Blood Shall Run (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 15)
Page 7
“You believe in me, right?”
“Hell, yeah, I do. You’ve got this. I’m just worried.”
She kissed him again.
It was more heated than before, and she wouldn’t set him free until she was ready.
When he moaned, Elizabeth released his mouth. His lower lip was still between hers.
“Jesus, baby. Really? You’re going to kiss me and set me free?”
Elizabeth dropped her head to his shoulder. “What I need is for you not to freak out, honey.”
“Oh, bloody hell. What?”
She told him about the case. He was fine until she got to the part about the dead hookers.
Immediately, he pointed at her. “You are NOT to play dress up to lure in a killer. Am I clear? NO MISS KITTY!”
She started laughing.
“This isn’t funny, Elizabeth. It’s not even close.”
She wiped the tears in her eyes. “My team wants me to do it, and you don’t.”
“Please,” he said, softly. “Please. I can’t handle it. Lily Sanderson came too close last case. I need time to regroup without you ending up on a slab.”
She knew he wasn’t one to beg.
Ethan Blackhawk was tougher than most men, and he didn’t cave easily.
He was crumbling.
“I am going to dress like Miss Kitty,” she began, and she saw the flash of fear, “as soon as you arrive. You, me, Callen, and a visit from everyone’s favorite hooker are going to do it up Blackhawk style in N’awlins.”
He relaxed. “I love you, Elizabeth.”
She knew he did. “Mr. Blackhawk, you make my heart all mushy. I love you too.”
They took a minute.
“Is Callen ready?”
“I haven’t found him yet. He’s probably in my office. I haven’t been in there yet. Want to go with me?”
He looked at his watch. Honestly, he didn’t have the time. There was a meeting in ten minutes.
Still, he was sending his partners out, and who knew what could happen?
“Yeah, I’ll send a text. They can’t start without me anyway. I’m the boss. Besides, I want to say goodbye to both of you.”
She took his hand in hers and they headed out of the office. When they exited, everyone looked up at them.
“That was fast,” Tony teased.
Chris snorted. “Yeah, it really was.”
Ethan flushed at the implication.
“Are you two out of your damn minds?” Elizabeth asked. “He’s the freaking Deputy Director. He’s not going to jump me in the morgue. He prefers his office.”
They men laughed.
“Elizabeth!” he objected, finding it hard not to laugh.
She grinned wickedly as they walked away. Over her shoulder, she gave them their one and only warning, “We leave in one hour, team. Merry, find Seaton and Madden and tell them to get their gear.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“And stop looking so happy to be playing with dead bodies. It freaks out the locals.”
Merry was glad to be leaving.
She’d left Damascus to escape a nut job ex, and he was in town looking for her.
This was exactly what she needed.
Now.
“Come on, Cowboy, let’s go round up my Indian. We have a case to start working on.”
Ethan tried to remain calm, but the whole time he kept praying that Gabe wasn’t going to renege on their deal. If he was kept in-house, away from his partners, he might have to leave his position.
And that would suck.
He really liked being boss.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Callen was indeed where they thought he would be. When they arrived in the Violent Crimes unit, he was getting a cup of coffee in the corner of the room.
“Is he wearing a suit?” Elizabeth asked, staring at him. “Really?” she said in surprise.
This was new.
“He is. I swear this is the end of the world.”
They knew Callen hated suits, but jeans weren’t allowed at the office. He could have pulled off dress pants and a polo, like he normally did, but today…no he went all out.
“I think I may have an orgasm standing right here.”
He started laughing. “You didn’t say that to me, and I’m in a suit. That doesn’t seem fair.”
“That’s your punishment for Igor. Besides, when you wear jeans, it makes me very wet. Better?”
“I’ll wear them outside of this place every second of the day from here on out.”
As they crossed toward their partner, it was even more shocking when he turned around.
He was in a tie too.
And his glasses.
The surprises kept coming.
“Thank you Jesus for this gift I’m about to jump in my office. Whatever it is that I’ve done to deserve this excellent present, I promise to do it over and over again.”
Callen started laughing. “Hey, angel, you look beautiful today. I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see you at home this morning. I had something to do at the gym,” Whitefox offered.
She couldn’t speak.
“Uh, are you okay?”
Ethan covered for her. “Right now, Lyzee is having a spontaneous suit-gasm. Give her a second and she’ll be fine.”
Callen looked around and when no one was looking, he gave her a kiss.
It snapped her out of it.
“No kiss-y face in here. Gabe has the place bugged!”
Honestly, he didn’t care.
Ethan led her to her office. It wasn’t anywhere as big and grand as her old one used to be, but that was just a part of the deal they’d made. Elizabeth kept her title, her salary, but lost the prestige. She was more a special agent than a director, and that was apparently fine with her.
