Page 13 of Todd
Sadie appeared from the opposite direction, her dark ponytail whipping behind her as she sprinted toward the same objective with the fluid grace that had first captivated him in a Montana bar. Her team shirt clung to her athletic frame, and even from a distance, he could see the fierce determination that made her such a formidable operative.
Fucking beautiful, his mind whispered, the thought hitting him like a physical blow even as his legs carried him faster toward their shared destination.
In the six months of working alongside her, she had only grown more invaluable to him… hell, to all of the Keepers.Her sharp mind kept them all on their toes during briefings, her quick wit cutting through complex problems with precision. She’d become their go-to person for any cyber intelligence needs, her fingers dancing across keyboards with the same energy she showed in everything else. And through it all, she maintained that unshakable composure that made her needed in crisis situations.
Smart, capable, beautiful. And completely out of reach.
There hadn’t been a single moment in the past six months that had diminished what he’d felt that first night when she’d captured his attention, smiling at his offer of recommending onion rings. If anything, watching her work and seeing her integrate seamlessly into their team while maintaining her own unique strength had only deepened his admiration and longing.
Working with her was simultaneously a gift and an exquisite torture of being close enough to appreciate every facet of her while being unable to claim what his heart insisted belonged to him.
They reached the flagpole simultaneously, their hands colliding with enough force to send vibrations up both arms.
Laughter bubbled up from her throat, spontaneous and genuine. Her eyes twinkled, and while still gasping for air, she said, “I’d fight you for the right to hold the flag, claiming the victory for my team, but I’m not sure I could raise it above my head right now.”
A grin spread across his face, and he nodded, his own lungs burning as well. “How about we hold it up together?”
For a heartbeat, the world contracted to just the two of them. Teammates who'd fought equally hard for the same prize, breathing hard in the thin mountain air while victory hung balanced between them. As soon as the word together left his mouth, he was sure all his longing for her was written on his face. When their eyes met across the narrow space thatseparated them, the laughter died in Todd’s chest, replaced by something far more dangerous. An emotional pull… the desire to be with her.
The realization hit him with such force that the air left his lungs, and he was glad they were in the mountains to conceal his heavy breathing. Six months of suppressed emotion flashed into devastating clarity.
In her eyes, he saw his own longing reflected—the desperate wish that things could be different, that they could reach for each other with the same fierce determination they’d just shown in reaching for that flag.
The space separating them felt simultaneously infinite and nonexistent. They were close enough that he could see the flecks of blue in her eyes and smell the clean scent of her skin mixed with exertion and mountain air. Her lips parted slightly, as if she might say something that would change everything between them, and her gaze dropped to his mouth. She was near enough to kiss, if he could find the courage to erase the scant distance.
But then the thunder of approaching boots pounding the earth shattered the moment, and years of professional conditioning slammed back into place like a steel trap closing. Todd stepped back from the flagpole just as Sadie did, their movements creating careful distance even as their hands remained touching the metal. As the others neared, their fingers remained linked around the pole. And for now, he knew that was the only piece of Sadie he could claim.
“Photo finish!” Frazier’s voice boomed across the clearing as he crested the ridge with Dalton close behind. The two brothers were grinning with the satisfaction of completing the competition. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a tie!”
More teammates appeared. Sisco and Devlin, close friends who moved with the easy confidence of men who’d pushed themselves to their limits and found satisfaction in the effort.Their voices filled the air with post-exercise banter, analyzing times and arguing good-naturedly about who’d taken the most efficient route.
Todd forced his expression into the casual competitiveness that his teammates expected. Releasing the flagpole, he smiled at Sadie. “Good run. You may have even touched it first,” he said, shrugging as he kept his voice steady despite the chaos in his chest.
“Like hell she did,” Cory panted as he joined the group, sweat streaming down his face, but his eyes bright with laughter. “I think I saw Todd’s hand hit that pole a full second before Sadie’s.”
“Your eyesight’s as bad as your running form,” Sadie shot back, but Todd caught the subtle relief in her voice as the conversation shifted away from whatever had passed between them. She stepped farther from the flagpole, her posture mirroring his… professional and distant once again.
The easy camaraderie resumed as if that moment of electric connection had never existed, his teammates debating the outcome with the passionate intensity that mattered only to people who genuinely cared about each other’s success. But Todd found himself watching Sadie out of the corner of his eye, noting how she engaged with the others while carefully avoiding his gaze.
She felt it too, he realized, and the knowledge was both comforting and devastating. Whatever existed between them wasn’t one-sided longing. She was fighting the same battle against feelings that threatened to complicate everything they’d built with their team.
As the group began the trek back toward the compound, their voices carrying across the vast Montana landscape, Todd fell into step with his chosen family. The Keepers had become his team through shared purpose and mutual respect, and the lifethey’d built together in this mountain sanctuary was everything he’d ever wanted.
Almost everything.
His gaze drifted to Sadie walking ahead with Frazier and Cory, her laughter genuine as she responded to whatever story Cory was telling with animated gestures. She belonged here just as completely as he did, had earned her place among them through skill and dedication and the kind of quiet courage that made heroes out of ordinary people. And he knew she would never jeopardize either of their positions.
But would it have?Now that he’d had time to get to know everyone and had a better feel for Logan, he tortured himself with thoughts of what if they’d tried back when they’d first met. Tried to see if what was one night of bliss could turn into something more.If only. His chest ached with the weight of six months’ worth of suppressed possibilities.If only I’d been brave enough that first morning to fight for what we could have been.
The mountain wind carried the scent of pine and approaching weather, and somewhere high above them, an eagle circled the peaks with the kind of freedom that felt like a distant dream. He knew he’d found his calling and his purpose in this remote corner of Montana, surrounded by people who would die for each other without question.
But as he fell into step behind Sadie and watched the woman who’d claimed his heart without even trying, he couldn’t escape the bitter knowledge that some victories remained forever out of reach, no matter how fast he ran or how desperately he wanted to claim them.
Weeks later, Todd stood by the drive, watching as his sister, Abbie, and her husband, Rick, climbed into the rented SUV after hugs and handshakes. Both worked for the West Coast division of Lighthouse Security. His brother, William, and his wife, Sara, were next, their easy smiles and warm hugs a reminder of the Maine-based team that had first brought their family into this world.
And finally, his parents. His mother’s arms wrapped around him and didn’t let go for a long moment. When she stepped back, her eyes shimmered with tears, and she gave his cheek a lingering pat like she was trying to memorize his face. “Todd, thank you so much for letting us all come see where you live and work. Seeing you and meeting your friends was wonderful.”
He reached for his father’s hand in a firm shake and leaned in with a half hug. “It was my pleasure, Mom. Really.”
