Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7)

by Kelley, Morgan

  “I don’t see why not,” Blackhawk added. He could use a day of downtime with his family, and work was relatively slow at the minute. Once Christmas came, the chaos would ensue and they would be working long hours.

  She bounced over to the couch with her coffee to sit beside Callen. When he lifted his arm, she protectively leaned against him. “Can we have a pumpkin guts fight?”

  Blackhawk stared at her. “Why does that sound revolting and vile?”

  It only made her laugh. “We carve them and then whip the goo inside at each other.” This was her test to see if he was really feeling alright. Ethan didn't like chaos, and that would be pure bedlam.

  “Uh no. We aren’t whipping goo anywhere or partaking in that kind of slop fest.”

  Callen began laughing. “Ahhhh, there he is. Mr. Serious can only go so far into absurdity before he’s compelled to run screaming from it.”

  “Do you want to be picking pumpkin guts out of Lyzee’s hair the rest of the night? Once it goes in there, it may take root.”

  “Hey!”

  The men laughed.

  “Good point.” Callen stuck his hand in the mass of curls and faked getting caught.

  Elizabeth elbowed him. “Well, I can cut my hair if it’s getting to be a burden on both of you. I wouldn’t want you to feel like it’s hindering our relationship.”

  Both men appeared appalled at the mere suggestion that she would cut her hair. It was one of the things they loved about Elizabeth. In fact, hair was a sacred thing in their relationship.

  “NO!” Blackhawk stated. “You’re not allowed to cut it.”

  She snickered as she hit one of his hot buttons.

  “I’m with him. You’re known for this hair. It’s like your personal calling card. There goes Elizabeth and all her hair.”

  Staring at him, she tried not to laugh. “Actually, I’m known for having a relationship with two of the sexiest Indian men on the face of the earth- NOT my hair. It’s more like ‘there goes that immoral, oversexed hussy,” she replied.

  Blackhawk wasn’t having it. “No cutting your hair.”

  It wasn’t ever going to happen. Elizabeth happened to love her hair long. Before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

  “Come in, Chris,” called Blackhawk, and as usual the man was right on time.

  Doctor Chris Leonard sauntered in with his tablet and folder full of papers in one hand. In the other, there was his coffee. “Hey, happy Monday once again.”

  “Chris, you ready for the weekly abuse?” Elizabeth asked grinning. She loved this part of her day.

  Taking a seat beside her on the couch, he smirked. “I live for it. Nothing makes me happier or more overjoyed than being abused by you three.”

  Normally, he would have made some funny mark, but today he dropped it and it came across hostile.

  “Wow, you’re cranky today, Doc.”

  He shrugged. Yeah, he was well aware. “How much longer am I going to have to fill out requisition forms to get the things we need in the lab? I do believe your lesson was learned and duly noted.”

  Blackhawk smiled at him. “How are you feeling about those rules?”

  He got it. “I hate them. In fact, I plan on being a loose cannon like Elizabeth and causing nothing but pure mayhem. Will that make you happy?”

  “Yee haw,” she drawled, only to have Callen drop his hand over her mouth.

  “Shhhhh he’s focused on someone other than us right now. Let him have at it!” Callen hissed in her ear. They loved causing trouble. Whenever he was in from an assignment, they’d pull pranks and cause chaos- much to Ethan’s dismay.

  “You’re off the hook,” Blackhawk said as he pointed at the people he loved. “You two are not.”

  Chris leaned back and closed his eyes. “Thank God!”

  “Okay, since we can skip that part of the meeting what else do you have for us, Chris?” Ethan inquired, crossing things off on paper.

  “I do have one issue that needs to be addressed. It’s why I opted to leave Christina in the lab today and not bring her with me.”

  They all looked over at him. That didn't bode well.

  “Go ahead,” Ethan said, leaning back in his chair. Christina was their head lab tech and one of his brightest stars at FBI West.

  Where to even begin with this? “I’ve noticed some serious issues that have been popping up with her. I’m not one to ever complain when someone has an off day, we all have them, but lately,” he paused.

