2024-10-19 12:16:26
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CHAPTER 792
Tedmond’s jaw tightened, but he didn't pull away. He recognized the look in Jaxson’s eyes; it was the same one he saw in the mirror every morning, the look of a man who would burn the world to protect what was his."Fine," Tedmond rasped. "But you stay in the observation wing. You don't interfere with the training.""Deal," Jaxson grinned, though the warmth didn't reach his eyes. "I’ll just sit here and take notes on how many times she hits the mat. For forensic evidence, obviously."Persis watched the two of them, the two most protective, stubborn men in her life, finally reaching a shaky truce. It was exhausting and overbearing, yet for the first time since the kidnapping, it made her feel completely, untouchably safe.Maya, the trainer, let out a sharp, impatient whistle."If the testosterone summit is over, I’d like to start. Every minute we waste is a minute she stays a victim. Washington, get out. Wyatt, shut up."Tedmond gave Persis one last, lingering look at a silent promis
CHAPTER 791
Persis didn’t wait for a second invitation. She stepped into the changing room, the door clicking shut behind her.She stripped off the robe, her skin still prickling from the morning chill, and pulled on the high-compression tactical leggings and charcoal-gray racerback tank Tedmond had prepared. She tied her hair into a knot so tight it pulled at her scalp, then faced the mirror. The bruising on her wrists from the zip ties had faded into an ugly blend of yellow and purple, a map of her own helplessness.She traced the marks with her thumb, her expression hardening."Never again," she promised her reflection.She stepped back onto the mat, her bare feet silent on the high-density foam. Tedmond stood by the equipment rack, arms crossed, watching her with an unreadable expression. The trainer was already waiting, holding a pair of strike pads, but it was the third person in the room that made Persis stop dead.Leaning against a squat rack in the far corner, wearing a tactical hood
CHAPTER 790
Thomas stood there, his face a mask of calm professionalism, though his eyes carried a quiet gravity.“Pardon the interruption, sir, ma’am,” he said, bowing slightly. “But the delivery has arrived. The instructors from the Mediterranean detail are in the foyer. They are… eager to begin the assessment.”The room fell silent.The digital war with Jaxson was momentarily eclipsed by the physical reality of what was coming next.Tedmond looked at Persis, his gaze lingering on her face.“The trainers are here. Are you sure you’re ready for this? There is no halfway with these people.”Persis took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a cold intensity. “Open the back door for Jaxson, Albert. And Thomas… tell the trainers I’ll be down in five minutes. I’m tired of being the subject. It’s time I became a hunter.”“Wait, wait!” Albert yelped, his fingers hovering over the keyboard like the console might bite him. “If I’m letting a Fed into the Sanctum Sanctorum, I need to speak to him first.”
CHAPTER 789
“If I try to force my way in to help you, Albert will spot me in three seconds, think I’m the Architect, and fry my motherboard from three states away. I can’t watch over you if he blocks me before I even see the staff roster.”Persis froze for a heartbeat, then a slow, melodic chuckle escaped her throat.The chuckle turned into a genuine, bright laugh, the first one since the world had gone dark in the boutique.“Wait,” she gasped, her eyes dancing with dark amusement. “Are you telling me… that Jaxson Wyatt, the man who once hacked my high school’s grading system just to give me a ‘C’ in Home Economics, is scared of my husband’s IT guy?”“I am not scared!” Jaxson barked, though the defensiveness in his voice gave him away. “I am being strategically cautious. The man is a digital pit bull.”“I’m an analyst, P. I deal with high-level counterintelligence and state secrets. I don’t spend my life building Fortress Washington out of pure paranoia and Red Bull.”“Oh, Jax,” Persis teased, he
CHAPTER 788
Jaxson Wyatt wasn’t just a cousin; he was a Lead Cyber-Forensics Analyst for the FBI’s Counter-Intelligence Division. If anyone could find a digital leak that Albert had missed, it was him.The call connected on the second ring."Well, well, well. If it isn't Short-Circuit. Did the world finally end, or did you just run out of people to sue?"Jaxson’s voice came through the line with that same obnoxious, self-assured drawl that had made Persis want to kick him in the shins since she was five years old.Being seven years older, he had spent their entire childhood treating her like a particularly annoying lab rat.Hacking her first diary to read at the dinner table, hiding her dolls in the ventilation ducts, and calling her Short-Circuit every time her temper flared.Persis gripped the phone tighter, her knuckles whitening. "Jaxson. Cut the crap. I need a favor.""A favor? From the guy you’ve had blocked since 2022, or was it that 2020 Christmas incident? I’m touched. Truly," he chuckl
CHAPTER 787
The first light of dawn was a pale, bruised grey as it filtered through the heavy curtains of the master suite. Tedmond’s eyes snapped open at exactly 05:00. There was no grogginess, no slow return to consciousness, just the immediate, cold transition from sleep to alertness.He lay still for a moment, the weight of the previous day settling onto his shoulders like lead. Then, he felt the steady, warm rhythm of breathing against his arm. He turned his head slowly.Persis was there. Sometime in the middle of the night, she had migrated from the floor to the bed, or perhaps he had moved her in a state of half-sleep he couldn't quite remember. She was curled on her side, her hair a wild halo against the white silk pillowcase. Her face, usually so sharp with legal precision, was softened by exhaustion.Tedmond watched her for a long minute. He reached out, his hand hovering over her shoulder, hesitant to break the only peace she’d had in twenty-four hours. Finally, he leaned over a
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