One-Knight Stand (White Knights #3) - Julie Moffett Page 0,71

and soon.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

ANGEL SINCLAIR

Exactly seventeen minutes later, my burner phone rang. Not that I was counting. Okay, I totally was.

I swiped it on. “Yes?”

“On my way out to you with the package,” Kira said.

Jax and I got out of the car. He headed toward Sampson’s Mustang, while I strolled to the front of the gym. Kira walked out, pretended to be surprised to see me, and gave me a hug, slipping the keys into my jacket pocket.

“Oh, it’s so good to see you,” she said. “You’re going to love this gym. Come on in, and I’ll show you around.”

“Sure,” I said. “Oh, wait, I forgot my stuff in the car. I’ll meet you inside.”

“Okay,” she said cheerfully. “See you in a few.”

I put my hand in my pocket and strolled past the Mustang, handing off the keys to Jax, who intersected with me near the car. I stopped one car over and kept a lookout. There was no one walking around, and no new cars heading into the parking lot at the moment.

“Clear,” I said.

Jax used the key to open the passenger side door and slipped inside the car. He wiggled onto his back on the floor, adhering the listening device under the dashboard.

My burner phone vibrated, so I swiped it on, scanning the parking lot as we talked. “Yes?”

Kira’s voice sounded in my ear. “We’ve got potential trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” I asked.

“Sampson got a text. He stopped lifting weights, checked his phone, and is now returning to the locker room. Bo is following him in. How close are you to finishing?”

“We just started.” Jax was still under the dashboard fiddling with the tracker. I had no idea how much longer it would take him. “I’ll let you know. Stand by.”

She clicked off, so, I sauntered closer to Jax. “Are you almost done?” I said in a hushed voice.

He peeked his head out from under the dashboard, frowning. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“We may have a problem. Sampson just got a text. He’s headed back into the locker room, possibly to leave.”

Jax swore and ducked his head back under the dashboard. Two minutes later, he climbed out of the car, carefully closing the door. “The tracker and bug are installed and live, but we didn’t have time to test either one of them.”

“I know. It’ll have to do for now. Lock up and give me the keys.”

Jax locked the car and tossed me the keys just as my phone vibrated again. “Bo said he’s gathering his stuff,” Kira whispered worriedly when I answered. “Looks like he’s headed out. You done?”

“As much as we can be at this point,” I said. Frustration swept through me. “We haven’t had time to test them yet.”

“It sucks, but get out of there.” There was a stretch of silence before Kira’s voice came through again in a whisper so soft I had to strain to hear. “Uh-oh. Bo just came back out. Sampson is freaking out. He can’t find his keys.”

Holy cow. I had to get the keys back to Sampson without raising his suspicions.

“I’ve got an idea,” I said to Kira. “Meet me out front.” I hung up and slipped my cell into my jacket pocket. “Jax, go get in your car and wait for me.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Calm. I must be calm. My mother’s life depends on it.

“I’ll tell you in a minute.”

Shrugging, he headed for his car, while I walked as quickly as possible to the gym entrance. Kira opened the door, and I approached, slipping her the keys.

“Give them to the receptionist,” I murmured. “Say someone found them in the parking lot and asked you to turn them in. I’ll wait in Jax’s car.”

She nodded and headed back inside while I returned to the car.

Jax had taken out my laptop and booted it up for me. He handed it to me once I was seated and had fastened my seat belt. “What happened?” he asked.

“Sampson got a message on his phone. He’s heading out but couldn’t find his keys. I gave them to Kira and told her to turn them into the receptionist, saying someone found them in the parking lot.”

“Quick thinking, Red.”

“Thanks.” I logged on and accessed the program that permitted me to listen to Sampson in the car. Then I switched screens and checked to make sure the GPS tracker was activated and working.

“Looks like both the tracker and the bug are activated,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Good work, Jax. But the real test will be when