He was aware.
“What you just did was bad. You may have just destroyed our family. I don’t want to have visitation rights with my kids. I don’t want to watch my wife in my rearview mirror as I drive away to my shitty apartment to sleep alone.”
“I don’t either.”
“Well, you just put that out there by making her choose. You’re just damn lucky that she loves us like she does, and that she’s willing to put up with our bullshit. No, you’re lucky she’s willing to put up with your bullshit because I wouldn’t pull something like this! I know better!”
Ethan felt bad about it.
“I needed to know that she still loved me.”
“Then you could have simply asked her or looked in her eyes. She brought us breakfast. If she was having some illicit affair, do you really think she’d do that, or have it where the damn media could watch her?”
“No.”
“Yeah, exactly. Chris is damaged, and she feels responsible. Elizabeth still carries Cyra’s death on her shoulders, and you jumped down her throat. You’re a dick.”
Ethan saw the anger.
It was rare with Callen. Generally, he was good-natured to a fault. He balanced them. He was their mediator, but at that moment, Ethan was pretty sure even he couldn’t help them out.
“I’m going to go keep her safe. We have a crazy who’s gunning for her, and we’re no closer to a suspect than we were three days ago. Elizabeth is distracted and that could get her hurt.”
“Callen.”
“No, Ethan. I’m going to fix this, but from here on out, if you ever pull me into a mess, claiming it’s ‘us’ and making her choose, you’re digging yourself out. Brotherly allegiance only goes so far. I’m not losing my family because you have anger issues.”
“Callen.”
“It’s not always about you, Ethan. It’s not always about you in this family. There’s a time to be angry, and there’s a time to shut your damn mouth, calm down, and think for a change. Learn it. For a smart man, you’re clueless!”
With that, he headed out.
Behind him, the door slammed shut.
It spoke volumes.
Ethan felt horrible.
He’d just jumped down Elizabeth’s throat, and she still chose them. She still opted to be with them.
Yeah, he’d screwed up.
Bigtime.
And he wasn’t sure there was a way to fix it.
Now.
Or ever.
Chapter Nineteen
She had to get through this.
Elizabeth knew her team had heard most of the argument. There was no way they’d miss it. Ethan had been shouting loud enough that she was shocked he didn’t wake the dead.
From the way Chris was watching her, she knew he’d heard it too, and that made it a million times worse.
She really wanted to weep.
“Okay, team, dazzle me with what you have. I need to get out and into the field. This clusterfuck is not going to solve itself.”
Everyone kicked into work mode.
When Callen exited the room, he took his place by her side. Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up and into his eyes, he saw the hurt.
Instead of pushing him away, she patted his hand.
Well, at least she didn’t hate him. They at least had a place to start. He would be able to repair the damage.
“I pulled all the trace,” Merry offered.
“Why is the detective wearing gloves and protective gear?” Elizabeth asked.
“He wanted to help with the trace. I hope that’s okay, boss.”
“The more the merrier. Thank you for your help, Detective Savage.”
Elizabeth knew he wanted to stick close to the tech, and she was fine with that. Maybe someone would leave this town with more than a broken heart.
“Did you find anything significant?” she asked. “Is our killer following the normal pattern?”
“Yes, he is, Lyzee,” Chris offered. “We have a missing liver, the incision is the same, and the size of the needle marks match.”
She nodded. “Okay, what else do we have?”
“I’ll have more on Kaleb Meeks when I finish the autopsy,” Doctor Perette offered. “Unless you want to ask questions now. I think I can keep up.”
“No, you can finish it first. I’ll come back later and get the update.”
Everyone stared at her.
Who was this woman?
“Lyzee,” Chris said, trying to offer her something. “Do you need to talk?” he asked.
Even Tony looked concerned.
“No, I’m good. The show must go on.”
To prove a point, she tried to act like herself. “Agents, did you find anything for me? I really need a direction. If this isn’t porphyria, it’s going to be some wackadoos playing crazy games.”
“We have just the nuts for you, boss,” Johanna offered.
“Put it up on the screen,” she said.
The two agents did as she asked, and then began breaking it down. As they did, Ethan exited the morgue office.
Elizabeth ignored him.
As did most of their team.
It was crystal clear who they were siding with on this one, and he couldn’t blame them at all.
“We found two people who happen to have a church.” Johanna told them the name.
“Klassy with a K. You have to love a name like that,” she offered. “I know you didn’t just randomly choose someone, right?”
Brody smiled. “You know we don’t want to die, so no. We found a connection.”
“Shoot.”
“They have exclusive permits to tour that cemetery. Apparently, in New Orleans, you can’t take tours through the Saint Louis cemeteries. They’re off limits to ghost walks.”
“Good to know.”
“We ran Mistress Bella Rose and her partner, or whatever you call him, and we came up with a few interesting things.”
She hopped up onto the morgue table. Callen pulled out his tablet. “Give it to me. I’m ready.”
