Chapter 185
[ 496 words ]
Chapter 185:
K. C. Bell sat in the hidden security control room behind the kitchen. The walls were lined with glowing monitors displaying every camera feed in the building.
Suddenly, the military communications terminal on the desk flashed a bright, violent red.
A heavily encrypted data packet had just breached the firewall.
Bell quickly typed in his clearance codes. The file decrypted. It was a “time-delayed protocol” set by Jarrod right before he went dark.
The screen displayed a single, chilling line of text: INITIATE CODE BLACK.
Bell’s posture instantly stiffened. Code Black was the highest level of threat response.
He scrolled down to read the specific parameters of the order.
During my communications blackout, elevate protection protocols for Mrs. Romero to maximum. Any unauthorized male attempting to make physical or social contact with her is to be classified as an active threat.
The final line of the order was highlighted in bold red text.
Target: Dr. Julian Croft. Implement close-proximity surveillance. Intervene immediately if contact is initiated.
𝘕e𝗐 c𝗵a𝗽𝗍𝘦𝗿ѕ е𝘷𝗲r𝗒 𝘸eе𝘬 𝗼𝘯 𝗀𝖺𝘭ո𝘰𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗌.𝖼𝘰𝘮
Bell stared at the screen. The muscles in his jaw tightened. The Colonel wasn’t just being protective; he was preparing for a war.
Bell grabbed the heavy tactical radio off his desk. He pressed the transmit button.
“All Ghost units, be advised,” Bell barked into the radio, his voice cold and mechanical. “We are at Code Black. Tighten the net around the hospital. I want eyes on the target at all times. Do not let her out of your sight.”
An invisible, suffocating net of heavily armed men violently snapped shut around Caroline. And she had absolutely no idea.
Friday evening.
Caroline stood motionless in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse living room. She stared out at the Washington, D.C. skyline as the city lights flickered on against the darkening sky.
It had been three days.
Three days of absolute, agonizing silence. The satellite phone had not made a single sound.
The sprawling, luxurious penthouse no longer felt like a safehouse. It felt like a multi-million-dollar mausoleum. The silence was so heavy it was physically crushing her lungs. She was suffocating.
Caroline spun around. She marched down the hallway and into the master closet. She grabbed a black canvas duffel bag off the top shelf and began violently shoving sweaters, jeans, and underwear into it.
She couldn’t stay here another night. If she sat in this silent room staring at that phone for one more hour, she was going to lose her mind. She needed to hear normal voices. She needed the smell of cheap coffee and the sound of traffic.
She zipped the bag shut, grabbed the dog’s leash, and walked back into the living room.
K. C. Bell immediately stepped out from the shadows near the front door. He saw the bag. His hand instinctively dropped toward the sidearm holstered on his thigh.
“Ma’am,” Bell said, his voice a low, warning rumble. “Where are you going?”
“I am going to my parents’ house in Alexandria for the weekend,” Caroline stated. Her voice was hard, leaving no room for negotiation. “I am leaving now.”
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