Page 41 of Thirsty Bodyguard Summer

Sloane was quiet for two beats.

“Is Shane present?” she asked.

“Yes, he’s here.”

“Put me on speaker.”

Cassidy tapped the screen and set the phone on the counter.

“Good morning, Shane,” Sloane said.

“Good morning.”

“I don’t need details about what happened after the handoff. I do need to know whether Cassidy believed refusing you would affect the contract, your cooperation, or her ability to protect you.”

“No. I told her the coverage wouldn’t change if she left, and I meant it.”

“Did you ask her to keep the relationship from SBS or your manager?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Will you follow another agent’s instructions when Cassidy is off duty?”

“Yes, I will.”

Sloane paused. “That answer came quickly.”

“I’ve had an educational forty-eight hours.”

Cassidy glanced at me, but she didn’t interrupt.

Sloane continued. “Cassidy, you remain close-contact lead. Changing the person Shane trusts most during an active threat would create unnecessary risk. You will not operate as his sole coverage. Relief periods are mandatory, exterior control remains layered, and another SBS agent shares movement decisions whenever conditions change.”

“I understand.”

“You also don’t make unilateral calls about staying on a route, entering a space, or continuing an event if the relationship could affect your judgment.”

“I won’t.”

“If either of you decides this arrangement is interfering with protection, you tell me immediately.”

“We will,” Cassidy said.

Sloane’s voice lowered slightly. “I’m not shaming you for what happened after a documented handoff. I am holding you responsible for what happens next.”

“I expected you to.”

“You were right to call.”

Cassidy’s shoulders eased, but only a fraction.

I stepped closer. “Sloane, Cassidy didn’t become careless last night. She made sure another agent had me before she made any personal choice.”

“I know how Cassidy works,” Sloane said. “That’s why she still has the detail.”

Cassidy met my eyes.

My next breath came easier.