Page 59 of Landon

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.”

---