Page 78 of S.O.S. Billboard

He needed to finish this busy-work so he could see just what O’Shea was up to.

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An hour and a half later, finally free of pencil-pushing, Billboard pulled up in front of the Jakes’ house. His Bronco was nowhere in sight, and neither were any other vehicles, but what did he know? They might all be in the garage.

He got out of his SUV, strode up to the door, and knocked.

A minute passed, and with his foot tapping, he knocked again.

Frick.No one was home. Which either meant O’Shea wasn’t back from her “errands”, perhaps the little group of three had gone out for food, or O’Shea was getting herself into trouble. The third supposition was a distinct possibility. Billboard was feeling uneasy.

He glanced around to see if there were any nosy neighbors out and about, and not tagging any, he jogged back to the SUV to grab a lock-picking set out of the glove compartment. He didn’t like the idea of breaking in, but something wasn’t adding up, and he needed to have a look around.

Just as he turned to go back toward the house, a vehicle pulled up to the curb and Ethan popped out.

“Billboard!” He ran excitedly to BB, leaping up for a high five.

Billboard gave it to him with equal enthusiasm while sneakily slipping the lock-picking kit into his back pocket.

Yes.Now he wouldn’t have to break in like a common thief.

“Hey, Ethan. What’s up?”

The boy shifted his backpack on his shoulder, and Billboard took it from him, easing the kid’s burden. Ethan thanked him and smiled broadly as they both headed for the house.

“Mom had to work late, and O’Shea said she had things to do, so I ate dinner at one of my Mom’s coworker’s houses, and I’m home a little early. But Mom should be getting in soon. What are you doing here?” He ran his sentences together, and Billboard had a suspicion that some kind of sugary or chocolaty dessert had been part of what Ethan had consumed earlier.

“I’m just looking for O’Shea,” he answered with an innocent shrug. “She said she was going to be here doing laundry.”

“That’s funny,” Ethan didn’t look at all bothered. “She told my Mom she’d be out.”

Ethan fit his key in the lock. “You wanna come in and wait for her?”

“Uh, sure,” Billboard said, although his mind was racing.

Where the hell could O’Shea be, and what trouble was she getting herself into? The only people she knew around here were the SOS team, and not one of them had said anything about seeing O’Shea tonight. Brigid, for sure, would have teased him about not being able to keep his woman “involved” enough that she had to look for other things to put on her agenda.

Was that all O’Shea was doing? Filling in time? Maybe making a girl-trip to the mall?

But…here he was, and… Billboard sighed. Maybe he should back off and go home.

O’Shea was a grown woman; a cop who’d been living on her own and taking care of herself for a long time, and wouldn’t appreciate him snooping into her business, despite the fact she’d said she didn’t mind his caveman tendencies. But he couldn’t help himself. It was just how he was built. Billboard wanted to be part of the things O’Shea did; to have her six in a pinch if she needed him.

Even if it meant keeping her happy by doing her laundry for her…

Billboard mentally snapped his fingers.

Yes. Maybe that’s where O’Shea was. She’d carted her dirty stuff off to one of those wash-and-fold places that did your laundering for you, and was embarrassed because she’d given him shit about it. She was probably, right now, biding her time at a café or something, waiting for it to be finished. That would make sense.

So why was his stomach still unsettled?

Dammit. He needed to set eyes on O’Shea.

“Maybe I should—”

Ethan opened the door, and Zoe’s loud yowls tore through the air.

“What the heck?” Ethan scrunched up his nose. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard her make any noise.”

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