Chapter 25
25
“I just need to get away from all of this.”
Those words echoed relentlessly in Landon’s mind, circling like a recording on replay. Over and over, he heard them but wasn’t sure of her meaning. Get away from the island? Get away from the assignment? Get away from discovering she’d actually shot a man? Get away from me? The last question had his gut in a knot. Glancing over at her, he was afraid to ask.
She had moved through the motions of leaving the resort with numb efficiency, her expressions a mask as they made their way to the airport. The plane Cole was flying was not nearly as plush as the charted flight they took to Jamaica. The seats were side by side with no tables. There was also no attendant, but there was a bathroom and a stocked refrigerator with food and drinks for self-serve.
Now, on the plane, she’d finally settled with the kids, color slowly returning to her cheeks as she encouraged them to eat. Despite everything, a soft smile played on her lips as she leaned close, giving them her undivided attention. But to him, there was a distance in her gaze, a subtle emptiness that unnerved him.
“She’s pretty amazing.” Devil’s rumbling voice broke Landon’s reverie. He looked over to see his friend seated across from him, his dark eyes softened in unexpected reflection.
Landon nodded, his voice rough. “Yes, she is.”
“Things seemed to be intense between the two of you,” Devil commented, the edge of his mouth twitching with amusement.
Landon managed a short laugh, glancing over. The large man with a dark beard could change between the devil and a teddy bear with just a glance. “Are you here to offer me relationship advice?”
Now, it was Devil's time to snort. “Do you need it?” Then his grin faded slightly. “If you do, I'm not sure I'm the right person to offer any.”
Landon remembered overhearing another Keeper mentioning that Devil had once had someone serious in his life, but Devil fucked it up. But then, as Landon glanced over toward Noel, he wondered if he had also fucked things up.
“She seems okay now,” Devil said.
It was strange for Landon to realize how well he seemed to know Noel after only meeting her a few days ago. Her voice was warm as she spoke with the kids. She smiled at them, nodding as they talked, and he knew she was counseling them about everything that had happened, including their complicated and ever-changing relationship with their mom. She spoke about their mom, both instructively and with great empathy. But he could also see the rigid way she held her body as though slightly disconnected and not quite there. Her spine was stiff, and her smile was warm, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Tension lines bracketed her mouth.
“She wasn’t prepared for this,” Landon muttered, his voice low. “I shouldn’t have let her go with me to get the kids. None of this was what she signed up for. She’s strong, sure, but she’s not used to… this.” He glanced over at Devil. “You and I, we’re used to assignments that go FUBAR. But Noel? She might’ve dealt with intense moments in her job, but nothing like what happened during that storm. Or what she faced on the beach today.”
Devil raised an eyebrow, thoughtful. “Noel’s resilient. She’s trained to manage tough emotions and keep moving forward. She’ll get through this.”
Landon’s brow furrowed, his voice barely a whisper. “I just can’t get her last words out of my head.”
Devil’s dark brows snapped together. “What did she say?”
“She said she just wanted to get home and forget about everything.”
Devil's expression continued to convey confusion. “I hate to break it to you, bro, but that sounds pretty normal.”
Landon held Devil's gaze and asked, "But what does she mean? The whole trip, or does she mean me?”
“Don't get pissed, but I take it the two of you… um… got together?”
"Yeah, you could say that. We didn't have time to talk about anything in the future when we got back to Montana, but we both said we wanted to see how far this thing between us could go.”
Devil nodded, and he slightly lifted his hands. "Well, there you go. She doesn't want to forget you. She just wants to forget all the shit that happened on the trip.”
“I can’t be sure of that.” Landon scowled, the knot in his chest tightening.
“Well, you sure as fuck aren’t gonna know by just sitting here grumbling to me.”
He wanted to tell Devil to fuck off but knew his friend was right. Landon was used to asking questions for information. He was used to finding out things. He was used to interrogations, watching body language, and listening to what was both said and unsaid. But glancing over at Noel, he felt lost. And he hated that feeling.
After a while, Penny yawned, and Noel stood to help lean her chair back. Tad did the same, and soon, both kids were asleep. Noel took blankets from the overhead bin and draped one over each of them. Devil stood and walked toward the back.
