep vanished and Jake’s response came sharp and clear. “Shit. Coming. Where are you?”
“Barn.”
“Safe?”
“Yeah. Two minutes,” Declan offered, thanking every one of the stars in the heavens that between Jake and Aiden, they’d prepared for a moment like this. They had codes, not many, but specific for certain circumstances.
Red Robin—a fight with blood involved.
Black Bird—a dangerous situation to be dealt with stealthily.
Bluejay—anything that would need to involve Jake’s contacts with the police force to help get a troublemaker as far away from High Water as possible.
Less than two minutes later, and he had to have dressed while running, Jake arrived. Aiden showed up a minute later, and between them, they got Russ restrained and situated in Jake’s locked truck, fury on his face.
Jake stepped to the side, phone to his ear as he spoke rapidly to one of his contacts.
Aiden laid a hand on Brian’s arm. “You’re not in trouble, but can you tell us more? Anything will help.”
The man stared at the ground then sighed. “I thought I recognized him, but it seemed impossible. All the way up until he shoved his way into my face. Said he knew who I was, and if I didn’t do what he said, the kid was toast.”
The white hot anger that flared got pushed aside for now. “Who is he?”
Brian hesitated and spoke softly. “He’s an enforcer for Trident. One of the ones who does the dirty work when deals fall through.”
Shit. That was way above the level of dangerous persons they’d intended to help at High Water.
Aiden cleared his throat. “You want someone to look you over? Sydney, the redhead who was here last night, is a doctor, and she’s discreet.”
“I’m good,” Brian insisted. A shiver took him from top to bottom. “If it’s okay with you guys, I’m going to fast track my departure. I feel the need to keep moving for a bit.”
“We understand, although you should know Russ is leaving within the next few minutes,” Aiden said. “We’ll be dropping him off with someone who will get him into a controlled location a long way from here.”
“We’re the ones who need to apologize.” Declan took a deep breath. “This is supposed to be a safe place.”
“Sometimes bad shit happens.” Brian tilted his head toward the house. “Think there’s food and coffee yet? I’m still more comfortable to load up and then be off, but food before I go would be appreciated.”
“Tansy was up,” Jake offered, obviously listening in on the conversation. He held a hand over his phone as he waited on hold. “Go on inside.”
Declan waited until Brian was out of earshot before he turned to Aiden. “Russ’s name came in through the usual channels, yes?”
“Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary.” A frown folded between his brows. “We’ll need to start double-checking them.”
Guilt slid in. Declan had been so distracted the previous day. Had there been some sign he’d missed while showing the man around?
A solid squeeze landed on his shoulder. Aiden leaned in close, meeting his eyes. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. You couldn’t have known, and you did everything by the book when it was time to react.”
“I guess.”
Still, the knot of tension in his gut wasn’t going away for a long time. High Water was supposed to be a refuge.
For himself as well, he realized. The fact danger could slip in that quickly rubbed something inside him the wrong way, an ache wearing away at his soul.
Maybe doing the right thing wasn’t always the safe thing. He didn’t know if he liked that truth. Not when the people he loved could pay the price.