Todd (Lighthouse Security Investigations Montana #5)
Chapter 1
PRESENT DAY - SERENITY DUNES SPA
Mud.
Thick, goopy, dirty mud that clung to her skin like a second layer she couldn’t shed.
The kind of mess kids leaped into with shrieks of joy and pigs luxuriate in like it was a five-star hotel.
The same damn mess that, when tracked in by a dog, required every bath towel you own and an entire bottle of floor cleaner.
Sadie Hargrove lifted her hand, feeling the weight of the dark substance before letting it slide between her fingers in slow-motion glops. It fell with a wet plop back into the tub, barely making a ripple in the thick goo.
She cracked her eyes open and peered down at herself, but all she could see was the rich, chestnut-colored surface that swallowed her body from the neck down. The earthy scent filled her nostrils.
She was literally buried alive in what the glossy brochure promised.
“Mineral-rich clay, volcanic ash, and indigenous Sonoran mud.” The memory of those marketing words made her jaw clench.
“What the fuck is indigenous Sonoran mud?” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the ambient spa music that seemed designed to lull people into submission. “And why is it smeared all over my—”
The soft whoosh of a curtain pulling back had her whipping her head toward the doorway. A cheerful face popped in.
Sadie blinked. Tasha… or was it Sasha… wore a luxurious pale-blue wrap tunic with the Serenity Dunes Spa Retreat logo embroidered over her heart. The matching pants looked so soft, and they flowed when she walked.
“Greetings.” The woman’s voice carried the breathless enthusiasm of someone who’d had one too many shots of wheatgrass.
Now that she was closer, Sadie could see her name badge…
Tasha. Her honey-blond hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail so tight it seemed to stretch her features into a permanent expression of cheerful alertness.
Her skin had that dewy, ethereal quality that made Sadie wonder if it was natural radiance or expertly applied makeup designed to look effortlessly flawless.
Sadie eyed her suspiciously. “Is that real, or is there a serum for ‘I woke up like this’? ’Cause if there is, I need some,” she muttered.
Tasha’s perma-smile widened. “I was walking by and thought I heard you say something. Everything okay?”
“Me?” Sadie glanced down at her submerged body. “Yeah. Just... having a moment with the mud.”
“I know, right?” Tasha lowered her voice with the kind of theatrical excitement as if she’d just discovered the secret to eternal happiness. “It’s so relaxing. Detoxes the skin, eases the muscles, renews the spirit.” She added a little namaste gesture, hands pressed together under her chin.
Sadie offered a slow blink. “My spirit’s not sure if it wants to be detoxed or just dunked in coffee and left alone.”
Tasha’s laugh was gentle, melodic, and completely unaffected. “You’re doing great! First time in the mud is always the weirdest. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Tasha,” Sadie said, careful to get the name right.
Tasha was one of the many assistants, and Sasha must be the massage therapist she’d met upon arrival at guest intake.
Sadie had every intention of swapping tomorrow’s mud bath for something that didn’t involve being stewed in earth like a root vegetable.
Tasha stepped back with a little bounce in her step and swept the gauzy curtain closed with a flourish, sealing Sadie back into her dim-lit cocoon of solitude.
Soft ambient music drifted in through hidden speakers—chimes, flutes, and wind sounds that seemed scientifically designed to lull her into some kind of desert trance.
She really tried to make the most of the situation.
But all she could think was, This might be the weirdest thing I’ve ever done.
She leaned back against the soft foam pillow, feeling it cushion her skull as she tried to find some semblance of comfort in this bizarre setting.
Her gaze wandered around the small cubicle, with its beige walls, muted lighting that cast everything in sepia tones, and fabric panels that provided the illusion of privacy while muffling every sound from the corridor beyond.
Occasionally, someone would walk past, and her curtain would flutter, but the conversations remained muted, probably out of respect for the sanctity of the spa experience.
