Page 36 of Protecting Her

"They knew exactly where to find us," she noted, her diplomatic training helping her maintain composure. "Building plans, security protocols, equipment specifications. Someone must have given them everything."

"A traitor." Jude's voice had a dark edge to it. "Not just anyone either. Someone with intimate knowledge of our operations."

Their world contracted to the panic room's reinforced walls. Outside, their attackers moved with practiced precision, securing the building floor by floor. The security feeds showed them placing charges at key structural points—not to breach the panic room, but to ensure no rescue team could reach them.

Carmen watched Jude exhaust every option, trying frequencies and protocols that had gotten them out of similar situations. But each attempt was met with silence or static, confirming what they both already knew: they were completely isolated.

The realization hit Carmen with physical force. They might not survive this. She'd faced the possibility of death before in war zones and failed negotiations. But this felt different. The thoughtof losing Jude made her composure crack in ways no previous threat had managed.

She moved closer to Jude, drawn by a certainty that had been building since Washington. "If these are our last moments..."

"Don't." Jude's voice roughened. "We'll find a way out. We always do."

"I know." Carmen touched the cut on Jude's cheek, memorizing its shape. "But in case we don't, I need you to know something."

Their eyes met in the panic room's harsh light. Carmen saw her own fears reflected in Jude's gaze, along with something deeper that made her heart race.

"I love you." The words felt like truth stripped bare. "Not because you protect me. Not because of our impossible circumstances. Just because you’re you."

Outside, their attackers moved closer. Carmen watched emotions war across Jude's features: love and faith, fear and determination, everything they'd been fighting since that first security briefing.

Then Jude kissed her with desperate intensity, tasting of bitter coffee and possibilities they might never get to explore. When they broke apart, both breathing hard, Carmen saw her own certainty reflected in Jude's eyes.

"I love you, too." Jude's voice carried absolute conviction. "Which is why I'm getting us out of here. Whatever it takes."

The words felt like a promise. Outside, their enemies continued their methodical advance. But inside the panic room's steel walls, Carmen found strength in the certainty that some things were worth any risk.

The panic room's ventilation system hummed steadily, cycling air through filters designed to last for days. Carmen stood at the security console, watching Jude work throughtheir dwindling options. Each failed attempt at communication tightened the invisible noose around them.

"East sector breached," Sarah's voice crackled through their last working radio. "They're moving methodically, clearing rooms with trained precision."

Carmen studied the security feeds, her diplomatic mind analyzing patterns. The attackers moved like a well-rehearsed orchestra, each team coordinating perfectly with the others. Their gear marked them as American-trained, definitely former special operations forces who'd likely transitioned to private sector work.

"They're not trying to break in," she noted, watching them place more charges throughout the building. "They're making sure no one can break us out."

Jude's fingers stilled on the communications array. "You've seen this before?"

"Sudan, 2019. They trapped our negotiating team in a reinforced building, then waited." Carmen kept her voice steady despite the memory. "Patience is an effective weapon when time works in your favor."

The memory hung in the filtered air between them. Carmen watched Jude process this, noting how her tactical mind adapted to new information. In the harsh emergency lighting, every detail stood out in sharp relief: the tension in Jude's shoulders, the careful control in her movements, the way she positioned herself between Carmen and the door even now.

"The corporate contractors are coordinating with local forces," Carmen said, studying the surveillance feeds. "See how they're establishing containment zones? They're using legitimate police units as cover for their operation."

"And therefore making any rescue attempt look like interference with official law-enforcement business." Jude'svoice carried steel beneath the exhaustion. "Smart." The praise sounded bitter.

Carmen moved closer, watching the screens. "In Venezuela, we lost three vehicles because local police were coordinating with cartel units. But this is different." She gestured to their attackers' formations. "This is someone who knows exactly how you operate."

"Someone who helped design our protocols." Jude pulled up another surveillance angle. "The question is why. Why now?"

"Because we were getting too close." Carmen's diplomatic instincts clicked the pieces into place. "The summit negotiations, the evidence of corporate involvement with Nuevo Amanecer—we were about to expose everything."

They worked in sync, analyzing feeds and tracking enemy positions. Carmen found herself matching Jude's movements subconsciously, their bodies finding natural alignment in the confined space. It reminded her of all those late nights reviewing security protocols, when professional walls had started crumbling without either of them noticing.

"When did you first suspect a traitor?" Carmen asked quietly.

"The summit. The way they anticipated our evacuation routes." Jude's voice softened. "But I was distracted."

"By what?"

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