When she sat behind her desk, the men both dropped onto the couch.
She simply looked back and forth between them.
Then she giggled like a lunatic.
“It’s a good day to be me. I love my life.”
The men shook their heads.
One of them had to get them to focus, so it might as well be Callen. He’d take one for the team.
“What’s going on?” Callen asked. “It’s not like you to come down from the big office to slum with us agents,” he teased.
Ethan loved them both very much. He knew how much they’d sacrificed so he could have the title and job. They’d taken a cut in their jobs to give him his dream.
“It’s work related,” Ethan admitted.
“We have a case,” she said, finally able to focus past the double Native hotness in the room.
It wasn’t easy.
This was one of her fantasies. If the porn music cued, she was vaulting the desk to sit in their laps.
“Great. When do we leave?”
“We leave in an hour, but Ethan’s not joining us,” she stated.
It was all it took.
Callen got angry. “Did Gabe dick us over again? Did he break his promise?”
It was sad that both men had been waiting for it. Even though they had Gabe’s word, there was always that fear that it would happen.
After all…this was Gabe.
He’d conditioned them to expect the worst and hope for the best.
“I have to wrap up my important meetings today and tomorrow, but then I’ll be there in time to do a profile. Just send me everything, and I’ll work on it when I’m home tonight with Dad and six kids.”
She started laughing.
“What? You don’t think I can do it?” Ethan asked, a little hurt that his wife didn’t have faith in him.
“No, Cowboy, that’s not the funny part.”
“What then?” he asked.
“Dad and Maeve were making googly eyes at each other. I think Wyler might be gearing up for some pie. I don’t think Maeve would turn him down either. I can’t blame the woman. After all, you look just like your father. I’ll be chasing you a
round the house when you’re in your sixties too.”
Callen started laughing. The visual was amusing.
“I’m pretty sure I’d be chasing you, but I get your point,” Ethan offered.
She could only hope.
“I like her. She’s nice, makes dinner, and we don’t have to stop cursing in front of her,” Blackhawk stated. “If he bones the woman, I hope we’re not going back to the Bly situation all over again.”
She continued to be amused. “Preaching to the choir. Only the last time we made a comment about Dad, and his sex life,” Elizabeth began, “he got testy. Remember?”
They did.
Okay, so that wasn’t happening.
“He could pick someone far worse,” Callen offered. “Maeve is really sweet. She reminds me a lot of your mom, Ethan.”
He stared at his brother. “What? Really?”
His mother had been gone a long time, and he didn’t recall all that much about her. Ethan’s memories of her were dissipating with age.
“She makes really good cookies, and she sends them with me to work. Your mom used to send me home with them so I’d have food.”
Elizabeth watched the two men as they discussed their father. It was fascinating.
They both had different memories.
“Your mother also was easy going like Maeve, and I do recall her cursing at Dad just like Maeve has when he tracks mud into the house.”
Ethan wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole thing.
“Maeve isn’t that much older than me.”
“Yeah, me too,” Callen stated, “but that’s what makes it funny as hell.”
Elizabeth still said nothing.
“Why are you being quiet?” he asked.
“You don’t like when I play Cupid, even though every time I have, it’s worked out. Look at Julian and Tori, Chris and Cyra before she died, Christina and Kane….”
He cut her off.
“Your track record speaks for itself. Do you think they’d make a good…couple?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Ethan sighed. “Go ahead. Fix our father up with a woman who is twenty years younger than him and almost younger than us. It won’t be horribly awkward at all.”
She started laughing. “YAY! Dad’s going to get lucky, and this time not with a crazy bitch!”
Elizabeth’s phone rang before either man could say anything more on the subject.
“Whitefox-Blackhawk.”
She listened to the person on the other end.
“Thank you, Ginny. I appreciate it. Book the rooms in ‘The Quarter’ at a B&B if you have to, but I want to be as close to the police and the scene as possible.”
She hung up.
“The jet is ready. Callen and I have to head out. The detectives are expecting us today.”
Ethan hated this.
“I’ll miss you both while you’re gone.”
She knew he would. They would miss him too. This was the worst part of their job. Leaving someone behind always sucked. They each brought something to the team.
The three of them stood, and the men circled their woman, protectively putting her between them.
“Kick ass in New Orleans, baby,” Ethan said, breathing in hers and Callen’s scent.
It gave him peace.
“We’ll hold down the fort until you get there, Cowboy. I’ll be safe. Callen has my back, and I’m going to play nice with the police.”
He started laughing.
“It’ll never happen.”
She was going to prove him wrong. “Care to make a little wager?” she asked, glancing up at them. There was nothing like a little bet to get the juices flowing.
Callen knew they were screwed. Still, he was helpless to say no to any bet where they could beat her.
“Yeah, what’s on the table?”
