Page 55 of Rescuing Sophia

Dropping to my knees, I peer under the dresser, hoping to see the glint of my badge. Nothing but dust bunnies greet me.

“Come on, where are you?” I move to the bed and yank back the sheets. Pillows go flying as I search every inch of the mattress.

Sophia appears in the doorway just as I’m emptying the contents of the bedside table onto the floor. Her eyebrows shoot up at the chaos I’ve created.

“Wow.” A laugh bubbles up from her. “I’ve never seen you like this. It’s cute.”

I glare at her, but there’s no heat behind it.

Her smile fades as she takes in my distress. “Hey.” She steps into the room and places a hand on my arm. “We’ll find it, okay? Let’s think about this logically.”

Together, we methodically search the apartment. Sophia checks the laundry hamper while I scour the living room. We look under couch cushions, in kitchen drawers, even in the refrigerator— stranger things have happened.

After ten minutes of intense searching, we both stand in the middle of our now-disheveled apartment, defeated.

“Shit, I can’t believe this.” I run a hand through my hair for what feels like the hundredth time. “I never misplace my badge.”

Sophia wraps her arms around me, resting her head on my chest. “It’s okay. These things happen. You’ll get a temporary one made, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I sigh, my chin brushing the top of her head.

“First time for everything, right? Maybe the universe is telling you to shake up your routine a bit.” She pulls back, looking up at me with affection.

“Maybe you’re right.” Despite my frustration, I can’t help but smile.

“It’s just a badge. I’m sure they go missing all the time.”

“Maybe. But it’s a big deal—like huge.”

“Why?”

I meet her concerned gaze, the gravity of the situation clear in my voice.

“My badge grants access to highly restricted areas of Guardian HQ. Server rooms, weapons caches, classified document storage—everything. In the wrong hands…”

“What happens if you can’t find it?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I face Mitzy’s wrath. She’s going totear me a new one for this security breach. Not to mention, the guys will never let me hear the end of it.”

“It’s just misplaced. Not lost.”

“No. I distinctly remember putting it on the dresser last night.”

“I’m sure we’ll find it.” Sophia tenses. “What happens if we don’t?”

“The moment I report it missing, they’ll deactivate it and reset all the systems it had access to. It’s going to be a nightmare.”

“Maybe you should hold off on reporting it just yet.” There’s an odd note in her voice that I can’t quite place. Desperation? Fear? But before I can analyze it, she continues.

“Think about it. If you report it now and then find it in an hour, you’ll have caused all that trouble for nothing. You’ll have to face the team’s teasing and Mitzy’s anger.”

“I don’t know, Soph. It’s pretty serious…” I hesitate, torn between protocol and the logic in Sophia’s words.

“Just give it until tomorrow morning. You’re human. Mistakes happen. If it doesn’t show up by then, you can report it. Give it a chance to, I don’t know, magically reappear?”

Her urgency is puzzling, but I agree with her logic.

“Okay, you’re right. I’ll wait until tomorrow, but I must report it if it doesn’t turn up. No exceptions.”

---