Chapter 14
14
Noel started shaking as soon as Landon left the vehicle, leaving her with a weapon and minimum instructions on how to fire it. He hadn’t been gone long when panic overcame her, and she’d slipped from the dry warmth of the Jeep. Staying at the edge of the road where the low, overhanging foliage hid her, she’d headed in the direction he’d taken.
When she spotted the building ahead, her breath caught in her lungs. Landon was on the flat rooftop of the lower structure, moving swiftly. Tad was dropping several feet from the drainpipe to the ground below. Penny climbed onto Landon’s back, and he swung over the side of the building. Tad’s arms were raised to assist if needed. Noel had started moving toward them when a figure appeared on the roof—a man, his weapon raised.
Her mind blanked with fear, and instincts kicked in. Raising the gun in the direction of the man, she pulled the trigger. The shot rang out louder than she’d expected, and the recoil jarred her arms.
The man’s cries were real as he pitched over the side of the building. He clutched his stomach when he hit the ground. She couldn’t believe that her gunshot startled him enough to fall off the roof. She was afraid to get closer, but Landon sent the kids to her with the order she was to take them to the Jeep.
Grabbing the kids by the hands, she led them quickly toward the road, the jungle’s dense foliage making it hard to navigate. The rain didn’t let up, blinding her as it poured down in relentless sheets. “Come on!” she urged, wiping her face, only for the rain to soak her again instantly. They stumbled onto the muddy road, and her heart lifted slightly when the Jeep appeared.
Noel made sure Tad and Penny were close. Tad seemed strong and determined to push through, but Penny struggled, her small frame weakened by fear and exhaustion. Her brother reached over and grabbed Penny’s hand, helping her to keep their pace. At the Jeep, Noel threw open the back door, helping Penny inside first. Tad stopped for a moment, swiping at the rain on his face. “Th... thank you for?—”
“Get in, honey,” she said gently but firmly, giving him a small, encouraging smile.
Once the kids were safely inside, Noel slid into the front passenger seat. She turned to check on them, finding them huddled together, eyes wide with lingering fear. Her heart clenched, and she softened her tone. “Tad, Penny, my name is Noel Lennox. I’m a social worker from Montana.”
“Montana?” Tad’s voice wavered with a mix of hope and disbelief. “Did our dad send you, too?”
“Yes, in a manner of speaking. But right now, all that matters is that we get you to safety.”
“Back to Mom’s place?” Penny asked.
Noel nodded, but when she saw the kids shiver, she said, “Let me get the engine started, and I’ll turn on the heat.” She climbed over the console, and once behind the wheel, she started the engine. Fiddling with the thermostat controls, she felt the air begin to warm. Before she had a chance to talk to the kids further, there was a rap on her window. “Shit!” she squeaked as she whipped around to see Landon standing in the pouring rain. She climbed back into the passenger seat, belatedly realizing she’d practically shoved her ass in his face as she did so. Twisting around, she managed to plop down unceremoniously. Water still dripped from her hair onto her face, and she swiped at her cheeks again.
Despite the chaos, the danger, and the storm still raging outside, there was a brief, shared moment of triumph between them. They had done it. The kids were safe. Even in the bizarre circumstances—soaked to the bone, adrenaline coursing through them—Noel felt the corners of her lips twitch into a small, exhausted smile. They had made it.
Then Landon opened his mouth and ruined the moment when he growled, “You didn’t stay in the vehicle.”
She blinked in surprise, then anger took hold, mixed with disbelief. “Seriously? I saved your life, and you’re fussing about me not staying here?”
“Mr. Landon?”
His gaze dragged from hers as he twisted around to look at the kids. “Landon is fine.”
“Um… are we going to Mom’s place now?” Tad asked, his chest heaving.
“Yes. It’ll take about thirty minutes… maybe longer due to the weather. But I’ll get you there as soon as we can.”
It seemed Landon wasn’t going to address her lack of following instructions anymore. Letting out a sigh, she sat sideways in the seat so that her body was facing Landon, and she could swing her head to either look out the windshield or to check on the kids in the back.
The narrow Jamaican road was a winding ribbon of asphalt cutting through the dense, rain-soaked jungle. The storm raged relentlessly, rain hammering down in thick sheets, reducing visibility to a few feet ahead. The windshield wipers fought a losing battle, barely able to clear the water before another wave of rain obscured the view again. The headlights illuminated the path ahead, but the jungle seemed to close in around the road, the towering trees and heavy foliage creating an almost claustrophobic tunnel.