Wrapped in warmth and silence, surrounded by earth elements that had supposedly healed ancient tribes and modern CEOs alike, Sadie listened to the music.
It was now playing something to mimic ocean waves.
Or maybe sound engineered to convince people they were relaxed when they were marinating in muck.
Sadie closed her eyes and tried again. Deep breath in. Hold. Count to ten. Exhale slowly. Let the serenity sink in. Let the tension melt away. Let the glop of falling mud between her fingers remind her she was fully, undeniably immersed.
Lifting her hand again, she watched another thick strand of sludge stretch and drop like molasses. “Yep. Immersed,” she muttered. “Or slowly being absorbed by the earth. Same difference.”
There was no clock in the room. No phone. No smart watch. No way to keep track of time, which might’ve been part of the point. Or part of the torture. Either way, it made her twitchy. She had no idea how long she’d been in the mud or how much longer she was expected to soak.
Ten full days at Serenity Dunes Spa Retreat, an exclusive, luxury hideaway that looked like it belonged in Architectural Digest. In the middle of the Arizona desert, it had a gated entry, a guest-to-staff ratio rivaling five-star hotels, and more rules than the military.
When arriving at the Phoenix airport, she’d been greeted by a spa employee who welcomed her as she was escorted to a large van that offered refreshments while they waited for others.
The ever-smiling employee let them know that a spa van arrived every hour, so no one had to wait too long before being transported to the resort.
And since private vehicles or taxis weren’t allowed, it was all part of the experience.
When they arrived, Sadie had carefully viewed out the window, cataloging the area.
The road snaked endlessly through a barren expanse of red-and-tan earth and brittle brush.
Cacti rose high against the blue sky, their limbs reaching in twisted poses.
Beyond them, the golden sand dunes stretched beneath the haze of shimmering heat.
As they neared, the Serenity Dunes Spa Resort seemed to grow out of the desert with low, flat-roofed adobe structures the color of burnt clay. The architecture blended into the landscape, giving it a feeling of having been discovered more than built.
Around the main complex stretched a courtyard of sand and stone, dotted with desert succulents.
While the other guests in the van emitted sounds of delight, Sadie focused on the isolation—no towns, no roads in sight.
Beyond the gates lay nothing but miles of harsh, unforgiving desert, leaving the spa completely isolated.
Now, she was experiencing the full spa treatment.
She’d been running on fumes, held together by caffeine and stubbornness for a long time.
She cracked one eye open and sighed, letting her hands move through the mud with exaggerated slowness.
“This is self-care?” she mumbled, her voice flat with disbelief.
A knock just outside her bathing area pulled her attention away from her musings. “Yes? You can come in.” Her tone was sharper than she’d meant.
The curtain whispered open, and this time a man stepped into view.
Pale-blue tunic and pants. But this one wore a snow-white jacket over the ensemble, embroidered with the same elegant Serenity Dunes logo on the pocket.
His dark hair was pulled back into a low bun, and his expression was serene in the way only people who taught yoga for a living could manage.
Matteo. Or was it Marcus? She remembered him from orientation but couldn’t recall his name.
He was in charge of yoga and something called sound baths, which she still hadn’t figured out whether it involved actual water or just high-volume humming.
Staring at him, she wondered how the hell he managed to keep his jacket so white near the mud baths.
“Excuse me, Sadie. I’m Marcus,” he said with the same meditative cadence he’d used when welcoming them all during check-in. “Your time here is almost up. An assistant will be in shortly to guide you to the showers.”
“So I can’t play in the mud anymore?” she asked, lips twitching upward just slightly at the absurdity of the situation, or maybe the mud had finally gone to her head.
His serene expression didn’t change. “If you enjoy it, we can certainly schedule more mud treatments during your stay.”
The thought of voluntarily subjecting herself to this again made her backpedal quickly.
“Oh, no... I mean, I’d hate to monopolize the.
.. um... the benefits of this experience when other guests might be waiting.
