Page 7 of Protecting Her

"Yes, ma'am." Was that approval warming Jude's voice? "Three taps for silent alarm, two to check in."

Their eyes met again, and Carmen felt that same flutter of connection that caught her off guard.

"I should let you get back to your preparations," Jude said finally, gathering the remaining documents. Her movements were precise but unhurried, as if she, too, was reluctant to end this moment.

Carmen watched her walk to the door and noticed the way Jude's hand lingered briefly on the doorframe, the slight pause before she stepped through. Then she was gone, leaving Carmen alone with her thoughts and the lingering awareness that this protection detail had become far more complicated than she'd anticipated.

She turned back to her summit preparations, trying to focus on peace treaties and negotiations instead of the memories of Jude’s eyes that seemed to see right through Carmen’s diplomatic exterior and her steady hands that promised protection, no matter the cost. She shook her head to dislodge the lingering feelings that she didn’t have time to unpack and analyze. Carmen had a job to do; lives depended on her focus and diplomatic skill.

But as she reviewed security protocols she'd seen a hundred times before, Carmen couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted. For the first time in her diplomatic career, she wasn't sure which was more dangerous: the threats they were preparing for or this growing attraction to the woman assigned to protect her from them.

Evening settled over Georgetown as Carmen reviewed the day's briefings in her study. The DSS team had completed their usual night sweep, the familiar routine of shift change barely registering after so many years. But tonight, her focus kept drifting from intelligence reports to memories of the afternoonlight catching Jude’s eyes and the lingering warmth where their hands had brushed over each other.

Her secure phone buzzed: Maria Elena's number. The indigenous leader's voice carried fresh tension. "Three more trucks stopped at the checkpoints. They're blocking medical supplies now."

Carmen switched to the woman's dialect, noting details. "Military checkpoints or Nuevo Amanecer?"

"Both. They’re working together." Maria Elena's words confirmed Carmen's worst fears about corruption within Colombian security forces. "And, Carmen, the corporate logos on the trucks that got through? They match the ones your intelligence reports warned us about."

Ice settled in Carmen's stomach. “Thank you for informing me.”

She hung up and immediately dialed Jude's number, diplomatic composure warring with urgency.

Jude answered on the first ring. "Captain Smith."

"I need you to see something. There’s new intelligence about corporate involvement with Nuevo Amanecer." Carmen kept her voice steady despite the implications spinning through her mind. "How quickly can you get here?"

A pause, then: "Twenty minutes, ma'am."

The time between hanging up and Jude's arrival stretched endlessly, and she checked her watch three times in the first five minutes after hanging up. Carmen organized her thoughts and evidence, deliberately not questioning why her pulse quickened at the prospect of seeing Jude again.

The DSS team announced Jude's arrival through Carmen's security earpiece. Moments later, there was a firm knock at her study door. Jude entered with the coiled tension of a soldier called to action, her movements sharp and precise as she scanned the room: doors, windows, corners, exits.

"Ma'am." Jude's voice carried its usual professional calm, but Carmen caught the underlying tension. "What's happened?"

Carmen gestured to the files spread across her desk. "Maria Elena called. The situation's escalating faster than we anticipated. Those corporate connections we suspected? They're confirmed."

Jude moved closer, studying the surveillance photos and cargo manifests Carmen had arranged. Her presence seemed to fill the room differently after hours when darkness pressed against windows and professional masks wore thinner.

"They're working with corrupt military units," Carmen continued, switching between documents. "Using aid deliveries to control which communities get supplies. But look at these logos."

She reached for the same photo Jude moved to examine. Their hands brushed against each other again, and Carmen felt that same electric spark between them. Jude didn't pull back immediately, their fingers almost but not quite touching on the glossy paper.

"American companies," Jude said softly, her voice carrying dangerous understanding. "The same ones represented at this morning's briefing."

"Which means the summit's compromised before it begins." Carmen moved to her drink cabinet, needing something to do with her hands. "Scotch? This conversation should probably be off the record."

Jude hesitated, then nodded. "Thank you."

Carmen poured two glasses, watching Jude's reflection in the window. Even now, the younger woman maintained her alertness, but something in her posture had softened, the professional distance yielding to shared concern.

"The companies at the briefing," Carmen said, handing Jude a glass, "they already knew. That's why they pushed so hard against indigenous observers at the negotiations."

"It explains their security contractors." Jude's fingers brushed Carmen's as she accepted the scotch. "The ones with military training."

"Former special forces, according to Maria Elena." Carmen leaned against her desk, closer to Jude than was strictly necessary. "They're using humanitarian aid to force concessions. Communities that support corporate interests get supplies. Those that don't..."

She let the sentence fade, emotion threatening her diplomatic composure. These weren't just statistics in an intelligence brief. She knew these communities. She had watched their children grow up during decades of peace negotiations.

---