Dear Lando - Book Two

𝟹𝟽 ♡ She Knows

She Knows By J. Cole, Cults, Amber Coffman

Lana tapped her nails against the armrest of her seat, her mind racing as the plane soared toward Las Vegas. With the inflight Wi-Fi finally cooperating, she had spent the better part of the flight searching for the identity of the blonde girl who had shown up at Lando's apartment.

It didn't take long for her to piece it together. A quick dive through Lando's tagged photos and some strategic scrolling led her to a page: Molly Casanova. Her profile was a curated mess of selfies, cryptic captions, and photos that screamed wannabe influencer. But what caught Lana's eye was a candid picture posted weeks ago, the pink cowboy hat perched confidently atop Molly's head. Gotcha, Lana thought, saving the mental note for later.

As the plane touched down in Las Vegas, Lana steeled herself for what was to come. Her plan was simple: attend the race, just as she'd intended. But first, she needed answers.

At the hotel, the warmth of the Las Vegas sun already setting in, Lana checked in at the front desk. The clerk greeted her with a smile, already recognizing her name from the reservation attached to Lando's room.

"Ms. Leclerc, welcome. You're checked in for Mr. Norris's suite," the clerk said, handing over her key card.

Lana accepted it with a polite smile but leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a casual, friendly tone. "Thank you so much. Oh, by the way, could you let me know which room Max Fewtrell is in? He's a good friend of ours."

The clerk, none the wiser, scrolled through the system. "Mr. Fewtrell is in room 805."

"Perfect. Thanks so much," Lana replied with a sweet smile as she pocketed the key card.

Instead of heading straight to her and Lando's suite, Lana walked right past the door, her determination outweighing any nerves. Stopping in front of room 805, she hesitated for only a second before knocking firmly.

Max opened the door, his expression quickly shifting to surprise when he saw Lana standing there. "Lana! Didn't know you were coming this weekend," he greeted, his tone warm and genuinely welcoming.

"Hey, Max," Lana said with a bright smile, stepping closer. "Yeah, I had some things to move around last minute, but I didn't want to miss the race. Thought I'd come and surprise Lando."

"Well, he's going to love that," Max replied, stepping aside to let her in. "I don't think he's stopped talking about how much he misses you."

Lana gave a small laugh, masking her true thoughts as she casually glanced around the room. "Aw, that's sweet."

Max offered her a seat, and she perched herself on the edge of the armchair, keeping her tone light. "It's been quite a morning, though. You won't believe what happened."

Max tilted his head, intrigued. "What happened?"

"Well," Lana began, leaning forward slightly as if she were confiding in him, "some blonde girl showed up at Lando's place. Said she was looking for her hat." She paused, letting the words sink in as she watched his expression carefully. "Really strange girl. Seemed a little... lost, honestly."

Max stiffened slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "A blonde?" he asked, feigning ignorance. "No clue what that's about."

"Yeah," Lana continued, her tone light and breezy, though her eyes stayed sharp. "She said she'd left it there weeks ago. I mean, I had no idea who she was, but hey, I gave her the hat. Better than it sitting around collecting dust, right?"

Max swallowed hard, his gaze darting away for a split second before returning to hers. "Weird. I don't know any blondes who would've left something at his place."