  “It’s okay, Chris. This is part of your job,” reassured Elizabeth. She didn't doubt that he hated ratting out a friend and co-worker. If there was a problem, they all needed to know.

  “Lately, she’s distracted. We’ve had to double check her findings to make sure she’s not wrong. If it was just an office situation, it wouldn’t be a big deal. We could carry her weight, but our reports are instrumental in court. We don’t have the luxury of doing them wrong. If we do, criminals go free.”

  None of this made Blackhawk happy. “How long has this been going on?”

  Chris shrugged. “I’ve noticed it about two weeks ago, when she was working that arson case that went to trial. She found a chemical that wasn’t on the other victims. I asked another tech to re-run it, and it came back with entirely different results.”

  “Wow,” Callen whistled. “It’s not like Christina to be off her game ever, but then with the science? That has never happened before.”

  “Not that we’ve been made aware of,” Blackhawk added. “What’s going on in her life to make her scattered?”

  Chris didn't like talking about her behind her back, but this was his job. As head of the forensics department, the lab was essentially his responsibility. If he let them slack, it was his ass on the line with the bosses.

  “I think it’s all because of Kane Redwolf.”

  Elizabeth got it. Christina had encountered the man back in Red River working the ‘Skinwalker’case. Since then, she’d been trying to carry on with her life in the FBI and the three hour long distance relationship.

  It had to be hard. She tried to picture her own life fitting those parameters, and it made her sick to her stomach.

  “Shit!” Blackhawk didn't like this at all. The last thing he wanted to do was handle some relationship issues. “Elizabeth? Can you take one for the team and handle the girl stuff?”

  Callen laughed. His brother was about to get his ass handed to him for that one.

  “What? Why do I have to do the girl thing? She’s your head tech and idolizes you.”

  “You have estrogen and ovaries, just like her,” offered Chris from beside her.

  Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “You’re lucky I can’t put my hands on you, or I would have knocked you off the couch.”

  Blackhawk was so glad he didn't have to answer that one. The ME saved him by wearing the bull’s-eye.

  “Baby, she’s a woman. You’re a woman. You know how uncomfortable I get talking relationships with the staff,” he pleaded. “If you loved me, then you would handle this.”

  “Oh boy,” Callen stated snickering. Now, his brother just pulled the love card out for this one. He was new at the relationship thing, but he even knew that was a dangerous thing to try.

  Elizabeth should probably get outraged, but she knew her husband was under a great deal of pressure. “What do I get out of it?”

  He stared at her a little more than surprised. Never had she ever said that to him. “What do you want?”

  She grinned wickedly. “I want a no holds barred pumpkin guts fight and you have to wear a suit.”

  “WHAT?” He was appalled.

  Now, Callen was ready to cry. He was so caught up in laughter over what was happening. “Oh, she got you there.”

  “I’ll talk to Christina, but only if you agree to my demands. If you say no, I’ll buzz her and you can talk about her sex life in front of all of us.”

  Oh hell!

  “Fine. You win. I’ll let you p
elt me with seeds and goo if you handle the chick drama.” Blackhawk was pretty sure his wife was sadistic and evil, and he was impressed how she played this one out. Sometimes, he forgot what she was capable of when push came to shove.

  “Great. I’ll talk to her right after our meeting is over,” she grinned. “Oh, and I want that suit for the festivities.”

  He stared down at his finery. “Baby, this is my new one. I just got it. I love this tie too!” Blackhawk ran his hand down the fitted suit and was horrified. He loved his clothing and believed that they made the man.

  “I think that it will look awesome covered in guts. If it makes you feel better, Callen and I will dress up too.”

  Blackhawk stared open mouthed. “THAT is dressed up for Callen!” he declared, pointing at his beat up boots, worn jeans and polo.

  Whitefox dropped a kiss on her forehead. “She saw you coming a mile away. When will you learn?”

  “Deal,” he muttered. “But I’m buying three more to replace it, so don’t even think about bitching about it.”

