It was a matter of survival and saving face.
His.
It was all worth it. He was now home and a full-fledged FBI agent with the shiny gold badge. It matched their badges, and he could now work with the two people he respected and loved most in the world.
Whitefox kissed Ginny on the cheek, as she hugged him enthusiastically. Nothing had changed; the woman was still the same as when he left. She was effervescent, bubbly, and fond of any man in jeans. Callen Whitefox suspected the ass pat she just gave him wasn’t an accident.
“I missed you too, Ginny,” he said laughing, as she bounced up and down almost breaking his jaw.
“Callen! Welcome back! You weren’t due in for another day or so,” she replied, smiling up at him. Callen Whitefox was the second handsomest man in the building. He was only second to his brother. In her opinion it was pretty much a dead heat when it came to hotness. Both men were two levels above scorching hot.
“I hopped an early flight out of Quantico. I had people that I missed terribly,” he said, and then he just knew she was near. Looking up, Elizabeth Blackhawk and his brother stood in their office doorway and her smile was huge. It definitely welcomed him home.
Elizabeth stood beside her husband, taking in the man hugging their administrative assistant. There was no doubt she missed him, and she knew that her husband did too. When he came back into Blackhawk’s life and hers, he was immediately added to their circle of family. One they both guarded carefully.
“Elizabeth, oh my God,” he muttered, walking toward her and pointed at her belly. In four months she went from no belly to baby belly almost overnight.
She laughed and ran at him, launching herself at him and trusting he’d catch her. When he picked her up off the floor and hugged her to his body he definitely was home. During his past with his brother, he’d betrayed him over a woman. As much as he would always be attracted to his sister-in-law and head over heels in love, he wouldn’t sabotage having them as his family. So, he would love her silently and keep her safe, because she healed their family just by becoming a Blackhawk. It was moments like this he cherished, and felt the heat and want roll through his body.
“I missed you, Lyzee,” he whispered into her hair. She smelled like home and family. The spicy calming scent gave him a sense of peace and belonging.
Elizabeth’s feet were finally placed on the floor and she took his face in her hands. “Welcome home, Callen,” and she planted a big wet kiss on his mouth. When she pulled back she took him by the hand and led him over to his brother.
“Callen, I see you're kissing my wife again,” he said, grinning at his brother.
“Hey, she kissed me first this time. I didn’t initiate it,” and he laughed when she winked up at him. “I missed you Ethan,” he said, moving towards his brother and embracing him.
Ethan hugged his brother as Elizabeth closed his office door. “I missed you too, Cal. Welcome home little brother. It wasn’t the same without you.”
Desdemona Adare stood by the coffee machine just off the lobby. She just witnessed the most amazing thing. Well, two of the most amazing things. One was Elizabeth Blackhawk smiling and laughing like a mere mortal. Running at a man that wasn’t her husband and kissing him in front of Ethan Blackhawk and the staff. The second thing even more amazing than the first was the man himself. Holy shit the sexy radar was off the scale again. The bells were going off and so were the whistles. Maybe it was the sharp angular features that screamed Native American blood, or the delicious form packed into the well-worn jeans that covered his body. But hell yeah, he was hot. He was dressed almost the same as Elizabeth Blackhawk and until that moment, she didn’t appreciate jeans in the workplace. Now she completely understood the lure, and may even start wearing them herself.
She grabbed her coffee and wandered out to Ginny who was on the phone ordering a welcome back cake for the man who just locked himself behind her boss’s door. Desdemona waited, and when Ginny hung up she had to know.
“Spill it. Who was that, Ginny?”
Ginny laughed. “Doctor Adare, that man was Special Agent Callen Whitefox. He’s just back from Quantico.”
“Is he here to stay?”
“I sincerely hope so. He’s our Liaison to the Native American community.” she said. “His office is right next to Elizabeth Blackhawk’s office. Oh, Excuse me,” she said, as the phone rang again.
