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She refused to leave his side. He was going above and beyond for her, and she would never be able to pay him back. Her heart swelled with the possibility of what could be driving him to do this for her.
Their eyes met for a brief second, and in that instant she knew she had fallen for Declan.
Once she testified, how would she ever be able to leave him?
Chapter 17
“You don’t think this is a bit much?” Aspen’s wide eyes stared up at him.
He smirked and adjusted the ballistics vest on her chest.
“These saves lives,” he muttered, securing it around her. He didn’t even want to think of her getting shot, much less taking a bullet.
Mac had brought an extra vest for her transport.
Tonight, SWAT would not hunt.
They’d protect.
His men would escort them to the airport to ensure they safely arrived. Declan wasn’t taking any chances if the thugs tried to show up again. There was no way he would let them take her.
Mac and Ashton were speaking quietly in the corner of the living room while the feds stood in the kitchen. Declan strained to hear their conversation but was unable to.
“Have you ever been shot before?” Aspen’s voice broke through his train of thought.
His gaze turned to her, finding her waiting patiently. Curiosity burned in her eyes, but there was a hesitation, as if she didn’t really want to know the answer to her question.
“Yeah.” He paused his hands and nodded, flashbacks of the last time a slug hit his vest springing to mind. The damn thing had him black and blue for a few weeks. He had felt fine at the hospital and complained the entire time that he was fine. The next day, he was barely able to get out of bed, for the pain had intensified by then. “It hurt like a son of a bitch.”
“Did the bullet go through the vest?” she asked, her eyes growing wider.
He tipped her chin up to him. Her lips parted slightly, and he wished he could claim them like he wanted to.
Not now.
“No bullet will touch you. This vest is a guarantee that we get you there safely. I protect what’s mine.” His voice ended on a growl. He didn’t care who heard him, he wanted it to be known that Aspen Hale—Irwin—was his woman.
Bad guys didn’t fight fair, and he’d be damned if they killed her in order to protect a known criminal.
Mac and Ashton’s conversation ceased. They’d heard him. No doubt about it. He glanced their way and found their eyes narrowed on him and Aspen.
“We’re ready to transport. Flight has been arranged.” Agent Ball stepped into the room. His gaze swept the area before settling on Aspen. “Young lady, in a few hours you’ll be meeting with the prosecutor. Hopefully this will all end soon.”
Declan moved to the table and finished aligning his body with his weapons. They’d spent the day holed up in the house waiting for night to fall. A calming sensation overcame him. He was used to this feeling. It was the same as if he was going out on a call.
He’d asked for a gun.
Mac outfitted him with enough weapons and ammunition to supply a small army.
“We leave now, we should be at the airport in less than forty-five minutes,” Mac murmured, stopping near Declan.
Ashton appeared on his other side. The three of them were dressed in black fatigues. Both Ashton and Mac were decked out in their array of weapons also.
Declan grabbed his favorite weapon, a Glock. The smooth, hard steel was comforting. Holding the weapon was soothing. Declan wasn’t sure why, but his gut was screaming something was off.
He glanced over to find Aspen engaged in a conversation with the feds.
“What’s wrong?” Ashton’s voice was low. He folded his arms across his chest.
