When she got her hands on her, she was going to kill her.
As the ambulance crew arrived, Callen checked all of their IDs. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t letting the fox into the hen house.
As they began working, he crossed to his wife. “Angel, you need to get warm.”
Her teeth were still chattering. “I will. I’m just letting anger heat me up. It takes longer.”
He grabbed a blanket from Cindy and wrapped it around her body. “Don’t even think it.”
She was.
“It’s not your fault.”
“It is, Callen. She took a shot at Chris because of me. I pushed her. I made her bleed, and now she’s making him bleed as retaliation.”
They both glanced over at the man in question. He was hovering as the medics checked out his daughter. When he looked over at Elizabeth, he had so much sorrow in his eyes.
Her heart broke.
“How do I say I’m sorry for this? I got his wife killed,” she whispered. “How do you apologize to a man you consider your brother when your arrogance just destroyed his family?”
“Lyzee…”
Just then, Ethan came in.
“I need to see you two in the kitchen.”
They followed.
“What is it?”
He pulled out a paper that was in a clear bag.
‘Five and six of seven’
She wanted to punch something. Elizabeth wanted to destroy everything around her. She’d been holding onto that one thread that this was some accident.
Here was the proof.
She was furious.
She was bitter.
She was willing to cross the line.
Ethan took her by the shoulders. “I need you to let the tech team handle this. I need you to distract Chris long enough that they can check Bethe for any trace.”
She could do that.
“Lyzee, angel, Ethan’s right. We need to work this like a crime scene.”
Blackhawk continued, “If she was in that house, she might have touched the baby. We have to run this as if he’s not our family. We have to be by the books, because she’s going to screw up, and this might give us the proof to lock her away.”
“She’s dead, Ethan. I won’t let her go to jail.”
He was well aware.
“Let’s get this done. Chris needs you in control. You have to solve this. We’ll run this, and you handle him. He’s going to need all of us to circle around him. Chris needs his family, and we take care of our own.”
He was right, and she would solve this.
Oh, she would find this woman if it was the last thing she ever did.
Then she’d kill the bitch for messing with the people she loved.
Justice had a name, and it was going to be Elizabeth Blackhawk.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Washington, DC
Getting that warrant was a bitch, but he swung it. Somehow, he found a judge and now Gabe owed him a big favor. He hoped his wife was right because he was now going to be indebted to a huge asshole.
He hated being under someone’s thumb.
As they headed to Carol Spade’s house, they knew there was a chance they might get lucky.
She might have left something there that would tie her to the killings.
Evidence would be nice.
As they approached the house, Gabe glanced over at his wife. “Stay…”
She shut him down with one sentence.
“Sure if you fire your secretary.”
“What?”
“If you’re going to boss me around, I’m doing the same. You have your job, and for the record…you haven’t been on the street in ten years. I think you may be rusty too.”
He stared at her.
“Well?”
“Fine. I’ll fire her, and you better keep your ass right behind me.”
“Two asses in a line. Great.”
“You know…you being near Elizabeth is beginning to seem like more and more of a horrible idea each and every day.”
She pulled her gun and grinned. “Yeah, I know. What the hell were you thinking?”
Together, they headed to serve the warrant. Gabe sent his agents around back. They were still staring at him as if he was loco. They had never seen him out in the field before now.
Well, screw them.
It felt nice.
Sticking the warrant to the door, he reminded his wife. “We can only search for things on the surface. It’s limited. If you find something, we tag it.”
“Gabriel, kick in the damn door before I do.”
He pointed. “Oh, by all means.”
Livy lined up with the lock. When he counted them down, she booted it with her foot. The door burst open, and she went in first.
That’s when she stopped.
“Uh, do you think that’s relevant?” she asked, pointing at the body on the floor.
He stared down. There was Carol Spade, and she was dead. By the glaze in her eyes, it wasn’t recent.
She’d been dead a couple days, frozen in her own home.
“Yeah, I’d say so, but if she’s here, who’s in Damascus after Elizabeth?”
She didn't know.
But they needed to find out.
And fast.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
The medics cleared Bethe and Wyler. Unfortunately, the two agents were a little worse for the wear. They had to take a little trip to the ER to be checked out by a doctor.
As Callen loaded them up in the ambulance, they both promised to be back.
He gave them credit.
They ran right for that fire, and didn't give their safety any concern.
They were heroes in his book.
As he headed back across the snow, he glanced toward Chris’s massive burned out house. It was destroyed.
Everything he owned was in there, along with his wife. Callen couldn’t even imagine. He wanted to be sick. Silently, he said a prayer to his dead grandfather, begging him to keep his woman and unborn child safe.
