Chapter Eleven
Landon
“What do you mean you only have one room?”
The clerk looks down at his computer once more and I can tell I’m getting on her nerves already. Any other day I would feel bad, but I am exhausted and just spent the last four hours in standstill traffic in Denver.
I know Allie was seconds from jumping out and walking by the way she started moving around and opening and closing the window. I can imagine being stuck in tight, immobile spaces is not the best place for her right now. And if I would have seen it coming, I would have taken a detour, but of course technology fails ninety percent of the time and we were stuck.
I wasn’t far behind her. My skin felt like I had jumped into a burning pit. I was out of water and my last stick of gum ran out of flavor around hour one. I guess I should have paid closer attention and realized that driving through the heart of Denver during a home football game wasn’t the best idea. Now here we are. I just want to get Allie into a room safely and find the closest open convenience store and sit in silence for a few hours. But that idea is fleeting, knowing that the only place left in Denver has only one room.
Glancing over my shoulder, Allie is standing silently against the counter.
“Sir, would you like the room? My apologies for rushing you. I just don’t want you to miss out in case someone books online before you can decide.”
Nodding, I don’t think and just hand over my card. Allie can have the room. I’ll sleep in the car or on a curb at this point. I just need to get to the store and try to relieve my now pounding headache.
The clerk hands over the key and directions to the room. Wordlessly, Allie and I walk out the front doors in search of the room.
Wading our way through the crowd of people still celebrating the win in the parking lot, we are steps from the door when some drunken dumbass carrying a bucket of beer…a literal fucking bucket of beer, trips and spills the contents of his bucket all over an unsuspecting Allie who was paying attention to a set of men running shirtless with fake guns through the lot.
Fucking Chaos.
Anger hits me like a ton of bricks and I drop the bag and step in front of a now soaked Allie. My hands grip the drunken asshole’s shirt and I lift him to balance on his toes. His head bobs to the side and a laugh escapes him.
Shaking him, I yell, “Hey! Earth to Professor Bucket.”
His drunken gaze meets mine and they go wide when they realize the predicament he’s in. He tries to escape, but I shake him one more time, fully dangling him in the air. “Listen here. You’re going to apologize to the kind lady you just spilled your piss beer on and then get the fuck out of here. Or I can promise you, a harsh hangover will be the least of your pain you will feel in the morning.”
I watch as the man visibly swallows, and he quickly gives me a scared nod.
“Good. Now that we have that settled. Apologize.”
Placing the man back on his feet, he stumbles to the side and my eyes roll. When is this night going to fucking end?
Grabbing the back of his shirt, I spin him around to Allie and my anger rises but also fear that I made the situation worse with my reaction. Allie’s terrified expression sends a wave of regret through me and I hate that I didn’t think before I acted.
Her bright blues are wide and she is shaking. Her hair is soaked and pieces lay against her face. And her gray, The Handle hoodie is covered in beer. She looks like she just jumped into a pool fully clothed.
Allie’s eyes dart between the man and me, fear and maybe a hint of anger clear as day on her face.
Clearing my throat and trying to rid my mind of the powerful stench of beer filling my nostrils, I say, “Sorry Allie. Didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just this—”
Allie shakes her head. “Not your fault. Thank you for…whatever the hell that was.”
I nod and shake the guy who has seemed to have fallen asleep. “Wake up,” I say sternly. His head pops up and his eyes go wide as he remembers where he is.
“I-I-I’mmm swoy miss.” His words are slurred. Any other day I would make him stand here and give a proper apology, but I can tell Allie wants to get the hell out of here.
Letting go of the idiot, I don’t bother trying to catch him as he stumbles and falls to the ground face first. Serves him right.
I know I am the last person who should judge anyone when it comes to their vices, but mine doesn’t hurt or put others in danger. The only person my vices are affecting is me. And they will remain that way because no one will ever see what lies behind my mask that I have spent years perfecting.
Nodding over my shoulder, I grab our bags and head to the room. I do my usual check of the room and wave Allie in.
She stands in the middle of the room and doesn’t move. “I’ll be back to drop off food in a little bit. I need to grab a blanket since I’ll be sleeping in the car, so I’ll be a little longer. Do you need anything?”
