Chapter 252
[ 622 words ]
Chapter 252:
Seeing Julian’s name sent a fresh spike of anxiety through her. The memory of her cold, brutal dismissal of him that morning was still raw. She had done it to protect him, to push him out of the blast radius of Jarrod’s suffocating surveillance. But an idea, sharp and dangerous, began to form in her mind. This wasn’t about relaxing. This was an opportunity. Jarrod was gone, but his “Code Black” system was not. It was always watching. She needed to know its limits, its response time, its rules of engagement. Going out tonight, into a public space, was a calculated risk — a perfect way to trigger a low-level alert and test the perimeter of her cage. She had to know how long the leash really was. And as for Julian, she would protect him by keeping him at arm’s length all night. This was a mission, not a social call.
She was not his prisoner. She was not a dog waiting for her master to return.
Caroline’s thumbs flew across the screen.
Send me the address. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.
The moment she hit send, the phone vibrated in her hand. Julian was calling.
Caroline took a deep breath and answered.
The line connected, but a heavy, awkward silence stretched for several seconds. “Caroline?” Julian’s voice finally broke through, incredibly uncertain, laced with the cautious hesitation of someone who had just been deeply hurt. “Are you… are you really coming out?”
“I need some air, Julian,” Caroline said, forcing a light, casual tone. “And I owe you an apology for being so harsh this morning.”
Julian let out a massive sigh of relief.
𝘘𝘶а𝘭𝗂ty 𝘁𝘳аոѕlаti𝘰n𝗌 o𝗇 𝗀а𝗹ո𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘴.𝘤o𝗺
“Don’t worry about it,” Julian said quickly. “I can come pick you up right now. Where are you?”
Caroline’s eyes darted around the multi-million-dollar penthouse. The biometric locks, the bulletproof glass, the hidden cameras.
She could never let Julian see this place. It would destroy her cover story completely.
“I’m actually running errands,” Caroline lied smoothly, her voice completely steady. “I’m picking up dry cleaning downtown. I’ll just grab a yellow cab and meet you guys at the lounge.”
“Are you sure? It’s getting late,” Julian asked, his protective nature showing.
“I’m sure. See you soon,” Caroline said, and hung up.
She sprinted back into the master bedroom.
She bypassed the massive section of the walk-in closet filled with expensive designer gowns Jarrod had bought her and walked to the very back corner.
She found the small duffel bag she had brought from her old apartment.
Caroline pulled out a pair of faded, tight black denim jeans and a worn, dark red leather motorcycle jacket.
She stripped off the ruined silk shirt and pulled on her old clothes, tying her long hair back into a tight, practical ponytail.
She looked in the mirror. The glamorous “Mrs. Romero” was gone. The sharp, practical operative was back.
She ignored the heavy black metal credit card resting on the dresser. She grabbed her cheap canvas wallet and shoved it into her jacket pocket.
Caroline walked to the front door and pressed the button for the private elevator.
Her heart pounded as the doors opened at the lobby level.
She stepped out cautiously and scanned the marble foyer.
K.C. Bell, Jarrod’s massive, terrifying head of security, was nowhere to be seen. But Caroline knew better than to think this penthouse was unguarded. Even if Jarrod had taken his primary tactical team, the watchful eye of the “Code Black” protocol was still active in the digital shadows. A secondary surveillance team was undoubtedly watching the perimeter. She had to move fast, using the briefest microsecond of a shift change to slip through the net before they could react.
She lowered her head and walked briskly past the front desk, using the blind spots of the security cameras she had memorized days ago.
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