Declan nodded and then he was looking directly at me. “Ronan said you’d get it.”
I swallowed hard at that.
I got it all too well.
And that fact made it clear as to why I’d been chosen for this particular job.
I managed a nod in response, but nothing else.
“I asked to be assigned to a new partner. My request was granted,” Declan continued. “When I next saw Mac, he’d been notified of the transfer and he...”
Declan’s words fell off, but neither Ronan nor Memphis urged him to go on. It was a good thirty seconds before he did.
“He told me he understood and that he thought I was going to make a hell of a good cop. He was killed that night responding to a home invasion. His backup never showed up.”
Declan took in a shuddering breath before he said, “No one in the department was ever disciplined for it. The higher-ups bought the story that the units who should have responded misunderstood the address dispatch gave them. The fuckers were joking about it the next day – said the best kind of…”
Declan covered his mouth with his hand briefly, then forced the ugly words out. “The best kind of fag was a dead one.” The older man paused, then explained, “I was one of two people who went to the funeral. The other was Mac’s boyfriend, Sam. Turned out that Mac’s family had disowned him. Sam didn’t know who I was at first, but afterward when he found out…”
Declan’s voice dropped off and this time, he didn’t continue.
“Mac had a son?” I finally prodded.
He nodded. “I didn’t even know they were expecting. Elliot was born via surrogate a month later. Mac never even got to meet him.”
It took Declan several long beats before he seemed to collect himself. “Sam was only a few years older than me when Mac died. He’d started a successful investment firm and just recently handed the reins over to Elliot. But from everything I’ve seen and heard, Elliot’s true passion is the foundation.”
It didn’t surprise me one bit that Declan had apparently been keeping tabs on Mac’s child. “What kind of foundation is it?” I asked.
“It focuses on the rights of LGBTQ individuals by providing legal support in discrimination and court cases. It also donates money to different causes and educates the community.”
I nodded in understanding. It was no surprise that the young man and his foundation would have been targeted. The support for same-sex relationships had grown in leaps and bounds over the years, but it was far from perfect.
“So, you think someone is targeting Elliot?” I asked, suddenlyeager to get started on my assignment. Even the idea that danger could be stalking Elliot Wittier at this very moment was making me antsy.
“It’s not the first time the place has been vandalized, but I think it’s the first time he’s been directly attacked. I don’t think he wanted me to know it, but he seemed really spooked by the whole thing. But when I offered to beef up patrols in the neighborhood, he told me not to bother.” Declan’s tone made it clear why Elliot had declined the offer – the young man clearly doubted the cops would take any better care of him than they had his father.
Declan’s eyes held mine as he said, “I just need to make sure it was a onetime thing. I owe it to Sam… and Mac.”
“Understood,” I said. “Why not just put some police protection on him? Or ask your brothers-in-law to have someone watch him?” I asked.
“Elliot shares his father’s hatred of all things police. I doubt he would have even reported the incident last night if a passerby hadn’t seen what was happening and called 911. When we arrived, he wasn’t exactly cooperative… or welcoming. Not that I can really blame him.” Declan paused before saying, “I can’t ask Dom to put one of his guys on Elliot because they have both a professional and personal relationship.”
I knew Dom was Dominic Barretti, Declan’s brother-in-law and one of the co-founders of Barretti Security Group. Dom had been married to Declan’s younger sister, Sylvie, for several years before losing her to leukemia. He’d gone on to marry a man named Logan Bradshaw, while Declan had become involved with Dom’s younger brother, Ren, and one of Dom’s employees, Jagger.
“How so?” I asked.
“Sam began contracting with Dom’s security group years ago. Barretti Security Group handles Sam and Elliot’s investment firm’s information technology security needs. Sam didn’t know when he signed on with Dom’s group that Dom and I were related by marriage. Once he found out, he chose not to dissolve the professional relationship because Barretti Security is just too good at what it does. Dom wasn’t sure about keeping Sam’s business when hefound out how much Sam and his son hated me, but I convinced him to put that aside and keep the relationship.”
“And the personal relationship?” I asked.
“Dom’s husband, Logan, runs a center that helps LGBTQ kids. It gets them off the streets and provides them with resources like education, housing, counseling, and legal support. Elliot’s foundation is a big contributor and he and Logan have become friends.”
“That must be awkward,” I murmured.
Declan sighed softly. “Just shows what good men Sam and Elliot are. Despite their hatred of me, they’re not going to let the people who rely on them suffer. I imagine Elliot and Logan have come to some kind of agreement that the topic of me is off-limits.”
Declan shifted forward on the couch a bit and pressed his hands together. “So, you can see why I can’t ask Dom to get involved. I just… I need to know the threat to Elliot, if there is one, is taken care of. But he can’t know I’m involved—”
