Dying to Love (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 18)

by Morgan Kelley

  He pulled up his email and sent it to her. “I was finishing up when you called. There you go. They were all cars registered to residents of DC. None came up stolen.”

  Elizabeth got the email.

  She scanned it.

  Then one name popped out.

  Oscar Lopez.

  “Well, well, well. I recognize one of the names,” she offered.

  “Who?” Callen asked.

  She told him.

  “Run his arrest record. I want to make sure it’s the same one before we hunt him down, kick his ass, and make him bleed.”

  Callen did as she asked.

  Apparently, not only had they crossed paths, but she’d really disliked the guy.

  “It’s him. He has charges stemming from picking up hookers, to running a chop shop.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “I helped the cops toss him in jail. He was stealing cars and transporting them over state lines. It became an FBI thing.”

  Ethan didn’t get why that was prevalent.

  She did.

  “Johanna and Brody did my pimp re-interview. Gavin Weeks saw the car that drove away with his girl. They were both pricey Audis. Someone who owns a chop shop will have access to a vehicle to ‘borrow’, and then break it down so we can’t find it.”

  He smiled at her.

  She was smart. Amir was right. He’d watch her, too, to learn.

  “When are you interviewing him?”

  “Tomorrow. Callen and I will hit the place up.”

  “I’m coming with you. It’s Friday. I can wrap up my work after it. Gabe is back in office today and tomorrow.”

  She kissed him. “That sounds like a date.”

  She rubbed against him.

  “Elizabeth, don’t be bold.”

  Callen stared at his brother. “Don’t tell her that! I finally got her right where I want her!”

  She snorted.

  “Let’s go grab some food and eat in your office. I’m hungry.”

  On the way out, they stopped by Chris’s morgue table. He was just getting started.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  She laughed. “False alarm.”

  He relaxed. “That’s good to know. We don’t need a killer working in the morgue. Been there and done that.”

  Maybe that was why Ethan had been so hell bent on questioning him. Patrick Parrish had fooled them, and Ethan had nearly paid with his life.

  “We’re grabbing lunch. Want anything?” she asked, as she watched him finish the Y-incision. “Don’t get cut again!”

  He smiled. “I’m good, honey. Thanks. I’ll pass on food. I’m a little worked up to be eating.”

  She got it.

  They all did.

  So, they headed out. They would take an hour, and then hit it hard again.

  They needed it.

  It was time to regroup.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  Hoover Building

  Olivia Rothschild wasn’t one to listen to her husband. She never had been. When she was an agent, she’d pretty much do whatever she wanted, simply because she could. Running with Elizabeth had given her carte blanche to do pretty much whatever she thought was right.

  When Gabe said, ‘let it die down’, that didn’t sit with her. Friends didn’t ‘let it die down’. They fought, they got over it, and they became stronger.

  At least that’s how she and Elizabeth rolled. They’d had many fights in their years of friendship. It never hurt them. It only made them stronger.

  This would be the same.

  So, against Gabe’s advice, she was looking for her at the FBI building. They may have yanked her credentials, but she was still Gabe’s wife, and security just let her stroll on through without having even to flash a badge.

  Yeah, being married to the boss man had its advantages.

  When she asked around, she found out that the three of them had been in the cafeteria getting lunch.

  So she headed there.

  She’d just missed them.

  If she didn’t know any better, she’d think Elizabeth was blowing her off.

  Nah!

  That couldn’t be it. They’d had a little fight, and she’d never be that angry.

  So, she headed to the next logical place.

  Ethan’s office.

  Luckily for her, Ginny was at lunch, and no one was sitting there.

  Heading toward the door, she knocked.

  “Come in,” Ethan called.

  When she opened the door, she found them in there.

  Elizabeth didn’t look happy. In fact, she pushed her salad away, and tossed her napkin onto the top of it.

  “It’s a bad time, Livy,” Ethan said, trying to run interference. If the woman went at Elizabeth now, while she was bogged down with the case, it wouldn’t end well. She really needed to give her time to work through all of this.

  He knew his wife.

  If Livy pushed, it would end horribly.

  “I need to talk to Lyzee.”

  Callen took a shot at it too. “Maybe you should do this at a later date, like when she’s not running an investigation.”

  She ignored him too.

  “Can we talk?”

  “Sure,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll do it here. It’s as good a time as any.”

  Livy closed the door.

  “I’m sorry I punched you. I was really drunk, over emotional, and I crossed a line.”

  Ethan and Callen glanced over at their wife.

  “I would like for you to forgive me.”

  Elizabeth stared at her. This woman had been her partner, her friend, and then it never was the same again. She could see it clearly now.

  Chris had been right.

  At some point, it disintegrated, and she’d held on because she was afraid to lose someone she’d loved at one point. Sometimes, people came into your life to teach you a lesson. Livy was one of those people.

  “I can’t do that.”

  Livy actually looked surprised.

  “What?”

