Chapter 20
20
The SUV pulled into the resort house driveway and barely stopped when the front door opened. Mike rushed out, followed quickly by Pamela, both shoving each other out of the way. It was easy for Noel to see that the two of them could barely stand to be in each other’s company, both vying for the kids’ attention simultaneously.
Pamela pushed by the older man and screamed as she raced down the walk. “My babies! My babies!”
Tad opened his door and alighted. Pamela tried to grab him, but he turned and helped Penny down. Pamela continued to scream their names as her arms encircled them both. Frazier opened the back passenger door and lifted a brow at Landon. If she wondered why Frazier didn’t offer his hand to her, it was apparent when Landon grunted, “I’ve got her.”
Frazier grinned. “Figured you did.”
A smile curved her lips. She never thought the caveman approach was sexy but was about to change her opinion. Once she was out of the vehicle, all thoughts of the sexy Landon were set aside as she rounded the vehicle to stand with the kids. Mike hugged Tad and Penny while Pamela had blessedly stopped screaming as she stood to the side.
“Big Mike! I can’t believe you’re here!” Tad’s smile grew wider as he looked up at the familiar ranch manager.
“Your dad sent me to make sure you two had someone you knew to travel with you on the way home. But we never counted on anything happening.” He teared up. “Damn, I’m glad to see you. Your dad and grandparents will be overjoyed.”
“They’ve got their mother here!” Pamela bit out.
Seeing Penny’s pale face and dark circles underneath her eyes, Noel stepped forward. “The kids need a shower, clean clothes, and a good meal.”
“Yes, yes,” Pamela agreed, nodding emphatically. She looked toward a wide-eyed Horticia, standing at the entrance with Roger beside her. “Don’t just stand there! Get some food!”
Horticia nodded in haste before darting back inside, quickly followed by Roger. The fact that they had almost identical bandages on their foreheads struck Noel, something she hadn’t taken the time to notice when they’d first learned the kids had been taken. She glanced over at Landon, who stood with Devil and Frazier. The three men’s gazes were locked on the front where Horticia and Roger had stood, then bent their heads together as they talked. Pressing her lips tight, she returned her attention to Tad and Penny. “Let’s get inside.”
Horticia had sandwiches quickly made, along with an assortment of chips, salad, and a veggie tray. It struck Noel that the housekeeper must have known when they’d arrive, considering the food was already prepared. She encouraged the kids to go first, and then followed, not ashamed to admit she was hungry. Glancing over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Landon and smiled, knowing he would eat after the others were served. Tad and Penny sat at the table, while the adults moved around the open rooms. Noel stood at the counter, wanting to keep an eye on them while not hovering. After a few minutes, Roger sat at the table beside Tad.
“How’re you doin’, man?” Roger asked.
Tad turned to him, confusion in his eyes. “Um… good.”
“Must have been scary, getting taken like that.”
Tad’s brows snapped together, and he glanced at Penny before turning his attention back to his lunch and mumbling, “Yeah.”
Noel set her sandwich down on her plate, ready to blast Roger for his insensitivity. As she started to push away from the counter, she caught Landon’s gaze on her and the hasty but distinct shake of his head. She didn’t know why he wanted her to stay where she was, but she trusted him even though it felt wrong. Pressing her lips together, she remained in place but turned her attention back to the kitchen table.
“So, uh… did you talk to them or anything? Like have a conversation… or, um… hear them talking?” Roger pressed while glancing furtively around.
Noel noted Landon was facing Frazier, but she had no doubt his attention was focused. Casting her gaze, she noted Mike was near the glass door leading to the patio, and Horticia was at the opposite end of the counter, her hand rearranging the food on the platters while her eyes were on Roger. And Pamela was near the family room, looking at her phone.
The scene before her felt surreal, but Noel kept her mouth shut and monitored the kids. Penny was eating, but her slumped posture indicated the fatigue that Noel was sure the young girl would succumb to once she was fed and clean. But Roger appeared determined to ferret out more information.
Tad’s lips pinched as he finally glared at Roger. “No. They talked to themselves, but hardly anything was said to us. And why are you asking anyway? You’ve never shown interest in me or Penny before.”
Penny now gazed at the two of them, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?”
“Roger just keeps wanting to talk about what happened when we were gone,” Tad bit out.
Roger leaned back, and his hands lifted. “Hey, man, don’t get attitude. I’m just checkin’ on you?—”
“Tad’s right,” Penny said, her eyes narrowing. “You’re just here because Mom brings you.”
Noel was no longer willing to wait before wading in, but suddenly Pamela walked over, obviously finished with her texting.
