God, he wanted to feel her right then and there, but this was a work vehicle. Staring at her, he thought about the man they were going to tell his wife was gone. Ethan imagined if given the opportunity, he would have broken any rule to just have one more moment with her. Not wanting to lose one precious opportunity, he climbed in the back and pulled her against his body.
Screw it! Somethings mattered more in life than rules.
“Ethan,” she murmured, as his lips began exploring her throat and neck. When his hands roamed her body and pulled Elizabeth’s shirt free from her pants, he thought he’d die from all the want.
“Take off your pants,” he mumbled, afraid to stop kissing her for a second, or she’d vanish from his reach.
She struggled and tried to stand and get free from her boots and jeans. When she finally succeeded, Elizabeth climbed back into his lap, and began kissing his neck and unbuttoning his shirt to run her hands across his flesh.
“I love your body,” she whispered, paying special attention to the raven across his chest. It was her tattoo. It may have predated their coming together, as a memento from his wild youth, but it was absolutely hers.
This man was forever burned into her heart.
“God, I hope we don’t get caught,” he stated, as her hand flicked open the button of his dress pants.
“I don’t care if we do. I want my husband,” she answered, biting him on the ear as she pulled him free of his boxers.
“Lyzee baby,” he mumbled as she dropped to the floor and squeezed between the seats to take him in her mouth. “So hot,” he stated as the warmth enveloped him.
Elizabeth loved to hear his breathy moans as she worked him with the frenetic pace. It was pleasurable to have him lose control and just live for the moment.
She was driving him wild. There was nothing more erotic than his wife’s head bobbing in his lap in a place that should be off limits. Part of him wanted to explode right there as he thought about it. “Baby, this is on my bucket list, so take it easy on me.”
Elizabeth started laughing as she stared up into his eyes. “Is it, Director Blackhawk? Then how else can I please you today?”
He loved when she used the sex kitten voice and called him that. “Well Ms. LaRue, you should climb up here into my lap and show me how appreciative you are to work for me.”
She grinned when he called her by her maiden name and joined in the sexy little game. “Always, Director,” she purred, slipping out of her panties and dropping them on the floor. Heat flooded her body as she straddled him and made more memories with him.
This would forever be theirs.
As she held him in her warm palm and prepared to sheath her body around his, he stared up into her eyes. “I love you.”
Elizabeth slid him home, pausing as he filled her and pulsed inside her body. “I love you too, Ethan.”
“Oh baby,” he whispered. Everything in him wanted a fast ride, but he knew that he wanted to watch her face as they pulled pleasure from each other.
Slowly, she slid up and down his erection, letting every second and every inch fill her with so much peace and love. This man was so important to her life. Without him, there would certainly be a void.
“Perfect as always, Lyzee,” he moaned, dropping his head back as he enjoyed the fact that he was breaking the rules. His wife bouncing in his lap was worth everything.
“Ethan,” she called, feeling herself breaking apart as he filled her. “Oh, God!”
When she exploded around him, he fought to keep control. He wanted so much more, and never wanted it to end. It felt too damn good to ever stop. “More baby, take more. I’ll give you all I have,” he promised, willing to reach into his own chest and hand her his heart if that’s what she demanded.
She continued her ride with his hands now at her hips. She relinquished control, allowing him to build her back up. “You feel perfect,” she purred, pulling his mouth to hers as her hands freed his hair. She used it to hold him to her and reveled in the kiss.
He felt the quake begin as the pressure built up in his body. He was so close. Ethan prayed that she would fall into the bliss with him as he lost control. “Oh Christ,” he muttered as she moved quicker. “Please,” he begged, needing more.
As the heat swelled, she exploded around him once more, flinging herself off into the abyss and taking him with her.
His shout was muffled with her mouth, as she sealed their lips together. Now, they’d float back up together as one.
Slowly, time ticked by and neither moved.
“I love you, handsome,” she finally stated breathlessly.
Blackhawk simply laughed. “This shows how much I adore you. Here I am with my wife sitting in my lap, half-naked in a vehicle paid for by the tax payers.”
She grinned at him. “You loved every damn second of it.”
His hand ran appreciatively over her naked ass. “Yes, I truly did.”
Sliding off him, she grabbed her panties and jeans. “I think we should have sex more often in places that are off limits. We already hit your office and the car. How about we try out the jet next time?”
Ethan wanted to tell her absolutely not, but he already knew that if she proposed it, then he would follow through. Blackhawk was weak, and was cursed with a very sexy wife.
In his book, it was a recipe for disaster.
As much as he wanted to stay there with Elizabeth, he knew the truth. Work was calling, and they had something unpleasant to do. “We need to focus on the job ahead.”
She stared at him all serious, her palm on his cheek. “I’ll keep my promise, Ethan. I’ll stay by your side and fight to remain there for the rest of my dying days,”
He kissed their rings on her finger. “I believe you.”
Climbing out, she stretched and waved at a little old couple walking through the park. They had stopped to stare at them both exiting the back of the Denali.
