Page 29 of Landon

“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 kidsfurther, 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, reducingvisibility 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 forallcontingencies.”

“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 housebefore 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.

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