“Oh, my babies, don’t be upset. You’re home with me now,” Pamela said, her eyes still teary.
Penny pushed away from the table and moved over to the counter to stand beside Noel. “I’m fine where I am,” Penny replied, her tone soft but with conviction.
“With her? But I’m your mom. I’m who you should come to?—”
“Really, Mom? You’re going to play that?” Tad bit out, now swinging his glare from Roger to Pamela.
Noel watched as his facial muscles tightened. No evidence of the little boy remained, as his actions were now fully replaced by those of an angry young man.
“Tad!” Pamela cried. “Don’t be like that! Roger, what did you say to them?”
“Me?” Roger growled, his face now red. He shoved his chair back, the legs scraping over the tiled floor. He stomped down the hall, and Noel noticed Horticia slipped quietly after him.
Noel wondered if Pamela had noticed the two disappearing, but her attention was focused on Tad.
It appeared Tad had reached his limit. “We know , Mom. We know why you brought us here. We know what you were doing with Dad. We know you were selling your rights away. We know!”
“Stop,” Pamela shouted, her gaze darting around the room, finally landing on a tearful Penny. “You’re upsetting your sister!”
“No, Mom,” Penny jumped in. “Tad’s just telling the truth.”
Pamela threw her arm out at Noel and narrowed her eyes. “What have you been telling my kids?”
“Stop it, Pamela,” Mike roared, his face red and mottled. “You and I know the truth. Stan shared it all with me. How you thought you could keep it from Tad and Penny, I have no idea.”
Noel stepped between Mike and Pamela while placing her hand on Tad’s shoulder and reaching for Penny with her other hand. “Penny, show me where your room is. Tad, you, too. I can help pack while you shower, and then we’ll leave.”
At her instructions, the kids moved in unison toward the stairs. Pamela opened her mouth, but Noel got there first. Leaning in, she added power to her words. “Your children have been traumatized. You don’t get to call the shots. This isn’t about you.” She looked up at Mike. “It’s not about you, either.”
He clamped his mouth tightly shut but nodded before walking over to where Landon, Frazier, and Devil stood. As her gaze moved to Landon, he winked, and her lips twitched. She dipped her head before following the kids up the staircase.
Once upstairs, she followed Tad into his room, pulling Penny along with her. Once inside, she turned to face them. “Guys, I know this is an emotional homecoming. My advice is to step back from your mom’s drama. Whatever is going to happen isn’t going to happen right now. Landon will report to your dad, and when we get back to Montana, you can talk to your dad about your feelings concerning the custody. But right now, you need to take care of yourselves.”
“Mike never liked Mom,” Penny said, her voice low.
“You can’t worry about that now,” Noel advised. Once she’d gained nods from both kids, she looked around. “I see you have your own bathroom, Tad. Do you have one, too, Penny?”
“Yes. And there’s lots of hot water,” Penny enthused, offering the first smile on her face since they’d arrived back at the resort. “You can use my bathroom and take one, too.”
“I’ll offer mine to Landon as soon as we’re finished so you both can shower,” Tad offered.
Noel blinked at the thought of her and Landon taking a shower… of course, her mind was filled with the image of them showering together?—
“Noel?”
“What?” she blurted, then blushed, seeing Penny’s gaze on her. “Sorry, I was just… never mind. Um… you two get cleaned up.” She followed Penny into the bedroom across the hall. It was filled with cream furniture, turquoise bed linens, and cream curtains blowing from the open balcony door. As Penny showered, Noel busied herself with placing the girl’s suitcase on the bed.
Hearing voices from outside, she moved to the balcony. Peering down, she observed Landon speaking to Mike.
“I want to know who the fuck had those kids kidnapped,” Mike growled.
“My people are monitoring the situation and reporting back to Stan,” Landon replied. “What you need to focus on is to stop arguing with Pamela. You said that your purpose on this trip was to provide a familiar face for the kids to trust when we showed up to take them back to Montana. That plan went to shit when they were kidnapped, and they now trust me and Noel. But they still have that connection with you. What they don’t need now is you getting in their mom’s face.”
“I know, I know,” Mike moaned, his fists landing on his hips as he shook his head slowly back and forth. “She just makes me so goddamned pissed. She thinks the kids don’t know what’s going on. But they’ve known for years that their mother was a mercenary bitch?—”
“That,” Landon bit out, his forefinger waving toward Mike’s face. “That right there needs to stop. You can feel how you feel, but don’t let that out to the kids after all they’ve been through.”
“Did she sign the paperwork and take the money?”
