Page 20 of Landon

She jumped at Landon calling her name. “Sorry. I was… sorry.”

“I asked if any new information had come in from here.”

Noel cut her eyes toward Pamela before turning her attention back to Landon. “I was just asking Pamela more questions.”

“And?”

“I asked about Roger… if he knew her plans or was in on her plans to come here with the children. Or even if he knew of her plans to fleece Stan.”

“I didn’t!” Pamela cried. “I was telling you that Roger is my friend. He wanted me to ask for more time down here just so we could enjoy it like we did last time.”

“Did he know about your plans?” Noel pressed. She glanced at Landon again, finding his attention riveted on her.

“Yes,” Pamela barely whispered.

“Whose idea was it?”

Pamela lifted a trembling hand to her brow, her face contorted in anguish. “I… well… I’m not sure. We talked about wanting to come to Jamaica for a vacation. I hadn’t thought about bringing the kids.”

Noel looked toward Landon, and he nodded, so she continued to press. “When did your plans change?”

Lifting a hand to her brow, Pamela winced. “Um… I can’t… I don’t… I want my children back?—”

Mike stepped closer, and Noel’s gaze shot to him. “You should have thought of that before you tried to sell them to their dad.” His voice was as hard as a rock, and his expression was justas unyielding. He was now leaning over the two women sitting on the sofa.

“Back up,” Noel ordered, anger flowing through her veins. “You’re not helping to find the children you care so much about.”

The tension crackled in the air, thick and suffocating. Tad and Penny were out there somewhere, and every wasted second felt like a blow to Noel’s resolve. Just as Mike seemed ready to push further, a furious Landon intervened, yanking him back with a firm grip.

“Move away, man. If we want those kids back and safe, then we’ve got to know what the fuck we’re dealing with. I’m working with my people, and Noel’s doing great getting Pamela to talk. If you can’t help, go somewhere, sit down, and shut up.”

Mike's sneer turned into a grimace. “I love those kids…”

“Then stop interfering,” Landon ordered.

Mike turned and walked over to the sliding door, then onto the porch. Noel nodded at Landon, then glanced at Horticia in the kitchen, bandaging Roger’s head. Her gaze remained on them momentarily, their mannerisms seeming closer than she would have expected. She jerked suddenly as Landon moved closer. Turning back to Pamela, she kept her voice soft but firm. “If you want your children back, you have to start talking. When did your plans change? Whose idea was it to bring the kids along?”

Pamela's gaze seemed to focus. “I wanted to bring the kids. They live at the ranch and are always doing things there. I live in a condo now, and while there is a pool, a park, and tennis courts, there’s not as much for them to do.” She scoffed. “At this age, they’re so active that when I have them, I can’t compete with their life with their dad.” Her face started to crumple.

Noel jumped in again. “You asked for a week, then decided to bring them for the weekend. Why? And whose idea was it tothreaten Stan that you would keep them here? Which is a really half-baked idea… surely you had to have known that.”

“It was mine! Okay? It was my idea!” Noel jumped as Roger walked into the room, his forehead bandaged and blood stains still covering his collar where it had dripped.

“What was the plan?” Landon asked, moving closer to the young man whose face was contorted with either pain, fear, or anger… or a combination of all those emotions.

“She came back from asking Stan if the kids could come for a week and was upset. She was getting the kids for the weekend anyway, so I told her we should just come on and bring the kids with us. They could at least have a weekend here.”

“How did a weekend getaway, which the father didn’t agree to, turn into an extortion plan to offer giving up visitation rights for money?” Landon continued.

Noel watched Pamela closely. She was more interested in the mom’s reaction to Roger’s words than in what he had to say. Pamela stared at Roger with confusion, tilting her head to the side.

“When we arrived yesterday, Pamela was happy, and the kids seemed to have a good time. I told her that she ought to let Stan know where the kids were, and… I kinda joked that she could tell him that if he wanted them back, he’d need to up her alimony.”

Noel swung her gaze over to see Roger grab the back of his neck, shrug, and look down at his feet. “I don’t know… the idea just kind of bloomed from there. We’d been drinking, and she called Stan while the kids were sleeping. It was… it just happened from there.”

Pamela’s eyes widened, and her lips pressed together. Noel watched Roger who was now staring at Pamela with an almost pleading little-boy expression. Horticia walked into the room, her face splotchy from crying, but her eyes boring straight into the back of Roger’s head.

Then Pamela’s phone rang, and everyone’s gazes jumped to the device vibrating on the coffee table. She looked down and shook her head. “I don’t recognize the number.”

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