Allie doesn’t turn around and my body tenses. Something is wrong. I glance around the room and when I finally see what has Allie’s attention, my heart breaks.
Allie is staring into the mirror across the room. Her shoulder is slightly exposed and you can see a scar that is in the process of healing. And judging by her reaction, I assume this is the first time she is seeing her body since the kidnapping.
Not knowing what to do, I suggest, “Hey Allie. Do you want me to grab a flashlight out of the car so you can switch off the lights? I won’t be back for a bit so you can get dressed out here without the fear of me coming back. And when I do, I’ll text you before I knock.”
She doesn’t turn around, her eyes still locked on the mirror. “I can’t change. Clothes are wet.”
What? Since when?
Glancing around the room, I see the bag of clothes Logan sent. The small cloth bag is completely soaked in beer.
Shit.
Think Landon. Quickly . The last thing she needs is to trigger a panic attack after this long day.
“I—uh. There is a Target right down the road. I’ll go grab you some new clothes really quick. In the meantime, I’ll leave my flannel if you want to take that sweater off. I need to get new clothes, anyway. I’ve had the same ones on since New York, so if it gets soaked in beer, that’s fine.”
This time Allie turns, looking completely defeated. “Um. Yeah. I don’t have much of a choice thanks to that dickhead. Um…Thank you.”
Taking my flannel off, I take a step towards her and place the flannel on the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll grab us some food on the way back as well. Follow me to the door and lock the deadbolt and security lock, please?”
I wait for her to respond, but she just nods and follows me to the door.
I stand and listen to Allie locking the door before heading for the car, and take a deep breath. The muggy Denver air fills my nostrils and I thank whatever higher power that I am away from the stench of beer. Because truthfully, even if it isn’t my choice, I would take anything at this point to make the fire settle…even if it’s for just a millisecond.
Allie
Warm water cascades down my face and I thank the universe that I can finally wash the stench of beer out of my hair.
Don’t get me wrong, before my life turned upside down, I didn’t mind partaking in a beer every once in a while. And I definitely attended my fair share of college parties where the only drink of choice was some cheap shit that no one knew what it was or asked questions. But there is a big difference between enjoying it and swimming in it.
Today has been exhausting enough sitting in hours of traffic and wanting to be anywhere else besides trapped in a metal box with a guy I hardly know. I had moved past it when we got to this motel, but then I had to try to push away the guilt, knowing Landon would most likely be sleeping in his car. Then some drunken dickhead made me go for a swim in piss beer, then walking in to see the marks he left on me sent me into a spiral.
Landon was back in less than half an hour with a fresh set of clothes before he was off again to get us food. And I have to admit, I am freaking starving. I’ll give it to the guy. He has been trying his hardest to get me to eat three meals a day, but I haven’t been able to stomach more than one. I have an idea why, but that is a part of my mind I refuse to tap into.
After washing my hair three times and scrubbing my skin almost raw, I step out of the shower and avoid the mirror. I cannot handle another look today. I won’t be able to stomach it.
I quickly dress in the oversized band tee and leggings that Landon bought and ignore the embarrassing and highly awkward fact that he also included undergarments.
I am just about to sit down on the bed and find the remote to drown out the excessive partying still happening outside when a knock sounds on the door. I hesitate for a moment because I didn’t hear my phone go off with a text from Landon, but make my way over to the door thinking his hands are probably full of food and whatever else he grabbed on his outing.
Not bothering to look through the peephole, I open the door and immediately regret it when I come face to face with the man that dumped a bucket of beer on me. He is leaning against the door frame and when his focus dials in on me, he straightens and flashes me a creepy smile. Immediately, I move to step back and shut the door in his face, but he stops me.
“Hey lady. I just wanted to apologize for dumpin‘ my beer on ya. Can I offer you a drink as an apology?” His words sound more clear than the last time we spoke, but he is still drunk off his ass.
Slowly, I inch the door closed, so he doesn’t notice. “It’s fine. But no thank you, I’m not interested. You have a good night.” Once again, I go to shut the door and he stops me again.