Checking the back seat, she was heartened by Tad’s and Penny’s appearances. They were pale and still shaking with the adrenaline of their experience, but neither were crying nor unable to speak. She wished she could offer them food and water but had neither. As though knowing where her thoughts had gone, Landon said, “Tad? Turn around and open the brown rucksack just behind your seat. There are some protein bars inside.”
“When did you pack those?” she asked Landon as Tad and Penny followed his directions and began digging in the back.
“They were already packed in that bag.”
Tilting her head, she asked, “How did you know they would be needed?”
He looked at her and lifted a brow. “I packed the guns and didn’t know if they would be needed.”
Shivering slightly, she pushed down the reminder that she had fired a weapon and scared the man into falling off the roof. “I didn’t realize you’d come prepared for all contingencies.”
“Not all,” he admitted. “We have standard equipment we carry. Better to have it and not need it than vice versa.”
A protein bar was pushed between her and Landon. “Here,” Tad offered.
“Oh, thank you, but you and Penny make sure you have what you need,” she said. Her stomach started to growl, and she hoped it wasn’t heard over the pounding sounds of the storm outside. They hadn’t eaten since her meal on the plane. She had assumed they would have a meal or snack at Pamela’s house before they left the island, but that was before everything had blown apart when they arrived.
“Take it,” Landon encouraged. “There are plenty.” He lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror. “There are some water bottles in the same bag.”
Noel ate half of the protein bar, then handed the other half to Landon, glad when he accepted her offering. She looked in the back to see that Penny and Tad each had one but were sharing a bottle of water. She offered a little smile and said, “I know I told you that I was sent by your dad and grandparents. I suppose I should explain that a little bit. I’m a social worker who works with children of all ages.”
“I don’t understand why they sent you to escort us home from our vacation with Mom,” Penny said.
Tad jerked his head around and stared incredulously at her. “Really, Penny?”
Penny looked at him, scrunched her nose, and she sighed heavily. With a voice filled with pain, she asked, “Mom wasn’t supposed to bring us here, was she?”
Even though Tad had his arm around his sister, he shook his head. “Duh. Of course, she wasn’t. When did she ever do anything she was supposed to?”
“Tad, that’s not fair!” Penny looked out of her window and swiped at a tear falling down her cheek. Sighing again, she turned back to him, “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just that when we talk about Mom, I sometimes wish you weren’t right.”
“Me, too, Sis,” he agreed, sadness filling his voice.
“I’m really sorry,” Noel said. “But I’ll be honest with you. Your mom did not have permission to?—”
Suddenly, a low rumble reverberated through the air, growing louder and more menacing by the second. The ground seemed to shudder beneath the vehicle. Out of nowhere, a massive wave of mud and debris surged onto the road ahead, a churning mass of earth, rocks, and uprooted trees. The mudslide barreled down the hillside with terrifying speed, sweeping everything in its path.
“Fuck!” Landon cried out as the SUV lurched.
Noel screamed as the road before them seemed to shift and move. Her hand slammed onto the dashboard as Landon stepped on the brakes, bringing them to a skidding stop. He handled the vehicle with expert precision and probably a dose of luck to keep them from sliding too close to the edge of a ravine.
“What is it?” she cried.
“The fucking road has washed out. It looks like a mudslide.” She turned to look at him, noting the hard set of his jaw. He put the SUV into reverse and managed to turn around. “We’ll have to go a different way.”
He tapped into his earpiece. “Mudslide on the main highway. Reversing and going east, up into the mountains. We won’t be able to get back to the resort before dark. Let me know what’s up here.” He was silent, and Noel assumed whoever was on the other end was figuring out where they could go.
“Got it. Send it to me.” Another pause. “Good. Yeah. Make the call to the Fugates and to Pamela.”
He looked to the side, catching her gaze. “My people are sending info on an alternate route or a place to wait until the storm passes.”
He slowed to a stop and studied the images on his phone. “There’s a small building not too far from here.”
“How far?” she asked. “Can we get there?”
“Only about two more miles. We shouldn’t have any problems as long as there are no more mudslides.”