Noel glanced over, then moved to Landon.
"How are you?" he asked, reaching out to take her hand.
She offered a little smile. “Good. I'm good.”
Still holding her hand, he guided her to the seat that Devil had just abandoned. She quickly sat, and he took heart that she wasn't avoiding him.
“How are the kids?”
Noel’s gaze shot over to where Tad and Penny were now sleeping. “I've said it before—kids are very resilient, and that certainly goes for those two. I'm going to suggest to Stan that they get counseling for a lot of reasons. Obviously, the kidnapping was traumatic, and certainly what happened today was, too. But I think they’re trying to bury their hurt over their mom’s actions.”
Landon nodded. “I can understand. I've never gone through anything like that because I've always had my parents’ love and their actions to back up that emotion.”
“Same here.” She sighed. “And you put it very well. I think Pamela loves her children in her own way, but her actions don’t back up the emotion she should carry. In talking with them, I think Tad gave up on his mom earlier… even before this trip. Penny was hoping that her mom was just unused to small children. As Penny became older, she hoped they might have more in common. She is struggling with the realization that Pamela just isn't maternal.”
Landon nodded again but remained silent, trying to think what to say. After two days of him and Noel talking so easily, he was utterly stymied about what topic he could bring up that would keep them conversing. He glanced over, watching as she appeared fascinated with something out the plane window. Jesus, she's not even looking at me.
He hated the way their morning had ended. If we could've just lain in bed a little longer. If we could have fixed breakfast together without worrying about anyone else in the house. If we had had a chance to talk about what we hoped might happen when we got home. He grimaced and scrubbed his hand over his face. Here they were, worlds apart in the same space.
“It looks like we can have good weather going back,” Noel said.
"Um… yeah. Looks like it'll be nice.”
“Maybe it’ll be nice in Montana too,” she murmured, her gaze fixed on some distant point outside.
“That’d be good,” he replied, inwardly cringing at the hollow words that hung between them. This was what we’d become? Talking about the damn weather?
“Do you know what you'll recommend to the courts?” he asked, desperately trying to think of something they could discuss. It seemed like the only interesting thing he could come up with right now was about Tad and Penny. But considering the kids were the actual assignment, they should have been first and foremost on his mind anyway. Fuck, what the hell was happening to me?
Noel glanced his way, her expression shifting slightly. “I’ll recommend supervised visits. No unsupervised time with Pamela, and certainly no overnights. If Stan decides to fight for full custody, I’ll support him in that.”
He nodded and mumbled, “Good.” Another heavy silence settled over them, each mile they covered on this flight feeling like another wedge driving them apart. He glanced at his watch. This is going to be a long, fucking flight. Yet, it seemed as though time was slipping away.
Landon sensed someone beside him and turned, only to see Devil towering in the aisle, his expression caught somewhere between exasperation and determination.
With a dramatic sigh, Devil glanced first at him, then at Noel, and announced, "I can't stand this anymore."
Landon’s brow knit in confusion, and his gaze met Noel’s equally puzzled expression before they looked back at Devil.
"Uh… I’m sorry, what?" Noel stammered, her voice laced with bafflement.
“The fucking pair of you,” Devil declared, his large hands settling onto his hips like a displeased parent.
For a fleeting second, Landon wished for turbulence to witness the colossal Devil flop down onto his backside. But instead, he kept his tone calm as he said, "Look, Devil, this isn’t really your?—"
"Don’t even think about finishing that sentence, Landon," Devil interrupted, shooting him a stern look. "First of all, you’re a friend and a Keeper, which means I’m forced to care. And second"—he pivoted to Noel, his tone softening—"you’re a fierce, amazing woman. You deserve someone who knows it. And third—" His gaze swung back and forth between them like an umpire caught between home plate and first base. "If I have to listen to one more minute of your awkward, painful small talk on the rest of this flight to Montana, I’ll lose my fucking mind. I can't find my earbuds, so I'm stuck listening to the two of you."
Noel’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened. “I… I…”
“Shut it, sister,” Devil chided, raising a brow.
