Chapter 26
Todd’s fingers clicked back on the emergency connection to LSIMT, his laptop screen filling with the faces of his teammates still gathered around the Montana conference table.
The sight of their focus should have been reassuring, but all Todd felt was the crushing weight of time slipping away while Sadie was not with him.
“I need to go in with her,” he said without preamble, his voice carrying the edge of barely controlled desperation. “They suspect her. Had a housekeeper searching her room for contraband. She’s compromised, and she’s getting sicker by the hour.”
Logan leaned forward, his hazel eyes sharp with tactical assessment. “What’s her current condition?”
“Nauseous, weak, cognitive function slowing.” Each word felt like a knife twisting in Todd’s chest. “Whatever cocktail Selinski’s been feeding her through those massage oils and God knows what else, it’s accelerating.
She’s determined to infiltrate those offices tonight, and honestly, it might be her last chance before she’s too incapacitated to function. ”
“We need to pull her out,” Logan stated, his jaw tight with anger. “No one fucks with one of mine.”
“I agree, but she won’t give up,” Todd said, his chest tightening. “But I’ll get in, and get what we need, then get her out.”
Dalton’s fingers danced across his keyboard, pulling up the facility schematics they’d memorized. “Perimeter infiltration is doable, but getting you inside the main complex without triggering their security protocols will require precise coordination.”
“Casper, you’ll need to alter the camera feeds on the outer fence line so I can breach undetected,” Todd continued, his tactical mind engaging despite the emotional chaos threatening to overwhelm him.
“But I need Sadie with me when we access the administrative offices. Her cyber skills are essential for extracting the data, and if they catch on to our presence, I can’t protect her if we’re separated. ”
The admission of vulnerability hung in the air like a physical weight. Todd had never been a man who admitted to limitations, but when it came to Sadie’s safety, pride was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
“How mobile is she?” Cory asked, cutting straight to the heart of their dilemma.
“Mobile enough to function, but she said she’s getting weaker,” Todd replied, running frustrated hands through his hair. “She’s running on pure willpower and adrenaline at this point.”
“What the fuck drugs are they giving her?” Logan growled. “It can’t be what others have who are gaining mental acuity.”
“Either she’s one of the ones having a negative reaction or they’ve got her on something different,” Todd surmised.
Logan’s expression darkened with cold fury. “Timeline has moved up significantly. Cole will fly down with Cory and Sisco today. They’ll be in position within seven hours. This operation goes from intelligence gathering to full extraction mode.”
Relief flooded through Todd’s chest at the knowledge that backup was coming. “What’s the extraction plan?”
“A bird will be ready and waiting for Cole to operate once they arrive at the Phoenix airport,” Landon said. “I’m in contact with the FBI supervisor for the area.”
“He’ll position the helicopter at a predetermined landing zone just outside the perimeter,” Logan reported.
“Once you’ve secured the intelligence and extracted Sadie, you’ll have air support for immediate evacuation.
Sisco will be on hand for medical assistance.
If needed, we can get her straight to a Phoenix hospital. ”
Casper looked up from his multiple computer screens, his fingers tapping until he brought up what was needed. “I can maintain surveillance loop protocols for approximately four hours before their system administrators might notice anomalies. That’s your operational window.”
“Four hours,” Todd repeated, his mind already racing through the logistics of infiltration, data extraction, and escape. “If Sadie were in top form, that would be more than enough. I’ll have to make certain decisions once I’m there. I’ll make sure to get her out no matter what.”
“Extraction is the ultimate goal,” Logan agreed.
Landon spoke up. “FBI Agent Rodriguez in Phoenix will have a full tactical team on standby, ready to move the moment we have sufficient evidence to justify federal intervention.”
The knowledge that law enforcement would be standing by provided another layer of security, but Todd’s protective instincts demanded he assume the worst-case scenario. He just wanted Sadie out. “What about local law enforcement?” Todd asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
“Compromised or incompetent,” Dalton replied grimly. “Serenity Dunes has been operating in that area for three years without raising any official red flags. Either they’ve bought silence or local authorities are too understaffed to investigate properly.”
“Which means we’re on our own until federal assets arrive,” Todd concluded, the familiar weight of self-reliance settling on his shoulders.
It was a feeling he’d known throughout his military career.
When missions went sideways, you relied on your training, your teammates, and your willingness to do whatever was necessary.
But he’d lived through missions that were fucked, and he’d be damned if this one went fubar.
“Todd.” Logan’s voice carried a note of personal concern that transcended professional protocol. “I know what Sadie means to you. We all do. But don’t let emotion compromise tactical judgment. She needs you to think clearly, not just feel deeply.”
The warning was gentle but necessary, and Todd felt the truth of it resonate in his chest. Loving Sadie made him more determined to save her, but it could also make him reckless in ways that would get them both killed.
“Understood,” he replied, forcing professional composure over the protective fury that wanted to storm Serenity Dunes immediately, consequences be damned.
Todd’s mind shifted into the operational mode that had kept him alive through countless dangerous missions. The difference was that this time, the stakes weren’t just professional success or national security. They were personal in ways that made his chest ache with desperate need.
He checked his watch, calculating that the remaining time before sunset would provide cover for their infiltration and when he could expect Cole and crew to land. “I’ll use my time to conduct final reconnaissance and position myself for breach.”
“Be careful, brother.” Cory’s voice carried the warmth of genuine affection mixed with professional concern. “I’m heading to the hangar now, and we’ll be airborne since Cole is already getting the plane ready. Bring her home safely.”
“I want both of you to come home safe,” Logan corrected, his tone brooking no argument. “That’s an order.”
As the connection closed, leaving Todd alone in his hotel room with nothing but preparation and desperate hopes, he felt the full weight of what lay ahead settling on his shoulders.
As soon as it got dark, he would breach the spa resort to extract the woman he loved from a nightmare that was spiraling out of control.
Hold on, Sadie, he thought, beginning the methodical process of checking weapons and equipment, glad that Bert had anticipated everything that might be needed.
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 while napping, 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.