Page 53 of Todd
The desert night wrapped around Todd like a blanket of darkness so complete it seemed to swallow his body. The sounds of the desert and the stars in the sky would have been beautiful to enjoy, but tonight, he was laser-focused on his mission. He crouched behind a cluster of weather-smooth boulders fifty yards from Serenity Dunes’s perimeter fence, his black tactical clothing making him invisible.
Through his earpiece, Casper’s voice carried calm precision. “Security feeds are looped. You have a four-hour window before their system administrators might notice anomalies.”
“Copy that,” Todd whispered, his breath barely disturbing the air. The temperature had dropped thirty degrees since sunset, transforming the scorching desert into something almost arctic in its bite. But the cold was nothing compared to the ice in his veins as he contemplated what he might find when he reached Sadie.
She had messaged hours ago, saying she felt a little better, but admitted that since she skipped her spa activities whilenapping, she worried the staff would keep a close eye on her. She also said she was going to dinner to make sure she had something in her stomach and would be careful about what she ingested.
Were they watching her? Would they slip something else into her food? What if she were debilitated? Would he need the extraction team to get closer to them to assist in getting her out?
The questions had tormented him through the endless hours of preparation, each scenario more terrifying than the last. But speculation was a luxury he couldn’t afford now that action was finally possible.
Peering through the night vision goggles, the fence loomed before him like a steel web of eight feet of chain-link. Todd approached with the silence of someone who’d spent years moving through hostile territory, his gloved hands finding purchase on the metal mesh without creating so much as a whisper of sound.
His boots touched down on the inside of the perimeter, leaving barely a scuff on the hardened dirt. The spa wasn’t visible from this distance, but he’d seen the photographs and even satellite images of the elegant buildings and manicured pathways concealing whatever was happening on the inside.I’m coming, Sadie. Hold on just a little longer.
Navigation through the carefully landscaped grounds required constant awareness of camera positions they’d mapped during reconnaissance. Casper’s digital manipulation could fool automated systems, but human guards conducting physical patrols would see exactly what stood before them. Todd moved from shadow to shadow, using the vegetation to mask his approach toward the predetermined rendezvous point.
The outcropping of red sandstone where they’d agreed to meet rose from the ground, their weathered bulk offeringconcealment. As Todd approached the natural fortress, movement caught his eye. A figure hunched against the rocks, so still he might have mistaken it for another boulder if not for the familiar outline that made his heart stutter with recognition.Sadie.
She sat with her back pressed against the stone, her dark clothing making her nearly invisible in the shadows. But even from twenty yards away, Todd, with his night vision goggles, could see something wrong in her posture. The Sadie he knew would stay hidden, but still vibrate energy that he could always feel, no matter where they were. But this Sadie was too still.
Todd closed the distance between them with swift, silent strides, his tactical awareness scanning for threats even as his attention focused entirely on the woman who’d haunted his thoughts for so long. As he drew closer, he noted the way her body rested against the rock as if it were too difficult to stand.Fuck!
“Sadie,” he whispered, dropping to his knees beside her position.
Her eyes were on him, and she reached out. In the pale glow, her face transformed with relief so vivid his heart tightened. Despite the drugs, her gaze held the sharp intelligence that had first attracted him to her.
“Todd,” she breathed as a beautiful smile curved her lips.
Without hesitation or consideration for tactical protocols or operational security, Todd gathered her into his arms with the fierce protectiveness of a man reclaiming something precious that had been lost to him. Her body molded against his with familiar perfection, soft curves fitting against his harder angles like they’d been designed for each other.
The embrace contained relief that she was alive, fury at what had been done to her, desperate love that he’d spent too long denying, and the bone-deep satisfaction of finally holdingher again. Her arms wound around his neck with surprising strength, and her face pressed against the hollow of his throat where his pulse hammered with emotions too powerful for words.
For a heartbeat, nothing existed beyond this moment of reunion. Not the mission, not the danger, not the facility full of predators. Only Sadie’s warmth against his chest, her familiar scent cutting through the desert air, and the way her body trembled against his with exhaustion and relief.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured against her hair, the words carrying promise that he would protect her. “I’m here now. I’ve got you.”
She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, her face pale but determined in the starlight. “The offices,” she said, her voice weaker than he was used to but still strong. “We need to get to the offices before I lose the ability to function completely.”
“What did you have for dinner?”
“I asked for bottled water and toast. So I don’t think anything more was given to me. But the server called Yelena over, and she quizzed me. I simply told her that my stomach was upset, but she’s sharp. I know she’s suspicious.”
The assessment of her condition sent rage flooding through Todd’s chest like molten steel. But beneath the fury, pride bloomed at her unwavering commitment to the mission despite what it was costing her personally.
“Can you do this?” he asked, his hands framing her face as he studied her features for signs of imminent collapse. “Sadie, if you’re not able?—”
“I’m capable,” she interrupted, steel threading through her voice. “For a few more hours, I’m capable. Let’s finish this.”
The determination in her eyes reminded him of why he’d fallen for her. It wasn’t just her beauty or intelligence, but the unshakable courage that made her willing to sacrifice everythingfor justice. Even poisoned, even compromised, even facing odds that would break lesser people, Sadie Hargrove refused to quit.
God, I love this woman.
Todd helped her to her feet, noting how she swayed slightly before finding her balance. Her hand found his, their fingers intertwining with the kind of perfect fit that felt like coming home after a long wandering.
“Do you think you can keep something down?” Todd had brought medical supplies. From his tactical pack, he retrieved a small bottle of anti-nausea medication and a sealed water bottle. “Take these. This anti-nausea will help counteract some of what they’ve given you.”
Sadie accepted the pills with hands that shook slightly, her eyes meeting him with gratitude that made his chest ache.