Landon couldn't decide whether to laugh or stand and shove his fist into Devil's face. “Devil, this isn't the time or the place. And, if you ever tell Noel to be quiet again, you and I will have problems, friends or not.”
Devil’s face lit up with a self-satisfied grin as if Landon had just confirmed everything he suspected. "Yep, that’s what I thought," he said, with a wink that seemed to promise more meddling yet to come.
Landon and Noel exchanged another look, both wide-eyed and speechless, their mouths slightly parted in shock. Before they could gather their wits, Devil leaned in with a knowing smirk, cutting off any protest.
“If you didn't have feelings for her, you wouldn't have threatened me. Oh sure, if you thought I was disrespecting a woman, you might have said something, but you wouldn’t have been quite so vehement.”
“Devil,” Noel said softly, drawing his attention down to her. “You're acting as though Landon has done something wrong. He's been nothing but wonderful this whole trip. Kind and supportive. Fabulous with the kids.” She looked up at Landon with a fond smile. “And so amazing with me.”
Devil's lips curled upward into a grin. “Yep, that's what I thought, too. Seems to me like Landon has been a lot more than just kind.”
He lowered himself to their level, bracing his forearms on the aisle armrest with a thoughtful sigh. “Listen, I get it. Missions make everything intense. Landon’s been through this, and Noel, as a social worker, you’ve seen your share of high-stakes situations. Emotions can get heightened. But that doesn't mean two people hook up just because of intense circumstances.”
Noel gasped, and Landon clenched his jaw, feeling the heat rise in his face. "Goddammit, Devil. We didn't hook up. That's not what this was, and you have got to shut the fuck up.” If they hadn't been in an airplane flying over the southern part of the United States, he might have considered shoving his so-called friend out of the emergency exit.
Devil shrugged, unfazed. “That's what I mean. You guys didn't hook up. Look, there's some kind of connection between the two of you, and whether or not it leads to anything is private. Believe it or not, I can understand private. But you two gotta talk about it. I realize this morning scared the shit out of you, Noel.”
Landon's gaze jumped over to see her eyes widen and her face pale. Before he could say anything, it was apparent Devil wasn't finished.
“You feel guilty, shocked, and have a large dose of what-the-fuck-happened running through you. Am I right?”
She nodded, her gaze holding on Landon before moving back to Devil.
“Think of it this way, sweetheart. What if you hadn't fired the gun? Taken that shot? Would you rather have had Landon shot? Or the kids?—”
"No!" she bit out, her eyes still wide. “No, not at all!”
“Then here's what you gotta think about. Just like any case you have where you have to make a difficult choice, you choose to do the right thing. Whether you never fired a gun or not, taking that shot was the right thing. The fact that you ended up hitting the fucker saved lives. It’s fucking amazing. Wish I’d seen it, and as it is, I'll be telling that story for years.”
Landon rolled his eyes but could see where his friend was going with his speech, so he remained quiet.
“Noel, honey,” Devil continued. "The only bad guys in this whole scenario were the actual bad guys. Once you accept that, you let go of the guilt.”
Noel stared momentarily, then Landon watched as her expression softened, and she nodded. Her small hand reached out and laid on Devil’s much larger one. “You're right. Thank you. It was all shocking, and I haven't had time to process it, but you're right.”
“Well, good. Glad we sorted that out,” Devil said. “And because of all the shit that’s been swirling around, two people who I happen to like have now started to doubt what might be going on between them. We got some hours before we land. I suggest the two of you stop talking about the fucking weather or the kids and have a fucking conversation about what the two of you would like to do once we land and get all the fucking assignment business taken care of.”
Landon looked at Noel, seeing her lips twitch upward. She stared at him, and as her gaze dropped to his mouth, he knew she was also witnessing his smile.
Her gaze moved to Devil. “You curse more than I do,” she said with a chuckle.
“Damn straight.” He grinned. “Well, it looks like my business here is done.” Devil rapped his knuckles against the armrest, then pushed himself to a stand.
Landon was surprised the seat didn't buckle with Devil's considerable weight pushing on it. With a wink and a swagger, his fellow Keeper walked to the back of the plane and settled into one of the seats.