“I win, and you both get a tattoo, of my choice, on those sexy Native bodies of yours.”
“Is that all?” Blackhawk asked.
“Yep. If you win, you get to do the same. I’ll get one for each of you. Nothing on the faces or neck, since we do have jobs, or Gabe will shit himself.”
They shook hands.
That was the easiest deal yet.
What was the worst she could do?
“I see ‘Property of Tex’ getting placed right on those sexy asses of yours,” she said, giving them each a squeeze.
Callen laughed. “Great. Now I’ll have to find a woman named Tex when she dumps me.”
Elizabeth punched him.
“Shit. You’re mean today, Cupid. Use the arrows, they hurt less.”
Ethan tugged his wife into his body. Immediately, she sought his mouth with her own. The kiss was heated, wild, and made even Callen moan.
Pulling away, Elizabeth touched his cheek. “Miss us, okay? You kiss my babies, and you tell them I love them with all my heart.”
“I can do that.”
“Pack us some gear,” Callen suggested, knowing they only had enough for a couple days in their ride.
“I will. Be safe,” he said, taking both of their hands in his. “I love you both. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
They stared at each other for that one moment. It was as if they were each memorizing the other two—in case something bad went down.
Then, Ethan found the strength to set them free.
Callen grabbed his things, and Elizabeth did the same. As they headed out across the room where her team was stationed, he couldn’t help but be worried.
There went the two loves of his life.
Alone.
Without him.
His gut was a ton of knots that something was going to happen. Still, all he could do was get the work done and join his family in the field.
As soon as possible.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
New Orleans
Police Station
Detective Boone Savage was getting everything he had on the cases ready. The FBI would be heading in soon, and he wanted to make sure he was prepared for their arrival. Normally, he and his partner worked the night shift, but after finding the bodies, he wanted to be there when the FBI rolled into town.
They had a mess on their hands, and the Feds were going to need help.
It was the least he could do.
The Feds were going to help him solve one hell of a bewildering case, so he’d do everything in his power to make it easy for them.
The last thing he wanted was a pissing match when lives were at stake.
They had six bodies, and he was as confused as hell. In all honesty, he knew right away that the body dump they’d found was going to be like nothing he and his partner had ever seen before.
It screamed media circus, and in cases like this, it was best to call in the FBI at the get go.
Why waste time?
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was going to escalate, and fast. Only he didn’t have a lot of leeway when it came to doing the job. New Orleans was a tourist town, especially the French Quarter, and the last thing they needed was a killer stalking visitors.
Katrina had done enough damage.
A killer?
Yeah, that would be the icing on a really shitty cake. Being a cop there was like babysitting wayward children. The people who arrived in ‘The Big Easy’ were out to have a good time.
They needed supervision.
So, he took the initiative to make the call, cutting trouble off at the pass. His captain gave him the okay, and truth be told, it was likely to keep the mayor off his ass. This way, he could pass the buck, and then also dump it on the Feds.
God!
He hoped they got someone good.
The last thing they needed was some incompetent asshole who made this an even bigger freak show.
Well, not that it could get much worse. After all, they had a crazed killer in their midst.
“Yo! Boone, I hear you called the Feds,” one detective called.
“You are one crazy Injun,” he teased. “You better hope you get someone who isn’t going to yank this out from under you. This case could make you.”
Yeah, it could also break him.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Boone knew that there was a lot riding on this case. He wasn’t exactly invisible when it came to being a detective in the eighth district. He was Native American and backwoods creole. That was one hell of a mix for anyone in the area. Most of the people in his family barely made it out of high school—let alone college.
And to have a career?
His successes were a thing of pride in his family. His mother and father were smart and strived for education, and he followed in their footsteps.
There was no way he was letting this screw that up. Boone was going to insist on working this case side by side with the investigators.
All he could hope was that the team would be willing to let him, and his partner, in on it.
Boone’s fingers were crossed.
“They should be landing soon, right?” another detective asked, dropping his feet onto his desk.
“Yeah, they should.”
“Are you meeting them at the airport?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You better get your ass moving, boy,” said one of the older detectives.
Boone let it roll off his back. The older cops were about as politically correct as a rattlesnake. They didn’t care, so he had to pretend he didn’t either. One comment about it pissing him off, and they’d ride ass.
He didn’t want that.
Pushing up from his desk, he glanced at his watch. Since his partner was busy with some dental work today, he was riding solo. It was going to be a long night, especially since he was going to be covering the two shifts.
Back to back.
For days on end.
Yeah, this was going to suck seven ways to Sunday, and he knew it.
Grabbing his badge, sidearm, and blazer, Boone headed out. He was going to meet the Feds in hopes that they’d play nice.
At this point, it was a crapshoot.
He hoped he’d get lucky.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *