Chapter 12

TWELVE

FRIDAY, 2:05 A.M.

"Did you really think you could sneak out of this house, knowing there are two professional bodyguards on duty?" She tried to keep the sharp edges out of her tone, but this girl kept pushing the edges of Juliette's patience.

Ivy stared at the ground but said nothing. For being so brilliant, Ivy had a lot of life lessons to learn. Why would the girl put herself in jeopardy like this?

Juliette hadn't anticipated Ivy sneaking out, but she'd been wide awake in bed, replaying the events of the evening on a loop in her mind.

Because there'd been something spicy going on in the kitchen earlier, and it hadn't been the salsa.

She and Caleb had kissed. Her lips tingled at the thought. How was she supposed to do her job when her insides went all school-girl crush when he walked into the room?

Okay, Montgomery, time to get your head in the game.

She was a professional bodyguard, and Caleb, a client. She couldn't run around fawning over a man when she needed to have one hundred percent of her attention focused on his protection. Not to mention that she and Caleb weren't meant to be together.

When she'd heard Ivy's feet padding down the hall, instincts had kicked in and she'd followed her. The girl wasn't going anywhere on Juliette's watch.

"Ivy, what's this about? You understand that your uncle and I are trying to protect you, right?"

Ivy sighed. "I just want some fresh air. Can we at least sit on the patio for a few minutes?"

Juliette looked into Ivy's eyes and saw the stress and sorrow she carried. She turned to Noelle. "Why don't you get some rest, and I'll stay up on watch. I'll radio the FBI and see if they're good with us sitting on the patio for a few minutes."

Noelle nodded and stood guard by the sliding glass door. This situation had more to do with Ivy acting out than anything else. Juliette knew Noelle wouldn't rest but would stay up and guard the door while she and Ivy chatted.

Juliette picked up the analog two-way radio from the end table in the living room and asked the FBI agent on duty if they could sit on the patio. A crackle responded, and then: "We'll sweep the backyard for any signs of trouble, and you two stick close to the house. But it should be okay for a few minutes. We'll be watching."

They headed outside to the patio, which consisted of a screened-in concrete slab with a table and chairs. It would be quaint if it weren't two a.m. and they weren't being hunted by dangerous madmen.

They sat on two metal chairs at the bistro-style table. "Give me the device, Ivy." Instinct told Juliette that the only reason Ivy would be so determined to sneak out was if she were searching for a signal.

The girl's eyes widened. She pulled the Kindle from inside her jacket and handed it to Juliette.

"What are you thinking, Ivy? There's a reason for all the security measures."

The girl scuffed her sneakers on the cement floor. "If I can find out where the hackers are, I can help save Uncle Caleb. Then they'll stop attacking him. I can't lose him, Juliette. Why won't he let me help the FBI?"

Juliette wished Ivy didn't have to deal with such adult things. "You hired me to be his bodyguard. Let me do my job."

Ivy shook her head, a tear streaking down one cheek. "I can't sit around and do nothing. I know I can help."

Juliette's heart melted. The little girl's fierce determination to protect Caleb resonated in the deepest parts of Juliette's soul. "You can't do it alone." The words resonated in her own heart as they came out of her mouth. How many times had she heard the same lecture?

"And you can't do it by sneaking around and lying. I remember your Uncle Caleb once telling me something very important. He told me that God fights for us, but we have to stand still and let him."

Where had that come from? Her relationship with God had been on the rocks for years. But somehow, spending time with Caleb had thawed her heart ever so slightly toward God. She'd even suggested going to church with him. A total one-eighty from her prior convictions.

"I can't lose him ." Tears welled up in Ivy's eyes. "Where was God when my parents died? I'll do whatever it takes to make sure nothing happens to Uncle Caleb. He's all I have."

Juliette couldn't blame the girl for being mad at God. How many times had she uttered the same thing and rolled her eyes when someone told her that God was on her side? She and Ivy had a lot more in common than she'd first thought.

But right now, Juliette needed to focus on keeping her safe. "Who were you going to call?"

Ivy refused to lift her head and make eye contact with Juliette.

"I can't do my job if you're not going to be a hundred and ten percent honest with me."

Ivy snickered. "There's no such thing as a hundred and ten percent. That doesn't make any sense. You can't give more than one hundred percent."

"But I'll take that extra ten percent and use it to keep your uncle safe. You know, by coming clean and telling the full truth, you might actually help save your uncle because the police can find and stop these bad guys."

Ivy continued to stare at the ground and mumbled. Juliette leaned across the table to hear. "I wanted to see if Layna would give me information on Rushmore. Maybe she isn't all bad and she might help us. I know I can get her to join our side."

Juliette bit back the sharp retort. Layna had preyed on Ivy's vulnerability. Of course Ivy longed for friendship.

"Ivy, look at me." The girl met Juliette's eyes, full of conflict. Here was a girl with a determination to grow up, warring to risk her childhood innocence.

"It's not your job to catch the bad guys. It's not mine either. The FBI has trained professionals that will bring this group to justice."

"So what, I just stand still? Because, you know, God ?"

Trusting God was a good place to start, but Juliette wasn't ready to admit that. "I think we should start with the truth. You can't make plans and go off on your own. You need to be honest with your uncle and with me."

