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Her eyes were cast down to the floor, and he bit back a snarl. Her hands were collapsed together in her lap. The look on her face was of a person who had lost everything. He let loose a sigh and moved to her.
She needed him.
Even with them in the room, she seemed alone.
“I trust what is shared with you will be upheld with the strictest of confidence. I looked into you, Sergeant Owen, and you’re well-respected in the law community.”
“You’re damn right I am,” Declan said, settling on the coffee table in front of Aspen. He reached for her hand and entwined their fingers.
Her eyes flew to him in shock.
He gave her a tight squeeze to let her know that he was there for her. “Now tell me. What is going on?”
“Aspen has been in the witness protection program. She was the witness of a murder. The person charged with the murder is up for a lot of federal charges. She is the one person who can assure the bad guy is put away for a long time.”
Declan glanced at the federal agent. The other one, US Marshal Williams, entered the room.
“I’m going to double-check out back to make sure we’re good for the night.” He left out the front door and shut it behind him.
Declan returned his attention to Aspen who remained quiet on the couch. He was slightly relaxed knowing the feds were making sure Aspen was protected.
“That sounds like a lot. What happened, baby?” he asked.
She blew out a deep breath and kept her eyes lowered. “My name is not Aspen Hale. My real name is Aspen Irwin, and I’m from California.”
“Nice to meet you, Aspen Irwin,” he murmured, squeezing her hand.
Her lips tilted up in a small smile, and he was slightly relieved shecouldsmile. Her eyes softened when she gazed at him.
“I was at work late one evening. I am—or at least I used to be—a forensic accountant, one of the best. My father runs a Fortune 500 company and asked me to look into some dealings and monies that seemed to have disappeared.” Her eyes glassed over as she told her story.
He watched her become lost in the tale. He remained quiet while she continued speaking, not wanting to interrupt her.
“I had figured it out. I couldn’t believe who was stealing from my father. He’d worked so hard to get his company to where it was supposed to be, and for me to find out it was his best friend, I was just in shock.
“I went to confront him. I had thought of him as an uncle. He and my father had been as close as brothers, but he chose to turn to the life of crime and stabbed my father in the back.”
This started sounding familiar to Declan. He swerved his eyes to the federal agent who crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the wall. He’d remember hearing about something in California about a high-profile case of an executive. He turned back to Aspen. His heart raced, seeing the fresh trail of tears burning their way down her cheeks.
“I should have waited and gone to my father first, but I was just so angry and wasn’t thinking. I walked up to his office, and as I was about to push the door open, I heard angry voices. It was slightly open, and I watched Ray shoot that man.”
Declan knew the case. It was all over the news. He gazed at Aspen with a new understanding of who she was.
Holy shit.
“Ray Acosta?”
Aspen was shockedDeclan knew who she was speaking of. But then, the case had been all over the national news. When she’d first been pulled from her home, she hadn’t been able to watch television without seeing his face splashed crossed the screens.
“Yes, he’s currently sitting in prison awaiting his trial. We have to keep Ms. Hale alive so she may testify against him,” Ball stated, breaking the shocked silence.
“Declan, there’s so much I want to say, but—”
“You’re not leaving.” His tone was hard and clipped.
“You don’t get to decide that, Sergeant.” Ball’s eyes narrowed on Declan’s back.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
