Chapter 9
The harsh sunlight had Faith letting out a groan and burying her face in the pillow.
“Get up, Faith.” Came a familiar voice, just as the delicious smell of breakfast surrounded her. She cracked one eyes open and her eyes saw a white tray laying against the black bed sheets. It was what was on the tray that had her sitting up.
“Is that coffee?” She demanded, her voice hoarse.
“Freshly brewed. Brought you the first cup.” Landon informed her, as he placed a small breakfast table in front of her as Faith dragged on his shirt.
“Breakfast in bed,” Faith tried not to smile at that. “You seem to be compensating for something.”
She chuckled when Landon just looked at her over his own cup, and then raised a hand in warning, “Don’t even think about it. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk for a week after last night.”
He had been relentless. She had never met anybody who was as sexual as Landon was and her heart fluttered at how he had worshipped her body last night.
The things he had murmured into her ear as he had left her dangling on the edge, made her blush.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked, one brow quirked and a smirk on his lips.
“I have a meeting with your parents today.” Faith bit into a piece of scrambled egg and nearly choked, “Sugar?”
Landon frowned and took the bite she offered. He made a face, “I thought I was putting in salt. You don’t have to eat that. I’ll-“
The crestfallen expression on his face had appeared for just a second, but Faith had seen it and it melted her heart, and she shoved in another bite, “Are you kidding? I love it.”
“You do?” His eyes lit up, and Faith wondered if this was the first time he had cooked for someone.
“I’ve never had someone bring me breakfast in bed before,” she confessed.
He smiled at her and Faith saw a boyish side of him that was hidden behind his dominating attitude.
“So,” she looked at him. “Now what?”
“Rogers parked your car outside, and I’ve arranged to have someone change the locks of your apartment.”
Faith set her fork down, giving him a pained look, “I was talking about us. But now that you mention it, I’m going to start looking for another apartment. One that is preferable not on the ground floor. I don’t want to go back there. I keep wondering how many times he was there when I was sleeping. Did he touch me? Did he watch me sleep?”
She shivered, her eyes looking haunted, and wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off something, “I’m trying to compartmentalize. I don’t want to think about it. I want to let the police do their job but I don’t feel safe. What if I go out to buy some milk and he’s there? I don’t even know who this guy is.”
Landon growled, and dragged her into his lap, forcing her to look at him, “I’m not leaving your side. Henry checked up on your ex boyfriend. He has regular therapy sessions and he hasn’t missed any so we know it’s not him. Whoever it is, we’ll find them. In the meantime, I don’t mind a little hands on work on this project myself. This fucker isn’t getting close to you.”
As he felt her tears on his chest, he begged, “Come on, Faith. Please don’t cry. I don’t – What do I- Faith.”
His helplessness at her tears made Faith cry even harder as all the fears that had jumbled themselves up in her mind started coming out, “You’re a jerk!” She sobbed him. “I was so horrible to you and you’re taking care of me and I’m so scared and I want to run away and hide but I don’t want to be a coward. And you had me all churned up and I couldn’t think!”
Her babbling continued and Landon realized that the tension from these past two days had been built up inside of her and she needed to let it out. So, he let her cry on him and patted her back, “Do I offer you tissue? Or chocolate?” he whispered in her ear. “I heard when women cry, you give them chocolate.”
“I don’t want chocolate,” she wailed and proceeded to wrap herself around him.
“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.” He told her and lay down, letting her light form curl around his, seeking his body heat.
It took a few minutes for her sobs to turn into sniffles, and he tried not to laugh when she mumbled, “I wouldn’t mind some chocolate now.”
He didn’t care how stupid it sounded, but his heart nearly melted at that sulky statement, “Yeah?”
They lay in silence for a while, and then Faith turned to look at him, “I didn’t mean to cry on you.”
“You’ve had a couple of rough days. I’m surprised you held it together for so long. Also,” he kissed her forehead, “When you asked about us, my answer to that is that I want you in my life.”
Faith blinked, “I just cried on you.”
Landon pursed his lips, “And I wanted to kiss your hurt better and make you laugh, and not run for the nearest exit. What does that tell you?”
Faith’s lips curved, “I’m glad this happened. You. Us.”
Landon grinned, “So you aren’t going to-“
Faith’s hand clamped on his mouth as she glared at him, “I swear, if you bring that incident up again, I will hurt you.”
Landon removed her hand and laughed, dragging her into his arms and kissing her senseless.
***
The next few days went by fast.
True to his word, Landon made sure she was never alone.
Of course, he didn’t start following her everywhere, but she realized that wherever she went, someone or another was always with her. Naomi and Jack stuck to her like glue in the office.
When she complained they were suffocating her, they edged their desks closer to her and gave her serene smiles.
“I swear to God, Jack. Can you chew any louder?”
Jack looked her in the eye, his legs on his desk as his laptop and bag of chips were balanced on his lap, “Challenge accepted.”
The resulting next few seconds had Naomi threatening to castrate him with Faith offering to hold him down.
That was the scene Landon walked into and he wondered why his lover was holding Jack in a chokehold, “Just do it, Naomi! Don’t hesitate.”
Jack was growling threats, “I know where you live, Red! Give those keys back! I will haunt you forever!”
As soon as the three pairs of eyes fell on him, their voices chorused, “Hello, Landon.”
He stared at them, “What are you guys doing?”
“Teaching Jack a lesson.”
“Hiding the keys to his snacks cupboard.”
“Help me, bro.” Jack pleaded with him.
Landon just stared at Faith, who blinked before reluctantly released Jack from her grip. When the latter wheezed, she scowled, “Oh please. Stop being dramatic.”
Naomi shook her head, “So close.”
Landon laughed at the thinly veiled disappointment in her tone and said, “I’m here to pick my girl up for lunch.”
“Your girl. Ooh, romantic.” Naomi grinned. “Why don’t you have a girl, Jack?”
“I would, but she’s too busy trying to cramp my style.” Jack responded without missing a beat.
Faith grabbed her purse, “I’ve never seen Jack with a girl before.”
“He drives them off with his god awful taste in music,” Naomi hollered as she swung around in her chair.
Faith chuckled, and walked with Landon towards the door, “I’ll see you guys after lunch.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Naomi said, helpfully, following up her advice by making kissing sounds.
Jack was staring across the room at her as the elevator closed on them.
“Your friends are-“ Landon struggled with the right word.
“Weird?” Faith offered and then grinned, “Jack and Naomi worked together for two years before I joined the team, and we work in such close quarters that we would drive each other insane if we don’t relax.”
“You look a little tired.” Landon commented when she yawned.
“Yeah.” Faith rubbed her eyes and commented innocently, “I don’t know why though. I go to sleep on time and wake up on- Oh wait.”
Landon laughed and kissed her smart mouth, “Why don’t you go to sleep on time and I’ll have my sweet sweet way with your body. Or,” he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, “I could just tie you up and you can rest while I lick you all over and –”
Faith clasped a hand over his mouth, her cheeks red, “I get it. Enough.”
Landon tucked her to his side, smiling broadly at her embarrassed reaction. She had a sassy attitude, went wild at his touch but she would become shy at a little dirty talk.
He smirked.
Tonight would be interesting.
Not noticing the suspicious curve of his lips, Faith changed the subject, “I saw an apartment in the newspaper today. It’s not as big as my current one, but it’s on the second floor and closer to the office. I was thinking I could go check it out this evening. Do you want to come with me?”
That’s what he loved about Faith, Landon mused, a warmth settling in his chest. She was so honest about her actions. She was practical and willing to flow with the tide. He knew she was carrying two pepper sprays on her right now.
He also knew she had a taser hidden in her bag. He had no idea where she got her hands on one but he had seen her fidgeting with it trying to figure out how to use it. He had shown her how for fear that she might accidentally hurt herself.
The way she was calmly arming herself, you would think she was gearing up for an invasion.
Not that he would let anyone lay their hands on his woman.
His woman.
A part of him stilled, treading cautiously.
When had he started thinking of her in those terms, like she was his?
But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
“So where are we going for lunch?”
Landon jerked his thumb towards the backseat and looked confused, “Is that a picnic basket?”
He looked a little embarrassed, “Well, I dropped by my parent’s place and it might have slipped out that I’m taking you out to lunch and Mom practically forced this on me. She was so excited, you’d think she was taking you out on a date.”
Faith looked at him, a little shy all of a sudden, “Is this a date, then?”
Landon glanced at her, “How am I supposed to woo you if we just have sex all the time?” His attention diverted towards the road, “I might not have taken a girl out in years, but I seem to remember you start off with a date.”
“You’re not wrong.” Faith murmured, wondering where they would have their date.
Landon seemed to continuously surprise her, Faith mused, as they wandered into an isolated area of the huge park that was located in the city center.
“Where are we?”
Landon grasped her hand, entwining his fingers with hers, and grinned, “There’s a stream that runs through here. This area is usually restricted to kids and like because they kept falling in, mainly me and Roger.”
Faith grinned, “Somehow I can see that happening.”
“We were explorers. And pirates. And sometimes we were mighty heroes, here to rescue the damsel in distress.” He winked at her, “We made John dress up as the damsel every time. He still hates us for it.”
“John?” Faith gaped at him, “John, as in I’m-a-dignified-butler John?”
“He wasn’t very dignified back then.” Landon confided in her. “His partner, Hayden, found the pictures my parents took of us, and now he has them on their fridge.”
“So, how did John-“
Landon chose a spot and put the huge wicker basket down on the grass. As he started arranging everything, he told her, “His father used to be a butler here. His entire family has been in the butler business. His father was from England. Dad brought him here. And when John’s mother died, my mom just started raising him along with me. He’s like a little brother.”
He grinned at an intrigued Faith, “You should see him when he’s not in front of company, being polite and shit. He once threw an ornamental vase at my head when I told him I’d show his old outfit to the guy he had been dating then.”
He looked almost mournful and Faith would have believed it if she hadn’t seen the wicked laughter in his eyes, “It’s not like I was going to. Mom blamed the broken vase on me, even when she saw the whole thing. I got grounded for a week.”
“What did John do?”
Landon smiled affectionately, “He helped me sneak out of the house for a party the next day.” His shoulders shook with suppressed laughter, “Then he got grounded as well for that. No helping around the house for a week. You would have thought Mom had taken away his car keys or something, with the way he reacted.”
Faith smiled, “I would never have guessed. He always seems so professional, so together.”
“He and Mom are thick as thieves. He loves the house, our parents.”
Faith wondered if Landon realized he just referred to his parents as being John’s parents as well.
A sudden wave of dizziness had her blinking and she grabbed onto Landon’s arm for support.
“Oh, hey! What’s-“ He looked alarmed.
“Nothing. Just a sudden- I don’t know. Everything started spinning,” she mumbled, letting him lower her to the ground. “It’s fading. It’s fine. I’m okay.”
“Baby, you don’t look okay. You look pale.” Landon cupped her face. “Maybe we should-“
She gripped his thick wrist and frowned, battling back the weakness that had crept up on her, “Don’t you dare! I have a two hour lunch break and I was looking forward to this. I’m fine. I promise.”
He didn’t look entirely believing, but he focused back on the picnic.
“Are those sandwiches?” Faith reached out to take one and she munched on it as Landon took out the chilled wine.
Faith raised a hand at the wine, “No alcohol. Have to get back to the office. Can’t be drunk for that.”
Sighing mournfully, Landon put the wine back in and took out a bottle of juice instead, “Mom said you might say that.”
As they settled in to enjoy the picnic, Landon found himself telling Faith things he would never dreamed about.
“When I was on my way home, I thought to myself I’d just have a good time, you know.” He glanced at her. “Find a few hot girls, have some fun, release all that tension and then go back.”
Faith frowned at him, “Yeah. I’m not a huge fan of that side of you.”
He leaned back till his head was nestled in her lap and played with her curls that fell off her shoulders, “I had no idea that I’d find you here. You drive away my nightmares.”
Faith leaned down and kissed him on the nose, a slight touch, “Yes, well. I found myself a body guard and a pretty hot looking one at that.”
“Is that all I am to you?”
From the smile on his face, Faith could tell he was jesting, but a flicker in his eye, told her that this question was more than what it seemed.
There was no smile on her face, but just a look of wonder, “It’s been a little over a week and that is no time to get so attached to someone, but you’re all I think about. I don’t know why that is.” And as she told him all this, Faith realized that she might have slipped and fallen in love with this SEAL. But how could she tell him when she didn’t know for sure herself.
Landon was silent for a few moments, just playing with her hair. It was true. She did quiet his nightmares. When he held her in his arms as they slept, legs entwined together, their hearts beating at the same rhythm, he had no nightmares, he heard no screams of his men dying. There was just peaceful bliss. And now, as he lay here, a part of him didn’t crave the adrenaline of the battle anymore.
He had wanted to go back because he had thought there was nothing for him here, that Amelia had damaged him in a way that there was no coming back from. But this woman made him want to stay and try his hand at love again.
But he hesitated.
He had driven Amelia away.
What was to stop Faith from leaving him too?
What if he just wasn’t good enough?
“Hey. Where’d you go?” Faith’s voice broke through his dark thoughts, causing him to blink.
As he saw her worried face, the sun shining through the strands of those unmanageable curls, a part of him relaxed. Maybe he could try again.
He wanted to.
