Page 7 of Landon

Suddenly, his lips twitched. “Touché.” Nodding, he said, “The Fugates wanted this handled with discretion.”

She nodded, then sighed. “These situations suck.”

His eyes widened slightly.

She chuckled, then lifted a brow. “I’m sorry… that wasn’t professional. But does the wordsuckoffend you? If so, you’ll probably be shocked when I use words likeshit, damn, asshole, bitch,andfuck.”

Landon barked out laughter. “Okay, that wasn’t what I expected.”

“Sorry, again.” She laughed as her shoulders shook, glad for the distraction of seeing his face when it wasn’t set in stone. The smile was welcome, although it transformed his face from handsome to gorgeous. “I tend to let my mouth run rampant at times. My dad had been in the Navy and always said he owed his colorful language to his time in the military. It drove my mom nuts.” She leaned closer and whispered, “But I promise, I’ll beprofessional on the job, even if this is completely out of my realm of usual.”

“I’m sure.” He nodded.

She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. “Really, my life is very boring.”

This brought a lifted brow, and he shook his head. “I’m not sure I believe that at all.”

She smiled as his attention shifted to his phone, and his fingers began tapping. It was strange to miss having his attention suddenly. His deep-set gray-blue eyes were mesmerizing when aimed at her—almost like the sky before a storm. She was hardly a blushing schoolgirl, but it had been a while since her insides flip-flopped at the sight of a handsome man.It’s a good thing this trip will be over quickly… I might not be able to keep my composure while being around him for longer than a few days.Dismissing her wandering thoughts, she looked down at her phone and sent a message to her mom.

Getting ready to fly to Jamaica. Let you know when I land. Met the accompanying security. Nice man.

Her fingers hesitated.Nice man.She snorted and then quickly coughed to cover the first sound. She refused to see if Landon’s attention had shifted back to her with the ridiculous sounds she emitted. Continuing to text, she let her fingers fly over the keyboard once again.

Should be home the day after tomorrow. Love to all of you.

“Tell me what you know about the family.”

Landon’s softly spoken request surprised her. After hitting send on her text, she swung her head around to look at him. “I don’t know the family other than what I’ve been told since this morning. My boss got a call from Judge Waterford last night, and I was called later. Honestly, I had already gone to bed. He said I was on this case, and here I am.” She shrugged and added,“I have been in front of Judge Waterford with custody dispute cases to ensure the child’s best interest was presented, so I suppose he thought of me when the Fugates contacted him.”

“You’d never met the Fugates before?”

“No, but I have heard of them—from occasional pieces in the press. Wealthy Montana rancher donates to various causes and backs politicians… that kind of thing. I’ve never heard anything bad about them.” She cocked her head to the side. “What about you?”

“No. Just when my boss also assigned the case to me earlier today. With my background at the FBI, I seemed to be the right person for the job.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You used to work for the FBI?” When he nodded, she added, “I can see that.”

He remained quiet but lifted his brows in silent question.

“You have this... serious air about you,” she admitted, her voice soft but laced with curiosity.

His brows arched even higher, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. “You think FBI agents are serious all the time?”

She scrunched her nose, suddenly worried she might have overstepped. “It’s just… in my experience, they usually are. I’ve met a few during cases—mostly when they interviewed me or the children I was working with. They never seemed like the kind of people who smiled easily.”

Landon held her gaze, his expression unreadable, but after a moment, he gave a slow nod, acknowledging her observation without offering much in return. The silence between them stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead, it seemed to pulse with unspoken thoughts and questions.

Her natural curiosity sparked again, and she found herself wanting to ask why he left the Bureau. But she held back, recognizing that the question would be too personal forsomeone she’d just met. Still, the mystery surrounding him only deepened, making her wonder about the stories hidden behind those serious, watchful eyes.

Landon’s steady gaze remained fixed on her, a quiet intensity that made Noel feel both exposed and compelled to keep talking. The silence stretched between them, pressing down until she found herself filling it, almost against her will. “So, um… I remember reading about Stan and Pamela Fugate in the gossip columns once. There was this big scene outside a charity event.” His brow lifted slightly, prompting her to continue.

Noel rushed to explain, her words tumbling out in a hurried stream. “Apparently, Pamela had too much to drink, and when Stan tried to escort her outside, she caused a scene. She was screaming, yelling… it became such a spectacle that some nearby journalists snapped photos and wrote a pretty damning article.”

Landon nodded, offering no verbal response, his silence a steady undercurrent that seemed to draw more out of her.

Noel wondered if that was requisite for agents… or former agents—to stay silent until the other person blabbed all their secrets. Blowing out her breath, she added, “After that, the next thing in the papers was that they were getting a divorce. I obviously don’t run in the same circles, so that’s all I know.”

She was saved from her continued gossip column recitation when interrupted as the vehicle turned down a road leading to the private section of the airport. The SUV bypassed the bustling main terminal, heading toward a secluded area where sleek jets stood ready for departure.

---