Page 14 of Protecting Her

The fate of villages hung on her ability to navigate between power and justice. She couldn't afford distractions. She couldn't risk the peace treaty for personal desires. Her diplomatic training had taught her that professional distance was essential for successful negotiations.

But as morning light streamed through those historic windows, Carmen accepted a truth she'd been fighting since that first security briefing in Washington: some things were worth the risk.

Even if those things came with impenetrable tactical gear and measured detachment, with memories of kisses that tasted like scotch and surrender, with the weight of duty pressing against desire. The peace treaty might determine the fate of communities, but that kiss had already determined the fate of her heart.

She finished her opening speech, and polite applause followed, each faction measuring their response against their political allegiances. As she stepped down from the podium, Jude materialized at her side like a shadow given purpose, close enough that Carmen could feel the heat radiating from her body.

"Well said, ma'am," Jude murmured, her professional mask perfectly in place. But Carmen caught the softness in her eyes and the slight tremor in Jude’s voice that suggested she wasn't just talking about the speech.

Carmen allowed herself one small smile, meant only for Jude. "Sometimes, Captain, the riskiest moves are the ones most worth making."

She let that truth hang between them as they moved into the next phase of the summit, both of them knowing they weren't just talking about peace treaties anymore.

The morning's formal speeches gave way to closed-door negotiations, which was where the real work happened. Carmen moved through the Palacio's ornate corridors toward the private conference room, acutely aware of Jude's presence behind her. The historic building's thick stone walls made every footstep echo like punctuation between heartbeats.

Inside the conference room, tension crackled beneath polite, diplomatic veneers. Carmen studied the assembled players she’d have to negotiate with. There was Victor Ramirez from the corporate consortium, his expensive suit a sharp contrast to Maria Elena's traditional dress, both of them flanked by their respective security details. The corporate contractors Jude had identified earlier positioned themselves with casual menace near the indigenous representatives—threatening, but not in an overt way to get them removed.

"Our terms are reasonable," Ramirez began in Spanish, his tone suggesting anything but reason. "The indigenous councils will be fairly compensated for any...inconvenience."

Carmen watched Maria Elena's hands tighten on her papers. "Displacement isn't an inconvenience," the indigenous leader replied. "It's cultural genocide."

The words hung in the air that was already thick with unspoken threats. Carmen leaned forward, choosing her nextwords carefully. "Perhaps we should discuss the recent fires." She kept her voice mild but pointed. "Mysterious accidents that only seem to affect communities refusing corporate protection."

Ramirez's face flushed. He slammed his hand on the table, making water glasses rattle. "You dare accuse?—"

Carmen caught Jude's instant shift to alert status in her peripheral vision. The younger woman moved with fluid precision, adjusting her position to better protect Carmen while maintaining the illusion of a relaxed stance to not alarm others. The sight of such controlled power made Carmen's breath catch in her throat.

"I'm merely suggesting," Carmen continued smoothly, "that peace requires trust. And trust requires?—"

Static crackled through security radios, cutting her off. "Potential breach in the north corridor," Sarah's voice reported. "Unknown subjects approaching the restricted area."

Carmen watched Jude process the information, noting how her situational awareness sharpened without betraying concern to the room. Their eyes met briefly, and Carmen read volumes in that fleeting contact.

"Continue the discussion," Jude murmured, close enough that her breath stirred Carmen's hair. "We'll handle security."

The professional competence in her voice sent an inappropriate shiver down Carmen's spine. She forced her attention back to the negotiations, where Ramirez was working himself into another outburst.

"Your peasant protests are costing us millions!" He jabbed a finger toward Maria Elena. "If you people would just?—"

"'You people?’" Carmen interrupted, letting steel enter her voice. "I believe you mean the legal owners of territories protected by three separate treaties." She turned to the corporate security contractors. "Treaties thatcertain partiesseem determined to circumvent through intimidation."

More static burst through the radios. Carmen maintained her diplomatic focus while eyeing Jude's movements. The younger woman had shifted again, positioning herself to cover both the door and Carmen's exposed side. The sight of such precise protection made Carmen's diplomatic armor feel tissue-thin.

"Unknown subjects neutralized," Sarah reported. "Situation contained."

Carmen caught the slight relaxation in Jude's shoulders, the only tell that there had been real danger. She'd seen enough combat situations to read between the lines of security reports. Someone had tested their defenses, probing for weaknesses.

"Now," Carmen continued, letting her gaze pin each person in turn, "shall we discuss actual solutions? Or would you prefer to explain to your shareholders why their stock values are dropping due to international scrutiny of your methods?"

The corporate team exchanged glances. Carmen had spent decades learning to read such silent communications. They hadn't expected her to know about their market vulnerabilities or their connections to recent violence.

"Perhaps," Ramirez said slowly, his anger banking to calculation, "we could explore alternative arrangements."

The negotiations continued, each side advancing and retreating across verbal battlefields. But part of Carmen's awareness remained fixed on Jude, on how she moved through the room like a shadow. Every shift of her body communicated protection, and Carmen found herself increasingly distracted.

When the session finally broke for lunch, Carmen gathered her notes with hands that trembled slightly. The morning's tension had drawn her shoulders tight, and the constant awareness of Jude's presence had worn her diplomatic composure thin.

"The security breach?" she asked quietly as they exited the conference room.

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