Landon sighed. “What do you think? With everything that’s happened to Tad and Penny, she’s playing with their sympathy. And your arguing with her isn’t helping. So, no, she just informed me that she’s not signing her rights over. She thought she could do it secretly, and the kids wouldn’t know. She also assumed she’d still see them when she returned to the States and was willing to sign anything to get the money. Now? She’s not going for it until she talks to Stan again.”
“She wants more money,” Mike growled.
“You’re probably right. But let me handle this, and then I will turn it over to be dealt with between Stan and Pamela and their attorneys.” With that, Landon walked back inside the house, and Noel heard the door close.
She started to walk back into Penny’s room, but her attention was snagged on Mike when he moved down the path a little ways and pulled out his phone. Curiosity had her listening to his side of the conversation.
“The kids are back and safe. Yeah, they seem to be as good as possible after their ordeal. I’ll take care of things here right before we leave.” After a long pause, Mike said, “I waited until the kids got back so that I could stick to our original plan. I’ll contact you as soon as it’s done and we get on the plane to come home. It’ll be good to get back to Montana.”
After another pause, he said, “Yeah, it’ll also be good to take care of this once and for all. No more wondering what the hell might come up next.”
With that, Mike stood for a few minutes, staring at the beach. Finally, he turned and took a step toward the house when his body jerked, and a gasp escaped his lips. His hand shot to his chest, his face contorting in pain. The color drained from his skin, leaving it an eerie gray. With a strangled cry, he dropped to his knees, and his body pitched forward, collapsing onto the wet ground.
“Mike!” Noel screamed, her voice slicing through the air. Without thinking, she bolted out of the room, her heart pounding in her chest. Halfway down the stairs, she collided with Landon, who was racing up, his expression hardening at her panicked face.
“It’s Mike!” she gasped, clutching at his shoulders. “I saw him on the patio… he clutched his chest and collapsed!”
Landon grabbed her hand, pulling her along as they rushed toward the sliding glass door. The officer watching the house came from the front, followed closely by Devil and Frazier. Landon threw the door open and sprinted toward Mike, who lay motionless on the path leading to the beach.
Noel was right behind him and watched as they rolled Mike over. His chest heaved with shallow breaths, his face pale and slick with sweat. She loosened his shirt buttons, and Mike reached up and tried to grab her arm. His mouth worked, but no sound came forth.
“Mike, Mike,” Noel said, leaning down closely. “We’re getting help. We’re calling for an ambulance.”
He gasped, his hand reaching for hers again. Landon’s hands pressed firmly into Mike’s chest, his focus unwavering as he began compression-only CPR. Noel looked at Landon, fear filling her, then up to Devil, who was on the phone.
“Ambulance is on the way. There’s a doctor at the resort, and he’s coming.”
Mike worked his mouth, his eyes on her. She leaned down, turning her head so that her ear was close to his mouth.
“Ca...Ill…” he rasped, the word barely audible.
Jerking her gaze back to him, she asked, “I know you’re ill. We’re getting help.” With all the noise around them, she looked up as Penny and Tad arrived downstairs, being held back by Frazier. Penny was sobbing, and Tad’s face was filled with anguish. She wanted to rush to them, to hold them, but Mike’s faint whisper pulled her attention back.
His lips moved again. This time, Noel pressed her ear close, straining to hear. His breath was weak, but the words chilled her to the bone. She blinked as she looked at his face again, but now his eyes were closed, and his lips stayed parted. It only took another minute before an ambulance arrived, alongside a car with a doctor inside.
Landon continued CPR until the rescue workers could load Mike onto a stretcher. As soon as the doors were shut and they drove away, Landon assisted Noel in standing. She didn’t move as cold seeped through her body. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
Landon’s breathing was steady, and she basked in his embrace, wanting to burrow deeper until she was no longer shaking. Finally, looking up, she swiped at the tears in her eyes.
“Noel,” he began, but she shook her head.
Seeing his brows lower, she glanced around before lifting on her toes. “Landon, I don’t want anyone else to hear this, but Mike whispered something to me.”
His eyes darkened. “What the hell did he say?”
Hesitating, she just stared wide-eyed up at him. She then looked around but didn’t see anyone close enough to hear what she needed to say. Nonetheless, she lifted on her toes with his hands still around her and whispered, “He said… he came to kill her.”
Landon’s body jerked, and his arms tightened around her. “What the fuck? Kill who?”
Shaking her head, she said, “I thought he just came to be with the kids. But he said, ‘I came to kill Pamela, but tell him I didn’t get a chance.’” She held Landon’s gaze, still shaking her head. “That’s all he said.”
“Christ, this is turning into a?—”
“Clusterfuck,” Noel supplied.
“Yeah,” Landon breathed as his arms stayed locked, pulling her close.