“They’re fine, but I’m not. I have a huge issue, and I need your help.”
They couldn’t even imagine what would bring him all the way to Boston—especially since he was supposed to be with the kids.
“What?” Ethan asked.
“I’m being blackmailed,” he said.
“WHAT?” they all asked at the same time.
They had to have heard him wrong.
“Come in,” Ethan said.
They led him in, and Elizabeth sat him down. When she sat across from him on the table, she had his attention.
“What happened?”
“My phone rang, and it was Bly. Apparently, she has something on me.”
“What?” Callen asked.
“A sex tape.”
They stared at him.
Only, while he was expecting them to laugh, no one did. They were just as upset as him.
“She told me if I don’t go back, she’s going to release it to the media. She said it’ll ruin all three of you.”
“I told you she was a miserable, vile skank,” Elizabeth said angrily. “Oh, don’t kill her and hide the body, you said. She’ll leave us alone, you said. Uh, wrong.”
“I’m so sorry. I know I did this to myself, but I don’t want to go back.”
Ethan stood up.
“Oh, you’re going back. Enough is enough.”
Callen and Elizabeth stared at him.
And Wyler cried.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
He was so happy.
This one came out even better than the last one.
If there was a progression toward a masterpiece, this one was one step closer.
She was flawlessly put together.
Where the nurse had been perfect, the wicked stripper had almost ruined it.
Most of this was the nurse, but there were a couple parts of the stripper thrown in.
It had to be a perfect match.
He needed that.
So, as he waited until the street was quiet, he checked out his planned spot.
It was behind the bar and it would be ideal.
He knew Elizabeth would show up.
He knew the news would come too.
This one would get him more notoriety.
As he was scoping out the place, one of the waitresses came out the back.
She was lugging the heavy bag of garbage.
Always the gentleman, he wanted to make sure she didn’t get dinged up. He’d admired her body, and the way she moved. She was graceful.
Almost a dancer.
That was appealing to him.
“Do you need help?” he asked, heading her way.
The second she recognized him, she smiled. “Sure thing, darlin’. I’d appreciate that.”
He hoisted it into the large dumpster.
“Thank you. Come in and get a drink. I’ll buy you one for being my hero. I don’t care what they say. You always were a hero.”
Oh, she was very wrong about that.
“I’d appreciate that. Are you working the late shift?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m closing up. The boss has to go somewhere.”
Well, that worked perfectly for him.
For her?
Since she was next on his list….
Not so much.
Chapter Twelve
A s they lay in bed, Ivan couldn’t help but run his hands gently up and down her back. The feel of her beneath his rough fingers offered him a peace he couldn’t even begin to describe. Blue was that one missing piece in him that he’d thought he’d never have.
Only, he’d been wrong.
Here she was.
His.
They’d made love again, and now she was snuggled against him. This was right about the time he kicked any women in his personal space out.
To say he was celibate before Blue would have been a lie. He’d pick up a woman, get drunk, and have sex. If they landed at her place, he’d sneak out. If they went to a hotel, since he never let anyone at his home, he’d kick her out.
He wasn’t proud of it, but he had needs. Now those needs had done a three-sixty and stopped at her feet.
Ivan didn’t want her to leave. He wanted her to stay.
Putting it all on the line, he went for it.
“Will you sleep here with me for the rest of the night?” he asked.
It was a risk, but he really didn’t want Blue to slip away. If he could find a way to hang a sign on her that had an arrow that pointed at him and said ‘HIS’, he’d do it.
Sue him.
He was an ass-backward redneck who didn’t want to lose the best thing he’d ever found.
She yawned. “Absolutely. If you wanted me to go back to my room, you were going to have to dress me and carry me. I’m exhausted.”
His body reacted when she nuzzled him.
There was that awareness that went through him that they were from two different worlds. He could tell by the diamond studs in her ears, and the pretty gold necklace that hung around her neck.
Blue even smelled like money.
OLD.
WEALTHY.
MONEY.
Curiosity was killing him. While he wanted her to stay, he needed to see if she’d be okay in his world. He had a sneaking suspicion he couldn’t fit into hers.
It was time to do some investigating of his own.
“So, what’s it like being the daughter of some really wealthy woman?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Same as everyone else, I guess. She’s my mother, and she worked—a lot.”
The way she said it, it sounded like she didn’t realize that if social classes existed, they wouldn’t be in the same one.
Not even close.
She’d be the wealthy aristocrat’s daughter, and he’d be some armor-clad soldier who died for his king.
Why did she not see it?
It was time to break the news to Blue. He needed her to see the reality of their situation.
“I grew up poor. I guarantee it’s not the same as the way you grew up, honey.”
She lifted her head.
