Page 38 of Todd
The sound of her name froze her blood for a heartbeat before training kicked in. She turned with a brilliant smile, her face a mask of innocent surprise as the nutritionist, Jake, emerged from one of the offices.
“Hello!” she chirped, dipping her chin in greeting while mentally cataloging his proximity to what appeared to be Dr. Patel’s personal office.
“I can see you’re walking for exercise, which is so good, Sadie,” Jake replied, his smile warm but his eyes sharp with assessment. “But this is a restricted area for our guests.”
She let shock flood her features, widening her eyes with mortification. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I must’ve missed the warning sign.”
“We don’t have a sign that says guests shouldn’t be here, but most don’t make it this far.” His tone remained friendly, but the implication was clear—she’d ventured farther than was acceptable.
“I guess I was so lost in the music as I walked, I wasn’t paying any attention.” She looked around with pretend confusion, selling the image of a directionally challenged guest. “I can just go back out down this hall and then turn left?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right.” Jake’s relief was palpable. “And make sure after you walk, you take a relaxing shower or perhaps, knowing you like to swim, that would be enjoyable for you.”
The comment about swimming sent a chill down her spine. Her late-night pool session had been noted by more than just Brock.How much did they monitor their guests’ activities? And why did it matter to them?
She maintained her bright smile even as unease coiled in her stomach. “You’re right! I love to swim. After this walk, a dip in the pool is just what I need.”
“Don’t forget, dinner will be in an hour. We have a treat planned for dinner.”
She laughed with genuine-seeming delight, though inside her mind was already calculating how much intelligence she could transmit to Todd before the evening’s programming began. “Believe me, I’ll never miss a meal. The food here is so delicious.”
Jake’s grin widened with what appeared to be genuine pleasure. “Good, I’m glad it’s appreciated.”
The walk back to her room felt endless, each corridor stretch filled with invisible eyes and potential threats. Only when her door clicked shut behind her did Sadie allow her shoulders to drop, the carefully maintained facade finally cracking to reveal the exhaustion of constant performance.
She moved immediately to the bathroom, retrieving her secure phone with fingers that trembled slightly from adrenaline. The familiar weight of the device grounded her as she initiated the encrypted connection to Todd. Just hearing the dial tone was enough to slow her racing pulse. He was there, waiting, ready to receive whatever intelligence she’d gathered.
“I’m ready to give you the security camera locations I noted,” she said without preamble, her voice steady. “Who is hacking into them?”
“Casper and Dalton are handling the spa’s security and how to override it.” Todd’s voice offered steadiness, and she relaxed.
“Okay, good.” She rattled off coordinates and positions, visualizing Todd bent over blueprints in his hotel room, making notes with the same meticulous precision that made him so devastatingly effective in the field.
“I thought about going to the pool, but I think I’ll just shower and then go to dinner. I’ll call you tonight and hopefully you’ll know what the supplements are by then.”
“Be careful, Sadie.” His voice dropped, rough with emotion that made her heart clench. “I feel both useful and useless sitting out here.”
The admission hit her chest, revealing the loneliness she’d been carrying like a stone. She laughed, and for the first time in days, the sound carried genuine warmth instead of manufactured cheer.
“It’s just nice to know you’re there, Todd. I don’t think I realized how much I needed…” She was unable to voice the depth of her dependence on his presence, the way knowing he was close had transformed this mission from endurable to almost bearable. “Well, I’m just glad you’re nearby.”
The silence that followed was filled with everything they couldn’t say, everything that waited beyond the completion of this assignment. She whispered goodbye, then disconnected before she could say something that would shatter her professional composure entirely. But the warmth of his voice lingered.
That evening, Sadie had her phone in her hand, ready to call Todd, when there was a soft knock on her door. Her adrenaline spiked at the sound. No one knocked on doors at Serenity Dunes after the evening meditation session. She couldn’t imagine who it was, but slid her phone in her pocket before opening the door.
She started to greet her visitor when Melinda’s gaze darted up and down the hall, then said, “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Sadie stepped back quickly, allowing the other woman to rush in.
“I didn’t want anyone to see me.”
“What’s going on?”
“You seem like someone I can trust.” Melinda’s voice carried a tremor.
Warning bells erupted in Sadie’s mind. In her experience, a declaration of trust usually meant the other person had something important to say. But beneath the alarm, curiosity moved to the forefront because in a place like Serenity Dunes,someone seeking trust might be the key to what Sadie was investigating.
The soft lighting of Sadie’s room revealed details that made Sadie’s stomach clench with concern at the sight of a sheen of perspiration on Melinda’s pale skin and the way her hands trembled as they gripped the hem of her T-shirt.
