Page 28 of Close Protection

She resisted, stepping away before the impulse became action. This kind of thinking was precisely what she couldn't afford—not with Knox's people hunting them, not with a department leak threatening their security, not with Ivy's life depending on Julia's focus remaining absolute.

The satellite phone vibrated once on the counter: Morgan's check-in signal. Julia sent the confirmation code, a simple numerical sequence that changed with each exchange. Standard procedure, though it felt increasingly inadequate given what they now knew about the potential leak.

She resumed her position by the window, service weapon reassuring against her palm. The weight of it centered her, a tactile reminder of her purpose and training. Her mother had taught her to shoot on her tenth birthday, the family tradition stretching back to her grandmother's days as one of Phoenix Ridge's first female officers. The responsibility of the badge was woven into the fabric of her identity, impossible to separate from who she was.

A twig snapped in the forest beyond the clearing.

Julia stiffened, instantly alert, all distracting thoughts banished. She extinguished the single lamp that had been illuminating the cabin's interior, plunging the space into darkness.

Her eyes adjusted quickly, scanning the tree line methodically. Wind moved through the upper branches, clouds shifting to momentarily reveal more stars, then obscuring them again. Nothing else moved. No unnatural shadows, no telltale glint of equipment, no repeated sounds that might indicate human presence.

Probably wildlife. A deer, perhaps, or a fox. Still, Julia maintained her vigil for long minutes, waiting for any confirmation that would elevate concern to alarm.

Behind her, Ivy stirred, mumbling something unintelligible before settling deeper into sleep. The small, unconscious sound triggered another wave of memories Julia couldn't afford: Ivy's voice in the darkness of the hotel room, whispering her name.

Julia closed her eyes briefly, forcing the images away. "Complications compromise,"she whispered to herself, Sergeant Cooper's warning a much-needed reminder. She had allowed herself to become compromised once before, early in her career—emotional entanglement with a witness that had nearly gotten them both killed when Julia's judgment faltered at a critical moment.

She wouldn't make the same mistake again. Couldn't afford to, with stakes this high.

The cabin creaked subtly as wind picked up outside, branches scraping against the metal roof like skeletal fingers seeking entry. Julia checked her watch: 2:37 a.m. Hours yet before dawn, the darkest part of night still ahead. She rolled her shoulders to release tension, maintaining her position at the window. Sleep would come in intervals later—twenty minutes here, thirty there—but for now, vigilance took priority.

Her gaze drifted back to Ivy, still sleeping at the table. A witness who had become a complication. A complication who had once been…what, exactly? A stranger. A connection. A moment of genuine intimacy in a life deliberately structured to avoid it.

Julia wasn't naive enough to believe herreactions were simply physical memory. There was something about Ivy Monroe that had called to her that night at the hotel bar, something beyond the obvious attraction. Intelligence, certainly. Julia had always been drawn to brilliant minds, finding a particular intrigue in how they processed the world. But it was more than that. There was a quality to Ivy's determination, her refusal to be intimidated even by direct threats to her life. A core of steel beneath the professional exterior that matched something in Julia's own makeup.

A sound from outside recaptured her attention—different from the wind, less natural. Julia stilled, every sense heightened as she listened. For several seconds, nothing. Then there it was again: a rustle too deliberate to be wildlife.

She moved silently across the cabin, retrieving the night-vision monocular from her equipment bag. Back at the window, she scanned the tree line systematically, quadrant by quadrant, looking for any disruption in the natural patterns of the forest.

There. A shadow darker than the surrounding darkness, moving with purposerather than drifting with the wind. Then gone so quickly Julia might have imagined it.

But she hadn't. Years of training and experience had honed her instincts too finely for doubt.

Someone was out there.

Julia retrieved the satellite phone, composing a coded message for Morgan:Possible surveillance. Maintain distance. Preparation only.

The response came almost immediately:Confirmed. Assets on standby. Morning approach canceled.

So Morgan would stay away until Julia gave the all-clear, and additional department resources were being readied if needed. If Knox's people were already watching the cabin, limiting traffic to the site was essential to prevent direct confrontation.

Julia returned to the window, scanning again for any sign of the shadow she'd glimpsed. Nothing moved beyond the natural sway of branches in the increasing wind.

The question was whether the watcher had spotted them or was simply searching a potential location. The cabin's light discipline had been strict, their movementscarefully controlled to avoid detection. It was possible they hadn't been compromised yet.

Possible, but not certain. And uncertainty was a luxury they couldn't afford.

Julia moved to where Ivy slept, hesitating briefly before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ivy," she whispered, keeping her voice low enough that it wouldn't carry. "Wake up."

Ivy awoke instantly, her body tensing before her eyes had fully opened. "What is it?"

"Possible surveillance," Julia said, keeping her tone neutral to avoid triggering unnecessary alarm. "I spotted movement in the trees. Could be nothing, but we need to prepare."

Ivy straightened, the blanket falling from her shoulders as she oriented herself. "Prepare how?"

"Pack essentials only. If we need to move, we'll have minutes, not hours." Julia was already gathering critical items: weapons, communications, navigation equipment. "The bedroom has a concealed exit to a ravine that leads away from the main approach. If they come, that's our extraction route."

Ivy stood, moving with surprising efficiency for someone who had been deeplyasleep moments before. "And if they don't come? If it was just wildlife?"

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