  That was her confirmation that Chris was right. This was a one-way street. As long as Livy was happy, it was okay. Once she was angry, no one was happy. Maybe it was a product of her rape, maybe it was being spoiled for all those years as Gabe’s wife, or maybe it was that they were never really friends to begin with. Either way, she honestly believed she’d come in there, throw down the trivial apology, and it would be fine.

  It wasn’t.

  She physically assaulted her.

  It was done.

  “I believe you heard me, Olivia.”

  “What?”

  “You came into my home, in front of my family, and you punched me in the face. That was crossing so many lines. You can’t get forgiveness for that. I’m sorry, but I get to choose now. I get to make up my mind as to whether I want to forgive you for what you pulled.”

  “I can’t believe this. Really?”

  “When we were partners, you and I were good. We balanced each other out in the field. We both wanted to save the world. Then Gabe entered the picture.”

  “So this is about that?” she asked. “It’s about me taking your buddy away?”

  She just didn’t get it.

  Elizabeth broke it down for her so she would finally understand.

  “No, this is about how you blamed me for your rape for so long it twisted and turned our friendship into this. You get angry, I take it, and you get to decide when to forgive. For years, I wouldn’t confront you when your behavior was shitty because I felt guilty about letting the killer get to you. Well, I rectified that. I’m done paying for it.”

  She stared at her.

  “It’s true. You were pregnant and YOU wouldn’t see me. It didn’t matter that I was suffering too, and that I’d lost people I loved in the process. It didn’t matter that I was hurting either. YOU were all that mattered.”

  “I was carrying my rapist’s baby.”

  “Yes, and for that, I’m
not sorry. You got a beautiful girl out of this, and she’s the apple of your husband’s eye. You have to let that go. I didn’t get there in time to save you, and you had to make me pay. Well, you did.”

  “Elizabeth.”

  “No, Livy. You came here, you wanted to do this, and I’m not wearing kid gloves because your husband is Director. We’re on a level playing field. Mine is too. My husband has just as much clout, power, and privilege now. You aren’t above me. We’re equals, and my job is safe.”

  She was shocked.

  “You decided when YOU wanted to forgive me. After you gave birth, YOU wanted me there. YOU called me and YOU said come. I did. I couldn’t even go to your home to see a man I considered my brother. It was always on your terms.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I. I let you get away with it. For years, I was like that friend on a string. When you needed me, you gave me a yank, and I’d show up. You never cared how I felt. It was about you and your frame of mind.”

  She couldn’t believe this.

  Elizabeth was very angry at her.

  “All through the years, it was on your time. We couldn’t do anything because you had a shitload of kids or you were too busy. The day I was shot, after the Ray debacle, where were you?”

  She stared at her.

  “Let me tell you where you weren’t. You were not in the hospital to hold my hand. Do you know who came to be by my side? Gabe came. He rushed there the second I was hurt. Tony came to make sure I wasn’t alone. He left work and sat there while I was in surgery. Chris came even though he’d been on vacation. He got on a plane and came right back. He held my hand when no one was there for me. They loved me, and still do. My best friend at the time, you, didn’t care.”

  Livy’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. I get it.”

  “No, you don’t get it. It’s take, take, take, and I’m empty. I have nothing left to give. The friendship well is done. It’s always the same. When you need help, Lyzee is there. When you need a favor, Lyzee is a phone call away. When you need to vent, I’m here.”

  She wiped her eyes.

  “When you need to make someone pay because a rapist got to you, a trained Fed, in a locked townhouse, Lyzee is your girl.”

  Livy began really crying.

  “Stop,” Elizabeth stated. “We’re both big girls, and you need to hear this. I’m not your emotional punching bag, or your occasional friend. I’m not someone you can ignore for weeks, only to come back into my life on your whim. I’m emotionally exhausted by it.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I am too. This time, I can’t take your apology. This has been a long time coming. When Charlie died, where were you? I went home by myself. I went home to an empty house, void of everything. Gabe called, and he offered to come. Tony and Chris offered to come. You…you never bothered.”

  “I had kids.”

  “Livy, that’s an excuse. You’re tired, you have kids, you’re sick, you’re…”

  She stopped.

  Elizabeth took a deep breath when Callen’s hand went to her lower back.

  It was time.

  “I have to get off this train. I need to get off the emotional rollercoaster where you make me hurt because you are still bitter or angry inside. I love you, and I love your husband. When you came into my home, punched me in the face, and accused me, it was the breaking point for me. You’re not a spoiled little rich kid who gets to run the rules. That was my house. Your husband told me first. I get it. That hurts, but I didn’t hold a gun to his head and force him. I was being a good friend. I listened when he needed an ear. I didn’t do it to hurt you. It’s not always about you, Livy. Sometimes, it’s about us too.”

  “I see.”

  “I will still socialize, I’ll still say hello, and I’ll still love your girls and son with all I have because they didn’t do this. They are still my family. You are too, Livy, but we need to have boundaries, and here they are. I can’t be your partner. I need my space. If you stay in the FBI, I wish you so much love, luck, and peace. I just can’t be part of it. It’s time. I think you know that too.”