He had a bad feeling, and it was brewing in his stomach. From where he stood, he could see the techs working the scene. They were pulling that house apart, like no one’s business. If there was trace, they were going to get it.
He didn't doubt it.
Callen headed toward the house, knowing his brother had just returned to their home. So much for no one knowing where they lived. He didn't doubt that Carol Spade had done her research.
They were screwed.
Their once safe home was compromised.
Glancing back at his home, he wanted to weep for the man inside.
Poor Chris.
It was going to be a long hard road.
As he crossed to the scene, the entire tech team was there. Anyone not working on a case had showed up, and he wasn’t shocked. Doctor Leonard was loved by everyone.
He was a good guy and didn't deserve this.
Inside, the fire marshal had cleared the ME. As Zane knelt beside the charred body, Callen could see it in his eyes.
“She was torched,” he said, when Callen approached.
“I can only hope she was dead at the time.” Callen remembered the stripper case. They’d been alive.
“Where’s the director?” Zane asked.
“Ethan’s tied up at the house. I’m going to stand in here. Get her back to the lab, check dentals ASAP, and call us. Do it fast. We don’t need Chris seeing her like this, if this is Cyra.”
They got it.
Merry unrolled a bag and they carefully lifted her wearing asbestos gloves. She was one lump of twisted flesh.
“Pull everything,” Callen yelled. “We’re getting justice for Chris and his family.”
They would do it too.
Family stuck, and Chris would need them now.
As Callen walked away, Merry pulled out her phone. She had a call to make. Tony Magnus would want to be called on his hone
ymoon for this.
She knew they were close.
It was the least she could do.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Somehow, she managed to get Chris to relinquish his child. The only reason he handed her over was because Ethan had offered to feed her and get her cleaned up.
It was evident that he was afraid to let her out of his sight. Only, he trusted them.
It was a good thing because it was a long road back. They were going to have to work for this one.
As Ethan took her away, Elizabeth held out her hand. She didn't know if Chris was actually going to take it.
He’d wept, there had been mourning, and she knew what came next.
The next phase was rage.
She was willing to be his target.
When he took her hand, she led him to her office. Inside, she shut the door.
“Chris, I’m so sorry,” she said.
His eyes filled with tears. Immediately, he moved toward her. Elizabeth opened her arms.
Chris went against her body, and allowed himself the moment to let it go. He sobbed in the privacy of her office.
Together, they sat against the wall, him pressed to her body, weeping over what he lost.
She soothed him, taking off his glasses and stroking his hair like a wounded child. He’d done this for her. When she lost Gabe and Livy, after they eloped, he held her for hours until she could breathe again.
Elizabeth would do the same.
Chris was hers to protect.
“Had I stayed home,” he sobbed.
“Shhhh, Christopher, you didn't cause this. That bitch did, and she’s going to pay. I promise you that I’m going to make her bleed for you.”
He held onto her. “I don’t know how to do this. How do I raise my daughter alone? How do I be mom and dad?”
She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “You aren’t alone. I’m here. I’ll help you. I’ll be here every step of the way.”
He closed his eyes to breathe in her scent. It was familiar and offered peace. In that moment, it wouldn’t replace his wife, but it would get him through this. Once more, she’d be his rock, and he was grateful.
“This is my fault. She did this to you because of me. I caused this,” Elizabeth whispered. “I rolled into your life, and I ruined it.”
Chris lifted his head.
She was crying too.
“I hope one day you can forgive me. I wasn’t fast enough again, and I cost you Cyra. I am so sorry, Chris. So damn sorry.”
“I don’t blame you. I blame her and myself for this.”
“If I had only been…”
He stopped her. “I need you now, Elizabeth. I need you to hold me up. I can’t do this without you. Right now, I need you to stop hating you, and hate whoever did this. I need you to get Cyra justice. Please don’t let her take you down too. You’re my last hope. My Elizabeth needs her aunt to find this woman.”
She held him. “Okay, Christopher. I’ll protect you. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe.”
He stayed there. “I don’t even know what to do next. I have to plan a funeral. I have to call her family.”
“We’ll handle it.”
He slid down until his head was in her lap.
It was a flashback.
She’d done the same thing many times in their beginning years, and he’d always let her lay there until she was strong enough to carry on.
She didn't know how much time had gone by. It seemed endless.
“I should find my daughter. We have to go to a hotel,” he said, sitting up. This was the first step in starting to live his life. While Chris wanted to mourn for the rest of his existence, he had a child to raise.
He still had his daughter, and she deserved the best things in life.
She took his face in her palms. “You’re staying here with me. We have room. It’s safe here, and you need your family. Right now, we’ll get you into some clothes that aren’t scrubs, and you can put Bethe to bed in Charlie’s room. They love each other. They can sleep together.”
His eyes filled with tears.
