Page 62 of Todd
The distinctive sound of rotor blades began to penetrate the desert silence, growing louder with each passing second. Cole was coming, pushing his aircraft to its limits to reach thembefore Dr. Selinski’s cleanup crew could eliminate the witnesses who threatened to destroy everything.
“I see the bird,” Sadie called out, pointing toward lights that were rapidly growing brighter against the star-filled sky. “Two minutes, maybe less.”
But even as relief flooded through Todd’s chest, Casper’s voice cut through their earpieces with fresh urgency. “Three vehicles now, and they’re spreading out in a search pattern. They know you’re not at the mine site.”
The helicopter materialized from the darkness like a mechanical angel, its searchlight sweeping the desert as Cole maneuvered toward their position. The aircraft was a six-seater, but it wasn’t military grade. Through the open window, Cory and Sisco manned rifles with the focused intensity of someone who’d fired out of a helicopter before.
“LZ is hot,” Cole’s voice crackled through their comms. “I see vehicle lights converging on our position. This is going to be fast and dirty.”
They broke into a trot, Todd and Sadie supporting Melinda between them as the helicopter settled onto the hard-packed desert ground in a whirlwind of dust and rotor wash.
Melinda stumbled as they neared the aircraft, her exhausted legs finally giving out completely. Todd caught her before she could fall, his arms lifting her as he pushed toward the helicopter’s open door.
“Go, go, go!” Cory shouted over the rotor noise, his rifle already tracking movement in the distance as muzzle flashes began to wink in the darkness.
Todd shoved Melinda into the helicopter’s rear compartment as Sisco reached out to grab her. Safety took priority over gentleness as bullets began to crack through the air around them. Instantly, he turned back toward Sadie.
“Fuck!”
She had stumbled and was behind them, sprawling onto the desert floor. In the helicopter’s searchlight, Todd could see her struggling to regain her footing while precious seconds ticked away.
“Save yourself!” she screamed over the chaos of rotor noise and gunfire. “Just go!”
The suggestion was so utterly contrary to everything Todd stood for that he didn’t waste his breath responding. Instead, he sprinted back across the open ground, his boots pounding over rock and sand as Cory’s covering fire kept their pursuers at bay.
Sadie was trying to stand when he reached her, her hands scrabbling for purchase on the loose gravel as her body betrayed her determination. Todd scooped her into his arms without breaking stride, her weight precious as he turned back toward their salvation.
“I’ve got you,” he said, the words carrying absolute conviction despite the bullets whining past their position. “I’ll always come back for you.”
Cory’s rifle barked continuously now, precise shots aimed at the vehicle lights that were closing fast on their position. The former Ranger sniper’s covering fire bought them precious seconds as Todd covered the final yards to the helicopter.
Sisco had Melinda strapped into a seat and had turned to take Sadie from Todd’s arms. Instead, Todd dove through the open door as Cole directed the bird to lift off in a cloud of dust. Sisco leaned over him and secured the door while Cory continued shooting at the muzzle flashes below.
“Everyone okay?” Cole asked over the intercom as he banked the helicopter away from the hostile fire.
“All aboard,” Todd confirmed, his hands shaking slightly as adrenaline pumped through his veins. He helped buckle Sadie into the rear seat, then his gaze roved over her from head to toe,assuring she was not injured. He didn’t want to be separated even by a foot but moved to sit next to her.
“FBI is at Serenity Dunes,” Logan said through their comms with professional sharpness. “They’ve secured the facility. A separate tactical team is en route to the mining site to process the crime scene.”
Todd felt something tight in his chest finally release as the magnitude of their success settled over him. They’d not only survived the mission, but they’d exposed a conspiracy that had involved murdering innocent women who had not successfully responded to the illegal medical trials. They’d rescued a survivor who could testify about the horrors and gathered evidence that would ensure justice for the victims.
“Phoenix FBI will want to debrief all of you once you land,” Logan continued. “Plan on staying a few days for interviews and medical evaluation.”
I don’t care, Todd thought, looking over at Sadie.We could stay a week, a month… as long as she’s safe, nothing else matters.
Sadie removed her night vision goggles and tactical gloves, her face finally visible in the helicopter’s interior lighting. Despite everything she’d endured—the drugs, the fear, the physical escape—her eyes held the clear intelligence that made her such an extraordinary woman.
She leaned toward him with a smile that transformed her entire face, her fingers finding his hair and trailing across his cheek with the gentle touch of someone who’d been given a second chance at life. The simple contact sent electricity racing through his nervous system, reminding him of the moments they’d shared and all the possibilities that still lay ahead.
Now, he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs as the helicopter carried them toward safety and a future that suddenly felt full of promise.Now I need the chance to really talk to her,to tell her everything I should have said eighteen months ago, to make her mine in every way that matters.
The desert fell away beneath them, taking with it the nightmare of Serenity Dunes and Dr. Selinski’s vision of medical progress built on the bodies of innocent women. But ahead lay Phoenix, the hospital, federal inquiries, and most importantly, the opportunity to start building something real and lasting with the woman who’d claimed his heart from their very first night together.
As Sadie’s fingers traced his face with tender affection, he knew the most important mission of his life was just beginning.
31
The Phoenix General Hospital room felt like a sanctuary compared to what they’d left behind in the Arizona desert, but Todd couldn’t shake the protective vigilance that had kept him alive through countless dangerous missions. He sat in the uncomfortable visitor’s chair beside Sadie’s bed, his eyes tracking every nurse who entered, every sound in the corridor, every fluctuation in the monitors that tracked her vital signs.