There was that tone of his voice, and it worried her. She didn’t want him to do something stupid again. Third time was NOT the charm.
“Are you getting irritated? Your heart is beating faster, and you have that look on your face.”
“Well, I was curious.”
“About?” she asked.
“Your family.”
She stared at him. Blue was sure there was something she was missing, but what?
“Will you tell me about them?”
Clearly, he wanted to discuss them.
“My father and mother are divorced, but they remained friends,” Blue stated. “Well, not friends. Let’s call it amicable. They don’t try to kill each other anymore.”
He laughed. “That had to make holidays interesting.”
“You have no idea. He lives in one home, and she lives in a second. I went back and forth. My mom never remarried. My father did. She’s about my age.”
“That has to be…again, awkward.”
Oh, it was. Blue was two months older than her step-mother. It was weird, but then again, she was ten years younger than Ivan.
Maybe age was a matter of perspective.
“My mother explains it as my father having daddy issues. He wants some young girl to call him that in bed, and she refused to do it because he’s an asshole.”
He laughed.
“Is she funny?” he asked.
“My mom?”
“Yeah. When you hear about her reputation, it paints a certain picture.”
He wanted to know because he wasn’t sure she’d like him. After all, what could he offer her daughter? Ivan was beginning to wonder that too. When this case was over, what did he have that was of any worth to her?
His career?
Hardly.
His small house in Virginia?
Probably not.
&n
bsp; “I guess she’s funny. She’s one of those moms you can tell anything to, and she’s not going to lose it. She’s pretty rational. I think when my parents got divorced, I stopped being a child and became her best friend.”
He thought about it.
Then she wanted to know about his life.
“What are your parents like?”
And here it went. Ivan had to hope for the best on this one. It came down to the fact that he didn’t really have much to be proud about.
“My parents are simple people.”
“Simple?”
“Yeah, the opposite of yours. Like you and I. Opposites.”
And there it was.
She stared into his eyes. “You’re worried about me meeting them, aren’t you?” she asked.
He almost lied.
Then, he thought about the courage it took for her to show up at his room when it would have been easier to stay angry and let him go.
That took a brass set.
Blue was NOT a wuss.
She deserved the truth.
“Yes, I really am.”
She sat up and reached off the bed for his shirt. When she grabbed his polo, she pulled it on.
He watched her, and she looked so lovely in it. He never wanted her to be in anything else.
“Why are you worried?”
“Again…simple and opposite.”
“Well, you’re complicated. That balances it out,” she said, getting irritated.
“I didn’t mean to make you mad,” he said.
“I’m not mad. I’m frustrated. Are you ashamed of me?” she asked, pulling her hair back. “I’m not understanding what this is all about. That’s why I’m struggling. I’m smart, Ivan, but I’m not able to read between the lines. I need someone who will just tell me so I can adapt, adjust, and learn.”
He could see that.
“Blue...” he began.
She hopped off the bed and grabbed her phone. He really thought she was going to bolt.
His heart started racing.
“I’m sorry!” he said, sitting up.
“For?” she asked.
Instead of leaving, she jumped back onto the bed to make a call.
“Who are you calling at this time of the night?” he asked, watching her dial.
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she put her phone on speaker, and a woman’s voice came over the line.
Oh, shit!
She didn’t.
“Blue, darling, are you okay?” her mother asked with worry.
And then he was able to answer his own question. He knew she was going to be her mother. The warm voice filled with affection sounded rich. He pictured her in some giant home, filled with housekeepers and maids.
He was screwed.
Ivan was pretty sure he left a half-eaten pizza on his coffee table next to a stack of girlie mags.
Shit!
Shit!
Shit!
“Mom, I did something.”
“What?” she asked.
“I met a man and had sex.”
There was clapping.
Uh, Ivan didn’t see that one coming.
Not at all.
“Brava! I was waiting for this day to come. It’s about time, my little love.”
She laughed.
Ivan felt like he was in some alternate universe. Men talked about women and how they scored.
Did women do this too?
And with their mothers?
“I hope he’s not some skirt-chasing dickwad like your father. Men get sex, and then they never go back to thinking with their upper brain again. Case in point, your father and his gold digging, toddler wife.”
Ivan lifted a brow.
“He’s not like Dad at all, Mom. He’s kind, gentle, and sweet. We had pizza.”
There was a pause.
Ivan held his breath.
“Well, if your arteries clog, it’s not my fault. Cheese is not anyone’s friend, Blue. Have veggies tomorrow to balance that out.”
Blue began laughing.
“I will, Momma. Oh, and I’m in love with him. I think I found the one.”
There was a pause.
Ivan stared at her.
Well, this was an enlightening conversation.
Holy shit!
Blue moved fast.