“Oh shit,” he muttered as he began laughing. “You’re enjoying this too much!”
She climbed back in the front and grinned. “That’s us in forty years, except I’ll have two fine specimens of geriatric sexiness.”
Blackhawk was always amused by what came out of her mouth. With Elizabeth, she was always a wild card, and he was completely grateful for that.
Starting the engine, he drove towards the shop, knowing they were stalling the inevitable.
The interlude gave him a little iota of peace, but now they were back on the clock.
Arriving at ‘Mystical Memorabilia’, they noticed that the lights were off and all was silent. They were pretty sure that the couple lived above the store, and they needed to get his attention. Both began banging on the glass, with as much force as possible. When they saw him stumbling from the back, dressed exactly as he was yesterday, they both knew what had happened.
The man went out to drink his problems away, only to inherit another set.
“Wait a damn minute!” he yelled, finally making it to the door.
When he opened it, he looked off color and like the liquor was still pickling his system.
“What do you want? Do you know how early it is?” he hissed, heading back to the little sitting area. It looked like he had crashed there for the night.
“We need to talk to you,” Ethan said. “You may want to sit down.”
He fell back into the couch and closed his eyes. “Please don’t shout. If you want Artemis, you’ll need to get her yourself upstairs. I don’t think I can make it up there.”
“Where were you all night?” Ethan asked him, already believing the man didn't kill her. He was hung over and didn't have a clue.
“I got mad at my wife, and I went to the bar down the street to drink myself stupid. On my way home, I puked a few times and passed out here on the couch, why?”
Elizabeth took this bull by the horns. “Ares, we’re here to talk about Artemis.”
He opened one eye. “What about her? I’m not in the mood to have anyone try to pa
tch up this mess. She lied and that’s a big marriage no-no. When she apologizes, maybe we can work it out, until then I have nothing to say. I’m not going to be walked on while she thinks it’s acceptable to sleep around. That’s going to happen over my dead body!”
Oh boy. That sentence alone just set the tone for the conversation. Here it went.
“Ares, last night, Artemis was abducted and murdered. She’s gone. We’ve just left the crime scene.”
That had him sitting up abruptly. “That’s not even funny,” he stated as he stumbled from the couch and raced towards the stairs.
They let him go. Sometimes, the loved ones of the victims had to find the truth themselves. When he returned, the look on his face said it all.
“She didn't sleep here last night. Where is she?” he asked, his voice filled with so much fear and pain. “Where is my Artie?”
Ethan took over, “We were called to another scene today and when we arrived, we found that she was our victim. We’re horribly sorry for your loss, Ares.”
He sat and stared straight ahead. “This is all my fault. I was so angry last night that I stayed out until three in the morning getting drunk. If I didn't let my anger win, she’d be here. I would have been right by her side the entire time,” he stated, staring back and forth between them. “I killed her with my wrath.”
Elizabeth hated to see anyone lose their partner or mate. The worst was when they began to hold the blame. “I’m sorry,” she stated. “Can we call someone for you? Maybe there is someone from the coven that can come and sit with you.”
He shook his head. “She didn't deserve this. It was only a mistake. Artie made a mistake and now she’s gone,” he whispered as tears began to pour down his cheeks. “I can’t live without her. We grew up together. Our lives started when we met and now I’m lost. Why did I have to hurt her? I need her to forgive me for all the hateful things I said to her. Oh God, Artie, I’m so sorry,” he wailed in pain.
Ethan knew how the man felt. It was the story of his life. He’d been a rattled mess since finding out that Elizabeth was on the killer’s list. The parallel horrified him. This may be him tomorrow morning, just minus the hangover.
Ares let out a strangled sob. “I want a way to take it all back. I can’t do this without her. She was my heart, and now I’m empty.”
Elizabeth moved to take his hand and offer comfort and he pulled away. “No, I’m a horrible person for dumping my anger on her and walking away. I can’t live with knowing that she died thinking that I hated her.”
He sobbed uncontrollably into his hands.
Elizabeth went and found him some tissues. When she returned, she handed them to him. “She knew you loved her, Ares. You two were soul mates and that’s an amazing thing.”
All the emotion dried up. “Can I be alone? I don’t want to deal with this right now. I need to think about what to do next.”
They stood.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Ethan asked. “We can stay as long as you need us.”
“Thank you, but no. I need to be alone now. I hope you understand and forgive me.”
Ethan was heartbroken for the man. He couldn’t imagine how hurt he was over losing his wife of thirteen years. He’d only had Lyzee for three, and he knew the strength the bond of over a decade would build.
Together, they gave him what he wanted.
Out in the sunlight, she tried to catch her breath. If she had magick, and it existed for real in life, she would give the man back what he had lost. Elizabeth would give every family back what they so brutally lost, but there was no turning back time and fixing mistakes.
Ethan closed the door behind them and put on his sunglasses. “I hated every damn second of that,” he stated. “This never gets easier.”
