Chapter 10
10
“Answer it and put it on speaker.” Landon knew the Keepers were monitoring Pamela’s calls, as well as Horticia’s, Roger’s, and Mike’s. He wanted to hear what was being said in real time.
Pamela tapped on the phone to answer the call and immediately hit the speaker button. “Yes? Um… hello?”
“This Pamela Fugate?” the male voice asked.
“Yes. Do you have my?—”
“Shut up and listen. We have your children and want money.”
She looked up at Landon, and he mouthed, “How much?”
“How much money do you want?” she asked, her voice still shaky.
“Five hundred thousand dollars,” he replied.
Pamela’s eyes widened, and Noel’s hand reached out to land on Landon’s arm. The ransom was the exact amount he was carrying. Now, there was no doubt that someone in this room perpetrated the kidnapping… and wasn’t very smart.
He mouthed, “Ask them how you know the children are okay.”
“Um… how do I know they… my children…” Her voice hitched. “Are okay?”
“Mom?”
Pamela gasped at the sound of Tad’s voice. “Tad!”
“Mom, we’re okay. Penny’s here with me. We?—”
“Shut up,” the male voice snapped. “They are here and fine… for now.”
Pamela’s gaze shot up to Landon, and he mouthed, “Ask them how to make the exchange.”
“How do we make the exchange?”
“You send money to?—”
Landon shook his head.
“No,” Pamela cried, her gaze never leaving Landon’s face.
“Exchange… at same time,” he mouthed.
“We have to make the exchange at the same time. I know I’ll be with my kids,” she said, her voice stronger.
There was no reply for a moment, and only muffled voices were heard. Finally, the speaker said, “Storm is coming. We will meet you at the intersection by the old mill off the A1. One hour.”
Landon shook his head and held up two fingers.
“It will take two hours… um, to get the money.”
“Fine. Two hours.”
“O… okay,” Pamela agreed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the call disconnected.
Landon immediately turned from the others and walked outside with his phone pressed to his ear. “What have you got?”
“The call came from an area east of Kellits. The signal came from a group of old houses on that road,” Todd reported.
“How long will it take me to get there?”
“About forty minutes,” Sadie confirmed. “Sending coordinates to you now.”
“I’ll go in alone,” Landon said, his voice firm, his gaze locked on the screen in front of him. “I’ll get the kids and come back here to pick up Mike and Noel.”
Logan’s voice crackled through the phone, heavy with tension. “Cole won’t make it down there in time for backup.”
“It won’t matter. If the storm has hit, we’ll be safe at the resort house. We’ll leave as soon as it’s safe.”
After finalizing a few more details with the Keepers, Landon ended the call but remained engrossed, scrolling through the maps and data Sadie sent him. His focus was so intense that he didn’t notice Noel until she was standing right beside him.
“You’re not going alone,” she said, her voice resolute.
Startled, Landon jerked his head around, his eyes narrowing as he took in her determined expression. “Noel, I can’t be responsible for?—”
“I’m not asking you to be responsible for me,” she interrupted, her tone unwavering. “But I was sent here to ensure the children’s well-being. I can’t do that sitting here on my ass.”
Landon shook his head, frustration lacing his words. “I’m not risking your life?—”
“And I’m not letting you go without me,” she shot back, her eyes blazing with defiance.
They stared at each other, the tension between them thick. Landon glared, hoping to intimidate her into backing down, but Noel stood her ground.
“Look, Noel,” he said tightly. “You’d be in my way. You don’t know what I might have to do to get the kids out safely.”
She lifted her chin. “If you think you’re scaring me, you aren’t. I’ve been inside prisons to talk to parents and pedophiles. I’ve stood next to child abusers in court, staring them down… wanting to put my fists through their faces, but had to rely on my words and wit to convince the judge or jury they needed to be put away. I might not know how to shoot a gun, but I can at least be close so that when you get the kids away from the kidnappers, I can be there for them.”
Her words hit him hard. Landon didn’t want her there, didn’t want to risk her safety, but he couldn’t deny she had a point. If the kids panicked, her calming presence could be invaluable. He took a long, deep breath, feeling the weight of her hand on his arm—a touch that somehow steadied him even as it seared through his skin like a brand.
Finally, he exhaled slowly, nodding. “Christ, I hope this isn’t the worst decision I’ve ever made.”
Noel’s lips quirked in a small, defiant smile. “If taking me along is the worst thing you’ve done, I might just be insulted.”
He squeezed her fingers gently, the contact grounding him. “If anything happens to you... that would be the worst.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but her resolve didn’t waver. She squeezed his arm reassuringly. “Then nothing will happen to me.”
“I won’t let it,” he vowed, his low voice filled with a promise he desperately hoped he could keep. He grabbed his phone, dialing quickly. “Noel’s coming with me. I’ll update you on our path.”
Before Logan could argue, Landon ended the call. He knew the risks, knew that taking a civilian on a mission like this was a gamble he wouldn’t normally take. But something about Noel—her strength, her determination—made him relent. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice steady but his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and dread.
They turned to head back inside the house when he stopped and looked down at her. “Say nothing about what Mike said. I’ll have my people check to see who he had been talking to.”
She nodded, then heaved a sigh before nodding again.
“You’re fuckin’ resilient, you know that?”
She huffed while shaking her head. “I’d better be if I want to make it through this assignment.”
“You’ve got that right. Let’s hope the crazy shit is over with.”
Once inside, they told the others that they would be making the exchange and bringing the kids back to the resort. “We’ll have to wait the storm out here, but we should be safe.”
“Pamela, can you show me where I can use the restroom while Landon gets everything ready,” Noel asked.
“I’ll show you, ma’am,” Horticia said. Pamela appeared to be in a stupor, and Noel followed the young Jamaican woman down the hall.
Landon walked to the kitchen table and opened the bag that he had brought with him. Inside was the money.
He pulled on a waterproof jacket, then slipped on the holster that would hold the two weapons he was taking with him. He hoped he wouldn’t need them but wasn’t sure about anything at this point.
“We’re leaving now,” Landon said. He had asked the police commissioner to keep a police officer there to watch Pamela, Horticia, Mike, and Roger, but with the worsening weather, he had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. Looking around at the four, he was glad Noel was going with him—he didn’t trust any of them.
Noel stood at the front door, her jacket on and a determined gleam in her eye. When he lifted a brow, she nodded.
With his hand on her back, they walked outside and over to the SUV Pamela had rented. Once inside and buckled, he looked over at Noel. “Ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Landon couldn’t stop his lips from spreading into a grin. “All right. Let’s get the kids.”