“Our ‘Mistress’ was popped for theft.”
“Of?”
“Blood. She broke into a blood bank and they stole a shitload of it.”
“I’m not going to ask what they did with it because I know nothing you tell me is going to keep my breakfast down.”
Brody laughed. “You’re right there, but if I don’t tell you, then you’ll say I half-assed my job.”
“Good point.”
“When the cops arrived, they found them having a cocktail or two, and they were using it in rituals.”
“Great. Vampires with a thirst for blood. Is it wrong I hope this is some sick, disease ridden person who’s drinking it to survive?”
Callen placed his hand on her leg.
Ethan spoke up. “If it is them, they’ll challenge you. They’ll want to make you work for it,” he offered. “You’re going to go head to head with them at their ‘church’, and they’ll want to put on a show.”
Elizabeth glanced over at him. “Great. They’ll want to impress me.”
“If you want to get them to give you more, you’ll have to not call them insane, looney, or anything else. Play bored and disinterested. People who file their teeth down, dress like someone from the Victoria era, and steal blood to get into the news want attention.”
“Thanks.”
Ethan noticed she wasn’t even looking at him.
“Agents, while I’m interrogating the vamp wannabes, I need you to run every single person against them—hookers, victims, faculty, staff, everyone. I also need a deep search on Otis Short. When he pops up, he’s going to try to evade.”
The two agents got moving.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m heading out. If anyone needs me, I’ll be out in the field.”
No one spoke. As Elizabeth hopped off the table, she did something they didn’t expect. She tugged off her shirt, baring her tank top. Then she pulled on
her Kevlar.
Callen watched her.
As she velcro’d in, not asking for any help, he wanted to heal this rift.
“Hey, Lyzee,” Chris said, heading her way.
When she looked up, he was holding her spare Glock. “Do you need me to come with you?” he asked. “You shouldn’t be out there alone. This nut will hurt you if he can.”
She was well aware.
“I’m not going out alone. I’m doing my job, following FBI protocol, and taking my partner. I wouldn’t want to be busted down to agent for taking liberties with doing my job.”
They all glanced over at Ethan.
“Elizabeth,” he said, trying to figure out what to do.
She ignored him.
“Callen, we need to head out.”
“Okay, angel. I’m geared up.”
He tucked his cap into his back pocket, and put away his tablet.
“Be careful,” Ethan offered.
Neither even bothered to turn around or acknowledge what he was saying. They were really pissed.
When they were gone, Chris faced him down. “We need to have a talk at your nearest convenience, Deputy Director.”
“When you’re done, find me.”
“Oh, I absolutely will.”
Ethan watched the man walk away.
Great.
His wife hated him, his brother was pissed, the ME wanted to kick his ass, and his techs were all giving him dirty looks.
He’d screwed this up, and royally too.
Heading back into the morgue office, Ethan waited for judgment day.
It was coming, and fast.
Out in the street, she didn’t say a word. Media was following them, and she couldn’t break. As she headed toward their B&B, Callen was right by her side.
When they entered the hotel, he followed her to the room. Once upstairs, she faced him.
Instead of being angry with him, she broke down. The tears came, and they flooded from her with all the hurt.
His heart ached for her.
“Oh, Lyzee, angel, come here.”
She sobbed harder. “What did I do to deserve his hate, Callen? What did I do? I can’t focus, I can’t do my job, and I can’t be me if I’m battling on both fronts.”
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the couch. As he sat, she curled into him, and that was no easy task while they were wearing Kevlar.
“You need to breathe,” he offered. “You didn’t do anything.”
She continued to sob. As she did, he ran his hand up and down her back. He tried to soothe her the best he could.
Her heart was broken, and Elizabeth never saw this day coming.
“You’re going to make yourself sick, my love.”
She sniffled. “Why, Callen? What did I do? Why would he make me choose? Have I really been that horrible of a wife to both of you that you’d say that to me?”
“First, he was speaking for himself. I’d never make you choose because you’ve never given us a reason to think you’d cheat.”
She held onto him.
“Then why would he?”
It was time to fix this mess.
“Ethan is afraid.”
“Of what?” she asked, staring into his chocolate-y brown eyes. They were filled with love, calm, and patience—all the things she needed at the moment.
“He thinks that you don’t need him anymore. His fear is tied to his masculinity. As a husband, he wants to be the one you run to, the one you talk to, and someone you lean on. Lately, he’s been feeling like you’re weaning yourself off him.”
“That’s stupid. I’m trying to run my team. I’m trying to find a killer. He’s here, isn’t he? That should tell him I value him as a profiler.”
Callen tried to get her to see it another way.
“When you first met, who was your partner?”
“Ethan.”
“When you two ran FBI West, who was your partner?”
“Ethan.”
“When you took this job, and he was given his, who was your partner?”
“You and Livy, if she passes recertification.”