” She forced what she hoped was a gracious smile, praying this would be her first and final encounter with therapeutic dirt.
He dipped his head in silent acknowledgment and stepped away, the curtain falling shut again behind him.
His soft footfalls disappeared down the corridor, followed by faint laughter from another cubicle. Someone was obviously having the time of their life being dipped in sediment.
“Tasha, the cheerleader, Marcus, the serene, and Matteo, the intense,” Sadie muttered, now remembering the other man with the dark look from their orientation.
But the thought of intense brought someone else to mind instantly.
Someone who managed to walk into a room and change the air pressure.
And my blood pressure. Someone whose presence lingered longer than it should. Todd Blake.
And just like that, the breath she’d been focusing on left her chest again, this time hard and heavy. She needed this change from staring at a computer screen all day, every day, and constantly being the one people came to for answers. But mostly, it was about needing time away from him.
For the next two weeks, she wouldn’t see him.
Hear his voice. Watch the way his eyes tracked her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
She wouldn’t have to think about that night.
That night, which she considered life-altering, while he was determined to just be coworkers. She was so tired of pretending.
She let her head fall back against the pillow again, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence and the scent of sage and lavender fill the space.
The curtain whispered open once more, and a woman stepped inside with quiet grace. Her voice, like her demeanor, was gentle. “Sadie, I’ll escort you to the shower facilities whenever you’re ready. After that, you can enjoy the mineral water baths.”
Nodding, Sadie chuckled. “Oh, I’m ready.
” She planted her hands on the sides of the tub and heaved herself upright.
The mud slid down her body in globs, heavy and clinging, leaving her feeling strangely lighter as the weight of the substance fell away.
The attendant moved closer with practiced efficiency, her gloved hands gentle but thorough as she helped remove the excess mud from Sadie’s skin.
Even though she was wearing a conservative one-piece bathing suit, the intimacy of having someone else tend to her body felt foreign and slightly overwhelming.
She could have gone in naked, but she had no intention of letting that sludge get into crevices better left clean.
With a small, polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Sadie stepped out of the cubicle and padded across the warm hallway floor. I’m still dripping mud!
Immediately, someone from housekeeping appeared silently and mopped the floor. In less than a moment, the floor was just as pristine as before.
Her attendant opened a door and motioned her into a private shower that looked like a work of art, with beautiful stone tiles in earth tones and a rainwater showerhead that gleamed under soft lights.
The attendant tested the water temperature with the dedication of someone preparing a baby’s bath, then stepped back to give Sadie privacy.
Sadie stood still for a moment, staring up at the cascade.
Then she stepped forward, letting the waterfall stream over her.
She watched the dirty water swirl around her feet and disappear down the drain, taking with it the earthy residue and some of the tension she’d been carrying in her shoulders.
This was nothing like her hurried morning routine of a quick, functional shower that was just another item to check off her daily list.
God, this feels good. For the first time in months, she simply stood still and felt the water cascade over her body.
The heat penetrated her muscles, and she found herself thinking about the last time she’d taken a shower that was about pleasure rather than necessity.
The memory that surfaced made her pulse quicken, and she quickly twisted the faucet handle, cutting off both the water and the dangerous direction of her thoughts.
This is exactly why I need this, she reminded herself as she toweled off with the spa’s impossibly soft terry cloth.
Time away from Montana. Time away from him.
For two weeks, I don’t have to see him or pretend that he doesn’t turn my carefully ordered world upside down just by existing in the same building.
She stepped back into the corridor. Her attendant reappeared, her steps quiet and measured as she guided Sadie toward the mineral baths.
The hallway was softly lit, the walls lined with curved adobe niches filled with candles and dried desert herbs.
Everything about the place whispered serenity… and luxury.
And still, Sadie couldn’t stop the thought from slipping in. Why doesn’t the idea of not seeing Todd make me happier? It should’ve been a relief. An escape. Instead, it felt like something unfinished was being put on pause.