“Buckle up, Director. We’re about to have some fun.”
With that, the game started and the carving began. With efficient strokes, each cut was perfectly made.
It wasn’t easy to master it, but it was fun.
This was the ultimate payback for years of pain and suffering.
Before the week was out, Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk would see this as the end. Before it was all said and done, it would be their hearts torn from their chests and their lives destroyed by these senseless acts of brutality.
Lies had made them.
Deception had begun the ball rolling.
Death would destroy them.
Glancing at the time, everything was going as planned. The bloodied knife, in a very efficient hand, did the job, and before long—a masterpiece had been created.
“You’re perfect. I couldn’t have done a better job.”
And that was the truth.
It was just like the others.
And now it had truly begun.
Here was the ultimate payback for those who deserved it. This was the first shot of the battle, and there would be so many more in the war.
This was far from over.
In fact, when it was done, there would be only one victor, and this time…
It wouldn’t be a Blackhawk.
Their luck had run out.
It was time to finish what Elizabeth had started years ago. Before long, one thing was for sure.
She would die painfully.
And at her enemy’s hands.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Two Hours Later
Gabriel Rothschild’s
Home
There was one fact that couldn’t be denied.
She loved her life.
Everything about it was perfect. Olivia wanted for nothing. She and her children had everything that they could ever dream about having. It was like a fairytale come true.
It was perfection beyond her wildest dreams. Given the chance, Livy wouldn’t change a thing about it. Yes, she’d given up her job as a Fed to marry the most wonderful man in the world, and that had been the right thing to do. At first, she wondered if she’d compromised her happiness, but now...
She knew that wasn’t true.
Happiness was what you made of it, and together, they’d built something amazing.
It was strong.
It was unwavering.
It was incredible.
Truth be told, Gabriel was easy to love. Underneath all the toughness, there was a sweet and gentle soul. She’d found it, and she never let it go. He wasn’t as hard to handle as she thought he was going to be. From the first time they made love, to the daily kiss they shared before he headed to work, it had been nothing short of perfection.
He was her heart.
Soul.
Everything.
They’d created a miracle. In the pain and destruction of her last case, they built themselves up from the ashes. They recreated what they wanted, and they deserved all of this.
This was their happily ever after. Livy knew she was blessed to live it every single day. This was meant to be.
At first, they were wary. After all, what did Gabriel know about family? He’d come from a family of agents, making himself into the Director of the FBI in a few short years. It wasn’t easy, but if anything, Gabe was tenacious, and he’d gotten what he wanted.
She was part of that.
Once he’d set his sights on marriage and family, he wasn’t going to fail.
And he hadn’t.
The proof was in the snapshot of their life. They had six healthy kids, a beautiful home, and the perfect life. When they had their first child, there was so much emotion from both of them. It was like being sucked into a storm. It only grew with the birth of the rest of their kids. The love there was unfathomable, and Livy wouldn’t ever forget it.
By their sixth child, she thought he would look less in awe at the miracle they had created, but he never had. With each birth, Gabe loved them to their core.
They were his babies.
His progeny.
They mattered more than anything in his life.
Now they were all but grown up. Their eldest was going to be fourteen in a few months, and the teenager issues were popping up. Every day, there was a battle against the raging hormones.
Some days they won.
Some days they lost.
It wasn’t easy raising six kids, especially when two of them were on the cusp of being teens, but toss in what Gabe did for a living, and it wasn’t all happy times.
He was the head of the FBI. With that title, there came so much responsibility. He had security when he came and went to work, and they often had agents camped outside their home. While they tried to live a normal life, it wasn’t always possible.
Gabe mattered.
He was powerful.
Not only was he vital to Livy and the kids, but to the country as well. He served the people of the United States to the best of his ability, and she was proud. Not everyone could say that they had a job which mattered that much.
Not a day went by that she wasn’t grateful for the life she was afforded. They had nice clothes, cars, and income. What more could she ask for?
This was the pinnacle, and they were at it.
Now as the kids were all in school, and their youngest, Gabriel Jr, was in pre-school, Livy had a lot of time to herself. After dropping the kids off, she headed to the grocery store to do the shopping, run to the dry cleaners, and all the other mundane mom errands.
Yes, they could have a staff of helpers, but they didn't want any. Livy liked being a wife and mother. She loved folding laundry and taking their dog for a walk.
It just reminded her of what could have been had Gabe not followed her home that one night. Had he not asked her out, and had she not gotten food poisoning, this whole thing could have been very different. She could still be an agent, or more likely, dead.
Her life was built on his, and she would never take it for granted. Even with their ups and downs, she was happy.