Desdemona Adare took her coffee and started back down to her lab. She’d been wrong earlier thinking that Ethan Blackhawk was the sexiest thing she’d seen lately. Callen Whitefox now held that prize. Then it occurred to her, he was just hugging and getting a very friendly kiss from her boss. Well crap, it looks like Elizabeth Blackhawk had laid claim to all the sexy Natives in the office.
Damn it!
Callen Whitefox sat on the couch in his brother’s office. His sister-in-law sat beside him, leaning against him. When he first met her, he wouldn’t have sat this close to her in fear that his brother would have kicked the shit out of him. But now, they had an understanding. There was nothing but love and trust between them. Elizabeth had protected the blossoming relationship between him and his brother, and in the process made herself an indelible mark in his life. She was his best friend in the entire world, even more so than his own brother.
Healing three generations of Blackhawks and weaving them back together was no easy task. All the Blackhawk men and including himself loved her to death and would take a bullet for her. The three men not married to her had gotten her initials inked on them, just in homage to the woman that fixed the unfixable. Elizabeth was their miracle, and she was treated as such.
“So how are you, Callen,” asked his brother, as he sat on the corner of his desk. The closeness between his wife and brother didn’t bother him in the least. He trusted the man completely, and he trusted his wife even more. Was there the possibility Whitefox had feelings for Elizabeth? Ethan was positive he did, but there was no chance he’d ever act on it. Callen was attached to her, and he couldn’t blame him. Both men lost everyone they loved in life, and she was a constant for them. Growing up and losing their mothers early had scarred them both, and having a strong female in their lives again was of the utmost importance. Blackhawk was willing to share his wife’s love with a brother he held locked into his own heart.
Family was vital in the Blackhawk clan. Blood wasn’t only thicker than water, it was like glue. Now that they were all healed, they stuck, they loved, and they shared a woman that had the greatest propensity to love all four Blackhawk men completely; flaws and all.
“Glad to be home. It was brutal, and you both could have warned me.”
Elizabeth snorted. “Hell no, newbie. You had to take your ass kicking just like the rest of us did,” she said, patting his leg and laying her head on his shoulder. “We missed you. It’s been quiet around the house without you.”
“I missed you guys too. Lyzee?”
“Yes?” She looked up at him.
“Pregnancy has made you even more beautiful. You look radiant and gorgeous.” Whitefox was dead serious. She was a glow and looked happy.
“Kiss ass.” His brother coughed into his hand and both men laughed.
“Hey now, Cowboy! You said the same thing yesterday.”
Her husband was well aware. A happy wife was a happy life, and he wasn’t willing to risk a pregnant woman’s wrath.
“Great, the Blackhawk boys are back together again and now I’m a very happy girl.”
Whitefox was technically a Blackhawk. Both men shared the same father. The only difference was that Wyler Blackhawk was married to Ethan’s mother at the time of his wandering indiscretion. Whitefox was the product of that night. Growing up, Callen always knew he had a brother, and when Blackhawk found out the truth, they bonded in their youth. Granted it was over the hate of their father, but that was all in the past. The men both had decent relationships with the man that sired them now, and it was all because of the sweet woman beside him.
“We are, and that may or may not set off the entire balance of the universe and cause some scary FBI vortex.”
Blackhawk laughed.
“Okay, we have to discuss the obvious,” Whitefox said, laying his hand on her belly. “Wow, that’s a big kid!” He teased her. Elizabeth Blackhawk was tall and lean before pregnancy, and now she was the same but with a big bump of Blackhawk baby.
“Yeah, you should see his uncle and father. I’m genetically screwed. I’m giving birth to a mighty Indian warrior.”
It took him a second. “So it’s official? Granddad was right? We’re having a boy?”
Not only had their grandfather known she was pregnant before they did, but he accurately picked the sex of their baby. The man just had crazy mad baby premonition skills.
