Chapter 15
The crisp morning air filled Todd’s lungs as he jogged across the compound, his breath forming small clouds in the early light. Last night’s phone call with Sadie still had him riding high with her laugh echoing in his mind. For the first time in too long, hope had taken root in his chest.
That hope withered the moment he saw Mary’s face. Her wheelchair was rolled to the main building's doorway, her usually composed features tight with barely contained tension. The way her jaw clenched, the flash of something dark and urgent in her eyes, sent ice through his veins.
“I was just going to send out the notification to everyone, but you can head on in. Logan needs to see all the Keepers now.”
The words hit him like a physical blow. His heart lurched as every worst-case scenario flooded his mind. “Sadie? Is it Sadie?” Terror made his voice rough.
Mary’s expression flickered, revealing sympathy. She blinked hard, gave a quick shake of her head that did nothing to ease the panic clawing at his chest. “She’s fine. But you need to report to Logan. The others are coming.”
She’s fine. The words should have been a relief, but the tension radiating from Mary kept his nerves strung as tight as wire. Something was wrong, and if it wasn’t Sadie directly, it was connected to her mission. Which meant she was still in danger.
Todd didn’t waste time with questions. He rushed past Mary, his long strides eating up the distance as he hurried through the security checkpoints with practiced efficiency. His hands were steady on the biometric scanners, but his mind raced through possibilities, each one worse than the last.
The main compound room buzzed with nervous energy when he entered. The other Keepers clustered in small groups, their conversations dying as they noticed his arrival. Faces turned toward him, and the uncertainty in the room was palpable.
Cory and Devlin burst through the doors behind him, both breathing hard from their rush across the compound. “What’s going on?” Todd growled, his voice carrying the edge of barely restrained panic.
Heads shook around the room. No one knew anything.
They were all waiting, all suspended in the hellish limbo of not knowing what had happened.
The silence stretched taut until Logan’s footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Every head turned toward the sound, and Todd felt his shoulders bunch with tension as their leader strode into the room.
Logan’s face was carved from stone, revealing nothing, but the speed of his movements spoke volumes.
“We need a change of plans for Sadie’s assignment.
” Logan’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.
“Timothy has had an emergency. He became ill about two hours ago and finally called 911. He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, and I just got off the phone with them. He’s being prepped for an emergency appendectomy. ”
The room erupted. “Dammit!” “Fucking hell!” The curses flew from multiple throats, but Todd barely heard them over the roar of blood in his ears. Timothy was down. Sadie was alone, exposed, with no backup in a potentially hostile situation. The careful planning of her protection had just collapsed.
His vision sharpened to a laser focus on Logan.
Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to act.
“We need to get down there,” he said, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The words came out flat, controlled, but inside him, a storm raged.
He was aware of Logan’s intense stare and could feel the weight of assessment in those sharp eyes, but he didn’t care.
Professionalism be damned… Sadie needed him.
Logan nodded slowly. “Cole, you’ll need to fly one of us down there.
Once you get to Phoenix, a replacement Keeper will head on to Ajo and slide into Timothy’s place in the hotel near the spa, continuing to work with Sadie.
Cole, you’ll head over to the hospital. Timothy will be out of surgery by then, but I want someone with him. ”
One of us. Todd’s heart hammered against his ribs as he realized Logan hadn’t automatically assigned him to go. The possibility that someone else might take his place, as the one watching over Sadie, sent a spike of something primal through his chest.
“Me.” The word tore from him. “I’ll go to Sadie.”
He felt the subtle turn of heads, the weight of attention settling on him like a spotlight.
Part of him wanted to explain, as though to justify his request with professional reasoning.
But looking around at these men he’d worked beside for almost two years, seeing the knowing expressions on their faces, he realized the time for pretense was over.
If Cory was right and everyone already knew how he felt about Sadie, then there was no point in hiding anymore.
“Are you sure?” Logan’s question carried layers of meaning.
“Absolutely.” The word rang with conviction that came from somewhere deep in his bones. Todd forced himself to meet the eyes around the room, to acknowledge what they all knew. His throat felt tight, but he pushed the words out anyway.
“I’ve felt something for her for a long time, and forced it to the side, unfortunately being dismissive to her right after she was hired.
” The admission pricked his pride, but the truth felt better than the lies he’d been telling himself.
“It’s come to my attention that I haven’t been as good at hiding my interest as I thought I had. ”
He turned back to Logan, squaring his shoulders and blowing out a long breath. “I realize there isn’t a no-fraternization clause in our contracts with LSIMT, but I also know that we’re expected to conduct ourselves in a professional manner at all times, with each other, not just clients.”
His heart thundered in the silence that followed. Everything hung in the balance—his job, his reputation, his chance to be the one protecting Sadie. Logan’s face revealed nothing, and Todd found himself holding his breath.
“I have no problem with you going down with Cole and taking Timothy’s place,” Logan said in his typical no-nonsense manner.
Relief flooded through Todd so suddenly that his knees nearly buckled.
“I also have no doubt that you’ll conduct yourself in a professional manner. So if you want it, the mission is yours.”
“I want her safe, first and foremost. I’ve been working on this mission from here, so I understand what’s going on.
Plus, she and I had a conversation last night about her experiences there so far.
But I need to ask…” He swallowed hard, forcing himself to voice his deepest fear.
“Do you have any doubts about my taking this mission?”
If Logan thought someone else would be better… if Todd’s feelings made him a liability instead of an asset, he’d step aside. It would kill him, but he’d do it for her.
Logan’s slow headshake sent another wave of relief through him. “No, I don’t. And after what you just said, I really have no doubts.”
Todd let his gaze sweep the room again, and this time, he saw nothing but approval on the faces of his teammates. Cory was grinning outright, and even the usually stoic Casper looked pleased.
“It’s about damn time,” Cory said, and the chorus of agreement that followed made something warm unfurl in Todd’s chest despite everything.
Mary’s wheelchair hummed as she approached, her tablet already in her hands. The efficiency with which she’d prepared for his assignment told him everything he needed to know about how transparent his feelings had really been.
“What you need for the trip is on your tablet. You will be able to get into the room Timothy was in. I have Cole now listed as the medical contact for Timothy, as well as you and Logan.”
He stared at her, amazed as always by her uncanny ability to anticipate their needs. “How did you know I would replace Timothy?”
Mary’s smile was soft. “Let’s just say I hoped it was going to be you. It’s about time you stopped kidding yourself into thinking that the rest of us would have a problem with the two of you together.”
“Christ,” he muttered, heat creeping up his neck as laughter rippled through the room. But beneath the embarrassment was acceptance.
The next hour passed in a blur of preparation. He reviewed mission parameters with Dalton, his mind sharp now that action was finally possible. Every detail mattered because Sadie’s safety depended on his thoroughness.
In the equipment room, Bert loaded him up with everything he might need. Weapons, surveillance gear, and communication devices. They had no idea what Sadie might now encounter in the mission, and he wanted to be prepared.
His hands were steady as he packed, but inside him, anticipation and anxiety warred for dominance. Soon, he’d be near her. But that also meant facing whatever had been building between them and examining feelings he’d buried for too long.
Logan fell into step beside him as he headed to collect his personal gear.
“I get why you pushed her away after she was hired,” Logan began, his voice low.
“And no, I didn’t know anything at first. To be honest, I’m not the fastest to pick up on people’s emotions.
It was actually Vivian who said something to me.
It was after one of our cookouts about a year ago.
She wanted to know if I’d ever noticed how you and Sadie always looked at each other, but only when the other one wasn’t looking. From then on, I noticed.”
A year. Todd’s stomach dropped as he realized how long his feelings had been on display, how many knowing looks and subtle comments he’d dismissed as coincidence. The careful distance he’d maintained had been an illusion, and everyone had seen right through him.
“I felt something for her right away,” he admitted, the words coming easier now.
“And I’ll just say that I had met her the day before she was interviewed.
But as soon as I realized she was going to be a coworker, I figured any path to being with her again was shut off.
Unfortunately, I’m not really good with smooth words, so I indicated that what we’d shared was a mistake.
She got pissed… and understandably so. But I couldn’t figure out a way forward, so I just dug my heels in and considered us coworkers. She did the same.”
He’d thought he was protecting them both, but all he’d done was waste time they could have spent figuring it out together.
“I have no problem with whoever the Keepers end up with. Hell, Vivian and I worked on a mission together.” Logan’s tone was matter-of-fact, but Todd caught the underlying message.
“But all I ask for is not fucking up the team. I realize that it can happen in any relationship, but I’m selfish when it comes to my team. ”
“I understand. And I’m totally on board with that, Logan.
” The response came from his core, absolute, and unwavering.
This team was his family, his purpose. “I wasn’t expecting any change, but she and I talked last night, and it gave me the idea that we don’t have to be shut out of each other’s lives.
Don’t know what that’s going to mean for us, but I appreciate you letting me go down and ensuring that she’s got what she needs and is safe. ”
Logan’s handshake was firm, his nod carrying the weight of trust and expectation. As they reached the hangar, Todd felt the full magnitude of what lay ahead settling on his shoulders. He wasn’t just going to complete a mission… he was going to finally stop running from what he wanted most.
The plane’s engines were already warming up as Cole moved through his pre-flight routine with practiced efficiency. Six hours to Phoenix. Six hours to think about what he’d say to Sadie and how he’d bridge the gap his own fear had created between them.
But as he settled into his seat and felt the plane lift off, one thought rose above all the others. I’m finally going to her. After months of careful distance and buried longing, he was going to be at her side, keeping her safe, and ready to fight for whatever future they might build together.