Chapter 13
13
Throwing the vehicle door open, Landon jumped out and quickly shut the door to keep the rain from blowing inside. After a last look at Noel, who was staring at him, he turned away from her and jogged to the side of the road, where the leaves hung over the narrow lane and disappeared into the jungle's edge.
The jungle afforded some protection from the heaviest rain and wind. The hurricane was now labeled a tropical storm, skirting by Jamaica, and he already knew he wouldn’t want to be in anything more potent. Glad for the bag the Keepers always carried with them, he planned on an extra thank-you to Bert when he arrived back in Montana.
While the former agent always tried to be prepared for contingencies, this simple handoff of money, Pamela's signature, and accompanying the children back to Montana had turned into a clusterfuck. Tapping his radio earpiece, he reported back to LSIMT. “I can see the house in the distance. No lights are on in the two structures without a roof, and no lights are visible in the single-story one. There are lights on the lower level of the two-story building.”
As he came to the jungle's edge, he swiped his hand over his face, flinging the water to the side. Visibility was low, but he could easily discern the smaller building to the side and a larger two-story building right behind. “My guess is the kids are upstairs. I’m going to circle the building and use my snake camera. I may not be able to extricate them without deadly force.”
“We have already been in touch with the police commissioner and governor-general of Jamaica. We’ve been permitted to do what needs to be done to retrieve the children safely,” Logan acknowledged. “But then we would’ve done so no matter what they said.”
Landon nodded to himself, adrenaline pumping as he crept along the jungle’s edge, keeping to the shadows. The smaller structures nearby were empty and dilapidated, their missing roofs allowing the rain to drench the interiors. They were of no use, which only solidified his focus on the larger building ahead.
He moved stealthily, blending with the howling wind and pounding rain. The storm worked in his favor, swallowing the sound of his footsteps as he approached the outer wall of the main building. Pressing his body against the soaked surface, he took a moment to listen, though the storm's roar made it difficult to discern anything inside.
He pulled the small snake camera from his pocket, keeping his head down to alleviate much of the rain hitting him in the face. Once activated, he stretched the thin, bendable wire with a tiny camera at the end and curved it just over the edge of the windowsill. He knew the camera review was being sent back to LSIMT and what he could see on his watch face.
A crude wooden table in the center of the almost empty room was where two men sat in folding chairs, playing cards. They looked young… younger than he’d anticipated. One was barely out of his teens. They wore dark clothing, and dark balaclavas were pushed down around their necks.
No furniture was in the room except a mattress on the floor against the far wall. The single door at the back opened, and a man walked out, buckling his pants. Landon’s heart threatened to pound out of his chest for a second at the thought of what that man had been doing. As the man stepped out of the way, Landon observed a small toilet and sink in the tiny bathroom with the door now opened, and he let out a long, slow breath.
“We got fifteen minutes until we gotta go.”
The youngest looked up and grinned. “Payday, baby.”
The others laughed. “Fucking easy. She set it up so easy.”
She? Horticia? Was Noel wrong, and it was Pamela? Landon angled the camera to the other side of the room, where stairs leading to the second floor were visible.
“You gonna go up and get ’em?” the other seated man asked.
“Yeah… wave a gun around and threaten the little shits. They’ll be easy.”
Gaining the confirmation through his feed that Tad and Penny were upstairs, he knelt beneath the window, his movements deliberate and quiet as he assessed the rest of the structure. No external stairs led to the second floor, but the smaller building abutted the back of the larger one. A boarded-up window on the second story could provide an entry point.
Time was critical. Less than fifteen minutes to extract the kids and get them to safety. He keyed his radio, knowing Sadie would relay his movements to Noel, keeping her updated and ready.
The ground around the house was already muddy, and he slogged his way to a back window of the smaller building, noting a drain pipe running from the flat roof. Climbing onto the windowsill, he was able to reach the downspout. Gripping tightly, he struggled as the rain kept his grip slick. He gritted his teeth, every muscle straining as he shimmied upward. His knee finally found purchase on the roof, and with a final push, he hauled himself up.
Once there, he scrambled to his feet and hurried to the second-story window. The absence of iron bars was a stroke of luck. He could remove the wooden slats without too much trouble. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a flat metal tool. With practiced efficiency, he slipped it under the edge of the first board, applying pressure until it popped free. The storm muffled the sound, but he knew there was no time to waste.
