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Declan’s friend, Mac, strode through the door with another man at his side. The second man had broad shoulders, a strong jawline, and wavy brown hair. Both Mac and the other cop were dressed in black fatigues. Aspen took in the weapons strapped to their thighs.
Were all the men on his SWAT team built the same?
“Mac.” Declan greeted his friend with a strong handshake and manly hug with a pat on the back. He turned to the other man and did the same. “Ashton.”
Jesus, what is in the water here in Columbia?
So far, their entire team was large, muscular men who deserved to be on one of those first responder calendars, shirtless.
“What is this, a policeman’s reunion?” Ball crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Declan’s and his friend’s eyes whipped to him, and he seemed to balk under their hard glares.
“Aspen, come here.” Declan motioned for her to go to his side. He sent another glare to Agent Ball before turning his attention to her. He rested his arm along her shoulders when she arrived at his side. She leaned into him automatically while he introduced his men. “You’ve already met Mac, and this here is Ashton Fraser. He’s our negotiator and wannabe comedian.”
Aspen chuckled watching Ashton dramatically roll his eyes.
“Whatever, man. Hello, Aspen. It’s so nice to meet you,” Ashton said with a wide grin.
She offered her hand, and he took it, turning it over and laying a small kiss to the back of it.
“Watch it, Ash,” Declan growled, squeezing her shoulder. “She’s mine.”
Chapter 16
“Do you have it?” Declan had requested a few things when he’d spoken to Mac. He knew his friend would come through with his request. Late-night calls always were answered.
“Everything you asked for is in this here bag,” Ashton said, handing him a black duffle.
“And the other thing?”
“Right here.” Mac passed him the manila envelope.
Sitting the bag on the floor, Declan took the envelope and opened it, peeking inside. He turned and walked to Agent Ball and Williams. He handed the papers to him with a smirk on his lips.
“What is this?” Ball demanded. He wearily took the papers, glancing over at Williams first.
“Something to speed along the process of getting me deputized,” Declan boasted. He didn’t have time to waste while waiting on the feds to go through their bureaucratic nonsense. He didn’t trust anyone else with the safety of Aspen besides his men.
The room grew silent as Ball read the papers. His gaze flew across the pages while Declan folded his arms over his chest and waited. He patiently watched Ball’s eyes flicker to him before handing the papers to Williams.
“What are these?” Williams muttered. He snatched the papers from Ball and read them, too. He paused and glared at Declan. “Where did you get this from?”
“What’s going on, Declan?” Aspen moved to his side, concern etched on her face.
“Let’s just say we pulled some strings. It would have taken way too long for Agent Ball and Williams to get clearance to deputize me. So I called Mac, and he called our old Navy commander who just so happens to play golf with the Chief of the Special Deputation Unit. He’s approving me to be deputized.”
Aspens eyes grew wide at the announcement.
“And if you read the fine print, Declan has been granted full federal authority. Meaning he has authority now in any US location,” Mac declared. Mac despised the feds and wasn’t hiding it.
“Excuse me if I don’t believe—”
“Go ahead and call your superiors.” Mac’s voice slashed through the air, cutting Ball off. His deep baritone voice was commanding and condescending at the same time.
Declan held back a smirk. He glanced behind him and found Mac’s hard gaze on the feds while Ashton leaned against the wall looking calm and collected.
“We will. You have to forgive me. This is not the standard procedure. We must follow protocols—”
