Landon: FBI Special Agent: FBI Brotherhood Book #3

by Ann, Bry

  “She does seem okay,” the nurse I now recognize as Jade murmurs as she examines Essie.

  Her bodyguard is already pulling her parents out. Jade gets to work slipping the IV back inside her.

  “Sweetie, we have to put these back in. You were getting dehydrated. You don’t drink enough water. They’ll come out again soon. Promise.”

  “Don’t call me sweetie.”

  “Sorry, Ms. Taylor.”

  “Call me Tammy.”

  “Fuck. No.”

  Essie glares at me with a fiery rage. “Don’t tell me what to do with my body, Agent Parker.”

  “Give us a minute, Jade.”

  Jade nods and slips out.

  “You’re on a first name basis with the nurse now. Where are Carla and Candy and Sugar?”

  I cock an eyebrow. If she were normal, I’d accuse her of being jealous, but this is not a normal situation and I don’t know what’s going on.

  “Jade has been kind to us.”

  “Us, ha! How so? Did you fuck her in here and she was accommodating of your job’s need to watch me 24 goddamn fucking 7?”

  “Essie,” I whisper. I got excited too soon. “I would never do that,” I say slowly. “You have to know this.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Yes, you’re holier than thou. A man above all men. All men are the same, Landon Parker. All of them.”

  I take two steps forward, speaking slowly and methodically.

  “So you think I’d do to you what Zaid did? What Simon did? What Marcus, Sty, and Damon did, hmm? You think I'm just another man on the list. My boss, Collin, as well. All the men working 24/7 to stop that trafficking ring and save the women they stole. We’re the same as them.”

  Essie’s rigid. Even from behind, I see her muscles stiffen, before they just… relax.

  “Birds don’t like humans,” she whispers. “Chirp, chirp, chirp.”

  My legs give out. I slide down the wall behind me and let my head fall between my knees. And I stay there. I don’t give one fuck.

  Part IV

  Trust

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Landon

  “You have to stop pulling out your IV, Ms. Taylor. It’s there for a reason.”

  “What? Was I just supposed to leave him there?”

  “I would have brought a blanket if you asked,” a female voice murmurs.

  “I shouldn’t have to ask! He could— he could get his neck all fucked up or something. I don’t know. He can’t sleep like that. He could have a goddamn shootout planned tomorrow for all we know!”

  I groan quietly and shift slightly. I immediately realize I'm lying on the floor. I sort of remember falling asleep with my head on my knees, so this doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me, however, is that there’s a blanket on me and a pillow beneath my head. That’s when Essie’s words register.

  Did she do this?

  Slowly, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I push to seated. No one notices me.

  “I apologize, Essie, for upsetting you.”

  “It’s fine. Whatever.”

  Essie starts to shift and that’s when her gaze lands on me. She looks like a deer in headlights. I'm used to the mood switches with Evie when she relapses, so I smile softly to let her know it’s okay. I forgive her for her words last night.

  “You’re up,” she mumbles.

  “Yep, sorry for invading your floor.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Thanks for the pillow and blanket.”

  Let’s see if it was really her. My heart jumps for joy when she shrugs.

  “It’s cotton, not a Rolex. Relax.”

  “Well, my neck doesn’t give a fuck about the Rolex, so it couldn’t be more grateful to you.”

  She glances up at me, green eyes timid and afraid.

  “Why are you so nice to me? What do you want? Just tell me. I can take it.”

  She stiffens like I'm gonna deliver some kind of blow.

  “I told you. I just want to see you smile.”

  She lets out a breath. “You’re insane.”

  “So I’ve heard. All the best people are.”

  She’s quiet. Then, “How’s Ellie?”

  My eyebrows raise more than slightly before falling back to neutral.

  “She’s okay. She’s in grief counseling and she’s in a group with children who’ve been through similar experiences.”

  “Oh, good.” She fidgets. “Did they touch her?”

