Page 49 of Landon

He didn’t wait for her response, his patience already worn thin. He turned on his heel and headed up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. He hated the burden of the news he had to deliver.

Stepping through Penny’s door, he observed Tad and Penny sitting on the edge of the bed. Noel sat on the thick-cushioned window seat directly before them. Penny was no longer crying, but her pale face and red, swollen eyes gave way to shock. Tad’s fallen expression gave him the appearance of someone with the weight of grief on his shoulders, and he swiped at his nose and eyes. Landon ached for them but steeled himself, knowing he was going to make things worse.

Noel watched him carefully as he made his way into the room. He wished he could convey everything to her in a glance to help prepare her for what was to come. Though they had only known each other briefly, she seemed to grasp the weight of what he was about to say. Her shoulders slumped slightly, bracing herself for the inevitable.

Hesitating wasn’t in Landon’s nature, but now, faced with the enormity of this moment, he faltered. Noel extended her hand toward him in an unspoken offer of solidarity. He took it gratefully, her touch grounding him. Sitting beside her on the bench, he turned to the children.

“Tad, Penny… there’s no way I can say this easily or try to sugarcoat what I need to tell you. You witnessed Mike having a heart attack earlier, and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect you from that. I need to let you know I just received a phone call from the hospital. Mike did not survive the heart attack. I'm sorry, kids. He died on the way to the hospital.”

Noel’s grip on his hand tightened, her fingers digging into his. The intensity of her hold mirrored the helplessness coursing through both of them.

Penny's wail sounded out, her anguish spilling over, and she began to sob again. Loosening her grip on his fingers, Noel moved to sit between the kids. She wound one arm around Penny, and the other reached for Tad.

Landon lost track of time as he sat quietly, allowing the children to deal with the initial grief. He let his thoughts wander to Mike. He was a familiar face they had grown up with—a friend, a mentor, and a surrogate family member. And now, someone who had admitted he’d come to commit murder.

He sighed, pushing those thoughts aside as Noel took Penny’s weight. Tad leaned to the side and rested his head on Noel’s shoulder.

Landon’s mind wandered to the women he had known in the military and the FBI—strong, capable, and fierce. They could take down opponents twice their size, shoot with deadly precision, and handle high-stress situations with ease. Yet looking at Noel, he realized that strength came in many forms.

Here was a woman who had chosen a path of compassion and care. She bore the weight of others’ grief, offering them a safe space to fall apart. She listened, she understood, and she validated their pain, giving them a chance to heal.

And at that moment, Landon knew—he wanted to be the one she could lean on. The one who would carry her burdens when it was her turn to break. He wanted to be the person who gave her the strength she so selflessly offered to others.

22

Hours later, Noel walked down the stairs quietly, fatigue pulling at her. The past two days had been exhausting.God, was it actually only about forty hours ago that my boss called me to tell me about coming here for Tad and Penny?She had experienced bizarre cases and had exhausting workdays, but she’d never experienced all that had been packed into these hours.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was met by Landon. She offered him what she thought was a smile, but as his gaze dropped to her mouth, she felt it was more of a grimace than a genuine smile.

His eyes lifted, and he jerked his chin upward. “How are they?”

"They’re both finally asleep. Penny was exhausted, and after eating and taking a hot bath, she quickly fell asleep. I hope that she doesn't wake up until the morning."

"And Tad?"

"Pretty much the same. The trauma, the drama, and then the grief finally knocked him out."

She stood on the bottom step, bringing her height closer to his face. His hands reached out and gently rested on her waist.In a movement so natural to her, she lifted her hands to his forearms and slid them upward to his shoulders, her fingers curling around the back of his neck. It was an intimate gesture, one easily found between friends or lovers. They certainly weren’t lovers, but after what they'd been through, she hoped they were friends.

Staring into his stormy gray eyes, the idea of them being lovers moved through her in a way that caused her fingers to grip a little tighter. She wondered if he picked up on the same feeling when his fingers dug in tighter to her waist.

She dragged her gaze beyond his shoulder to see who else was near. Not seeing or hearing anyone, she asked, "Where is everybody?"

“Cole has a room near the airport. He doesn't want to have any problem with the plane for tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Where are Frazier and Devil sleeping?”

“A two-bedroom guesthouse over the garage has a small kitchen and a large bathroom. Devil and Frazier will sleep there and be ready to leave first thing in the morning. Plus, that keeps them close by in case we need them. No one has seen Roger since he left, but the police are watching for him at the airports.”

She snorted and shook her head. "And Pamela?"

Landon grinned. "While you were upstairs with the kids, Pamela finally went into her room with the vodka. She’s halfway to being stinking drunk by now."

"I get the feeling a lot happened while I was upstairs with the kids for the past couple of hours." After the kids had eaten, Pamela had tried to cozy up to them, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut without making snide comments about Mike. The kids, still deep in the fresh throes of grief, were not in the mood to listen to their mom. Noel had encouraged them to walk outside with her for the fresh air and a little exercise. Andeven though it was early evening when they came back in, she encouraged the kids to try to get some sleep.

She sat with each of them and encouraged them to think of their good memories of Mike. They had questions about how his body would get back to the States, and she answered them honestly. They both video-chatted with their dad and grandparents, and while she didn't hover, she stayed close in case they needed her. By the time all that was over, the kids had finally fallen into their beds, sleep coming quickly.

"I'm not sure what it says about me," she said, still hanging on to his shoulders. “But I honestly couldn't care less if Pamela continues to drink through the night and isn't even around for goodbye in the morning."

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