Their progress was slow as the rain slashed across the windshield, the road barely visible. The minutes ticked by. Suddenly, a loud crack split through the storm noise, and a tall tree fell across the road. Once again, Landon cursed, hitting the brakes. The SUV careened as it slid toward the edge of the road.
Noel cried out as the ravine loomed closer. The image of them pitching over the side of the mountain flew through her mind before he safely brought the vehicle to a stop again. “Oh God, what now?” Noel cried, dragging her gaze from the rain and wind-whipped visage out the windshield to Landon. His face was hard, his eyes as stormy as the view outside, and his nostrils flared as he appeared to fight to keep his breathing steady. She wondered if he would finally lose control, but he only twisted his head around to peer into the back seat.
“Everyone okay?”
Those two words slashed out but conveyed what they needed to. He was in charge and checking on those he’d vowed to protect.
“Y… yeah,” Tad said, his answer coming through his panting.
“Penny?” Landon asked. This time, his voice was softer. Noel felt a pull in her chest at how he took control, handled everything thrown at them, and still managed to care about how his question would sound to a young, frightened almost teenager.
Penny didn’t answer, but Noel looked to see her nodding her head.
Landon glanced down at the screen on his watch, then out the windshield. “It’s over there,” he said as he inclined his head to the side.
The fear had knocked out all rational thoughts from Noel. “What? What’s there?”
“The small shed.”
The wind howled around the SUV, shaking it with each fierce gust. Inside, Noel clutched the dashboard, her knuckles white with tension. She cast a glance into the back seat, her heart twisting as she saw the fear etched across Penny’s young face. The girl’s wide eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her small hands gripping Tad’s arm tightly.
Noel turned back to Landon, her voice soft but urgent. “Will it really be safer than staying in the vehicle?”
Landon’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, taking in the frightened children before meeting Noel’s eyes. His jaw tightened, and he spoke in a low, measured tone. “The road’s blocked now. We’re on a narrow stretch with a steep drop on the north side. If there’s another mudslide or washout, we could be pushed right over the edge.”
His words hung heavy in the air, punctuated by the relentless pounding of rain against the roof. In the back, Penny whimpered softly, her small frame trembling.
Noel swallowed hard. “Oh shit…” she murmured, the weight of their situation pressing down on her.
Landon made a sound that resembled a chuckle and a scoff. She wanted to be offended, but in truth, either would have been appropriate. Her brain was as scrambled as their trip so far, but Landon seemed to thrive on finding a new way to survive whatever was thrown at them. “Right,” she said, hoping she infused the one word with as much courage as she could muster.
“Okay, guys, here’s what we’re going to do. We need to get out of the vehicle on the driver’s side. I’ll get the bags out of the back. Then we’ll hike about… about the length of a football field to a small barn. At least we can stay as dry as possible, and since the storm winds aren’t predicted to get stronger, it will withstand the rain. Any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads, and he continued, “Right. Tad, you’re in charge of helping Penny get out, and Noel, you’ll carry the brown bag with the protein bars and water.”
“I’ll carry them,” Tad said. “Noel can help Penny.”
Noel jerked her gaze from Landon to the back seat, finding Tad's jaw set similarly to what she’d witnessed with Landon. Her heart squeezed, and she smiled. “Okay,” she said softly, dipping her chin toward the young man. Shifting her gaze to Penny, she said, “Looks like it’ll be you and me together, okay?”
Penny offered a forced smile in return. “Sure. Okay.”
Noel was once more impressed with the adaptability of the kids. She turned, her eyes locking onto Landon. This time, her attention was drawn to the subtle shift in his expression. His lips, usually set in a firm, no-nonsense line, were now softened, curving ever so slightly into the hint of a smile. The sight sent a flutter through her chest, and she fought the sudden, overwhelming urge to lean in, to bridge the small gap between them and see if his kiss would ignite the same spark, the same fire as before.
Her heart pounded as her gaze lingered on his mouth, remembering the rough, urgent way his lips had claimed hers earlier. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, and what she saw there stole her breath. His intense gaze locked onto her, holding her in place as though the storm outside had vanished, leaving only the charged space between them.
At that moment, she dared to hope—hope that he was thinking the same thing, feeling the same pull, the same longing. The tension crackled like electricity, the unspoken question hanging in the air. Would the next kiss be just as unforgettable?