Chapter 7
WILLA
The meeting room would likely have felt cavernous but even with just eight people tucked around the table, it felt almost claustrophobic.
It didn”t help that her grandfather stood back waiting for her to meet the others first.
Landon took the lead, introducing her to the people gathered for the meeting.
Captain Alan Watts. Willa could tell that Landon respected the man. They were also friendly, something that made her relax around the Headquarters Captain almost immediately.
The next man looked like he might make people quake in their shoes with a look, but she saw how easily he changed his somewhat stoic expression to an easy smile.
He also didn”t wait for Landon to introduce him.
He took her hand in his, shaking it. ”Vicente Bravo, my wife Sloane would love to have you come to the house for a meal.”
His open smile and words staggered her back a bit.
Landon”s deep chuckle helped her steady herself. ”Vicente is FBI. His wife is Sloane King-”
”Sloane Bravo,” the FBI agent pushed back with a droll tone in his voice.
”Sloane King Bravo,” Landon amended. ”She”s the head of Helping Hearts. They-”
”They run some of the best women and children centered programs in all of Texas.” Willa took Vicente”s hand again but didn”t shake it. ”I would love to meet her and Hildie MacGowan, too. They”ve both been inspirations for me.”
Landon chuckled when Vicente looked a little shocked. ”Don”t underestimate Willa, Agent Bravo. She”ll amaze you.”
Vicente nodded. ”I know the three of you will get along like old friends.”
He stepped away and Willa felt a slight blush color her cheeks. Sloane King- Sloane King Bravo was a woman who made the concept of giving back to her community look like she lived and breathed it. The programs that she”d made available to women and children? Staggering and impressive didn”t even come close to defining it.
”This is Hayden Hatcher,” Landon gestured to the woman in a Sheriff”s Deputy uniform. ”Hayden is an incredible officer. I keep trying to convince her to apply to the Rangers.”
”I”m good where I am. I like the people and the area I serve.” Hayden took her hand and gave it a good squeeze before she relaxed her hold.
Willa just looked at her, stunned. ”You”re gorgeous, too.”
A few chuckles around the room startled Willa and she tried to pull away and hide her face from the others in the room.
Hayden wouldn”t let her do it. She changed her grip so that both of her hands were around Willa”s. ”That”s the nicest thing I”ve heard all week.” Then softer, she commented. ”Don”t look down, Willa. You hold your head up in this room and anywhere else you go. You don”t have to hide from anyone, especially this group. What you do is amazing and I”m glad they offered me a space on this taskforce. If they didn”t, I would have asked as soon as I found out about it.”
Willa nodded, some of her embarrassment having burned away. ”Thank you.”
The other officers in the room became somewhat of a blur, but Willa knew she”d remember their faces and she”d ask Landon about them later.
Landon paused when they were back at the beginning of the large oblong table. ”The only one who isn”t here right now is Weston Cooper. He”s-”
”Your cousin.” Willa smiled. “I remember him from that first night at the hospital. He came in to check on you and you both talked in the hallway for a bit.”
She knew that she”d shocked Landon with the memory.
He nodded. ”That”s one hell of a memory, Willa. He”s leading a SWAT team right now. They were called in to an active situation, but you”ll meet him soon.”
”Now, I think you”ve hogged her attention long enough, Ranger Cooper.”
Willa knew that Landon heard the edge that her grandfather had put into the way he”d said the word, Ranger. Likely everyone in the room had as well.
”District Attorney Rogers, I-”
”District Attorney, is it?”
Willa”s smile was tight-lipped as she looked up at him. She had no idea what point he was trying to make here.
He turned to look at the room and she recognized his expression without really seeing it.
”Willa Abelson is my granddaughter. I don”t see any conflict of interest here as I won”t be interacting with this group on a daily basis, but I will be reviewing each case with my team, and I will be on top of everything that”s happening.”
There was a long stretch of silence as her grandfather locked eyes with everyone in the room.
Willa wanted to melt into the floor.
Not only was she likely the youngest person in the room, but she was also the only person who wasn”t a professional in law or law enforcement. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to know that she was likely just some kind of Nepo-baby playing at this instead of being someone who was actively involved in trying to stop predators. She was dedicated and knowledgeable.
She just hoped that her grandfather hadn”t ruined this for her before she”d even really started.
”All right then,” he turned back to Willa with a large and genuine smile on his face, ”I”d love to stay, Willa, but I have to get back to my office. I”ll talk to you soon.”