She opened her mouth to agree when they heard it.
There was one single gunshot.
The finality of it spoke volumes.
Staring up into his face, tears filled her eyes. “I guess that he meant what he said about not being able to live without her,” she whispered, the sadness crushing her. The senseless loss of death always overwhelmed her, especially when someone saw it as their only answer.
Ethan leaned against the door to steal a minute to take a deep breath. He knew what the scene was going to look like inside, and he didn't want to face it quite yet. “I’ll call the police. This falls under their jurisdiction, not ours.”
She placed her hand on the door handle. “I’ll check on him.”
“Lyzee baby, I’ll do it. You don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind, Ethan. I just hope that wherever they both are now, they’re together.”
He watched her walk back in as he dialed the police.
After this, the day couldn’t possibly get any worse.
Could it?
They waited for the police to arrive and gave them their statement before picking Callen up at the morgue. At that moment, Elizabeth wasn’t emotionally in a place where she could conduct an interview. She’d told the men she wanted to opt out, and that meant heading back to the hotel alone.
At first, they put up a fight, but the look on her face said it all. This was the first time that they had ever seen her shirk duties, and back away from a suspect interview.
That in itself was incredibly alarming.
Eventually, they conceded to her and made her promise to tell no one she was there, not to answer the door, and to call if anything happened.
Plus, she was taking the guard dog with her. Rex was going to be her buddy, and not leave her side for any reason.
Walking her up to the room, they watched her close the door and lock the security lock. For now, she was safe and protected.
It was still hard for both men to walk away, since the risk was so high.
But for now, they needed to continue on with the job.
They needed to carry the woman who had shouldered all their weight for so long.
Today, they’d help her survive it all.
As soon as they walked away, she went and took a hot shower. Some of her best thinking was done while she stood under the spray. There were a million things going through her head at that moment, most importantly, why Artemis?
She understood the four friends, and where they originally thought it was random, it hadn’t been at all. Now, there was the big fat question mark on how she fit into the scenario.
Was he making a point?
Or screwing with them further? If he was indeed watching them all, he knew that they had visited that shop a few times. Was this all their fault?
Once she showered, Elizabeth paced the room, trying to find some peace. Finally, she flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling as she began thinking about the tons of data that was flooding her mind.
Then, she began thinking about her own life being at risk, and the fear overwhelmed her. If anything happened to her, what would become of her babies and the men she loved?
Closing her eyes, she wanted to believe what Artemis had told her in the shop about Timothy being near. Letting out the breath she was holding, she sent it out to the universe.
“Granddad, help me. I’m next…”
Sunday Afternoon
Walking into the gym, the two men garnered quite a few stares. Maybe it was that they looked incredibly serious or had guns on their hips.
Yeah, chances are it was that they were the minority in town. Two large Native men were going to attract attention. As they sauntered up to the desk, the woman behind it immediately paused, like a deer in headlights.
“Uh, are you here to join?” she asked, staring incredulously at them.
Callen wanted to laugh. Where Ethan was half-Native, he was full blooded, and was generally more the spectacle when they were together. They even had people sometimes ask to touch their hair. It was creepy, and almost like being in some people petting zoo.
Don’t get him wrong, he liked plenty of stroking from a white woman, bu
t he was very particular about which one.
Ethan handled it. “No, we’re with the FBI. Can you tell us if Craig Decker is here today? If he is, we need to speak to him.”
The desk girl just nodded as she stared at their badges. Immediately, she dialed the phone.
“Craig, you better get down here. There are two FBI agents here, and they want to see you.”
When she hung up the phone, she continued staring at them.
Callen had to turn around, because he was about to start laughing at any second. His brother was getting red at the scrutiny. Where it didn't faze Callen, it made Ethan flustered.
“Yes, can I help you?”
Ethan turned towards the man and held out his hand. He was going to do this in true FBI director style. “Craig Decker?”
“Yes, that’s me. What’s going on?” Now, he looked worried. The Feds didn't come knocking often, and if they did, you gave them whatever they wanted.
“We need you to take a look at four pictures and let us know if you recognize any of them,” Callen offered, pulling them up in his tablet. As he held it for the man, his face didn't register anything suspicious.
“Yeah, I don’t know them by name, but they attend an exercise class that we have here on the weekends. They seem really friendly. You know how girls are; they giggle, talk about the men lifting weights, and then laugh all the way into the ladies locker room. Have they done something illegal?”
Ethan continued, “They’ve been murdered.”
The man looked horrified. “Are they the ones on the news? Are they the women that were taken by the Satan worshipping serial killer? I saw a blurb about it and the photo of some black haired babe in charge of investigating. It’s all over the media.” Then he tried to lighten the mood. “She can come work out here any time if you know what I mean.”
Callen loved when someone commented about their woman. It generally meant a melee of sorts. It was fun to watch his brother get all fired up.
“I actually do know what you mean about her being a babe, since she’s my wife,” Ethan said, staring down into his face with his best menacing glare.
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