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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Jay paced the apron of the Lewandowski driveway. Ella’s parents weren’t home. Big surprise. They traveled too much, and her father wasn’t returning Jay’s phone calls and texts. What kind of dad didn’t do that when his daughter was in the middle of this dangerous situation?
He pulled out his phone, trying one more time. It rang and hit the third chime. Voice mail was a moment away. Again.
“Hello?” her father grumbled.
Jay startled. “Hi. Hello. This is Jay.”
“I know, Jay.”
His forehead wrinkled. Then why wasn’t he answering? “I needed to speak with you about the security group you hired for Ella.”
“This isn’t a conversation that we’re going to have, son.”
See!Even her father still acted as though they were family, as though he and Ella were still a couple. “What you don’t know—”
“Jay, I’m not meddling in my daughter’s affairs.”
“Exactly!”
“What’s between you and El is between you two. I’d like to stay out of it.”
“I’m trying to explain about the ineptitude of her security.”
“Hmm.” The sound drew through the phone. “I’m quite pleased. Thank you for your concerns, Jay. Take care.”
The call ended, and he raged. “Fuck!”
***
Bishop watched Special Agent Angie Byrd walk out. Rocco shut the door, one hand resting on it, while he shook his head. With Rocco’s back turned toward the room, Bishop hadn’t been able to get a read on his team leader’s face, which had remained impassive throughout the entirety of the briefing. This was not going to be a slam, bam, thank you ma’am fast job. No, this was nothing more than gut instinct and a lack of evidence.
Rocco turned around. His gaze first went to Winters, and they exchanged a nonverbal conversation that Bishop wished he’d been at Titan long enough to read. Roman and Cash seemed to understand every word, their body language agreeing with a nod. Nicola and Beth had come in for the briefing, sitting side by side near Winters. While on maternity leave, they’d only come in for the most important of intel jobs, and Bishop didn’t know what to make of their intense focus or the etched worry radiating from them as Nicola twisted her fingers and Beth remained eerily still.
Locke and Jax mirrored him across the table, both eyeing their teammates without making their moves obvious.
“Goddamn it,” Jared growled from the head of the table.
All the attention shifted to him as Rocco dropped back into his chair next to Boss Man.
Rocco ran his hand over his face. “They don’t know which way is up, which way is down.”
“They do,” Jared disagreed. “And aren’t telling us shit.”
Winters shook his head. “They didn’t say that.”
Bishop glanced at Locke then Jax. Disagreement in the family. Surely it happened, but they’d never seen it. Across the table, Roman and Cash were harder to read. Nicola and Beth were not.
Roman leaned back in his chair. “It’s definitely not someone who gives two shits about Vamanato.” He rubbed his chin. “It’s someone she’s close to.”
“Byrd didn’t say that,” Cash pointed out.
Roman raised an eyebrow. “Didn’tnotsay that.”
“It’s either the crazies—” Nic volunteered.
“Or the ex-boyfriend,” Beth finished.