He reached out and shook Landon”s hand. ”Take care of her, Ranger.”
OMG.
Seriously?
Landon”s voice didn”t waver as he responded back. ”Absolutely, sir.”
The district attorney turned back to her. ”And you tell me if you need anything, hmm?”
Then it happened.
The ringing death knell of her hope of being taken seriously.
Her grandfather leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
And then he left the room.
Willa smiled at the room as she sat down in the chair that Landon pulled out for her, but she didn”t dare meet anyone else”s eyes when she did it.
LANDON
Landon was fit to be tied.
The meeting ended up being a success because most of the people in the room knew how to judge a person by their hearts and their skills rather than who their family was. It turned out that three LEOs that he didn”t know very well were firmly added to the card file in his head for ”worthless” when they spent the rest of the meeting looking and talking around Willa.
He saw the frustration of everyone else reflected in their comments and scathing looks toward the dolts on his left.
It hadn”t taken long for Willa to lift her chin and dive right into the facts and talk about what they”d been doing on their own for months, or rather, just over a year as far as he could tell.
Landon saw the knowing nods from his Headquarters Captain and Agent Bravo across the table. Hayden Hatcher had taken her share of notes and added in a good deal of insight to the discussion. By the time they were done, Landon knew he”d have to try and draft some new members into the taskforce and drop the men who”d done more than their share of judging without even trying to get to know Willa.
They didn”t have time to prove anything to the men and Willa shouldn”t have to try.
As for her grandfather, Landon sighed, he”d have to figure out the best way to handle him. The last thing he wanted to do was get himself thrown off of the taskforce.
Sure, the District Attorney couldn”t keep him off of the taskforce since Captain Watts was in charge of putting it together, but Landon didn”t want Willa to have to worry about things like that. She had enough on her hands.
And her mind.
The drive back to her house was infinitely more quiet than the one to the meeting, but for a different reason.
Willa was on her phone the whole way back, furiously typing out notes as he drove.
As soon as he parked in her driveway, he sat back, watching her.
She figured it out a few moments after that, looking up at him with more than a little confusion. ”Are we home?”
”I just parked a few seconds ago.”
”Oh, sorry.” Her head ducked back down. ”I thought I”d be done with all of my notes before we got back. I”ll be done in just... in just a second.”
Smiling to himself. Landon opened his door and got out. He closed his door softly and looked up and around the porch as he moved around the front of the car. There were visible cameras in the corners of the porch and other cameras at the corners of the house. They were all visible and he was happy. It was exactly what he wanted. The idea wasn”t to catch someone doing something, it was to deter someone from doing something.
When he got to the passenger door, he looked in the window and gave himself a moment to think, but also a moment to observe.
Willa was hunched over her phone, but instead of looking like she was hiding away, she looked alive.
Vibrant.
There was something special about the way she threw herself into her work.
He was more than happy to see it.
She might not be all that outgoing, especially in groups, but she was alive with purpose when she was working.
Dazzling.
He smiled and struggled to bring himself under control.
Being around Willa was, in a way, intoxicating.
He really did love being near her when she was working, but he was also finding himself just happy to be near her.
Yes, he was becoming attached to her, even more than he”d been years ago. Back then, she”d pushed him away and he knew the emotional turmoil that he put her through being nearby.
She wasn”t pushing him away any longer, but he knew that was a far cry from wanting him around.
Letting out a breath, he quietly opened her door.
”No rush, Willa. I just want you to know that I”m here.”
Her fingers fairly flew over the keyboard on the screen and then she was done, sending one last message before she lowered her phone into her lap.
When she turned to look at him, she was smiling. ”I”m sorry. I know they don”t pay you to stand there holding my door. I just couldn”t quite shut off the thoughts in my head.”
He shook his head in response. ”No worries. I”m here for as long as you need me.”
He stepped back, holding the door.
“It looks like the cameras are up around the house. I bet they”re done hooking up the whole system.”
”They?” She looked a little worried when she slid off of the seat.
He felt her grab his offered hand before she touched the ground.
”There was someone here with Gus?”
Landon heard the slight panic in her voice as she ducked under his extended arm and moved toward the steps up to the porch.
”Willa? Wait!”
He closed the door and locked it with the fob in his pocket as he caught up to her before she reached the front door.
