Page 52

Lavender nodded, understanding extending beyond the immediate assistance. "Diana would do the same for any of mine."

The reference to Chief Marten by her first name registered as significant. The connections between these women went deeper than professional courtesy—a web of trust beyond official hierarchies.

Outside, twilight transformed the Victorian architecture with gold-tinged shadows. Julia led them to a nondescript delivery van, her mind already calculating routes and contingencies, the familiar tactical planning a refuge from emotional turmoil.

"I'll drive," she said, the command in her voice a tenuous anchor to normalcy.

As she navigated through back streets, Julia was acutely aware of Ivy beside her, quiet and watchful. The morning's awkwardness had been replaced by something more complex: the shared experience of having foundations upended. Harper's betrayal had struck at the core of Julia's professional identity, leaving her unmoored from the structure that had anchored her entire life.

Julia realized with sudden clarity that maintaining emotional distance from Ivy was no longer just about professional ethics. It was self-preservation. With everything stable in her life suddenly revealed as an illusion, she couldn't afford another vulnerability. Not now. Not when Ivy's safety depended on Julia remaining functional.

Control wasn't just protocol anymore.

It was survival.

9

IVY

"It's bigger than money laundering." Ivy's voice cut through the tense silence that had dominated the apartment since morning. Maps of Phoenix Ridge covered one wall, financial diagrams another. Julia had transformed her living room into a tactical command center, her apartment now an extension of her professional armor.

Julia paused her perimeter check—the twelfth that morning—and turned. "What do you mean?"

Ivy sat cross-legged on the floor, hair pulled back in a severe ponytail, surrounded by property holdings documents. The wallbetween them, momentarily breached in the night, now stood reinforced with professional distance. Cold precision had replaced intimacy, the rhythm established: Julia protected, Ivy analyzed, and neither mentioned what had flickered between them.

"Look at this pattern." Ivy spread a city map wider, fingertips tracing red circles that marked Knox's strategic holdings. "It's not random real estate acquisition. These properties form a net around critical infrastructure points across Phoenix Ridge."

Julia moved closer despite herself, tactical curiosity overriding emotional barriers. "What kind of infrastructure?"

"Water treatment facilities. Emergency response centers. Electrical substations." Ivy tapped each location in sequence. "Knox has systematically positioned himself to control access to essential services."

"Why?" Julia knelt beside the map, professional focus momentarily bridging the chasm between them.

"Leverage." Ivy's eyes met Julia's, sharp with realization. "Insurance against prosecution. If the city moves against him, he can disrupt entire neighborhoods. It's not justfinancial crime anymore; it's about power and control at a fundamental level."

Julia studied the pattern with growing concern, seeing the strategic positioning through new eyes. "This changes the threat assessment."

"And it's why I think we're making a fundamental error in our approach," Ivy said, her voice gaining certainty.

Julia paused at the window, attention captured despite her emotional barricade. "Meaning?"

"We're playing defense." Ivy tapped the map decisively. "Hiding. Reacting. Letting Knox dictate the terms of engagement." She looked up, meeting Julia's guarded gaze directly. "We need to flip the board."

"Our priority is keeping you alive until you testify in front of the grand jury." Julia's tone carried the flat certainty of tactical assessment. "Not engaging hostile forces."

"That's exactly what they're counting on." Ivy rose in a fluid motion, crossing to where her financial evidence was arranged. "Knox knows standard protection protocols. We hide, they hunt. The longer we play their game, the more likely they find us."

Julia's jaw tightened imperceptibly. "You're proposing we stop hiding?"

"I'm proposing we stop reacting and start pursuing." Ivy lifted a document, a complex diagram showing the network of shell companies Knox used to launder money. "We hit them where they're vulnerable."

"Absolutely not." Julia's refusal came sharp and immediate. "Exposing you deliberately would be?—"

"Our only option to stop him." Ivy stepped closer, the infrastructure diagram extended between them like a challenge. "We control the exposure, set the terms, and choose the battlefield. Meanwhile, we disrupt his infrastructure plan before it becomes operational."

The apartment felt suddenly smaller, the air charged with clashing strategies. Julia's training demanded protection, containment, and minimized risk. Ivy's mind worked differently: seeing patterns, calculating odds, finding leverage in chaos.

"This isn't a financial puzzle," Julia said, voice low with frustration. "These are professionals with military training huntingyouspecifically."