Page 67 of Todd
Through the hospital’s large windows, he could see a nurse entering what he knew was Sadie’s room, and every fiber of his being wanted to sprint back to her side. Dr. Patel’s escape was frustrating, but Sadie’s survival was miraculous. They’d exposed the conspiracy, rescued the survivors, and finally found the courage to stop pretending that professional boundaries mattered more than love.
“Thank you for the update,” Todd said, already moving toward the door with determined strides. “But I need to get back to Sadie. I’ll talk to her and the doctor about getting her discharged so we can fly back to Montana as soon as medically feasible.”
“You know we’ll be ready,” Cole said.
The investigation would continue, the guilty would eventually face justice, and the victims of Serenity Dunes would receive the care and compensation they deserved. But Todd’s mission was simpler and more personal. He just wanted to protect the woman he loved and build the life they’d both been too frightened to reach for eighteen months ago.
As he strode down the corridor toward the elevator, his heart hammering with anticipation of seeing Sadie’s face again, he knew he was finally going home. They weren’t heading just toMontana, but to the future he’d been brave enough to fight for at last.
And then he heard a scream.
34
The hospital room had settled into the quiet rhythm of the evening with less noise from the hall, and the harsh lighting dimmed to a softer glow that cast everything in gentle shadows. Sadie lay against the pillows, her body finally giving in to the fatigue that called her to close her eyes and sleep. Her mind was still slightly foggy, and she hoped she would be able to rest for the trip home tomorrow.
The conversation with Todd had left her feeling lighter than she had in months. A weight had lifted even though they’d settled into a co-working friendship.
Finally, she thought, touching her lips where the ghost of his kiss still lingered.Finally, we’re both brave enough to fight for what we want.
When her partially opened door swung farther to admit another nurse, Sadie glanced up with a smile. “Oh, I’m glad you’re here. I need to use the bathroom, and you’ll have to unhook me.”
The woman approached rapidly and kept her gaze averted, looking down rather than at Sadie. The movements seemed deliberately evasive, and Sadie’s pulse quickened withinstinctive alarm. The nurse’s hand disappeared into her scrub pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid.
Sadie’s eyes tracked upward as the woman moved toward her IV line, and when the figure finally turned enough for the light to reveal her features, Sadie gasped as shocking recognition hit her.
Dr. Saanvi Patel stood beside her bed, no longer wearing the serene expression she’d maintained during their brief encounters at Serenity Dunes. Her face was twisted with cold fury, her dark eyes burning with the kind of rage that came from watching years of careful work destroyed by someone she’d systematically underestimated.
“I should have eliminated you on the first day,” Dr. Patel snarled, her accent thicker now with emotion and exhaustion. “Instead, you ruined everything.”
The syringe moved toward the IV port with clinical precision, the clear liquid inside undoubtedly containing something to silence Sadie forever. But her training kicked in before conscious thought could interfere.
Her scream tore out from her lungs as she knocked the IV pole with explosive force, sending it crashing into Dr. Patel’s advancing form. The syringe flew from the doctor’s hand, dropping to the floor.
The IV line jerked violently from Sadie’s arm, sending blood down her arm, but she ignored the sharp pain as adrenaline flooded her system. Dr. Patel snarled with animalistic fury and lunged forward, her hands reaching for Sadie’s throat with the desperation of someone who had nothing left to lose.
But Sadie was ready. Her hand snapped up to wrap around Dr. Patel’s wrist with crushing force, her fingers finding pressure points that could disable even trained operatives. Despite the lingering effects of pharmaceutical manipulation, her body remembered every combat technique that had been drilled into her during her years of military and CIA training.
“I’ll snap your arm in half,” Sadie growled, her voice carrying the cold promise of someone who would kill to protect herself and others. The grip on Dr. Patel’s wrist tightened until the older woman gasped with pain, her eyes widening with the sudden understanding that her intended victim was far more dangerous than anticipated.
The hospital room door exploded open, and Todd burst through with the desperate fury of a man who’d heard the woman he loved screaming in terror. Behind him came Agent Rodriguez, Cole, Sisco, and Cory, their faces grim at the sight of Dr. Patel.
Todd’s eyes swept the scene in milliseconds, and his expression transformed into something primal and dangerous as he crossed the room in three strides.
“Get away from her,” he roared, his hands seizing Dr. Patel and hurling her away from Sadie with enough force to send her crashing to the floor.
Sadie watched as his body coiled with barely restrained violence, seeing his protective instincts unleashed. But before Todd could follow through on retribution, Cory stepped between him and the fallen doctor, his hands firm on Todd’s shoulders as he held his teammate back.
“She’s not worth it, brother,” Cory said, his voice carrying the authority of someone who’d protect his fellow Keeper, even from themselves. “Don’t let her take anything else from you.”
Agent Rodriguez was already securing Dr. Patel with practiced efficiency, her federal authority taking precedence as medical staff flooded the room in response to Sadie’s scream.
“Get the syringe on the floor!” Sadie called out.
Another agent bagged the syringe as evidence.
The sudden chaos of professionals checking her vitals and examining her torn IV site felt surreal after the intimate violenceof the past few minutes. Sadie’s breath came in pants as she fought to acknowledge that the threat was eliminated.
Todd’s attention jerked back to Sadie. His hands found hers the moment the medical team gave him access, his fingers intertwining with hers like he was afraid she might disappear if he loosened his grip for even a second.
