Page 16 of Todd
But tonight, the thought of watching Todd possibly joining the others as they danced with the vacationers and women who lived near Glacier National Park made her stomach clench with jealousy she had no right to feel.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stay here,” she replied, gesturing toward the comfortable chairs arranged around the firepit. “It’s been a long day, and this view is too beautiful to waste.”
The excuse was partially true. After all, Saint Mary’s Lake at sunset was a sight that could steal breath and quiet the busiest mind. But the real reason she couldn’t voice was the knowledge that watching women flock to Todd like moths to flame would shatter what remained of her carefully maintained composure.
It always happened when they went out together. The Keepers were an impressive sight of tall, confident men who moved with the easy grace of those comfortable in their own skin. And Todd gained female attention with his quiet strength and devastating smile. Unlike the others who turned on the charm, he was simply irresistible.
It shouldn’t hurt, she told herself as she watched the group pile into vehicles, their laughter fading as they drove toward town.We’re not together. We’ve never been together, not really. I have no claim on him, no right to feel possessive.
But logic couldn’t stop the sharp edge of pain that cut through her chest every time she imagined him smiling at another woman the way he’d smiled at her when they’d met. Professional friendship was all she could have, all she’d ever allowed herself to hope for, but some nights it felt like slowly dying of thirst while standing next to a well she wasn’t allowed to drink from.
The fire crackled in the growing darkness, sending sparks spiraling toward stars that were beginning to emerge in the vast Montana sky. Somewhere across the lake, a loon called out with the kind of haunting beauty that made her ache with unnamed longing.
Maybe it’s time to get my own place, she thought, staring at the flames as they danced and flickered. She had saved enough money for a down payment on a house.
Sadie remained by the dying flames, memorizing the way starlight danced on water.Maybe one day,she whispered to the night air, the words carried away by wind that smelled of pine and possibility.Maybe one day things will change.
But until then, she’d continue the careful dance they’d perfected… close enough to work together seamlessly, yet distant enough to maintain the boundaries that kept their team stable and their hearts protected.
Even if those boundaries were slowly killing her, one stolen glance and stolen word at a time.
The fire settled into glowing embers, and she poured water into the pit, watching as the smoke billowed. Ascertaining the fire was truly out, she headed inside to her room. In the distance, she heard the vehicles returning, carrying her teammates home from their evening adventures. She tried not to think about whether Todd had found someone to dance with under the bar’s dim lights.
Professional friendship, she reminded herself as she finally headed toward her cabin.It has to be enough. It will be enough.
But as she fell asleep to the sound of water lapping against the shore, her dreams were filled with kayak races where the finish line never came, and a partner whose hand she was allowed to hold long after the competition ended.
9
TWO WEEKS AGO
Sadie sat at her computer station, looking across the polished wood table where the Keepers had assembled. She cradled her second cup of coffee like a lifeline. The caffeine helped sharpen her focus, but she could feel the familiar pre-briefing energy crackling through the room.
“New assignment, if we agree to take it.” Logan’s voice carried the weight of authority as he settled at the head of the table, his tablet positioned precisely in front of him. Around the room, conversations died and attention focused with laser intensity.
Sadie listened with interest. New assignments meant challenges, puzzles to solve, problems that required their unique combination of skills and experience. After weeks of routine security installations and preparation for a few security details, the prospect of something more complex sent anticipation humming through her veins.
“I’ve been contacted by Maria Benedetto from Chicago. She’s concerned about her missing sister-in-law, Natalia Benedetto.” Logan’s fingers moved across his tablet screen, and the wall monitor came to life, displaying a photograph of an elegantwoman in her early fifties with kind eyes and dark hair, cut in a shoulder-length bob, pulled back with a scarf.
“Natalia lives in Italy, came to the United States a month ago, and visited with her sister-in-law, Maria. Then, before going back to Italy, she went to a spa in Arizona.” Logan paused, his gaze sweeping the room to ensure he had everyone’s complete attention. “The Serenity Dunes Spa Resort. Very exclusive. Very expensive. Very remote.”
Sadie hid her scoff… a ritzy place for ritzy people.
“She was supposed to be there for their ten-day full treatment, and then she left, flew out of Phoenix to New York, and then to Italy. But her sister-in-law, Maria, says she doesn’t know who got on that plane, but she doesn’t think it was Natalia.” Logan’s voice dropped, becoming more grave. “Ever since, she can’t find any information about her. She managed to talk to a friend of Natalia’s in Italy, who claims they haven’t seen her since she first came to the States. Maria is convinced that something happened at the spa and there was a cover-up.”
Cory leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table. “What makes her think something happened at the spa? She could’ve met someone, gone somewhere else. She could be in Italy, but just doesn’t want to be found right now.”
Sadie found herself thinking along the same lines. Lots of reasons someone would want to disappear for a while.
Frazier added, “Something could’ve happened to her when she arrived in Italy.”
But even as the logical explanations filled the air around them, something deep in Sadie’s gut was starting to reject them as she stared into the eyes of the woman in the photograph. Years of investigative work had taught her to trust her instincts, and right now those instincts were screaming that this wasn’t a case of voluntary disappearance or foreign mishap.
“Or she never got on the plane,” she said quietly, the words hanging in the air like a challenge to conventional thinking.
Every head in the room turned toward her, and she felt the familiar weight of their collective attention. Taking a steadying breath, she deflected, “I’m assuming Maria went to the FBI first?”
Landon, their former FBI agent whose insider knowledge had proven invaluable countless times, nodded with the grim expression that meant bureaucratic frustration. “When this request came in, Logan and I checked with the bureau. They reviewed the airport surveillance video and have evidence that the woman using Natalia Benedetto’s passport, plane tickets, and boarding passes looked like her. They do not have an open case.”