My patience runs out and all the anger I pushed down earlier bubbles to the surface. Pulling the knife I have been hiding in the waistband of any pants I wear out, I step into him and hold it to his jugular. His eyes go wide and I can tell he’s caught off guard.
“Listen here, dickhead. I have had enough of men thinking they can push their way onto a woman just because they have a dick between their legs. Do you really think the best way to win over a woman is by forcing her? Because if so, newsflash bucko, it’s not. So I suggest you and your two-inch dick turn around and go back to whatever slimy hole you crawled out of before I accidentally slip and knick your neck with this pretty little knife.”
He stands frozen and because I am out of my goddamn mind, I continue, “And do not think that just because I let you off this time, I will the next time I see you. Because if you do come back, I will accidentally slip and my foot up your ass won’t be the only thing leaving you gasping for air.” I finish with a tiny tap to his jugular and take a step back, just to see Landon standing off to the side with a grin on his face.
Embarrassment floods me, and I turn my attention back to the man. He goes to scurry away, but Landon blocks his path.
Casually, with bags in his hands, he says, “She said it perfectly. But if you come back or I see you again, I can guarantee you her promises will look like rainbows compared to mine.” Stepping aside he allows the man to run away, but before he gets too far, he says, “Go Broncos!” Causing the crowd in the parking lot to start chanting, clueless to the fact that he and I just threatened a man's life.
I watch as the man walks into the crowd and as soon as he is out of sight, I step to the side, allowing Landon in and slump against the wall.
Landon rushes to set the bags on the bed, then closes door and secures the latch before returning to the bags. In the meantime, I sink to the floor and sit down. My hands shake as the adrenaline starts to wear off.
Holy shit. I just held a knife to a man’s throat and threatened his life. All while Landon watched from the sidelines. Who have I become?
My hands go around my knees that are tucked to my chest and my vision starts to blur as Landon crouches down in front of me, holding out a bag of food.
He waits for me to take the bag before sitting down in front of the door next to me, leaving a small amount of space between us.
Silence hangs between us for a moment before Landon speaks up. “You did great. You were strong and fucking badass. I know it was scary, but you should be proud of yourself. I certainly am.”
Not knowing what to say, I shrug and move to sit crisscross and start going through the bag of fried food. It’s full, and it makes me think he is waiting for me to split it between the two of us, but when I look over, he is emptying his own bag onto the floor.
Suddenly, hunger overtakes me as the smell of fries fills my nostrils. Grabbing a handful of fries, I glance over at Landon. I notice he isn’t in the same flannel and jeans he has been wearing. He is in dark grey sweats and a short sleeve Guns N Roses tee. For the first time, I can get a good look at his tattoos.
His arms are full of an array of broken pieces of art amongst smaller objects. I know they must mean something because not everyone gets a sword that has shards of broken art flying around it. But that isn’t the piece that is catching my eye. It is the small cursive script on his wrist that reads, overleve .
The silence surrounds us and my mind starts to wander. Before I can stop myself, I use a fry to point towards his wrist and say, “What does that mean?”
Landon must be lost in thought because he shakes his head and places his burger down. Grabbing a sip from his drink, he flashes me a questioning look.
“Your wrist. What does the overleve mean?”
His eyes cast down to his wrist and I can see his face morph into an expression I can’t quite place.
Crap. I shouldn’t have asked. I was being selfish and tried to get out of my head and ended up triggering the man who has done nothing but help me.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I know tattoos always hold a deeper meaning than just lines on skin. Most people probably don’t tell their closest friends the meaning behind the ink. And here I am, some random person you were sent to rescue from the middle of nowhere New York. I—”
Words fly out of my mouth so quickly that when Landon taps his knee against mine and says my name, I end up somehow choking on air. Landon reaches around me and hands me my drink, and as my coughing fit slows, I watch as he searches my face.
I go to speak, but he stops me. “Sorry. Didn’t mean for that to happen. You were just talking so fast and on a downward spiral, I just wanted to stop you before you crashed into rock bottom.”
Once again, this man renders me speechless, so I just nod.
A small chuckle escapes him and he looks back down at his wrist, his other hand moving to trace the tattoo. “It says survive in Norwegian.”