  Her voice is barely audible and she’s twitching. I know this pushes her ability to stay present.

  “Now is not a good time to discuss the case. She’s safe and she really is okay.”

  “It’s not a case to me!” Essie screams, chest heaving with exertion. “It’s my life,” she whispers softer.

  “Shit. Essie, I know. I know, sweetheart. I know.”

  She stiffens as I approach her, but tentatively lets me.

  “Answer my question, Landon.”

  “What was on that video?” I murmur.

  She lurches, hands curling into fists.

  “Ellie.”

  “Was she being hurt or…?”

  “No, just her and Simon. Together.”

  “I see. How’d you get the knife?”

  She frowns, but watches me with fear as I approach her step by step.

  “The same man who showed me the video left it.”

  “I see. Thank you. To answer a bit of your question about Ellie, I think Ellie’s gonna be adopted by one of us. An agent by the name of Shiloh. She put in the paperwork yesterday.”

  Essie’s eyes widen. “Is that allowed?”

  I smirk. “Technically, no. But, I'm no sexist, but when you’re the only female on a team of men, well, let’s just say Shiloh has those guys wrapped around her little finger. The funny part is that she doesn’t realize it or care. Anyway, I'm not on their team, but from what I know, Shiloh approached Brad, her team lead. He wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t backing down. He looked into stipulations, and it looks like Ellie will be in her care going forward.”

  “She’ll never be Pamela. She’ll never be able to replace her.” Essie’s twitching gets worse and I know she won’t be able to hold off much longer.

  “I know. She’ll never replace her mom, Essie. Rest. You need it.”

  I know the closer Essie and I get, the more humiliating it feels for her when I see her disconnect.

  “I need to go into work anyway. Collin called.”

  “Collin?”

  “My boss-slash-friend-slash-team leader.”

  I wink. She nods and tucks herself into the covers.

  “Look, it looks like I'm gonna survive this whole ordeal. You don’t have to visit me anymore.”

  I stop in the doorway. “You’re right. I don’t. Ellie identified Simon. Brad and his team are contacting the appropriate avenues to get the entire ring taken apart. I don’t have to be here anymore.”

  She sucks her lower lip in and nods stiffly, sinking deeper into the mattress. All that attitude and she looks so small and frail in this white bed.

  I cock my head. “But I want to be here. I don’t have to be here, I want to be. Goodnight, Essie. See you tomorrow.”

  With a tiny smile at her parted lips, I leave and let her think about that.

  * * *

  “Oh hey, look at that. I have a team,” Collin jokes lightly once we’re all in his office.

  Everyone but Kyle kinda winces, not that Collin has room to talk. We’ve all been caught up in personal stuff amidst this case. Haven’t had much time for each other.

  “I’m glad we had time to meet today before things get crazy again. I have big news. This is something I’ve been putting off since Derek left.”

  He sighs.

  “We have a new team member. Meet Ram Fletcher.”

  A man around 6’2 with olive skin, curly hair thicker than mine, and chocolate brown eyes steps out. Fuck, this dude looks intense.

  “He will be taking Derek’s pos
ition specializing in undercover work, but should be treated as any other team member would. I'm pairing him with Kyle for training. I’ll step in at the end. Any questions?”

  Ram’s dark eyes, assessing, take in the room as we all shake our heads no.

  “Good. Make him feel welcome. I’ve briefed him on the case, but he’ll just be observing for now. I have to go speak with Brad. Carson, use the data Brad gave you to find the second location Simon has been using to keep the women. Kyle and Landon, you stay with Ram. Show him around. Explain the basics. You know what to do.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Good.”

  Collin looks at Brad, nods, and they walk out. I turn to Ram.

  “Ready, man?”

  “Of course.”

