Page 52 of One Knight Stand

“Not for a single hot second.” He slipped behind the wheel. “And neither would I.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

ANGEL SINCLAIR

We rendezvoused back at the farmhouse. No one seemed worse for wear except for Bo, who sat on the couch, hands on his thighs, looking straight ahead.

“What happened to Bo?” I asked Jax, alarmed. “Is he okay?”

Jax turned me by the shoulders and guided me back into the kitchen. Once we were there, he lowered his voice. “No. Bo is not okay. Bo mightneverbe okay.”

“What happened?”

“Well, you know Bo. He’s a good guy. Straight as an arrow, supportive, honorable. He’d support the team however he could.”

I grabbed Jax by the shoulders and shook him. “You’re scaring me. What happened to him?

“He let Frankie drive.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?Why would he do that?”

“She probably asked, and we didn’t warn him.”

Had we forgotten to warn Bo and the others? I racked my brain and didn’t recall ever providing a warning to the team. That was something I’d have to rectify, but privately. “Oh no, Jax. I feel terrible. I’m sure her driving must have come as quite a shock.”

“You think? He’s catatonic.”

I couldn’t help it, I gave a little laugh, and the twinkle in Jax’s eyes indicated he was partially amused by the situation as well.

Before we could say anything else, Frankie bounded into the kitchen with Mr. Toodles on her heels. “What are you two whispering about in here?” She threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad everything went okay, Angel, and you finally got to meet your father. Come on. Wally is waiting for you guys before he runs the debrief.”

“Wally is running the debrief?” I picked up Mr. Toodles and scratched him behind the ears.

“That’s what he said. Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room with Jax trailing behind us.

I sat down on the couch and squeezed in between Frankie and Bo with the dog on my lap. I patted Bo sympathetically on one knee, and he gave me a brief nod of acknowledgment. I hoped that meant he was coming around a bit.

“Okay, team, we have a lot to cover,” Wally said. “But first, let me give you a rundown of the events of the evening.”

Wally told them everything from the moment we left the barn to changing the tire and finally meeting my dad. I sat quietly, sipping a bottle of water.

“You had a flat tire, Red?” Jax asked, meeting my eyes. “And you didn’t call us?”

“We tried. No reception. So, we had to take matters…and tires…into our own hands.”

“An operative adapts,” Wally said. “I changed my first tire under extreme pressure and was totally in my element while doing it.”

“Wechanged the tire,” I pointed out.

“Of course. That’s what I meant. Anyway, decoy, deception, danger, and tire changing. We handled it with ease.”

Frankie stifled a giggle, while I had to work at not rolling my eyes. Bo finally appeared to be back to himself, because he finally spoke. “Okay, guys, now that the meeting with your father has concluded, what’s next? Angel, your dad wants information from us? That’s it?”

“That’s what he said,” I replied. “He wants me, well, all of us, to stay at the farmhouse, safely out of harm’s way.”

Jax sat in the armchair across from me, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He studied my face. “But we’re not going to do that, are we?”

“We’re not,” I confirmed. “There’s a manhunt going on for my dad. He’s not going to be able to move around easily. We have to help him, and I mean with more than just information.”

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