One by one, the wooden slats came loose, each board discarded silently to the side. When the last piece gave way, Landon pushed the shutters open, the sudden gust of wind and rain spraying his face. He swept his penlight across the dim room, its beam cutting through the shadows.
Moving to the other side, he repeated the action and popped the bottom wooden slat from its fastening. He repeated the action until the wooden shutters could be jerked open.
In the far corner, two figures huddled together. Tad stood protectively in front of Penny, his arms spread wide, shielding her. Landon’s heart clenched at the sight, but he didn’t let the emotion slow him down.
Slipping inside, he whispered urgently, “Tad. Penny. I’m here to help. Your father sent me.”
Tad’s eyes widened, flickering between hope and fear. Penny peered out from behind her brother, her small frame trembling.
“Tad,” she whimpered, her voice barely audible, “What do we do?”
“I need you both to trust me,” he said, pulling out his ID and flashing it quickly. “I’m with Lighthouse Security in Montana. Your dad and grandparents sent me to bring you home. We don’t have much time. One of the men downstairs has demanded a ransom. We need to get out of here before they decide to come up.”
Tad’s gaze locked onto Landon’s, searching for the truth in his eyes. Landon held his breath, waiting for the boy’s decision. Finally, Tad turned to Penny and wrapped an arm around her.
“I trust him,” he said firmly. “Let’s go.”
Landon exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. The kids hurried toward him, only to recoil slightly as the cold rain lashed through the open window. Landon quickly motioned them forward.
“It’s okay. Just stay close to me,” he assured, positioning himself to guide them out. Every second counted now, and he wouldn’t let anything stop them from getting to safety.
Penny approached first, and Tad helped her over the windowsill and onto the roof, where she knelt, keeping her face down to keep the stinging rain from hitting her face. Tad quickly followed, and Landon led them to the side where the pipe went down.
“Tad, I’m going to lower you as far as I can, and then you can drop. The ground is soft, but I need you at the bottom to help get your sister.”
Without hesitation, Tad nodded. “I can do this.” With the agility of a monkey, he scrambled down the drainpipe, slipping and sliding until his feet were on the muddy ground.
“Climb on my back like we’re going to piggyback.” Landon softly ordered as he offered his hand to Penny.
She didn’t hesitate, and he squatted while she clambered onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He wasn’t sure if her hasty acquiescence was because she trusted him or if she just wanted to get closer to her brother. Either way, he was glad he didn’t waste time convincing her what she needed to do. She was slight in stature, but the descent wouldn't be easy with the elements working against them.
He grabbed the pipe with both hands, gave it a hard shake again to test its steadiness, and then swung himself off the edge of the building so they dangled against the side of the building.
“What the fuck?” an angry voice yelled from the upper window.
“Dammit!” Landon cursed under his breath. The shout came from the upper window, so there was no time for a careful descent now. He let go, dropping them to the muddy ground below. The impact jarred his knees, but he quickly recovered, helping Penny off his back as Tad rushed forward to catch her.
Before Landon could issue any further instructions, a gunshot rang out, echoing through the storm. “Down!” he barked, instinctively reaching for his weapon as he scanned the rooftop.
A heavy thud followed as a body crumpled to the ground, landing mere feet from where they stood. Penny’s scream pierced the air, but Landon’s focus remained on the fallen man. The older kidnapper lay writhing in the mud, blood seeping from a wound in his chest. His anguished cries mixed with the relentless sound of the storm.
“Shit!” Landon hissed, eyes snapping toward the tree line. There stood Noel, her gun still raised, eyes wide and locked on the man she’d just shot.
Tad and Penny scrambled away, fear evident in their every movement. Landon’s voice cut through the chaos, firm and commanding. “Go with her! She’s with me!”
Whether it was trust in Landon’s authority or sheer instinct, Tad pulled Penny to her feet and guided her toward Noel. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly as they made their way toward the relative safety of the trees.
“Noel!” Landon barked again, his gaze meeting hers. She blinked, snapping out of her daze, the shock in her eyes giving way to grim determination. “Take them!” he ordered. “Get back to the Jeep. I’ll cover.”
