Page 46 of Todd
Her thoughts spiraled through possibilities as she moved toward the predetermined meeting point.Had Melinda been discovered as a reporter? Perhaps she’d stumbled onto something that forced their hand, or had her illness simply reached a point where maintaining the pretense became impossible?
The familiar silhouette of the boulder cluster appeared ahead, and Sadie’s pulse quickened with anticipation that had nothing to do with operational requirements. Somewhere in those shadows, Todd was waiting. He’d proven himself to be her professional anchor, but now, after so long, she hoped they could open to a personal relationship that didn’t have to stay hidden.
Her phone felt warm in her palm, but the glass vials in her pocket seemed heavier than they were. More evidence that could expose Dr. Selinski’s operation. But as she approached the fence line, all thoughts of missions and evidence dissolved into background noise.
Todd stepped from behind the weathered sandstone, and suddenly, the metal mesh barrier between them felt like the only thing preventing her from launching herself into his arms. So many months of careful professional distance, stolen glances when she thought no one was watching, and lying awake at night remembering the feel of his hands on her skin. All of it centered on this single moment of seeing his face illuminated by starlight.
“Hey,” she whispered, her voice catching slightly on the simple word.
The sight of him hit her like a physical force. He was close enough that she could see the concern etched in the lines around his eyes, the way his jaw clenched with barely contained emotion. How many times had she memorized these details during team meetings, during casual encounters in the bunkhouse kitchen, and during moments when she’d allowed herself to imagine what it would feel like to touch him again?
Too many times. Far too many to keep pretending that what existed between them was merely professional courtesy.
“Hey,” she managed again, her voice still soft with longing.
His smile transformed his entire face, erasing the tension and worry to reveal the man who’d made her laugh until her sides ached. The night in that Montana bar felt like a lifetime ago. His expression traveled through her like electricity, awakening every nerve ending.
But then his expression shifted, the warmth disappearing behind professional concern, and reality crashed back over her like ice water.
“What’s happening?” she asked quickly.
“Melinda hasn’t made it back to Fort Worth,” he reported, his tone carefully neutral. “Cory double-checked, and she’s not at home. He spoke with her editor and confirmed that she’s heard nothing about her stay and assumed she was still at the spa.”
Fear flooded through Sadie so suddenly that her knees nearly buckled. “So she left sometime after we talked last night, but no one has seen her?”
“Cory checked the rental car services around Phoenix and the flights to Fort Worth.” Todd’s voice carried undertones suggesting the team had its own theories about the source of Melinda’s disappearance.
“I’m not giving up,” Sadie said, the words carrying fierce determination that surprised her with its intensity. “I’ll ask someone who went on the excursion today and find out if she was with them this morning.”
“You need to walk away if things get too hot,” Todd replied, reaching up to press his hands against the chain-link fence, his fingers extending through the mesh toward her side of the barrier.
Without conscious thought, she stepped closer and linked her fingers with his, their palms pressed together through the cold metal. The contact sent warmth shooting up her arms and straight to her heart. The simple touch carried the weight of everything they’d never said, everything they’d carefully avoided acknowledging during their months of professional coexistence.
“I brought the vials,” she said, forcing her mind back to the mission even as her skin burned where their hands connected. Reluctantly releasing one hand, she retrieved the small glass containers from her pocket and passed it through the fence opening. “Get these to the FBI for analysis. They were used on me during today’s massage. I haven’t experienced any side effects yet, but I need to know what compounds they’ve exposed me to.”
Todd secured it in his jacket with practiced efficiency, then immediately returned his hand to hers, their fingers intertwining like they belonged together.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice making her pulse skip.
“How can you tell I’m thinking anything?”
His chuckle was low and rich, sending vibrations through her that had nothing to do with the desert night’s chill. “Sadie, I’ve known you for a year and a half. I can tell when that brain of yours is plotting something.”
She sighed but couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips. The fact that he’d been watching her closely enough to read her micro-expressions, that he’d been paying attention to her thought processes during all those months of careful distance, sent warmth spiraling through her chest.
“If they suspect I’m not taking the oral supplements, and they’re trying to deliver the compounds through food, drinks, or massage oils, then we need to accelerate our timeline,” she explained, trying to ignore the distraction of his touch. “I can’t risk becoming too ill to function, or being forced to leave before uncovering what really happened to Natalia or Melinda.”
“What’s the plan?” Todd asked, though tension crept into his voice as he anticipated her answer.
“I want to coordinate with Casper to disable the security cameras in the corridors between my room and the administrative offices. Tomorrow night, I’m going in. I have the drives that can link us into their computer systems, and there might be physical files that could provide the evidence we need.”
“If they already suspect you, this could become extremely dangerous.” The protective edge in his voice made something primal in her chest respond with gratitude and longing.
“We knew the risks when we planned this mission.”
“It felt different discussing hypotheticals back in Montana,” Todd said, his grip on her fingers tightening slightly.
“Isn’t that how most field operations work?” she countered with a dry laugh. “Everything seems manageable duringplanning phases, then you’re in the middle of the situation and chaos ensues.”