“I’m so happy for you, my sweet girl. I can’t wait to meet him. What does he do for a living?”
Here was what Ivan was worried about. There was that unnerving feeling that once she found out, the woman would put her foot down and tell her lose him.
Why not?
Blue was a freaking doctor who got bored and joined the FBI. Her mother was the one doctor every family wanted for their children in DC.
He was pretty sure his career would be the deal breaker.
She stared at him.
‘Is your job classified?’ she mouthed, her hand over the phone.
He shook his head.
Her mother must have sensed the pause.
“Please don’t say he makes films like your father. I keep trying to tell him when he stars in them with girls in school uniforms, they are called pornos not films.”
She laughed.
“He’s a bodyguard. He protects Elizabeth Blackhawk. He was a soldier.”
“What kind?” she asked.
“A Marine.”
“Is he sexy?” she asked.
Blue took a picture.
He pointed at her and mouthed, ‘HEY!’ He was naked to the waist with just a sheet covering his goods.
She winked at him.
“I sent it.”
There was a pause.
“Oh, Blue, he’s adorable. You make sure you bring him home when you’re back. I’ll make my famous buckwheat pancakes. We can do brunch and I can get to know the man who stole my baby’s heart.”
“Momma, the housekeeper makes those. You make Mimosas. You keep getting that mixed up.”
She laughed outrageously.
Even Ivan laughed.
“That’s a secret. Now, kiss him, tell him I know he’s listening, and head to bed. Be safe, Blue. You’re my favorite color in the whole world. No one is as bright or brilliant as you.”
And now he got where her name came from, and it was perfect. Why not name your child after a color? Colors were amazing.
“Love you, momma.”
Then she was gone.
Blue focused on him.
“So, my mother isn’t going to say anything about you. In fact, she’s always bugging me to bring a man home. If there’s an issue, it’ll be on your side. If they don’t like me, I’m sorry. I can’t be who I’m not.”
He touched her cheek.
“Blue.”
Emotion filled her eyes.
“They won’t hate you. I’m worried you’ll see the small town and be ashamed of me.”
She stared at him. “It’ll never happen. You were a soldier, and you served our country. How can I ever be ashamed of that? It’s the opposite. I’m so proud. You carry the wounds of your service.”
She pulled back the sheet and stared at his leg.
“Your femoral artery was bisected, wasn’t it?”
“In the blast, yes.”
“Do you know how many people live after that happens?” she asked.
“No.”
“Out of one hundred people, three will survive long enough to get surgery. You beat the odds to get here. I have faith that you were meant to make it back to me.”
She left a kiss across the scar on his leg, and then the one on his inner arm where they took the new artery from.
“I won’t ever be embarrassed. I’m proud of you and what you do. I’m in awe.”
“But you were a doctor.”
Yeah, and?
“Were. Now, I’m a lowly paid civil servant. It’s my cross to bear. I’m willing to bet you make more money than I do. So, call me a gold digger and let’s go to sleep.”
He laughe
d. “Gold digger, huh?”
“I’m allergic to it. So, what’s another name for it?”
“Mine.”
She smiled at him.
“I want to meet your family. I’ll be proud to do it, Ivan. Don’t doubt it.”
Suddenly, he didn’t.
“Let’s sleep,” he said.
She pulled the shirt over her head to get naked and cuddled against him in all her bare glory.
It was comfortable.
She fell asleep in minutes.
As he laid there, he picked up his phone and sent his parents a text. He couldn’t call them and do what she did. He wasn’t nearly as brave, but he could give her this.
‘Mom and Dad,
Sorry to text so late. I’m on a job, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve met someone, and you’re going to love her. She’s amazing, and I’m in love.’
He hit send, and waited.
As always, his mother replied.
‘Ivan!
That’s amazing. We can’t wait to meet her. I hope you bring her home soon. I’ll get your room ready. We miss you. She has to be very special for you to send that text. I love her already.
Mom.’
A part of him was so confused.
Why he could tell them, but not her, he had no freaking idea.
Oh, yeah, he did.
He was screwed up.
Royally.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
They waited for Ethan to speak. Wyler was upset, Ethan wasn’t saying anything, and Elizabeth…she felt horrible that it appeared to be going to shit in front of her.
Sitting beside Wyler, she hugged him to try and get him to stop crying. She’d only ever seen him cry when Timothy, his father, passed, when Maeve died, and now.
It was unsettling.
She couldn’t be angry with the man. He was wounded. In life, you had to forgive and love.
Here was her doing just that.
“I don’t know why I sabotaged the best thing in my life. I lost you all for Bly. I deserve everything I get.”
She gave him a kiss. “Ethan, he’s not going back. I don’t care. She can’t have him. He’s ours.”
He laughed.
Discarded by Fate Page 39