“Yes, yes, and yes. You’re getting yourself a nephew and I think he’s the size of a toddler already.”
“Wow,” he grinned, staring down at her belly. “Did the baby just move?” he asked incredulously, as her body shifted while she leaned against him.
“Yep, he moves all the time.”
“It’s his way of communicating,” answered Blackhawk. “One foot here, and he’s hungry. His fist over here, and he wants her to roll over.”
“Next he’ll be sending up smoke signals,” she said, laughing. “Yeah, I just did go there,” she answered the look on both of their faces. “What? It’s been four months!”
“Good to see you aren’t out of practice with the Native references,” laughed Whitefox. “I was worried I’d missed all the good ones while I was away.”
“Don’t get her started,” Blackhawk demanded, but even he laughed.
“You both want to feel?” she asked, looking at her brother-in-law and husband.
Whitefox nodded, and cautiously placed the palm of his hand over one side of her belly.
Ethan loved feeling his child moving below his wife’s skin. He crossed to her, and both men sat there in awe, feeling the life in constant motion. “It’s amazing, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” he said, as his eyes filled with emotion. His child was alive in her body.
“I’ve never felt that before,” Whitefox admitted, as he placed his one hand on his brother’s shoulder and connected all three of them together.
Elizabeth patted both men on the cheek. “It’s very amazing. I happen to agree with you.” Before she could discuss the new Blackhawk baby more, her husband’s phone rang.
“It’s Gabe,” he said, putting it on speakerphone. “Hello boss man. What can we do for you?” he asked.
“Ethan, we had a call into Quantico, there’s a serial killer out at Red River. We have five bodies. All male and missing various parts. You need to send a team out to cover it and make sure to include an ME, they don’t have access to one. Think small town and plan accordingly.”
“Okay,” he said, seeing his wife get really excited.
“Do you have the personnel ready to go out?”
Callen raised his hand. He was fresh in from Quantico and itching to take on an assignment. Why not rush headfirst into a serial killing.
“Put your hand down, Callen, this one’s mine,” quipped Elizabeth. “I’m going out in the field, Gabe.”
None of the men spoke. Whitefox looked incredulous, Blackhawk looked wary and Gabe… He just sounded irritated. “Elizabeth, I have to protest,” he said over the phone.
“You can protest all you want, but this is most likely my last time out in the field until I’m back from maternity leave.”
“Ethan, you’re okay with this?” he asked skeptically.
Blackhawk looked at his wife and saw the hope and excitement that he used to see when they worked as agents in the field. Then he saw his brother and how he really wanted to get out into the field and start living the job. And then he had a solution.
“Callen is going to Red River today. Send me the files and I’ll brief him.” Blackhawk noticed the look on his wife’s face. “I have the new ME on duty while Doctor Leonard is out in the field, and she’s going with him. I think in this case, they both need to partner up and get an assessment.”
“Good plan,” added Gabriel Rothschild. He was technically their boss, but he was also their family. When he sent them out into the field last time, it culminated with Elizabeth being abducted. It nearly drove her husband crazy, and then the killer almost took their lives.
“Well, there’s more. Callen is only going in to assess and report back. He’s fresh out of the classroom, and I can’t dump him into a serial killer’s lap without backup. Elizabeth and I will be following behind them. Once I secure the paperwork and get lodgings handled.”
“Are you sure about this?” He wanted them to be safe and think it through before doing anything dangerous.
Ethan couldn’t ignore the smile on their faces, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to say no. Technically he couldn’t stop his wife from going. She had the same seniority as he did when it came to time in the FBI. Callen answered to both of them, and in the end, he really could only roadblock him. Hopefully this wasn’t going to bite him in the ass.
Whitefox would be safe with them there, and Elizabeth would be safe with both men. It was like double the protection on both the people he cared about.