  “I can’t believe this. You live by the Girlfriend Code, and you didn’t warn me.”

  “Livy, the Girlfriend Code is also the guyfriend code. Gabe asked me to keep it to myself. I found out four hours before you punched me. I didn’t have to make the choice. You came to my house and lost your mind.”

  Livy knew it was over.

  She’d mourn it on her own.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been a horrible person.”

  “You haven’t. We just are two people trying to be friends, and we don’t mesh. I’m not needy.”

  “And I am?”

  She shrugged. “I will always love you, Livy. Always.”

  “But we’re breaking up.”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  She got it. Livy never saw this one coming. “Again, I’m sorry. Director Blackhawk, I’ll see you at my badge review. Have a good day.”

  When she walked out and closed the door, both men stared at her.

  “Wow,” Callen stated.

  “Yeah, wow,” Ethan followed up.

  Elizabeth sat down.

  She wanted to forget the whole thing.

  “We support your decision,” Ethan said, moving to kneel beside her chair.

  Callen did the same.

  “That’s the shitty part, boys. It was her decision. I can’t carry the anger anymore. There comes a time when you can’t fight over and over again. At some point, you have to know when to throw in the towel and walk away. I can’t live my life according to Livy, or anyone else. I’m done being her emotional punching bag. I’m done being anyone’s. This is who I am. Take it, or leave it.”

  Ethan understood. He just never thought she’d do it. Elizabeth was a fighter by nature. She didn’t even try.

  It was scary.

  “I’ll be okay. Let’s just finish lunch,” she said, sipping her water.

  Both men knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as that. There was a storm brewing.

  And it was going to be hurricane magnitude.

  In time.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  He was busily stalking the woman he was going to pick. He knew she was the best choice.

  As he followed her around town, he knew she was the one.

  It was perfect.

  Elizabeth Blackhawk would never see this one coming—not in a million years.

  He was switching it up, and it was going to be epic. One victim out of the ordinary, and it would test everything she knew.

  He couldn’t wait.

  At the beginning, this was about getting to her.

  Now it was about watching her. Elizabeth’s mind was a beautiful thing.

  He loved a hooker, don’t get him wrong, but she’d challenge him, and that was a plus.

  One he couldn’t find in anyone else.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  They were cleaning up their lunch mess when Callen’s cell phone began ringing. He checked the ID, and it was their father.

  He put it on speaker.

  “Hey, Dad! What’s up?”

  “Are you out of your freaking mind?”

  Callen stared at his family.

  He wasn’t sure where this was going.

  “What did I do?”

  “I’m sitting here with your kids, and the TV is on. All of a sudden, there is my boy taking a hooker into a hotel.”

  Elizabeth started laughing.

  Yeah, she knew this was coming.

  “Yes, I know it’s Elizabeth, and you all know it’s my daughter-in-law, but the kids hear hooker and start asking questions. They are uncomfortable ones, son.”

  Ethan was stifling a laugh. He’d not been involved, and for once, he was glad.

  “I’ll handle it when I get home.”

  “Oh, I hope so. Your daughter keeps asking if she can be a hooker like m
omma. That’s not going to go over well at school tomorrow.”

  In the background, they could hear Maeve.

  “Why is she stirred up?” Callen asked. “She knows it was Elizabeth dressing up for a case.”

  Wyler must have handed her the phone.

  “Today, as I was buying milk for the kids, one of the people who know I’m now a Blackhawk asked me if I knew my son was sticking his dick in a hooker.”

  In the background, they could hear the kids.

  “Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” said Maeve. “Father, forgive me for saying that.”

  Elizabeth needed this laugh. It was the best medicine, and she appreciated her family.

  She couldn’t help herself.

  “Your father said your grandfather is rolling over in his grave at this.”

  Callen sputtered.

  Ethan and Elizabeth laughed.

  “Elizabeth, is that you?”

  She wiped her eyes. “Yes, Mom,” she stated, laughing even harder. Their family was funny as hell. The kids were shouting hooker, Wyler was all stirred up, and their Irish Catholic stepmother was fired up and praying for them.

  It was priceless.

  This was the madness she got and loved. Elizabeth wouldn’t give this up for anything.

  “What do you need?” Elizabeth finally asked.

  “On the news? Is that wise?”

  It wasn’t her fault.

  “He got horny. Don’t blame the victim of the mauling. Timothy knows who to haunt.”

  Jesus.

  Callen stared in horror at her. Ethan was laughing so hard that he was crying too. Where to even start? It was bad enough she’d told them he was horny, but that Timothy was going to haunt him?

  Oh boy.

  This was way out of control.

  “I can see that from the footage. I do have one question for you.”

  “What?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Can I borrow that skirt? I think Wyler would like it too,” she teased to lighten the mood.

  That proved how much Maeve fit in to their family. She got it. You couldn’t be serious all the time. If you were, you’d burn out, and fast.

  Callen snorted.

  Wyler not so much.