“He is accustomed to going out in the field with you, and now he’s sitting in a lab playing babysitter and handing out token profiles at your request. Today, you praised Chris for finding a big piece of the puzzle.”
“Well, he did.”
“Ethan usually does that. You’re Nancy Drew, and he’s the oldest Hardy brother. You’re yin and yang. Now he’s feeling left out, and that scares him.”
“He’s freaking Deputy Director. His job now is far more important than this.”
“Is it? What’s his big fear?”
“Getting sucked into the job and losing himself.”
“He feels like that’s what’s happening. Ethan’s old identity of workaholic scares him. He didn’t care about his family, his life, or anything else. He lived the job. Now he’s shoved back into that, and he sees himself going under. You are the one who’s kept him afloat.”
“But to make me choose?”
“I played a part of this, angel. He never thought his brother would sleep with his high school girlfriend either. He’s not being rational. He’s afraid you don’t need him anymore. Today, you went off with Chris. You told him you two were going to solve it. That’s been his role these last five plus years. He’s terrified that you’re going to move on.”
“I’d never do that. You both are my heart.”
He was aware.
“Angel, Chris threatens him. No one ever gets close enough to your heart, and in a way, he likes that. You’re ours. At the end of the day, we sit down, have a meal, and connect. I’m not condoning what he did because I told him off too, but this is Ethan, and when he does become scared, it’s magnified.”
She listened.
“He has everything to lose right now. Growing up, we never saw this day coming. If anything, we saw ourselves marrying some Native, settling down and having kids we couldn’t afford. Trust me when I say that Ethan was a different person then. He was still angry, but he didn’t keep it bottled up. We got into fights, we broke into places and vandalized them, and we let that anger out on a regular basis. Now he can’t. He’s sitting in an office and the world is staring at him.”
She hated that he was hurting.
“He’s being scrutinized, and on top of that, picture how he must feel every day when reporters keep throwing our ME in his face.”
“I don’t cheat. When I fell in love with you, I never said a word. I didn’t act on it, and I never would have. He came to me and wanted to include you in our relationship.”
For that, he owed his brother, and he’d save his ass with their woman.
Still…
Callen needed to take this in a different direction. “What if every day, you headed to work and had to listen to everyone talk about how Ethan was having an affair with some hot young piece of ass?”
“I wouldn’t believe it. I already have to watch all the younger agents fawn all over him.”
“Okay, but every day, you hear it over and over again. Then the media catches him smiling at her and having coffee with her outside the Hoover building.”
It made her stomach hurt.
“I wouldn’t like it.”
“Ethan has to see Chris Leonard and you all over the news. Plus, he knows there’s history there. You may never do anything, but he’s worried about it. We don’t want to end up divorced and alone, and he’s afraid that you don’t need him anymore.”
“I will always need you both. I can’t function without you men in my life. This is proof. I should be out working, and instead, I’m falling apart.”
“Think about how much that seed of doubt festered in your heart when Desdemona told you I’d cheat on you. Logically, you knew I wouldn’t, but still…”
He had a point.
“What he did was absolutely the wrong way to go about it. He should have come to you, he should have asked you what was going on
, and he should have been rational, but he wasn’t. Love makes us stupid. We all know that.”
She was aware.
“Do you think I’d leave you?” Elizabeth had to ask. She needed Callen to be honest.
“I don’t believe you would, but sometimes I worry that I’m not good enough.”
She thought about it.
Callen wiped the big tears on her cheeks. Then he slowly kissed the trail they’d taken.
“Do it for me, my love. Forgive him so I can keep our family intact. I can’t lose either of you to this misunderstanding.”
She’d give him her heart if he asked for it.
Here was her sweet, gentle, and loving Callen.
“Then I need something from you.”
“Ask and you can have anything you want, Lyzee. I’d die to make you smile again.”
“I need you to make me forget. Put your hands on me, Callen. Make me whole again.”
Oh, he could do that.
Pulling her mouth down to his, he sealed his lips across hers. With so much need, he stole one hell of a kiss.
This was her Callen. He tasted like mint gum, and it healed a part of her heart. When she reached up, burying her hands in his hair, he moaned, and she got wet.
He tore his mouth from hers.
“Fast,” she said. “We need to get out in the field. You’ve got five minutes to make me scream your name and cum.”
When she used that word, it made him hard. “I don’t need five. Three will do it.”
He shoved her off his lap. When she tumbled back onto the couch, he was on her.
“Keep the Kevlar on,” he muttered, biting her ear. “It turns me on.”
She moaned as he fumbled with the button on her jeans. “Hurry, Callen. God! Hurry!”
He was dying to find his way into her body. The need was building and when she roughly grabbed his dick through his pants, and squeezed, he wanted to take her hard.
“Don’t tease,” he muttered, getting her free from her buckle. “Shit! Too may layers,” he said, as she began roughly rubbing his erection. She wasn’t being gentle, and that little kiss of pain made him breath harder.
Blood Shall Run (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 15) Page 50