“Yeah, you’ll have to cover my meetings, Gabe. Team Blackhawk is going looking for a serial killer,” he answered tentatively and hoped he just didn’t make the biggest mistake of his life.
Callen Whitefox was excited. There was a trip out into the field, and he was going to get to work on an assignment with his two favorite FBI agents. When Elizabeth told him to close his eyes and took him by the hand, he had no clue what she was up to but it had to be big. She was vibrating in excitement.
“Don’t walk him into the wall, baby,” Ethan teased. “Watch out for that sharp pointy stick.”
Elizabeth kicked the wall to screw with him.
“Good to see you two aren’t above hazing the new guy. I will open my eyes,” he teased back.
Ethan knew she was excited to show him his new office. As Liaison to the Indian Community, he didn’t have to have a desk out with the other minions. He actually got to have an office with the rest of management. The job was that important, especially since tension between the natives and the FBI was always an ongoing thing.
His brother was going to have a difficult job, and Blackhawk knew his brother was the best man for it. He was one of the Natives to the bone. He loved his heritage and was always comfortable with it. Ethan Blackhawk was the opposite. Before his wife, it only brought him shame. Now he was somewhere in the middle, and that was thanks to Elizabeth.
“Don’t worry, Callen. I won’t walk you into anything,” reassured Elizabeth Blackhawk. She squeezed his hand and he instantly twined his fingers with hers. It was their thing, and it connected them together.
“I’m going down to brief Doctor Adare. Callen, head down when my wife is done with you,” he said, grinning. Elizabeth had personally taken care of his office space, and he believed his brother would be impressed. There was nothing like family, and with his wife she loved completely. Elizabeth Blackhawk already claimed Whitefox as a loved one, and she would always have his back.
“Okay,” he answered grinning, as he followed blindly.
“I promise, you’re going to love it,” she said, and honestly hoped he did. “It’s not far, we’re almost there.”
Callen Whitefox squeezed her hand, and let her take him wherever. There were two people in his life he trusted completely and she was one, her husband the other. It wasn’t only trust, but complete love and dedication.
Elizabeth stopped him in the middle of his office and continued to hold his hand. “Are you ready, Callen?” she asked, excitedly.
“Yes, I am.”
“Open your eyes.”
Callen Whitefox didn’t know what to expect, but this wasn’t even close to what he could have imagined. They stood in an office, the same size as both of theirs
, but so completely different. “Where are we?”
“This is your new office. Because you’re Liaison to the Native Community, you get office space. In case anyone comes here, they don’t have to sit out in the bullpen.” Elizabeth didn’t have to tell him that both she and Ethan Blackhawk wanted him close to their office.
Whitefox walked in a circle and took it all in as he brought her with him, refusing to break that contact. The desk was the same as theirs, big and intimidating, but the rest of the room felt comfortable, especially if there was a Native in the room. “Who decorated the room?” The walls were a peaceful color of pale blue, and hanging on them were Native American works of art, and in one corner was a small totem.
“We did.” Granted most of it was her placing and her husband telling her what was appropriate to any Natives entering into the space. “Dad made the totem. I hope you like it,” she added, hopefully.
Callen ran his hand over the carving in the one corner. It went from floor to ceiling and held all their spirit guides. There was his grandfather the bear at the bottom, his father the bull standing on the bear. On top were a fox and two ravens. He was the fox and the two ravens were his brother and sister-in-law, and they flanked him protectively. “It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.” That was a lie, she topped the list, but the totem was definitely in second place.
“It’s all the Blackhawks. All of us together on one totem,” she said, grinning. “I wanted to give it to you for Christmas, but Wyler couldn’t get it finished in time.”
“I love this room.”
“Did I do it justice?” she inquired. There were tenuous relations between the FBI and the Native community. Elizabeth wanted to strengthen the ties, and hoped the room would offer anyone that came there peace. Since marrying into the tribe, and carrying a Native child in her body, she had a vested interest.
True Love Lost (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 3)) Page 4