“Watch your backs,” she stated. “See you back in DC.”
She hung up.
“Agent Garrick?” Elizabeth asked, grateful for the woman’s help.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Thank you for an exemplary job. You get a gold star, too, and I don’t hand them out lightly.”
Oh, she was aware.
“Get some rest,” Elizabeth stated.
“Thank you, ma’am!”
She hung up.
As soon as the call was disconnected, Dakota walked in with coffee and donuts.
“This town has nothing open but one donut shop. I hope you all…” He looked up.
They were smiling.
As in big Cheshire Cat smiles.
It was out of place. When he’d left, to get them some food, Elizabeth was on the verge of tears.
Now…?
“What?” he asked.
They told him.
There was a metamorphosis on his face. It went from shock and surprise to excitement.
“We have her identity? You’re not yanking my chain, are you?” he asked.
“Oh no, we really have her in our crosshairs now,” she stated.
Then it hit her.
“Uh, Ethan?”
He glanced over from his phone. “Yes?”
“Is this enough to really rattle her cage? You know…me tossing out the reward, then dropping the bomb that we have Lizzie’s brother in custody and her real identity?”
He laughed. “Oh yeah. She’s going to go nuclear the second she hears it.”
Perfect.
The hand was hers. Bonnie had underestimated her, and her team. They were the best for a reason. Here it was.
“Callen, after you contact Ty about heading to Will’s home, start calling the media. We’re having a press conference, but first…”
“What?” he asked.
“We are going to the airport. Amir is coming in on that flight at six in the morning. I’m his welcoming committee.”
She smiled ferally.
“And I’m really going to welcome him to Salem,” she offered.
“Then?” Callen asked.
That was easy.
“And then we’re going to find out where Bonnie is hiding because he’s going to tell us.”
“Or?” Dakota asked.
That was easy too.
“Or he’s going to be sorry. Bonnie isn’t the only one who can torture.”
And no one doubted that.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Bonnie was in a good mood.
At that moment, they were killing the next person on the list, and she was biding her time. This was about keeping Elizabeth Blackhawk off balance.
She’d never see this one coming.
Never.
Will Argot, the asshole, was squealing like a pig as they peeled off his skin.
Literally.
They had a good portion of his body done. It took scalding hot water and some sharp blades.
He was going to be a mess when they found him.
“Do it,” she said, getting sick of his wailing.
Lizzie dropped the ax, swinging with all she had, and his head popped right off.
There was that enjoyable sound when his vertebrae were crushed beneath the blade.
She laughed.
Lizzie laughed.
This was the life, and the best part?
Elizabeth wouldn’t figure this out. She was running in circles when it was so easy. Clyde had been useful, even in death. He had a few hidey-holes, and he had some connections who were sicker than him.
Elizabeth Blackhawk was overlooking the past. That was her big mistake. Those who ignored history were destined to repeat it.
And they called her smart.
It was lies.
Honestly, she had other things to stress.
She was wary. Elizabeth had them chasing their identity. At that moment, she had the sheriff’s deputies showing everyone their pictures.
So, she needed to take the last victim before planned.
It didn’t matter. Her reaction was priceless.
It was also a sign of desperation.
She had nothing.
It was beautiful.
Bonnie knew she was going to beat her. This game would be hers, and that would make her smarter and better.
Oh, Elizabeth was out of her league.
And it was almost over. She’d be weeping in a puddle of blood when this was over.
And Bonnie would still be free.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Airport
Sixty Minutes
Later
They were ready.
Their team was in position. Ethan had cleared the area, and he wanted to make sure that any civilians would be safe. Since Amir was a Fed, he was going to be armed, and he couldn’t risk hurting anyone.
This would be about taking him in for questioning to get more information, but you never knew what a suspect would do.
Ever.
Once that was done, they’d head to the press conference with the good news.
They were one step closer to catching Bonnie.
“I can’t believe we had a snake in the den,” Callen stated. “How the hell did he get the job?”
That was one hell of a question that Elizabeth wished she had the answer to herself.
Ethan owned this one.
“Yeah, I know. We were desperate to get a tech to do the job, and we didn’t choose well,” Ethan stated. “He passed everything. He’s been with us almost a year. Bonnie must have had him planted shortly after we lost her last time.”
She got it.
“Bonnie had time to plot. She’s insane. Why not hook up with Clyde’s old buddies, who were cuckoo like him? Voila! She had her team.”
It was sick.
It was twisted.
It was totally a Bonnie move.
“She likely didn’t tell Amir and Amara that she killed him,” Ethan stated. “She’s a master manipulator.”
Yeah, she was aware.
“She’s been stalking everyone and planting all these fake IDs for a while.”
“Well, I’ll give her one thing,” Callen admitted.
“What?”
