The rest of the day rolled by without any more comments from the lieutenant, which was fine with me. I had enough to think about. And it was all I’d fucking done the whole damn day. Cam and Priest stayed close and kept me and my team moving forward.
As soon as we were released, with reminders of when to return, I jumped in the car and took off. I had no clue where Declan was. I’d checked my phone exactly once and hadn’t bothered checking it again. The texts from Declan saying he was up had gutted me.
He never missed texting me in the morning. He did it as soon as his alarm went off, usually when I was at PT, but we’d been up late the night before, so I figured he’d gone to bed after I left this morning. Then, there was a text that the meeting time was still to be discussed.
I turned off my phone after that. The urge to call him was too strong. As much as I wanted to confront him immediately, I needed to ask my questions in person. I had to see his face when I confronted him.
I pulled into the driveway at the beach house and jumped out of the car as soon as I slammed it into park. At the door, I grasped the door handle but stopped myself. I didn’t feel quite right, just barging in.
Taking a deep breath, I held it, then raised my hand to knock. My knuckles rapped at the solid wood door. It wasn’t ornate at all. The beauty of it was in the minimal detailing and the stained finish. When the door swung open, I nearly fell back on my ass.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
38
HAYDEN
“Icould ask you the same question?”
“What are you doing here, Mara?”
“I was invited. Now, your turn. What are you doing here?”
“My husband lives here,” I said.
“So, that’s why there’s a photo of you in the bedroom. I must say, Hayden, for someone who says they want to make their own way in the world, you certainly do have a type.”
“What the fuck are you getting at Mara?”
“Declan Holt.”
“What about Declan?” Looking around to see if anyone I knew and actually wanted to see was available.
“He’s worth five times what daddy is worth. The whole Holt family is loaded beyond imagination.”
“I know all this,” I lied. “What does it matter to you?”
“I just find it strange. That’s all.”
“What’s so strange about it?”
“Well, one, I didn’t know you were gay.”
“Bisexual.”
“Really? If I’d known that, we could have put that to good use.”
Bile rose in my throat at the thought. I couldn’t believe I had ever imagined myself in love with her. Now, looking at her and hearing what she thought of my sexuality, I couldn’t see what I found attractive about her.
“You said one. What’s the other thing you find strange?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“You refused Daddy’s money when he tried getting you to cancel the wedding, but here you are, cozied up to the Holts. Did you also know they own an oil company? And the biggest cattle ranch there is in all of Texas, which is saying something. Plus, there’s a private military contractor and a private security company.”
I stared at her. No. I didn’t know any of that, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing more than me.
“Then there’s the younger generation. Jackson, you remember him right… the cute kid I used to cover up our relationship? He and his sister own Holt Motorsports.”
I stared at her dumbfounded. My blood turned to ice as the memories came back to me. How had I not pieced together the last names? I knew Jackson Holt.