As she carried in the bags of food from their garage, she couldn’t help but smile. Shopping had taken quite a while. After all, she was buying enough groceries to feed a small army. Each of their children was very different, and each child had things they liked and disliked. It made for chaos at the store, but it gave her joy to cater to her children.
They deserved it.
After all, they’d made sacrifices too. There were times their father couldn’t be there, missing a party, a holiday, or a school play. They deserved a little spoiling, and Livy made sure they got it.
It didn't hurt. They’d raised a house full of strong girls, and before they left, moving out on their own, they would teach them to be independent and fighters.
She actually felt bad for her one son. He was drowning in estrogen. In fact so was her husband.
Livy laughed.
How could she not?
She recalled Gabe telling her they would have a house full of boys. He had been so sure of himself.
Boy had he been wrong.
Then again, it didn't matter. They were her pride and joy, and each day she was grateful to have them.
As she began putting all the groceries away, she could hear the family dog barking like crazy. That only meant one thing. There had to be someone coming up the drive. It looked like she was going to be having company.
She didn't mind at all. If she was lucky, it might be her husband popping in before he had to head off on a jet to a meeting. Maybe she might get some kisses and snuggling in before he left.
Her heart skipped.
Yeah, that would make it a perfect day. Livy hated being alone, and frankly, she had empty nest syndrome. She was a little bored.
Who could blame her?
The house was clean.
The chores were done.
The kids were at school.
Yeah, she wouldn’t
mind some company. It was days like today where she envied her best friend, Elizabeth. She somehow managed to do it all.
Livy didn't have a clue how, but somehow Elizabeth pulled it off.
She was in awe. Their life, in comparison, was so much easier.
While Gabe worked in DC, out of Quantico and the Hoover building, they called the suburbs home. It was generally quiet there, and it had to be. With all of their kids, they couldn’t have too many neighbors. Space was at a premium, but Gabriel was well compensated for his work.
Now their children were less hellion and more calm, but the sprawling back yard had been a godsend. It had been well worth the investment.
As she put away the last of the food, their dog barked like crazy. Livy waited for it.
The doorbell rang.
Livy couldn’t help but laugh. Their dog honestly thought he was ferocious. The truth was that he was far from that. If anything, he’d lick you to death.
He wasn’t a killer.
He was a lover.
Still, he was a good alarm system. She always knew when someone was around their home. Money might have bought them a state of the art system, but nothing worked better than a crazed canine.
Heading toward their dog, Livy opened the door, but no one was there.
That was odd…
Listening, Livy couldn’t hear a car or any unusual sound. Whoever had been there wasn’t driving away.
The hair on her arms stood up. It was as if the dormant agent in her was shouting in alarm. Before Livy could slam the door and lock it, Beauregard, the dog, began sniffing at a large envelope on the porch.
She laughed as she felt some relief. Clearly, it was only a package delivery. Livy was being silly and paranoid. If Gabe was there, he’d bust her ass.
Picking it up, Livy didn't recognize the markings. There wasn’t an address or stamps on it. While it wasn’t odd for Gabe to get dossiers sent to their home, this was still highly unusual.
If anything, it made her curious.
Fear was abating, but now curiosity was kicking into overdrive on this one.
Flipping it over, Livy noticed that there was a name scribbled across the front. Not surprisingly, it was addressed to her husband. It had to be for work.
As she shook it, something was sliding around inside. It felt like a key, or something along those lines.
She knew she should wait.
Only, once more, Pandora had the urge to open the box. You could take the Fed out of the FBI, but you couldn’t take the curiosity out of the woman.
Gently, she tore open the envelope and dumped the contents onto the foyer table. Out slid a note and then the thing she thought to be a key. Only, it wasn’t. It was a medallion.
As soon as she saw it, she knew.
So many years disappeared as her past came flooding back. It stole her breath, making Livy want to be sick. She was awash in horror, terror, and pain.
This tie to her past was something that nearly destroyed her.
This medallion, embossed with a four leaf clover, was something she never wanted to see again. She’d seen one very similar fifteen years ago on the worst night of her life.
In that moment, her heart began pounding, and she wanted to be incredibly sick. The memories flooded back as she struggled to get away from the medallion. It was like poison, and she couldn’t bear to have it touch her skin. If it did, surely, it would fill her with the sickness that nearly devoured her so many years ago.
The cancer of evil was back.
Struggling to get her cell from her pocket, she dialed her husband at work. She knew if she called him on his private phone he’d know it was important.
When his voice came over the line, she could barely get the words out.
“Livy, honey, are you okay?” he asked in concern. His wife rarely called this number.
“Gabe.”
There was a pause and some deep breaths.
“Livy, what’s wrong?” Panic began welling up in him at the rapid intake of her breath.
“Oh, God! You have to come home! Please! I need you to come home now!”