Willa grasped the doorknob and gave a little grunt as the door failed to open.
”Wait.” He knocked against the door frame. ”They changed the locks too.”
”Gus?” Willa”s hand knocked on the doorframe beside his. ”Gus! Are you in there?”
”Boss lady! Hold on! I”m coming... hold on!”
Landon turned to look at the driveway and the SUV. Everything was quiet for a moment before the door locks released and the door swung open.
”Hey! You”re back! You gotta see this system!”
Just as soon as Gus was in the doorway, he was gone.
It was only a random comical thought, but Landon could have sworn he saw a whirlwind of energy curling through the air behind him.
Willa rushed inside after Gus, leaving Landon behind to close the door and set the security alarm with the code he”d been given. After that he turned and found himself smiling at the rapid-fire conversation that the two coworkers were having.
It took a few minutes as he listened to the two and finally, he pulled a chair out and sat down to observe.
Landon caught a few identifiable words here and there.
”Awesome.”
”So his name is Tex?”
”He”s like M from James Bond. Super cool.”
”Super, huh?”
”He knows more than I do!”
”No... Really?”
”You know I don”t joke about ”puter skills, Boss.”
”He must be good.”
”Better than good. Almost... god like.”
That”s when Landon couldn”t hold it in any longer. He laughed and still, the two of them were oohing and ahhing over the tech and didn”t seem to notice that he was there.
It gave him a chance to take out his own phone and sent a message to Tex.
TRLC: Looks like your security system is a hit.
TEX: Really? I was a little worried. I wasn”t sure if your Willa would like it.
Landon read the line over again, his eyes focusing on two words.
Your Willa.
TRLC: She”s more about the use of the tech. I think Gus was the one who knows more about the tech and programming. Right now he”s gushing about you like a teenager gushes about Taylor Swift.
Three dots stayed on the screen for nearly half a minute before he got a response.
TEX: True praise indeed.
TRLC: Yeah. I think you sold Gus on the security, which, in turn, sold Willa. Thanks for setting things up so quickly.
Tex”s response was nearly immediate.
TEX: Absolutely. When it comes to the security of the people you love, it can”t be done fast enough. Glad you got to reconnect with her.
TRLC: Me, too.
TEX: Let me know what else I can help with or if she has any questions.
TRLC: Will do, thanks.
TEX: Anytime.
Landon felt a tap on his knee, and he looked up.
Willa was standing in front of him, smiling. ”Something came up?”
”Just telling Tex that his security system is a hit with the Boss.” He held up his phone so that she could see the screen, but she didn”t look away from his face.
”Not you, too.”
He was happy that she was still smiling at him. ”That”s what Gus calls you.”
It was at that moment that Gus appeared at Willa”s shoulder. ”I”m headed out if you guys are okay. I just wanted to stay and tell you that the security system your Winchester Brother set us up with is the shit.”
”Winchester?” Landon wasn”t quite sure how to take his words.
Willa rolled her eyes and waved him off. ”He”s talking about that Walker, Texas Ranger show. The new lead was one of the Winchester brothers on Supernatural.”
Landon nodded.
And nodded again.
”I got about half of that. And the half I got, I”m pretty sure I don”t understand.”
”Whoa. I”m outta here.” Gus held his hands up. ”I”m headed out. You two don”t get in any trouble, okay?”
Willa waved at him. ”Thanks, Gus.”
He disarmed the security panel at the door. ”Oh, and I got your notes from the meeting. When I get back to my place, I”ll repackage the information from our last couple of guys and send it to you to check before I send it to the taskforce roster.”
Landon opened his mouth and shut it again.
Both Willa and Gus looked at him waiting for him to speak.
He waved it off. ”I thought about it for a moment, and I was probably going to say something stupid.”
Willa laughed. ”Go ahead and say it. Better safe than sorry.”
”Okay,” he wasn”t sure that Gus would see it that way. ”Secure server?”
Gus started to roll his eyes, but Willa poked him in the chest.
”Hey!”
Willa rolled her eyes then. ”He”s just checking, Gus. Remember how long it took for us to get on the same page?”
Gus gave her a salute before he looked at Landon. ”Sorry, man. It was a little stupid, but you”re forgiven.”
”Thanks?”
Gus was gone a moment later and as soon as the front door clicked close, Landon realized that it was probably time for him to go.
The trouble is, he didn”t want to go.
He just didn”t have an excuse to stay.