Page 30 of Protecting Her

"Four minutes to contact," Kate updated. "Corporate teams are sweeping outward from the conference room."

They moved as soon as the vehicle passed, using construction equipment as cover. The armored SUV waited exactly where Jude had positioned it during morning security sweeps, its engine already running with James at the wheel.

Sarah took rear guard as Jude got Carmen into the vehicle. But before Jude could go around to the other side, movement caught her eye. A glint of metal in the construction site's shadows.

"Contact left!"

The shot cracked against concrete as Jude pushed Carmen down, covering her body with practiced instinct. Sarah returned fire, forcing the shooter to retreat. They used the distraction to get mobile, engine roaring as James executed a precise exit that looked unplanned.

"Two vehicles in pursuit," Kate reported. "Unmarked sedans, heavily modified. They're carrying specialized communications gear."

Jude maintained her protective position over Carmen as the SUV wove through traffic. Their driver took them through pre-planned routes, each turn designed to look random while following a carefully calculated pattern.

"Police band's lit up," Sarah noted from the front seat. "They're establishing containment zones."

"Standard special operations protocol," Jude confirmed, studying their pursuit in the side mirrors. "They're herding us toward prepared positions."

Carmen shifted beneath her, but made no attempt to move from the protective embrace. "Like Caracas?"

"They learned from that attempt." Jude's voice was steady despite how her heart raced from the contact. "But, so did we."

James took them down an alley barely wide enough for the SUV and scraped paint from their pursuers' vehicles. The unexpected move bought them seconds of separation, enough for Kate to spring the first surprise.

"Construction barriers deploying," she reported with satisfaction. "Pursuit vehicles are blocked on Third Avenue."

But their celebration was cut short as new warnings flooded the comms. Multiple vehicles converging on their position, compromised police units moving to cut off escape routes, and hijacked surveillance cameras tracking their movement through the city.

"They've anticipated our fallback routes," Sarah said quietly.

Jude felt Carmen tense against her as she said, "Then we improvise."

The words carried absolute trust that made Jude's chest tight. She had gotten them out of worse situations, but something about this felt different. More personal. More final.

"Kate, initiate Protocol Echo." She made the call while calculating alternate routes. "Full communications blackout, activate all decoy vehicles."

"They'll know it's a deception," Carmen noted, still pressed close despite the immediate danger passing.

"Yes." Jude allowed herself to breathe in Carmen's perfume, drawing strength from her presence. "But they'll have to chase everything, just in case. It buys us valuable time."

Their SUV turned onto wider streets where James could better maneuver. Through the bulletproof glass, Bogotá's afternoon traffic flowed around them like water around stones.Every vehicle became a potential threat, every intersection another chance for ambush.

"New pursuit vehicle," Sarah warned. "Black SUV, diplomatic plates. Coming in fast."

Jude studied their follower's approach pattern. "Former special operations forces. See how they maintain tactical spacing?"

"Like the contractors from the summit." Carmen's analytical mind never stopped working, even under threat. Especially under threat. "They're better trained than the cartel teams."

"Which makes them more predictable." Jude shifted to get better sight lines through the rear windows. "They'll expect us to follow special operations forces evasion protocols."

"So we don't," Carmen finished, understanding immediately. "We do something they won't anticipate because it's technically wrong."

Jude allowed herself a small smile despite the danger. "Exactly."

She gave James new instructions, and their vehicle suddenly shifted patterns. Instead of tactical evasion, they drove like local traffic: making minor traffic violations, taking inefficient routes, and behaving exactly like someone trying not to draw attention.

The pursuit vehicles hesitated, clearly expecting a trap. Their confusion bought precious seconds as James wove them deeper into the city's maze of streets.

"It's working," Sarah reported, watching their followers. "They're splitting up to cover more ground."

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