His heart began pounding in his chest. Gabe was neck deep in meetings. In fact, the president of the United States was curiously watching him from across the Oval Office desk.
“Livy, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong!” he demanded, trying to stay calm.
Somehow, she managed to string a sentence together.
How?
She’d never know.
“You have to come home, Gabe. I need you. A package arrived, and I opened it.”
He stood, motioning toward the president that it would only take a second more. He hoped she wasn’t yanking his chain. Then again, he’d only heard this fear one time before.
“What was in it?” he asked, trying to stay calm. He couldn’t imagine what would have her this freaked out. Livy was generally a trooper when it came to everything. She made his life easy, knowing she could handle all things that were tossed at her.
Hell!
When she called when she was in labor, she was as calm as could be.
But not now.
“Livy…”
“There’s a four leaf clover medallion in our house, and a note.”
His heart thundered.
“What does it say?” he asked, praying for a miracle. This was his worst-case scenario, and honestly….
He never saw it coming.
“It says, ‘You’re mine. I’m back’,” she said, reading it without touching it further.
He wanted to be sick.
“Gabe, the butcher is back. He’s coming for me.”
That was all he had to hear. Gabriel Rothschild, for only the second time in his life, put family first.
He rushed out of the Whitehouse without looking back.
They had a problem.
A huge one.
CHAPTER ONE
It had been a brutal physical therapy session, but he didn't mind breaking a sweat to get what he wanted in life. It was part of the cost to reach the ultimate prize.
Pain was temporary.
Pride was forever.
There was no way in hell he was going to let any obstacles get in his way. Callen Whitefox was a man on a mission. He wasn’t giving up.
With each brutal therapy session, his right arm was getting stronger. Callen knew that the chances of him making it back out to the field, at the beginning of this journey, was slim to none, but that didn't mean he was going to give up.
He was a fighter.
He was strong.
In the end, if he failed, at least he’d know that he went down swinging with all he had. Callen was doing this for the woman he loved.
This battle was dedicated to his wife.
At first, he wanted to quit. What man wouldn’t? How much more could he take in his life. Then, the pity party stopped.
He had too much to lose by rolling over and whining. There was no way he was going to give up.
His kids didn't need that to be the example he set for them. Callen wanted all his children to know that he would take on any challenge with all he had.
He expected it from them, so why not him too?
Plus, there was no way he wanted to lose his position with the FBI. Solving cases with his partners in life, career, and love mattered too damn much.
It hurt his heart and soul even to think about walking away from it.
So, Callen was fighting.
Literally.
Ethan and Elizabeth both knew that time was running out for him to pass his recertification training, so they were pulling out all the stops when it came to working out his arm. Callen wasn’t just seeing a physical therapist. He was seeing a slew of exercise professionals.
Cardio.
Weights.
Strength training.
The list was endless.
As brutal as the workout regimen was, it didn't upset him in the least. While his big brother kept throwing challenges at him, t
he woman they shared sat there watching him fight for their future.
She cheered him on.
In fact, she was his biggest fan.
Today, he was in his FBI shorts and t-shirt while he did battle with some boxing brute. The man wasn’t pulling any punches, and somehow, Callen figured that was exactly what his brother wanted. The hits to his body were all to his right side, as if the man had been instructed to make Callen work for it.
Oh, Ethan was tricky.
Callen wouldn’t let it get to him. He was going to kick this man’s ass, and then make out with his girl. Then, since he was just as sadistic as his brother was, he’d call and brag about the sex.
That would teach him.
With the next punch, Callen just barely evaded it. The man pushing his body to the next level was good.
Damn good.
Only, Callen wanted it more. This was about winning and beating the odds. He was going to conquer this one yet.
With the next hit, the pain sung up his arm—not from being hit, but swinging back. With each throw of his arm, it dulled enough to get him motivated to do it again and again.
Oh, his brother was evil.
He got the point.
If Callen couldn’t slack, he’d be ready for what the FBI threw at him when he returned. He was well aware that when he showed up at Quantico, the staff was going to run him hard.
It wasn’t about his injury.
No, it was deeper than that.
Ever since they’d appeared on BNN, the papers, and the rag tabloid shows, they were something of an enigma. He was now in the spotlight too. Before, he was just the brother.
Now…he was the other man.
According to the news, Ethan and Elizabeth Blackhawk had a shared lover, and he was under the magnifying glass. Callen heard the whispers when they went back for a meeting the previous month. He’d been fresh out of the hospital, and people were talking.
While his partners in life and the field brushed it off, he couldn’t.
It bothered him.
Not because of him, or their jobs, but because they were staring at Elizabeth as if she was some freak in a sideshow. That part made him want to fight harder. He knew what they were thinking.
Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) Page 2