His gaze stays down at his wrist as he continues, “I got it about a year ago. We had a really tough mission. One I will never forget and it haunted all of us. I didn’t sleep for days and for the first time, I felt hopeless. Like I wasn’t doing enough and that the victim I had lost was because of my incompetence and inability to do my job. So on a very dark day, my mind drifted to a place it shouldn’t. And just as I was about to jump over the edge into a place I would never come back from, I got a call from a former victim.
“She thanked me and told me how grateful she was and that she wouldn’t be here and about to welcome a baby girl if it wasn’t for me. So I took that as my sign. I needed to survive the pain to get to moments like that, because even though there are days where the losses hurt, if I think of her and where she is now, I can survive my mind and help others.”
Wetness coats my cheek and I don’t even realize I am crying. I quickly wipe it away before Landon notices.
“Wow. That’s sad and incredible at the same time,” I say, barely above a whisper.
Landon nods and returns his gaze towards me. “Yeah. It is.”
“It's beautiful but also incredibly heartbreaking.”
“Most of the time, pain hides behind a beautiful smile, trying to hide it from the rest of the world.“
“Yup.” His words couldn’t be more true, and I feel them all the way to the center of my broken soul.
Landon lets out a sigh and leans back against the door just as something sounds on the other side of it, followed by laughter breaking up the tense but emotional moment.
Jeez. It’s going to be a really long night.
He will never sleep if he has to go out in the car. And honestly, I may have seemed brave for all of ten seconds to the drunken idiot, but the idea of him coming back while I’m sleeping terrifies me.
So before I can talk myself out of it, I turn slightly towards Landon and say, “We both need sleep before the final stretch to Washington tomorrow. And I am a little concerned that guy may come back. So…umm…if you want to sleep in here, you can.”
Landon’s brows raise and he tilts his head slightly. “Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Shaking my head, “It’s the least I can do. You got me food, clothes, and helped me seem way more intimidating than I look.”
“Well, if you’re sure. I’ll crash on the floor near the door so you can have the rest of the room.”
I want to object, but the look on his face says it would be pointless, so I sigh and lean back against the wall.
A comfortable silence stands between us, and I take in the moment. Landon Hayes is definitely an unexpected adventure. He is a mixed bag of enduring, fiercely protective of others but also himself. I can tell he has demons, but he’s not letting them stop him from protecting those that can’t do it for themselves.
“Uh. So I figured we were going to be up for a while with the partying, so I grabbed something. We don’t have to play, but I noticed it on the ottoman at your parents’ and took a risk. If it upsets you, tell me and I’ll throw it to the wolves outside.”
Slightly confused, I take a sip of my soda and watch as he pulls a deck of UNO cards out of his pocket. A hint of nostalgia and home hit me at once, but I tamper the tears down.
Mom, Dad, and I used to have heated battles every night I was home, and they are some of my best memories.
They begin playing like a movie in my mind and just as my emotions start to get the best of me, a loud bang sounds outside, snapping me out of memory lane.
Landon shakes his head and turns his attention back to me. “So, uh, do you want to play?”
I nod and watch as he deals the cards. He hands me my set of cards and places the drawing deck between us.
Landon nods for me to go first and I smirk when I see I have a hand full of wilds and I feel a smile spread across my face. Before placing my card down, I say, “Thank you for this. But just because this night…hell life is dark and deep, doesn’t mean I will go easy on you. This is my game and I don’t care if we have only known each other a few days. I will show no mercy.”
A laugh escapes him. “Oh, I have no doubt, Miss I just held a knife to some random’s jugular without an ounce of fear on her face. And just so you know. You can ask me about anything, anytime. Don’t ever feel like you can’t. I may not like the answer I have to give, but I promised I will always be honest with you, and I mean it. You are a strong girl Allie. Embrace it and know everyone can see it from miles away.”
And just like that, I feel what he had told me just a few minutes ago, a tiny ounce of pride knowing I took some power back into my hands.
Smiling, I say, “Just remember you asked for it.” And with that I lay down a draw four and watch as Landon shakes his head and matches mine with his own.
Oh, this night may be a long one, but it is going to be fun. And that’s exactly what I need at this moment.