  Chris Leonard laughed at his bosses. He loved how they seamlessly moved together and were a family. There was teasing, love and camaraderie.

  “Next on the agenda,” Blackhawk stated, picking up his pen. “We need to talk about the holiday schedule.” As he went to proceed, his intercom buzzed.

  “Yes, Ginny?”

  “Mrs. B, you have a call on line one from Director Rothschild. He said it was important and to interrupt the meeting. I’m sorry.”

  Blackhawk loved his secretary. She was damn good at doing her job and still knew when to break the rules.

  “Put him through. Elizabeth will take it in here,” he offered.

  Moving from Callen’s side, she headed over to the desk as her husband put it on speaker.

  “Hey Gabe, how’s it going?”

  “Elizabeth, it’s going well. How are you and the kids? Livy sends her love. When are you three coming to visit?” he inquired.

  “Soon, I promise. As soon as EJ is able to handle a flight,” she paused. “Now, how about you tell me why you really called, Gabe? You don’t call on work lines to chit chat.”

  “What are you doing today?”

  She looked around. It was like he had the place bugged and knew they were all going to skip out for some jackassery and tomfoolery. “Nothing, why? This is the only meeting we have today, since you bumped all the conference calls until tomorrow.”

  “Pack your things, Lyzee. You have an assignment.”

  “WHAT?” both men said incredulously.

  “You heard me. We have a killer that’s called her out personally. It seems someone wants your private attention, or he’s promised to slaughter more women.”

  “I’m going out in the field?”

  Both men were now horrified at what this meant.

  “Saddle up. You ship out to Circle Rock today.”

  Well shit!

  ~ Chapter Two ~

  To say Ethan Blackhawk and Callen Whitefox weren’t amused would be an understatement. Yet, they knew there wasn’t anything they could do about it. When they’d taken this job, they were aware that there would be times beyond anyone’s control that forced someone out in the field.

  Callen had to go out all the time, but generally, Ethan and Elizabeth only took fieldwork when they wanted to accept an assignment.

  “What can you tell me?” Elizabeth asked as she watched both men begin to simmer and boil. At least they couldn’t tell her she wasn’t going. This one was from their boss.

  “The chief of police from Circle Rock called into Quantico. It seems that the killer left a note personally addressed to you.”

  Blackhawk finally found his voice. “I don’t think this is a good idea. No, I know this is a terrible idea. The last thing we should do is give a killer what they want.”

  Gabe understood their angst. “It’s not like we have a lot of choice. The media has been infatuated with her lately. Now she’s going to have squirrels coming out of the woodwork, and we need to put out this fire fast.”

  That didn't make anyone feel any better.

  “I’m going with her,” stated Blackhawk.

  Gabe laughed and knew Ethan was already going to go there. “She can take either you or Callen. You know the budget is strapped and I can’t allow three directors out in the field, even if you’re slow there. I’m being called on every penny as it is. You’ll have to pick, Lyzee.”

  Elizabeth stared back and forth. She couldn’t choose one without hurting the other. “Gabe, I’m going to take Ethan,” she finally answered.

  Callen looked crushed and wounded by her words.

  “That’s fine. Callen can stay in house and run the place while you’re away.”

  Elizabeth went to stand beside her other partner. Gently, she touched his shoulder with one hand as she signaled her husband with the other. “He can’t Gabe. Ethan just approved his vacation twenty minutes ago. We have kid things going on this week, and he’s going to be playing mom and dad at the doctor for shots, checkups, and all the rest.”

  Callen relaxed as Ethan began typing furiously to get the vacation approval filled out.

  “I didn't get any vacation request,” he replied suspiciously.

  Blackhawk hit send. “Oh, you should refresh your tablet. Mine has been sluggish lately. You should call the tech department and ream their asses over it too. I hate when technology screws with me.”

  Elizabeth fought valiantly to not laugh.

  “Oh, yeah, there it is.”