***
The picnic was fun and Faith couldn’t recall having as much fun on a date as she had today. She held her shoes in her hands, as Landon had convinced her to soak her feet in the cold water of the stream as he had regaled her with stories of his childhood escapades.
Now she laughed at something he said as they walked back to his car. Her eyes were on him so she saw his face harden and eyes become cold. As she turned around, he stepped in front of her, blocking her view, his eyes angry, but his tone gentle, “No, Faith.”
“What is it?” She forced him to move, and then stilled.
Somebody had painted the words ‘WHORE’ on the passenger side of his silver grey Jaguar, in bright red paint.
Faith just stared, her mind not comprehending what she was seeing.
There were small papers scattered on the ground and she walked forward and kneeled down to pick them up, her numb mind recognizing them as pictures.
“Polaroid,” she identified, her voice completely calm, not betraying the shock she was in.
“Faith.”
She heard Landon’s voice but it sounded so far away. A part of her was locked inside, screaming. But on the outside, she just studied the pictures.
There was one of her and Landon when he had been kissing her. The picnic basket lay upturned on the side. Another showed her resting her head on his shoulder, in her car. There was one which was a little blurred and didn’t have a very good angle and as she studied it closer, the horror and humiliation that permeated her mind at that, had her stumbling back right into Landon.
“What-“ He saw the picture she still held in her hand, the others having slipped from her fingers, and his rage grew ice cold.
Faith was on his bed, on her knees, as he stood behind her. The bastard had sneaked a picture of them having sex through the slit in his curtains.
“Faith.”
She was trembling, her arms around herself, eyes wide with disbelief and shock. She kept rubbing her arms as if she was cold and Landon threw his jacket on her to cover her, to provide some heat.
“Baby. Look at me.”
She did and her lips quivered, but she didn’t cry. Not once. And that hardened Landon’s resolve. “I’m going to find the person who did this, okay? He’s not going to get away with this.”
She just stared at him, and he kissed her forehead, his fingers aching to break somebody’s jaw. She looked so delicate right now, so fragile and he hated that.
Faith was full of life and joy and sass and laughter. She wasn’t this broken shadow.
He placed a call to Henry, and one to Roger and his mother.
It was barely ten minutes before Henry showed up, his eyes grim. John and Roger were close behind and John held a blanket in his arms, which he covered Faith with and tightened it around her. The gentle look on his face had Faith bursting into sobs and throwing her arms around his neck, startling him.
But she felt safe with him, like she did with Landon. And right now she just wanted someone to tell her it was going to be okay. She didn’t want Landon’s fury. She just wanted comfort.
John held her and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see the vile words on the car that Landon had borrowed from his father.
Landon was arguing with Henry over something and Roger was making discreet calls on a black cell phone that looked like it belonged to the Middle Ages. He looked towards Landon and gave a curt nod. Faith watched them and her stark eyes moved to John who hovered in front of her, protectively.
“What is happening?”
John’s eyes were on Landon and then he looked at Faith and it shook her to see how much the fierce look in his eyes resembled that of Landon’s, “Whatever it is, Landon will make sure nothing happens to you. It’s been a long time since I last saw him this angry.”
“What do you mean?”
When he just looked away, she tugged at his shirt sleeve, “Distract me. Tell me something. Anything.”
John studied her for a heartbeat and then tucked his hands into the pockets of his black pants, “After his divorce, he changed a lot. Became more quiet, more brooding. He blamed himself for everything. For Amelia cheating on him, then leaving him. He just wasn’t the same. When he seemed to have recovered, he threw himself into women and the military.”
His hands turned into fists in his pockets, and John controlled his expression, “When he came back home, he would be more and more broken each time, his reactions to most anything seemed to be forced. And now, this time, after he met you, although its been a week or so, he’s completely different.”
“Different in a good way?” Faith ventured, hopefully.
John smiled at her, “You have no idea.”
They looked on as a black van parked itself opposite the scene and five burly men, clearly SEALS, got out. One of them looked over at them and John stiffened.
“John?” Faith sounded wary.
“It’s nothing.” John told her, his voice tense as the man kept staring at Faith and then at him, and then he glanced away and joined his companions as they walked over to where Landon stood, involved in a heated argument with Detective Santigo.
“Let’s go, Faith.” John told her, and helped her stand.
“I don’t understand,” Faith looked over to where everybody stood.
“Landon has called in reinforcements. We should leave.”
“Where are we going?” She asked him, trying not to look at the car that was in her line of vision.
“Somewhere you will be protected.”
As they passed everyone, Faith clenched the blanket tighter around her and tried not to think of the deliberate red crosses on her face in each photograph.