  He dips his head and we begin the tour. Let’s see if this Ram Fletcher works out.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Essie

  “I think it’s the best option for you,” my dad says gently. My father and mother snuck their asses in here the second Landon left. I'm assuming I was insane for half of their visit because when I came to, my mother was hysterically crying on my father like I didn’t save her. Like I didn’t do everything I could to make sure Dana Taylor was safe. My blood boiled beneath my skin every second I had to listen to her. Now that’s secondary compared to the fact that Dad wants to lock me in a psych ward. I get why I qualify. I'm insane. Broken. Trash. A fucking whore.

  But all the same, I won’t be locked up. Drugged against my will. Poked and prodded for information.

  I’d rather die. And I will, if they send me there. I know it’ll be hard since psych wards are so prepared for suicidal patients, but I'm smart. I’ll find a way.

  “No.”

  “Essie, be reasonable,” Father begs.

  “No,” I say blankly.

  I'm an adult. NO. That’s what I want to say, but they’re only getting one word out of me at a time. Not to mention, I’ve quickly learned human beings don’t accept no if it doesn’t suit their fancy.

  “Essie, we’re worried about you.”

  I can’t do this. I roll away from them and curl up.

  “Essie,” my mom murmurs. I hear the pain in it, but it just angers me more.

  She has no right to be upset!

  But neither do I. This is my fault. I chose Zaid.

  Before I know it, tears are rolling down my cheeks. Why am I crying? I'm alive, aren’t I? Jesus. I curl in further to hide the evidence of my tears. Without Ellie here, without Sage, without my animals or my math, I feel hollow and unfixable. What I know I should feel isn’t computing with my heart.

  Stupid heart. I want to claw my skin off. I want drugs. I want drugs!

  “Essie.” My father’s hand lands on my shoulder and I just… lose it.

  The animals float into my vision and I fucking run to them, until a voice cuts through my haven.

  “What the hell are you two doing in here and what the fuck is going on?”

  I’ve never heard him so mad. It’s kind of amusing. My lips curl up in a tiny smile.

  “Sorry, you big idiot,” I murmur before I go. And then I do. I'm thrust into a world I no longer hate. A world I don’t need drugs to cope with.

  Bye, bye, sweet man. See ya soon.

  * * *

  When I come to, intense blue eyes are boring into me… and my parents are gone.

  “Landon,” I whisper.

  He looks stressed. His head tilts to the side, he forces a smile onto his face, and one of his hands slides through his hair.

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

  He’s assessing me. Like really assessing me.

  “Fine.”

  “Fine. Fucked up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional?”

  “Huh?”

  He smiles and shakes his head. “Nothing.”

  “Did you just insult me, agent?”

  Some of the stress dissolves from his shoulders at that, and I have no clue why, but it makes my heart to do some weird, fucked up fluttering thing. And it makes me smile, like he always wants from me. Or so he says.

  “Hey, you’re smiling!”

  He points at my face like the big idiot he is.

  “Back to your weird ass acronym?”

  “Aw, hell no. Why are you smiling?”

  He cocks his head. Shit, he’s really not gonna let me get away with this. And I suppose, after all these hours stuck with me, listening to me literally talk at him about animals, he deserves it.

  “I don’t like seeing you all tense… It pisses me off.”

  His smile spreads wider, something I didn’t think was even possible, but his lips twitch like he’s trying to control his damn self. I wish he wouldn’t…

  He’s refreshing. Like a breath of fresh air after a long storm.

  “Well, you always help, Essie.”

  He winks and leans back. Then, before I can process or deal with the swirling in my stomach, he jumps back to the topic I said I wanted to talk about instead.

  “My sister told me the acronym a while ago. It stuck in my head.”

  “For someone you spoke so highly of, your sister wasn’t very nice to you.”

  I frown. Landon sighs.

  “Evie’s sick, Essie. That’s not the sister I know. That’s her eating disorder.”

  He sounds pissed again. God, this man challenges everything I know about men. The men I know are greedy and cruel, which is everything Landon Parker is not. He’s selfless and funny and strong and caring and he makes me want to be better when he’s around.