  Callen couldn’t help but grin. He couldn’t believe he ever thought she’d pick Ethan over him. Old fears had resurfaced, only to be pushed back down again. He needed to start working on the trust issue a bit more. Sometimes, the irrational feelings reared their ugly head.

  “Why do I think that you three are snowballing me?” Gabe asked, over the phone.

  “You’re suspicious, distrustful, and believe everyone is as sneaky as you,” Elizabeth added. “Now, who else can I take in?” she asked, refocusing them on the assignment.

  “We need this contained. You can take Ethan and two Agents. They have an ME on site.”

  She wasn’t happy with that answer. “I want my own ME. I don’t trust anyone to do the job right but the people that come out of FBI West. If this wackadoo is calling me out, I’m going in fully prepared and ready to go.”

  Gabe sighed. “Send in Doctor Leonard. The new guy is green. I don’t want Doctor Zane Legend out there butting heads with another ME. At least if Leonard goes in, he’ll play nice. In fact, tell him get a spine and be more aggressive. Sometimes, he’s too nice.”

  Elizabeth touched her lips with her finger to signal that Chris needed to remain silent.

  He honestly wondered if he was really too pleasant. Chris tried to utilize manners as much as possible and didn't let anger win often. Maybe, he’d work on that while on this assignment.

  She continued, “Okay, send me the file. I’m going to mobilize and get everyone ready for the field.”

  “Callen, have a nice vacation in Circle Rock. I hear they have some excellent museums that you can visit when you’re not standing watch over Lyzee,” Gabe added, hanging up.

  Blackhawk started laughing. “We would have got away with that had the man not been the ‘king of trickery’ himself. That was pretty slick, Lyzee. Good thinking.”

  She nodded. “Chris, I’m going to have you head back to the lab to get everything ready. I need to contact the next agent on the list to go out and get them prepped too.”

  Callen pulled the file up on his tablet. “Oh look, it’s Thomas Rickard and Cyra Austin.” All three of them knew that the ME had a thing for the woman, but since she’d been back it had been awkward between them.

  “Can you work with them?” Ethan asked, knowing the last thing they needed was relationship drama in the field.

  “Yeah, Thomas is fairly easy to get along with when he’s in the lab.”

  Just the fact th
at the man didn't say a word about the woman spoke volumes. Plus, it was clearly on his face. There was trouble on the horizon.

  “How about Cyra?” Elizabeth asked as she pushed for an answer.

  Chris didn't know what to say to that. Not because he didn't want to give anything away to his bosses, but simply because he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off or not himself. “I think so.”

  “Okay, go get the team ready,” Elizabeth said, walking him towards the door. As she was about to head out to the agents to give them their assignment, Ethan called to her.

  “Oh, Elizabeth Renee Blackhawk, can we have a moment of your time?”

  Hell! Here it came.

  “Yeah?” she asked, leaning against the door and crossing her boots at her ankles. “What about?”

  “I don’t want you to do this,” stated Callen. “I know I say it all the time, but I just have this sick feeling in my stomach.”

  Blackhawk had to agree. “I wish you would tell Gabe no.”

  She stared at them both. “I can’t say no to my boss. You knew when we took this job, Ethan, that this could happen. If it were you, would you tell him no?”

  Blackhawk knew their backs were to the wall.

  Callen stood. “Please. Don’t do it.” How was he supposed to explain to her that there was something that didn't feel right about it all? They had one body and the note calling her out. It freaked him out. Callen couldn’t handle the idea she could be harmed. Elizabeth was the mother of their children.

  “One day, we’re going to be able to stop having this conversation. I’m safe. I’m good at my job, and I don’t think that because I have breasts that I should get told to stay home. You go out all the time, Cal. Ethan travels too. It’s the same damn thing.”

  Blackhawk laughed. “No, it’s not. No one left a note with a dead woman and specifically wants us on a scene. That’s all you and while I’d like to be surprised, you’re a trouble magnet.”

  “I’m going to ask that you both support me on this. I want you to help me and have my back. What you’re doing is the opposite, by making me feel like I’m in danger and a liability.”