“She’s patient. To plan this all out had to take time and a shitload of patience.”
“Yeah, she had to really hate my fucking guts.”
Ethan corrected her. “She actually wants to be you. It’s jealousy. When she was nearly caught, she was stripped of her money, her prestige, her life. She wants yours. She wants the parties, the fancy clothes, and the…”
She cut him off.
“Well, I’m using this life, so she can kiss my Southern, biscuit-loving, fry bread-eating ass.”
Ethan kissed her.
Now here was his wife.
“Hey! No kissy-face! You’re ruining my badass street cred!”
He didn’t care.
“You like it. Admit it.”
They waited for her to answer.
“I guess we can stop kissing you at all if it’s an issue…” Callen teased.
She glared at him.
“Fine, you two jokers. I like it, okay? I’m a Native chaser. I like your kisses. Blah, blah, blah!”
Ethan laughed. “You’re in a good mood.”
Damn right she was.
Why?
They were close to ending this. They were so close to putting the final nail in Bonnie’s coffin before she got to their family. They’d saved their asses once more. Now they couldn’t hide under Amara’s name.
This was a beautiful thing.
The flight arrival came over the speaker. It was time to get ready. As soon as they had him in custody, they were set to break him.
People began getting off the flight.
Miraculously, he was last.
It must be because he was toting a big ass carry-on with FBI gear in it.
/> Their luck was his misfortune.
As they headed his way, Callen worked on getting the disembarking people out of the way for their safety.
When Amir glanced up, he saw them. First, he smiled, and then he was confused as to why they were there.
Then, he got it.
The jig was up.
Elizabeth knew the moment he realized he was about to be arrested. Maybe it was the look on her face, the cuffs in Ethan’s left hand, or how Callen was hustling the civilians out of there fast.
But he knew.
That’s when he went for his gun. He pulled and began firing at them.
Ethan and Elizabeth pulled theirs too.
Unfortunately for Amir, he was shitty with a gun, much like he was at being a head tech.
Together, they put six holes in the man.
Amir hit the ground in a puddle of his own blood.
Well, so much for interrogation.
It looked like they were going to have to handle this, keep it out of the media, and pray that Bonnie would out herself when she saw the press conference.
At least they’d handled the one snake.
This was the end result when you tried to screw with the law.
You ended up dead.
In your blood.
By a Blackhawk’s gun.
“Let’s get this under wraps,” Ethan suggested.
That worked for her.
They had another dead body. Chris was going to be damn busy.
As always, except she already knew COD.
It was two Blackhawks and their guns.
Chapter Eighteen
Sunday Morning
Salem
Press Conference
O ne thing about Elizabeth Blackhawk was that she could clean up with the best of them. While she was comfortable in jeans and boots, she could rock out a skirt and suit jacket any day. Today was that day.
The men in her life were that reason.
As Ethan stood beside her, his suit impeccably fitted and in place, and Callen behind her, also wearing a tailored suit, she couldn’t show up in jeans.
Hell no!
She’d look like some raggedy mess.
Elizabeth needed to dress the part.
This was like Christmas Eve for her. Tomorrow, she’d be finding Bonnie—or that was her hope. Today, she had to play nice with the press and give them the glamor shot.
Oh, and she would.
She was going to sing like a freaking canary to the media, drawing all the attention right to the woman.
As Ty Donnell was absent, trying to hunt down Will Argot, she had his blessing to do this press conference.
It was going to rock.
She was actually smiling.
“You look possessed,” Callen whispered. “You’re going to scare people.”
It nearly made her laugh. She imagined it did. When it came to the media, she’d rather beat them bloody with a stick than talk to them.
Today?
Oh, they were instrumental in rattling Bonnie’s cage.
Yeah, she was tired, and running on candy bars and caffeine, but this was worth it.
Her only regret was she wouldn’t see Bonnie or Lizzie’s faces when she dropped the bomb.
Yeah, she wished.
Oh, well.
She’d have to live it in her mind.
As the media settled down, a sign that they were ready to start, Ethan figured he’d kick this fun fest off. It reminded him of the first case they had worked. She’d introduced him, and then they pissed off the mayor. Well, he was going to introduce his beautiful wife, and let her run with it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming,” he stated, standing in front of them, gun on his hip, suit jacket open to reveal his gold badge.
The second he spoke, it got quiet.
“We invited you here for an update on our ongoing case. Since it’s crossed state lines, starting in Damascus, then the District of Columbia, and now here in Salem, we know you have a lot of questions.”
They started slinging them as if that were the cue that it was okay.
He stopped them.
“Actually, there will be a statement by the lead investigator, and then if she is so inclined, she will take questions. I’ll leave that up to her.”
That didn’t make them happy at all. There was no doubt why. They knew she didn’t deal with their questions.
