AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She didn’t want to press it and cause him to become suspicious of her. The way his eyes scanned the area around them reminded her of the animal they had just observed.
He was no different than the lion.
Declan Owen was a predator. His job required someone who was fearless. She imagined he’d faced killers and the most hardened criminals in his line of duty. The look on his face was certainly one that would make a person think twice about crossing him.
“Okay. Food. You were going to take me to get food,” she reminded him, jostling him from his thoughts.
He nodded and entwined their fingers, guiding the way. She released the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. This was one thing she knew she’d have to report to the marshals. She just hoped it wasn’t enough to make them decide to move her.
She was just getting used to Columbia and all that the city had to offer, mainly one SWAT Officer named Declan Owen.
Declan wascertain they were being followed. He put on a cool and collected front. He didn’t want to alarm Aspen. He hadn’t meant to frighten her, but when he’d turned and caught sight of the man staring at her, alarms had gone off. He’d had the feeling someone was tailing them, and that had confirmed it.
They’d yet to figure out who had leaked their names to the Demon Lords. Declan was worried that until they caught the person, he would be at risk. It was his bullet that had slammed into the forehead of their leader, Silas Tyree.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Aspen smiled, walking alongside him. She squeezed the teddy bear he’d bought her from the gift shop. Its fat belly was covered with a red t-shirt with the zoo’s name splashed across it.
“Any time.” He pulled her close, unable to keep his hands off her.
She buried her face into the bear’s neck.
“What shall we name him?” She reared back and looked up at him.
Her eyes were mesmerizing, and he could easily get lost in them.
“Name who?” He’d totally missed what she’d said.
“The bear?” She held the toy up in the air. The brown bear had a crooked smile sewn onto his face. He looked pitiful, but Aspen’s face had lit up when she had paused in front of it while it sat on the shelf. He’d instantly picked it up and handed it to her, paying for it. He was glad no one he knew had seen him buy a teddy bear for a woman. He might have lost his man card for that. “He can’t not have a name.”
The hairs on the back of Declan’s neck rose. They were almost out of the zoo. He’d left his service weapon locked up in the glove compartment in his car. His fingers itched to feel the cool, hard steel of his Glock. He casually looked around and didn’t see anyone.
But they were there.
His gut had never let him down before.
“I don’t know…how about Tom, Henry, Mark—”
“What?” Aspen drew back with a look of horror on her face. Her wide eyes stared at him as if he’d grown another head.
“What’s wrong with those names?”
She broke out into a fit of giggles and shook her head, holding the bear against her chest.
“How about Preston?”
They exited the zoo and headed toward the parking lot. The sun had shifted, denoting it was later in the day. He couldn’t believe they had spent the better part of the day at the zoo. They’d enjoyed themselves.
There was something bothering him about Aspen. Declan did pick up that every time he’d turned the conversation to her, she’d dodged him or given him answers that seemed like they were perfectly rehearsed. It just didn’t settle right with him. At times, the haunted look had appeared in her eyes but disappeared just as quick at it had appeared.
“I think Preston is the perfect name.” He laid a kiss on her forehead.
The chill that slid down his spine didn’t sit well with him. He knew they were being watched. If he’d been by himself, he’d grab his weapon out of his car and go confront whoever it was, but since he had Aspen with him, he’d just leave and ensure she was safe.
He remained alert, guiding Aspen to the car. His gaze swept the parking lot; he didn’t see anything, but the alarms were still going off in his mind. Dusk was upon them, which would make it harder to see. The shadows were growing as they were losing sunlight. There weren’t many people in the parking lot, which could be a gift or a curse.
They strode along the walkway, heading toward the car in a comfortable silence. It came into sight, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Once in his car, he’d be able to lose whoever was following them.
“I think he looks like a Preston.” She nodded, satisfied on her name choice.