She hesitated, and he barked, “Now!”
Suddenly, she blinked and lowered the gun before whirling and turning toward the kids. “Come on. Stay with me. He’ll bring up the rear.”
Landon watched them disappear into the jungle, the rain swallowing their retreating forms. Only when he was sure they were safely away did he turn his attention back to the man on the ground. The two younger kidnappers inside were either unaware or too afraid to venture out into the storm after hearing the gunfire.
Kneeling beside the fallen man, Landon took a grim breath. The wound was fatal— he’d seen enough battlefield injuries to know the man wouldn’t survive until dawn. And his demise would be prolonged and agonizing. The decision to hasten the man’s death was made in an instant, driven by necessity, the cold reality of their situation, and the knowledge that it would show mercy, more than what the man would have shown them.
With a swift, decisive motion, Landon grasped the man’s head and twisted sharply. The snap of the spine was quick and merciful. The man’s body gave a final shudder before falling still.
Rising to his feet, Landon cast a glance toward the trees where Noel and the kids had vanished. He hated that she’d been forced to shoot, hated even more that she might have had to witness what he’d just done on a mission.
Landon raced to the closest window and peered inside, seeing the two younger kidnappers standing, their gazes filled with surprise as they stared up at the staircase, probably expecting their compadre to come down. He spied another gun lying on the table. Darting to the door, he kicked it in, splintering the wood.
One was reaching for the gun, and Landon fired, dropping the man where he stood. The other threw his hands up into the air, his eyes wide and a wet stain now on the front of his pants. “No, no… I surrender,” he cried.
Landon kept his weapon on the young man while he stalked forward and snatched the gun off the table. A glance around gave no evidence of another weapon. “You stay here, and you’ll live.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll stay. I won’t leave!”
Backing out the door, Landon ran to the trees on the opposite side where Noel and the kids had disappeared. If he was watched, then the jungle hid which direction they came from. Now, circling the building under the foliage cover, he hastened to where the Jeep was parked.
“Got the kids out of the building,” he radioed. “Noel has them. Kidnappers are disarmed. One dead. One wounded. One scared shitless.”
“Copy that,” Todd said.
“Heading to vehicle. Will make contact when we are on the road. What is the status of the storm?”
“Still a tropical storm, but while it is centered to the north of Jamaica, it has stalled slightly, so heavy rain and sustained winds will be experienced. Hope to get Cole there tomorrow.”
Disconnecting the call, Landon swiped at his rain-soaked goggles, pushing through the last of the jungle’s thick undergrowth. The muddy lane stretched out before him, slick and treacherous underfoot. His eyes locked onto the Jeep parked farther up the road, the engine running.
Jogging toward it, he felt the weight of the storm pressing down, the rain drumming against his shoulders. As he reached the driver’s side, he called out above the noise, “It’s me. Move over.”
Noel jumped as she whipped her head around. Seeing him, she nodded as a relieved smile eased the furrow in her brow. She clambered over the stick shift, her ass in the air. Landon blinked, stunned that in the middle of a rescue, in the middle of a storm, in the middle of a Jamaican jungle, he was noticing a woman’s ass. Christ… He shook his head to dislodge the thoughts.
As soon as she was clear, Landon yanked the door open and climbed into the driver’s seat. The interior was a welcome relief from the pounding storm. He ripped the goggles off, tossing them onto the dashboard.
Twisting to look at Noel, he softened his sharp gaze momentarily as he took in her appearance. Her wet hair clung to her face, droplets of water trailing down her cheeks. Her eyes, wide and intense, seemed even larger against her pale, rain-slicked skin. For a brief, irrational moment, all he could think about was kissing her again, the memory of their earlier kiss flaring to life. But the sound of movement in the back seat slammed him back to reality.
His attention snapped back to Noel, and the words came out harsher than he intended. “You didn’t stay in the vehicle.”
Her eyes widened in surprise at his tone, but the flash of relief quickly turned to defiance. She narrowed her gaze, the soft vulnerability replaced by a sharp glare. “And if I hadn’t come out, you might be lying in the mud with a bullet in you,” she retorted, her voice low but fierce.
Landon clenched his jaw, the truth of her words settling heavily between them. He couldn’t deny it. She had saved him.