Ever.
“And now, here’s my wife, and partner, Director Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk.”
They began shooting questions at her, left and right, and she simply stood there.
“When you’re ready,” she began. “This is not your first day at the rodeo with me. I’ll begin when you stop shooting random stuff at me.”
They were well aware.
A few reporters took a chance.
She wasn’t having it.
“I don’t have all day. I’m close to breaking this case wide open.”
That seemed to work.
The piranhas stopped nipping at her and shut up.
For a change.
“If you’re ready,” she stated.
Then, it was time to begin.
Across town, Bonnie and Lizzie were back from killing the next victim. They were tired, sweaty, and wanted to have some wine and relax on the couch. They’d been sleeping in shifts, ensuring that they were safe.
But now, it was about decompressing.
Putting on the TV, Bonnie got comfortable.
That’s when she saw her.
“Oh look, Elizabeth is pleading for help by trying to use the media.”
Lizzie laughed as she sat with the wine beside Bonnie.
“She’s pathetic. She needs one detail, and this is easy. It’s not rocket science.”
Bonnie stared at her.
Did she just insult her plan?
What the hell?
What Lizzie didn’t know was this was an intricate plan. It began a year ago, laying a foundation to do the job right. She may think it was simple, but Bonnie knew the truth.
“Look at her all dressed up like a puppet,” Lizzie stated. “I bet her bosses made her do it. She deserves to be jerked around. Filip was a good man. He didn’t deserve for her to kill him like she did.”
There was no comment.
Instead, Bonnie sipped her wine.
Oh, she knew that she wouldn’t have their help if she told them the truth, and they were too stupid to figure out they were expendable.
Lizzie, while helpful with the connections to take out the Blackhawks, was not essential.
In war, there was collateral damage.
She was at the top of the list.
Lizzie bounced in her seat. “Shhhh, let’s watch. This should be fun.”
Bonnie hoped she was right.
Elizabeth was ready.
“As many of you know, I’m chasing Lottie Tipton. She’s half the partner duo from a previous case. She likes to be called Bonnie, and he used to be called Clyde.”
The media made notes.
“She’s been crisscrossing the US, killing, and trying to get my attention. She’s murdered Attorney Cannon Austin in Damascus, Sister Margaret Peace and Doctor Michaels in DC, and just yesterday, Mayor Christopher Santana.”
At the mention of his name, the media from Salem went wild. They hadn’t been notified, and this was their gift for being part of her game.
They began firing questions at her, competing for answers.
She held up her hand.
“I will shoot you if you don’t shut up. I think you know I’ll do it.”
That worked.
Elizabeth continued, “They were all brutally murdered, and we’re here to update you on our case. We still need your help. We have a reward being offered for any information on the capture and prosecution of these two women.”
“How much?” one reporter shouted.
“Fifty thousand dollars. The person simply has to give us a location, and we bring
her in. Once she’s arrested, the money is available.”
There was more talking.
Callen handed her the two pictures. One was a shot of Lottie Tipton from her acting career.
The other…
“Let me introduce you to Amara Hayden, or as she likes to be called, Lizzie Borden.”
The media began chattering like crazy.
Elizabeth held them both up. It was the picture from the university annals.
“Currently, we’ve arrested Amara’s brother, Amir, who was posing as an FBI agent. He infiltrated my unit to spy and help his sister kill. He’s being charged with treason, capital murder, and he’s going away for a LONG time.”
She didn’t tell them he was dead.
She wasn’t going there.
Let them sweat it. It might flush the rat from the hole. After all, Bonnie was a runner. She’d love to get her out of Salem and away from her family.
The media kept asking questions, as Elizabeth stood there.
Yeah, suck it, Bonnie.
She was coming for her.
Bonnie must have misheard her.
Did Elizabeth Blackhawk just say…?
She looked over at Amara.
“Oh, my God!” Lizzie whispered. “She has my brother! We have to save him! He helped us all these months slipping us information on her and where she’d be, plus he faked the trace to keep us safe! We can’t let him go to jail!” she pleaded.
Bonnie got up and began pacing.
This was bad.
If Elizabeth had this, what else did she have? Right now, Amir could be singing like a canary in order to save his sister.
Yeah, that wasn’t good.
Heading to the counter, she poured more wine.
“Bonnie! You’re good at this! We can break him out. He’s likely in the jail. We can go in with guns blazing! I’ll be your Clyde! We can go out with a bang.”
Yeah, no.
Dying was overrated.
She planned to go out on a beach being screwed by sexy men. There was no way she was risking getting caught by Elizabeth Blackhawk. There was no doubt in her mind she was going to be executed.
She wasn’t stupid.
What to do?
Revenge has Come (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 19) Page 56