Page 43 of Todd
“Believe me, I don’t have a hero complex,” she replied, her tone earnest despite the circumstances. “I’m not looking to take unnecessary risks. I know I can’t help anyone if I compromise my safety or blow my cover.”
Relief flooded through Todd at her practical acknowledgment of the dangers. “Keep the lighthouse necklace on,” he said urgently. “The transmitter in the base gives you instant communication access if anything goes wrong.”
“I promise.” Her voice softened slightly, carrying reassurance meant specifically for him. “I need to locate Melinda, but our schedules don’t align today. I want to verify she’s recovering. I’ll update you with whatever I discover.”
The Keepers offered their support and well-wishes before disconnecting, leaving Todd alone with Sadie in their digital space. The sudden privacy felt both intimate and inadequate. How could I see her face, hear her voice, but the physical distance between them stretched like an unbridgeable chasm.
“Sadie...” He found himself struggling with words that felt simultaneously too important and completely insufficient.
“I know, Todd...” she replied, understanding flooding her expression.
They stared at each other through their screens, separated by only ten miles but connected by something that transcended the distance. Todd felt his careful restraint crumbling under the weight of everything he could no longer keep buried.
“I was going to wait until this mission ended,” he said, his voice rough with suppressed emotion. “Until I could see you in person, until I could touch you again. But dammit, when we get back to Montana, we need to talk. I want to move beyond professional friendship?—”
“I want that, too.” The words burst from her with such genuine enthusiasm that his heart stuttered in his chest.
Drawing in a deep breath that did nothing to calm his racing pulse, he managed a smile that felt like the first genuine expression of hope he’d worn in months. “Good.”
They continued staring at each other through the small screens, and Todd felt grateful he could see her but frustrated at the distance. She chuckled, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“All this time we danced around each other,” she began. “Now…nowwe make a decision, and I can’t even reach over to touch you.”
He nodded, wanting to pull her into his arms and shield her from every danger the world could offer. As they disconnected, and he was alone in the silence of his hotel room, Todd realized that each passing day only intensified his desperate need to hold her again, to begin the future they’d danced around for far too long. They hadn’t settled what a new relationship would look like, but he hoped she wanted what he wanted.
Soon, he promised himself, staring at the black screen that had just held her image. Soon this nightmare would end, andthey could finally stop running from what they both wanted most.
22
Sadie looked around but didn’t see Melinda at breakfast. There were other empty tables, and just when her concern shot upward, she plastered on a smile as she stopped one of the servers. “I can’t help but notice that we don’t seem to have all the guests. Am I missing something? I hope there wasn’t an activity that I forgot to join.”
Her syrupy voice must have prompted the server to answer. “Oh, you didn’t miss anything. There was an outdoor excursion today. A guided meditation hike through the sacred canyon lands, followed by lunch at ancient petroglyph sites. Some of our guests chose to participate, finding it’s truly transformative.”
Sadie suppressed an eye roll at the marketing speech while her operational mind processed the implications. An off-site excursion meant reduced surveillance, fewer witnesses, and potential opportunities for private conversations or covert activities. It also meant Melinda might be out of reach for hours.
“That sounds amazing,” Sadie replied with manufactured disappointment. “I wish I’d known about it earlier. I would have loved to participate.”
The server’s smile flickered almost imperceptibly. “The excursion was offered to guests based on their individualwellness profiles and treatment schedules. Your personalized program includes intensive rejuvenation sessions today that shouldn’t be interrupted.”
The explanation felt rehearsed, another example of the spa’s careful control over guest activities disguised as personalized care. Sadie nodded with gracious acceptance while filing away another piece of evidence about Serenity Dunes’s manipulative practices.
Hoping Melinda felt well enough to go on an excursion, she tried to eat. Blond Bob sat rigidly at her corner table, methodically consuming her steel-cut oats with the same precision she applied to everything else. Desert Barbie held court near the windows, her over-bronzed skin practically glowing as she was photographed by the staff, probably for promotional materials.Again.
As Sadie’s breakfast arrived, she caught sight of the morning supplements placed beside her plate. Six innocuous-looking pills that could contain compounds designed to alter her brain chemistry without her knowledge or consent. She palmed her supplements while pretending to swallow them as she had each morning and evening since arriving. The motion was fluid, naturally executed while reaching for her napkin with the other hand. But as she completed the deception, movement in her peripheral vision made her pulse spike.
Yelena Mirov stood near the kitchen entrance, her platinum hair pulled back in its characteristic severe chignon, ice-blue eyes fixed on Sadie with predatory intensity. The woman’s gaze never wavered, cataloging every gesture with the focused attention of someone looking for signs of deception.
She’s watching me.The realization sent cold fingers of dread down Sadie’s spine. Yelena’s scrutiny felt different from casual observation—more targeted, more suspicious.Has someonenoticed my reluctance to take the supplements? Was Melinda’s visit to my room observed and reported?
Maintaining her relaxed posture despite the adrenaline flooding her system, Sadie continued her breakfast routine while covertly observing Yelena’s position. The woman remained motionless for several more minutes before finally gliding away with that unsettling silence that seemed to characterize all the senior staff.
Stay calm. Act normal. Don’t give them any reason to suspect anything.
After breakfast, she headed to the first activity on her schedule for the day. The sound bath session took place in a circular pavilion that resembled a crystal cave, with geometric windows casting rainbow patterns across walls lined with singing bowls of various sizes. Sadie lay on her designated mat among two dozen other guests, trying to find genuine relaxation in the reverberating tones while her mind raced through operational concerns.
The ethereal sounds washed over her. The deep, resonant vibrations that seemed to penetrate her bones should have been meditative. Instead, they provided cover for her thoughts as she mentally reviewed the morning’s intelligence and planned her next moves.
At lunch, Sadie ate while conducting a more systematic surveillance of the room. Basketball sat alone at her too-small table, looking somewhat lost without the hiking group’s camaraderie. Girl Bun dozed over her salad, apparently still relaxed from the morning’s sonic therapy.
