Page 29 of S.O.S. Billboard

“And you know this, how?” Brina asked with some amusement.

“Because he spends a lot of his free time reading all that Wiki-shit,” Brigid revealed, grinning. But she patted Sarge’s arm like she was proud of him. “And unlike the rest of us plebians, he remembers everything he reads with that steal trap of his.”

“There’ll be no picking on Sarge, due to his superior brain,” Del interjected. “I’ll have you all remember that his…attention to detail has saved all your asses a time or two.” Despite his solidarity with Sarge, it was clear that Del was trying to keep a laugh contained as he got back to logistics. He turned to Wiley. “Stay at it. I have faith you’ll find it all.” He put his gaze on Billboard. “And what about you?”

Billboard had been waiting, not so patiently, for his turn. He had a lot to impart,andsome favors to ask.

“I found Ethan, as everyone probably already knows,” he began.

At the head nods, he knew Mizzay had apprised his teammates of his success.

“But it’s a very interesting case,” he continued. “First of all, the fact that Mrs. Jakes didn’t want the police involved, raises a red flag. As you’re all aware, if a kid goes missing, normally the parent wants all-hands-on-deck, but Mrs. Jakes was adamant about not calling the authorities, and willing to wait for me to get there; having confidence that I would be able to find Ethan.”

“You think she had an inkling of where he’d gone?”

“I think sheknows what he’s been doing; her concern was simply that he hadn’t come home last night. If I’m correct, she’s approved that he’s prepping to make himself able to disappear. Which leads me to believe there’s more to this mother and son story than either of them are letting on.”

“Continue,” Del urged, leaning forward to steeple his fingers on the table.

Billboard was interrupted by the waitress who came to take their order. He didn’t need to look at the menu, since it was one of their go-to places, but he wondered if O’Shea had gotten a chance to peruse the offerings.

“The fish and chips can’t be beat,” he suggested in her ear. “That’s if you like fish.”

“Catfish, yeah,” she said. “What kind do they batter-up here?”

“Cod. Schrod. Haddock. Whatever white fish looks good to the chef.” He clarified. “If you like catfish, you’ll like this.”

“Okay.”

When her turn came to order, she went with his suggestion, but added a side of onion rings. A woman after his own heart.

Billboard duplicated her order, then when the waitress left, he got back to business.

“So, we’ve got a mother who was only slightly panicked because Ethan stayed out overnight. And an almost twelve-year-old who could give a few weathered soldiers a lesson in how to disappear and stay under the radar.” He described all the segues and traps the kid had set, reluctantly admitting that he’d fallen into a three-foot-deep pit.

Yeah, he got a bunch of razzing for that, but the team was more interested in the “why” of it all, as was he.

“So, you think this kid has been practicing his disappearing act with the consent of his mother because they are in some kind of trouble,” Del speculated.

“That about sums it up, boss,” Billboard replied. “But get this. With Mrs. Jake’s permission, I’ve been given the green light to mentor Ethan, not only teaching him additional and advanced evading techniques, but also to school him in self-defense.” He turned to his colleagues. “I thought maybe it would be in ourbest interest to help them, and maybe suss out what they’re scared of.”

Billboard looked around seeing nods. “Sarge, would you mind coming on board and bringing Ethan up to speed with more info on how to avoid being tracked?”

“I’d enjoy it, immensely,” Sarge immediately agreed.

“And Prez, on self-defense, if you’d pitch in, I figure your girls—and maybe even Rory—” he looked at Mizzay, “might like to get in on a few lessons.”

“Consider it done,” Prez stated without a second thought.

After their ready agreement, Billboard relaxed.

Clearly, everyone on his team was as intrigued with the Jake’s family secrets as he was, and if all went according to the way SOS normally operated, they’d have answers to their questions pretty damned quickly.

CHAPTER TEN

O’Shea enjoyed hanging out with the team immensely, it seemed like she fit in as well as she’d remembered, which made her potential transfer to Boston exponentially more appealing. Even if Billboard was reluctant to get his head out of his ass and give deets regarding his past… Even if he refused to acknowledge the chemistry between them, relocating would still be a healthy change for her.

Honestly, though? BB didn’t stand a chance of shaking her off his tail. O’Shea was as stubborn as they come, and had already made up her mind that the man’s problems weren’t insurmountable. She just had to lend him the sincere, sympathetic, and therapeutic ear he so badly needed. As a friend, not a professional. And in order to do that properly, she was pretty sure she might have to talk with his shrink, if Billboard would allow it. The doctor would have some much-needed advice on how O’Shea should proceed.

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