Chapter 34

The morning sun filtered through the windows as Erica sat at the kitchen table, absently stirring her cup of coffee. She hadn’t slept much after last night—her mind kept drifting back to that kiss, to the way Julian had held her as if she was the only thing in his world. But now, with the daylight creeping in, the weight of their mission settled back on her shoulders.

She couldn’t afford to lose focus, not when they were so close to finding out the truth about her father’s files. And yet, every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Julian.

She glanced toward the hallway where Julian had disappeared earlier. He had been up before her, already diving into the work of decoding the files they had recovered from Ramos. His ability to switch between cold calculation and unguarded emotion was something she couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

Footsteps approached, and Erica looked up to see Julian entering the room. His hair was slightly tousled, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar,