CHAPTER 152
Three months later, our new home in Geneva felt like something from a different life. The villa overlooking Lake Geneva was spacious enough for our unconventional family, secure enough to protect us from the enemies we'd made, and close enough to UN headquarters that I could attend meetings without the exhausting travel that had become increasingly difficult as my pregnancy progressed.
I stood at the kitchen window, watching Harry teach Jax how to properly maintain the security systems he'd installed throughout the property. The sight of them working together, heads bent over circuit diagrams and motion sensor configurations, still made my heart skip beats even after all these months.
"You're staring again," Lucas said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my expanding waist. At six months pregnant, I was finally showing enough that strangers could tell, though I'd been feeling the baby's movements for weeks.
"I'm appreciating," I corrected, leaning back against his chest. "There's a difference."
"Appreciating what, exactly?"
"The fact that we're all here, alive, building something together instead of just surviving from one crisis to the next."
The UN position had been everything Agent Martinez promised and more. In three months, we'd coordinated seventeen successful operations across four continents, dismantling trafficking networks that had operated with impunity for years. But more importantly, we'd done it as a team, with proper support and resources that meant none of us had to choose between the mission and our family.
"How was the briefing this morning?" Lucas asked, his hands moving to rest on my stomach where our daughter had been particularly active lately.
"Productive. The Italian authorities want our help with a network operating between Naples and Albania. Estimated two hundred victims, including about forty children."
"And your response?"
"Was that we'll provide intelligence support and coordinate with local law enforcement, but no direct action until after the baby is born."
"Good. Harry would have had a heart attack if you'd volunteered to lead another field operation."
Through the window, I could see Harry demonstrating proper weapon maintenance to Jax, who was listening with the focused attention he brought to everything that might help protect our family. They'd adapted to our new life with surprising ease, finding purpose in the legitimate work we were doing through the UN while still maintaining the tactical skills that had kept us alive for so long.
"Lucas," I said, turning in his arms to face him. "Are you happy? Really happy, not just content or satisfied, but actually happy with how things turned out?"
He considered the question seriously, the way he approached everything important. "I'm happy that you're safe. I'm happy that our child is healthy. I'm happy that we're making a real difference in the world without constantly looking over our shoulders."
"But?"
"But sometimes I miss the simplicity of the old life. When it was just the four of us against the world, when we didn't have to worry about UN politics or diplomatic protocols or media attention."
I understood what he meant. Our success had brought its own complications - reporters who wanted to interview the "heroic young woman leading the fight against human trafficking," politicians who wanted to use our work for their own agendas, and bureaucrats who seemed more interested in taking credit than actually saving lives.
"Do you regret taking the UN position?"
"No. But I worry that success might change us in ways that survival never did."
Before I could respond, Jax's voice called from the patio. "Skylar, you need to see this."
We joined him and Harry outside, where Jax was holding a tablet displaying what looked like a news broadcast. The headline made my blood run cold: "UN Anti-Trafficking Chief Targeted by International Criminal Network."
"What the hell?" I breathed, taking the tablet to read the full story.
According to the report, intelligence agencies had intercepted communications suggesting that several trafficking organizations had put a bounty on my head. Not just to eliminate me, but to capture me alive for what the article euphemistically called "retribution purposes."
"It gets worse," Harry said grimly, pulling up another news site. "They're not just targeting you. The bounty includes 'associated family members' who might be used as leverage."
I felt Lucas's hands tighten protectively around my waist as the implications sank in. Our success in dismantling trafficking networks had made us enemies of some very dangerous people, and now they were threatening not just me, but the men I loved and the child I was carrying.
"How credible is the threat?" I asked, my mind already shifting into tactical planning mode.
"Credible enough that the UN is recommending you take a leave of absence until after the baby is born," Jax replied. "And credible enough that several governments have offered to provide additional security."
"Absolutely not. We're not running scared because some traffickers made threats."
"Skylar," Harry's voice was careful but firm, "this isn't about running scared. This is about protecting our family. Our daughter deserves to be born into a world where her parents aren't constantly dodging assassination attempts."
"Our daughter deserves to be born into a world where trafficking networks can't operate with impunity because good people were too afraid to fight them."
"She also deserves to have living parents," Lucas pointed out. "Which becomes less likely if you insist on maintaining a high profile while pregnant."
I wanted to argue, to point out that hiding would only encourage other criminals to think they could intimidate anyone who opposed them. But as the baby kicked sharply against my ribs, as if responding to my elevated stress levels, I realized they were right.
"What are you proposing?" I asked.
"Temporary relocation," Jax said. "Somewhere remote, secure, off the grid. We disappear for a few months while the UN handles the immediate threats, then reassess after the baby is born."
"And abandon all the operations we have in progress? Let trafficking networks reorganize while we hide in the mountains somewhere?"
"Better than letting trafficking networks target our pregnant teammate," Harry replied bluntly.
My phone rang before I could respond, displaying a number I recognized as belonging to the UN Secretary-General's office. I answered it, putting the call on speaker so the others could hear.
"Ms. Mitchell," came the familiar voice of Secretary-General Chen. "I assume you've seen the news reports."
"Just finished reading them."
"Then you understand why I'm calling. The Security Council has voted unanimously to place you and your team under enhanced protection protocols, effective immediately."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means you're being temporarily relocated to a secure facility while we deal with the threat. Non-negotiable, I'm afraid. Your transport leaves Geneva in two hours."
I looked at the faces of the three men I loved, seeing my own frustration reflected in their expressions. We'd worked so hard to build a legitimate life, to find a way to continue our mission without constantly running from danger.
But apparently, danger had found us anyway.
"Where are we being relocated?" I asked.
"I'm not authorized to discuss operational details over an unsecured line. You'll be briefed during transport."
As I hung up the phone, I realized that despite all our planning and precautions, we were back where we'd started - running from enemies who wanted to use us against each other.
The only difference was that this time, we weren't just protecting ourselves.
We were protecting the future we'd created together.
And that made the stakes higher than they'd ever been.
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