He loved her. How could she think he’d blame her for what had happened. Elizabeth climbed a tree, almost eight months pregnant, and in the snow to save his child.
She’d risked her own life.
That was love.
“What? My scrubs aren’t sexy enough for you?” he asked, trying to remind her of their one conversation years ago.
She kissed him softly on the lips. Then, she rested her forehead against his.
“Yeah, you’re hot, and so am I.” Her hand went to her baby belly.
Chris let her offer him comfort. “Don’t leave me, Elizabeth. You and Bethe are all I have left. I need you to hold my hand as I try and make this journey.”
“Darlin’, I’m in this for the long haul. We’re going to get old and crotchety together. I swear.”
For that, he was grateful.
Ethan had gotten Bethe situated on the rug with Charlie. She was no worse for the wear. The ordeal was over, and she was happily playing with blocks and play instruments.
Fortunately, she was young and would forget.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t know her mother. That made him sick.
Pulling out his phone, he made the call to his boss. Ethan really hoped that they’d found something.
Anything.
“Rothschild.”
“Gabe, it’s Ethan.”
“I was just going to call you. We have a mess.”
“We have a bigger one. Our killer, Carol Spade, just killed Chris Leonard’s wife. She burnt his house down, trying to wipe out his family.”
There was a pause.
“It wasn’t her.”
“What?” Blackhawk asked, watching the two children. “What do you mean it wasn’t her?”
“We just executed a warrant at her house. I found a judge who would entertain it, and guess what we found?”
“Her avoiding my wife?”
“In a way, yes. She’s dead. In fact, she’s been dead a couple of days. One of our ME’s has her en route to the morgue. It looks like her last day at work was, indeed, her last day.”
“Please tell me you found something.”
“We have a handful of hairs. It looks like Carol got a few shots in before the killer took her out.”
“Shit, Gabe! We don’t have a clue who it is. If it’s not Carol, we’re back at square one.”
“Our tech team is running it now. I’ll call you as soon as we find something.”
“Please rush them.”
“I will. Watch your wife’s back. We don’t know who did this, and that means the killer is still out there.”
“Please hurry.”
“Tell Chris Leonard I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine…”
Yeah, neither could he, but if they didn't figure out who this was, they might be having a double funeral.
Ethan had just hung up when his kitchen door burst open. Immediately, he went for his gun, and stepped in front of the girls behind him.
“Hands up!”
“Where’s my sister! Where’s Cyra!” the blonde man shouted. “Where’s she at!”
Oh boy.
This wasn’t how he wanted to do a notify.
Then again, this whole case was one giant mess.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
At the airport, she boarded the plane. It was time for the last victim in her game. All she had to do was land in Salem, leave a note, and give Elizabeth Blackhawk a reason to suffer.
One more stop, and it was over.
If she thought she was going to suffer, oh, she was. Then she’d be out of her misery when she earned a bullet to the brain.
Now, the game was about done.
She was going to watch him die, and then perish herself.
Salem was perfect.
This plan was ideal.
As the boarding was called, she popped on
her baseball cap, headed down the gangplank, and got ready to order a drink.
Justice was coming to that backwoods hick.
Any day now.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Elizabeth heard the commotion.
So did Chris.
When they stepped out of the office, Ethan was there with some man.
She didn't recognize him, but obviously, Chris did.
“Cannon?” he said.
“Where’s my sister?” he asked, moving closer. “I stopped by and the people at the house said to come here. Where is she?”
Tears filled Chris’s eyes. “She’s gone, Cannon. She didn't get out.”
He stared openmouthed.
Then he dropped the bomb.
“I knew marrying you was a bad idea. She was crazy to hitch herself to some death doctor. Your life killed her. She was happy and safe until you came into her life. You murdered my sister!”
Chris actually flinched, the dagger finding its mark.
The man wanted to wound, and he’d done it.
“I’m taking my niece before you kill her too. Cyra told me to raise her if anything happened to her, and I will. Your crazy mother, sick life, and destruction won’t get her too. My sister saw this day coming!”
He went to move toward Bethe.
Chris moved between them.
“You’re not taking my daughter,” he stated. “I’m her parent. You’re not touching her.”
The man swung, sucker punching Chris right in the face. He fell backward and onto Ethan who barely caught him.
Elizabeth jumped into action. She wasn’t going to allow this in her house. Chris was hurting enough. She headed right for Cannon Austin.
He swung at her.
She ducked, dodged, and punched him in the face. “That’s for punching him. Come on, asshole! Get up. I’ll kick your ass!”
Callen came rushing in, just in time to see the man get back up. Elizabeth leveled him again.
Instead of letting her go at him, Callen dragged the man away. “This is for your safety.”
Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) Page 47