Page 37 of Jenna's Protector

We climb into the cart, and before I can stop him, Max leaps onto the seat next to Blake like he was invited. His nose twitches wildly with curiosity.

“Looks like I’ve got a co-pilot,” Blake laughs. “Ready for the grand tour?”

“Damn, Max.” I look at my loyal dog and shake my head. “Traitor much?”

Secretly, I don’t mind Max taking shotgun. It means I get to sit in the back with Jenna, and I’m all for that. The golf cart has narrow seating, which means from knee to hip to shoulder, my entire body gets to press against Jenna’s soft form.

“Max seems to love your brother.” Jenna nudges me with her shoulder.

“He does, but still…” Max should’ve waited for me to give the command, but he does love Blake.

“Keep your arms and legs inside the moving vehicle at all times.” Blake pretends he’s a tour guide. “And buckle up. You’re in for the experience of a lifetime.”

THIRTEEN

Carter

Jennaand I fumble with our seatbelts, our hands tangling, heads knocking, as we both twist at the same time to buckle in. She laughs, and warmth rushes through me. We eventually figure it out, which is good.

Blake sucks as a driver, accelerating and powering around curves like he’s a damn racecar driver, but it’s stilljusta golf cart—with seatbelts.

Who puts seatbelts in golf carts?

The golf cart hums beneath us as Blake navigates the compound’s winding paths. The air is filled with scents—the salty tang of the nearby ocean, the crisp smell of freshly cut grass, and an underlying hint of machine oil and electronics.

As we round a corner, a massive structure comes into view. Its mirrored surface reflects the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. The building hums with energy, a tangible sense of innovation.

“Over there is the tech center,” Blake announces, his voice brimming with pride. “It’s the heart of our operation. Mitzy, our technical lead, is a genius. She’s developed some incredible AI and robotics that have revolutionized our work. Our HUDs displays are freakin’ next level.”

“HUD?” Jenna looks at me. “What’s that?”

“Heads Up Display,” Blake answers swiftly. “It lets us see in different wavelengths. Night vision, infrared, visual spectrum—obviously. Our tech team feeds us intel.”

As Blake continues explaining HUDs and drones, Jenna’s excitement grows. Her body tenses with interest beside me, her hand squeezing mine tighter with each new revelation. The warmth of her touch sends a pleasant tingle up my arm.

“What kind of intel?” Jenna’s curious, something else I love about her.

“Maps. Like if we have to hump it overground, they send us a terrain map. If we’re rescuing hostages in a building, we have the schematics. Just makes life that much easier. But that’s not the best of the tech we get to play with. In addition to that, we have access to a VR environment to plan missions. There’s an entire town in the back quarter we use for training. And, of course, there are Mitzy’s drones.”

“Drones? What do you use those for?” Jenna’s eyes widen with curiosity.

I love Jenna’s questions. She’s asking everything I want to know, which means I don’t have to look like an idiot to my brother for not knowing any of this shit.

“There’sSmaug, of course. It’s a high-altitude drone that helps with mapping and other intel. Then, we have dragonflies and bumble bees. They are smaller drones that help when we need to map out where we’re going, identify hostiles, find alternate routes, all the things.”

“That’s insane.” Jenna reaches for my hand and squeezes it tight. “Must be fun to operate them.”

“We have techies who do just that, but the bumblebees are autonomous.”

“Autonomous? What does that mean?” Jenna’s questions keep coming.

“They don’t need a human at the wheel. Mitzy and her team are pioneers in AI and robotics.”

“That’s hard to wrap my head around.” Jenna leans forward, her interest piqued.

“I keep telling Carter we’ve got some pretty cool toys.” Blake grins and reaches out to scratch Max. “We even have robotic dogs.”

Suddenly, a sleek, black, four-footed form emerges from the tech center. It moves with an eerie grace, each step precise and calculated. Max’s ears perk up; his tail wags uncertainly.

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