  “I see,” I murmur.

  “Speaking of family,” he drawls out, eyeing me carefully. He lets the question hang, knowing I get what he’s asking.

  “They want to have me committed.”

  I shrug, but the welling in my eyes gives me away. I have to duck my head to hide it, but I think he knows.

  “Did they have anything nice to say?” he grinds out.

  I clench my fists, deciding how much to tell him. I'm deep in that when rough, but gentle, hands curl around my clenched fists, slowly unpeeling them.

  “Stay with me,” he murmurs.

  “I'm not going anywhere.”

  He stares at me with a look in his eyes I’ve never seen before. It’s not lust or anything terrifying like that. I think I’d topple over in this hospital bed if he looked at me like that, but it’s more of a longing. He squashes it when he quickly looks away. I'm left wondering what it means.

  “You’re not gonna be committed,” Landon states firmly.

  I sit up, letting the blankets pool at my waist.

  “You promise?”

  “Yes, Essie. I won’t let you be committed.”

  … and I'm back down. My whole body collapses into the bed so fast it has Landon reaching out.

  “Whoa, you okay? Hey, shh. I promised to try to make you happy, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, but… fuck.” I'm crying.

  “Don’t cry,” Landon murmurs. “Can I hold you?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re upset. Didn’t your mom ever do that?”

  “I don’t cry.”

  “Hmm.” Landon frowns. “Come here.”

  He sits on the edge of my bed. This is gonna be awkward, but fuck it. I slide over to him. He wastes no time. With sure hands, he grabs my body and pulls me into him. And it’s immediately… not awkward.

  His whole body seems to envelop me as he softly rocks me back and forth. Back and forth. My muscles seem to tingle as they soften and my racing heart slows.

  “Did your mom teach you this?” I mumble against his skin.

  I immediately know I asked the wrong thing when his entire body stiffens.

  “You don’t have to answer.” I pull away, shaking my head. “Sorry,” I add on a whisper.

  Landon shakes his head like he’s coming out of some kind of trance. His eyes land on me. Then he gently snags my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “You don’t have t
o be sorry. Both of my parents passed away when Evie and I were young.”

  “Oh… I-I, I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay. It’s been years.”

  “Where did you guys go?” I whisper.

  “Nowhere.” His voice is firm. “I wouldn’t risk us getting split up or Evie being moved so far I couldn’t see her every day. Nah, I raised her.”

  “Excuse me?” I choke. “You raised her?! How old were you?”

  “Old enough. And yeah, I watched over her. My parents raised her. Everything that makes Evie special is cause of my mom and pop.”

  “Of course. Right. Sorry, I'm not good at this sh-stuff.”

  Landon smiles softly. Of course.

  “I’d never be able to tell.”

  Please. I roll my eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”

  He throws his head back and laughs, nudging me with his elbow.

  “Practice makes perfect.”

  “Have you always been this nice?”

  He shrugs. “My mom was extremely kind. I always aspired to be more like her. Evie’s a lot like our dad. Anyway, I’ll let you be.”

  He gets up and heads for the door.

  “Landon,” I call out.

  He turns, lips pulling tight. He knows he’s not gonna like what I have to say.

  “I'm not Essie anymore, Landon.”

  His eyes narrow.

  “Please, call me Tammy. It’s my choice. That’s my name now. You can’t take back time.”“I will not call you Tammy.”

  “Then call me nothing, ‘cause Essie is not my name anymore!”

  “Ms. Taylor, then?”

  “Fuck you, Landon.”

  “You’re tired. Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t treat me like a child. It’s my body, my name, and I deserve a say in it!” I shriek.

  Something like understanding flickers in Landon’s eyes.

  “You’re completely right, but, Essie, please don’t make me call you that. I-I can’t call you that. It makes me feel sick.”

  He’s flashing me those blue eyes of his. Fuck.