The house burst with a blaze of lights. "We need to go in. I bet your uncle woke up and found us both missing."

"Oh no," Ivy groaned. "He is going to freak."

Juliette grabbed Ivy's hand, and they slid the patio door open. For the first time in a long time, Juliette prayed. Because she was all-in on Caleb and Ivy's protection duty. They'd managed to work their way into her heart in just three short days.

And Juliette needed all the help she could get to keep Ivy from going rogue.

* * *

FRIDAY, 2:15 A.M.

"Where is she?" He saw Juliette emerging from the patio and didn't even try to hide the panic in his words. "What happened?"

Breathe, Caleb. Let her respond.

"Ivy and I just needed some fresh air." Ivy trailed Juliette from outside.

"I found her bed empty. Why would you two risk going outside at two a.m.?"

Juliette walked over to him and touched his arm. "I cleared it with the FBI agents, and they said we could sit right by the house on the screened-in patio. I saw them patrolling the whole time."

Noelle yawned. "If you don't need me, I'm going to get some rest." She headed back to the guest room, leaving the three of them alone.

Ivy threw her arms around Caleb. "It's all my fault. I disabled the alarm and was going to sneak out. I wanted to find a signal and email Layna. I thought I could help. I'm so sorry for being dishonest."

His niece had been adamant about helping the FBI, but he'd underestimated just how far she would take this. He ran a hand through his bedhead hair.

"I—I just wanted to help. You're keeping me on lockdown. I just wanted to talk to a friend. I know Layna's not all bad."

He took several deep breaths, leaned down and hugged Ivy again. "You can't go after these hackers alone, Ivy. Layna isn't even a student at your school. She was pretending, so you can't trust her."

"But—" Her shoulders slumped.

"I need to keep you out of danger, and you're running headfirst into it. Please promise me you'll be careful." He tipped her chin up and pleaded with his eyes. She needed to see the truth here. See the danger.

Juliette squinted her eyes and gave an almost imperceptible nod to Caleb. Code for We'll talk later.

Caleb kissed the top of Ivy's head. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"Why, so I can be bored tomorrow without the internet all day?"

"You're grounded, remember? So it would have been an internet-free day anyway. We'll play board games and watch movies like we did when I was a kid."

Ivy rolled her eyes and headed to the bedroom. A knock at the door startled him, but Juliette let the FBI agent in so he could reset the alarm.

He would never get any rest when it came to Ivy. Caleb handed the Kindle to the agent, who dropped it in an evidence bag. Once the agent reset the alarm, he headed out to patrol the perimeter.

"I have no business being a parent." He sat on the couch. "I can't keep her out of trouble. Maybe I should give Ivy's grandparents custody. They're nice people and can give her a nice life. A safe life."

Juliette sat down next to him. "Don't say that, Caleb. This isn't your fault. On the positive side, at least she didn't get a signal to turn the device on."

Caleb's heart squeezed at Juliette's nearness. "She's twelve, Jules. Sure, she sees herself as some sort of Robin Hood white hacker that wants to use her skills to help people, but she doesn't think things through. I just want her to be a kid again."

"I hope Agent McGregor can track down this Layna," Juliette said. "Ivy thinks the girl is a friend, that she can get Layna to turn on Rushmore."

Caleb shook his head. "Last time I asked, they didn't have any new leads on the girl's real identity. I can't believe I didn't realize she's so desperate for a friend that she can't see Layna is using her."

Juliette covered Caleb's hand with hers. "You're doing the best you can. Being a parent is new for you."

"I love her so much."

Juliette cleared her throat. "You know, Ivy said the exact same thing you've said—that she can't lose you. She's concerned God will take you like he took her parents."

Caleb's throat constricted. He'd had no idea Ivy blamed God for taking her parents. But how could he help her when he battled his own demons of insecurity? "I know how she feels. It's hard to love after so much loss." He looked into Juliette's golden-brown eyes that somehow managed to sparkle in the dim lighting of the living room. Could he risk loving this woman, knowing that she wouldn't hesitate to throw herself in front of a high-speed train if it meant protecting someone else?

Juliette shrugged. "Without the risk, you might miss out on so much more. You have to take the bad with the good sometimes. The good is that much sweeter when it costs something."

She was still talking about Ivy, right? "You know a thing or two about sweet things with your sugar addiction."

She playfully punched his arm, but just having her near him gave him a peace he hadn't experienced in a while.

Silence settled in the room, but he never needed to fill every empty space with words, and she often offered him quiet moments to reflect. His mind worked at unraveling the unsolvable problem staring him in the face.

Should he allow himself to be swept away by the woman in front of him? No.

Did he want to miss out on the potential for something great if he were open to love?

Another no.

And then there was that kiss on a replay loop in his mind. That was wreaking havoc on his emotions. What would happen if she left again?

Time to clarify things with Juliette. They needed to talk about the kiss. "While we're thinking about risk, um…I'm not sure we should have kissed, Jules. It just complicates things. We make a great team, but we both know we're not destined for more."

Juliette leaned closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry I hurt you by leaving. I made the wrong choice. I hope you can forgive me. I'm not leaving again."

"Of course I forgive you, Jules."

Forgiveness was the easy part.

But how could he keep his distance from her when he was caught in her tractor beam and being drawn closer to her with every beat of his heart?