Page 41 of Close Protection

Ivy's eyebrows rose. "You've been preparing for something like this."

"I prepare for contingencies." Julia opened the passenger door. "Get in."

The Jeep started on the first try, the engine's rumble uncomfortably loud after the forest's relative quiet. Julia consulted thesatellite phone briefly, noting the extraction coordinates Morgan had transmitted.

"Morgan's team is waiting at the south ridge rendezvous," she said, shifting into gear. "Twenty-minute drive, assuming clear roads."

"Is that wise?" Ivy fastened her seatbelt. "If the department's compromised?—"

"Morgan isn't," Julia stated, brooking no argument. "She's the only one I trust completely."

They crawled along the logging road, the Jeep's suspension absorbing the worst of the ruts and holes. Julia drove with the intense focus she applied to everything, constantly checking mirrors, scanning the forest edges, cataloging potential threats and escape routes.

Five minutes passed. Ten. The logging road began to widen, the surface improving as they approached its junction with a county highway. Julia felt her shoulders loosen fractionally. If they reached the main road, their chances improved significantly.

In the passenger seat, Ivy had fallen silent, her gaze fixed on the side mirror.

"What is it?" Julia asked, registering the subtle tension in Ivy's posture.

"Probably nothing," Ivy said, not sounding convinced. "Just a shadow on the road behind us. It's gone now."

Julia checked her own mirror, seeing nothing but empty road. Still, Ivy's instincts had proven reliable. She pressed the accelerator slightly, increasing their speed.

The logging road curved sharply right before the highway junction. As they rounded the bend, Julia's breath caught. A black SUV sat idling at the intersection, blocking their exit.

"Hold on," she warned, yanking the wheel hard left. The Jeep lurched off the logging road onto a maintenance track she'd spotted moments before—narrower, rougher, but an alternative route.

Behind them, the SUV's engine roared to life. Julia accelerated, pushing the Jeep to its limits as branches scraped against the windows. The smaller vehicle had the advantage on the narrow track, but the SUV had power and professional drivers.

"They were waiting for us," Ivy said, bracing herself against the dashboard asthey bounced through a series of potholes. "How did they know?"

"The operative had time to radio our direction." Julia checked the mirror, catching glimpses of the SUV as it pursued through gaps in the foliage. "Or they monitored Morgan's communications about the extraction point."

The maintenance track gave way to another logging road, wider but still unpaved. Julia accelerated, mud spraying from the tires as the Jeep fishtailed slightly before gripping the surface.

"Where are we going?" Ivy asked, her voice remarkably steady despite the jolting ride.

"Away from the rendezvous point." Julia made a split-second decision, turning right where the map memorized in her head indicated the road forked. "I'm not leading them to Morgan."

"So we're on our own?"

"For now."

The SUV appeared in her mirror again, closer this time. Two men visible in the front seats, possibly more in back. Professional pursuit drivers, gaining despite the rougherterrain.

Julia's mind raced through options, each less appealing than the last. The Jeep had limited fuel. The roads would eventually lead to civilization where collateral damage became a concern. Continuing the pursuit only delayed the inevitable confrontation.

"We need to disappear," she said, eyes fixed on the road ahead while her mind mapped an escape route. "There's a service road two miles ahead that connects to the southern highway. If we can reach it without them seeing which way we turn..."

"And then what? Another safe house?" Ivy's question carried no criticism, only practical assessment. "If the department's compromised, nowhere official is safe."

"Not a safe house," Julia decided, the plan crystallizing as she spoke. "My apartment."

Ivy stared at her. "Is that wise?"

"It's the last place they'll look. Knox's people will expect us to follow protocol. They won't anticipate us going completely off the grid." Julia checked the mirror again. The SUV had fallen back slightly on a particularly rough section of road. "And mybuilding has security features most safe houses don't."

The converted firehouse with its thick brick walls and limited access points. The reinforced doors and windows she'd installed herself. The escape route through the neighboring building she'd arranged when she first moved in. Security measures born from the same cautious preparation that had created the shell company and the hidden Jeep.

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