He hit the intercom. “Ginny, reschedule my day. I need it cleared.”
“Mr. B, you have three interviews today, and one meeting with Homeland.”
“I’ll have to pass.”
Gabe stuck his head out of the office. “I’ll take them, Ginny. Call my secretary, and have him work it out. I’ll cover for Ethan on this one.”
“Okay, Mr. R.”
Ethan relaxed. There was no way in hell that he was letting his wife out with the killer now focused on her.
NO.
WAY.
“I guess that is a yes,” she said.
Even Callen looked relaxed.
“It is, baby.”
“Do you want to dress down, or are you riding shotgun as a stiff in a suit?”
“I might have jeans in my closet.”
“Are they beat up jeans or those equally stiff ones you try to pass off as jeans?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
She snorted.
“Okay, I’m going to find Johanna and Broderick and see what they found. Want to meet me at the ride, Cowboy?”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Yeah, I do. They were heading toward the cafeteria when we walked over here.”
She patted him on the suit-clad ass.
“My, my, aren’t you handy,” she said.
“My, my, aren’t you handsy,” he replied.
She snorted, and then headed out, Callen right behind her. As soon as she was gone, the smile was gone too.
“You’re worried,” Gabe said.
“Yeah, I really am. My gut is screaming, and something is way off. I can’t figure out what it is.”
“With the case?”
He stared at his friend and boss. “No, with my wife. I’ll figure it out. It’ll just take me time.”
Since Gabe knew what she was hiding, he hoped not.
“Check in later, Ethan. Be safe out there.”
Yeah, that was his plan.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Cafeteria
When she found them, they were having coffee and scanning their files. Neither looked good. Honestly, she hoped it wasn’t going to be drama.
They had enough going on.
Gabe had cancer and was going to be struggling to get better.
Chris had been cut and wouldn’t know if he was sick for the next half a year.
Ethan didn’t know her secret, and he would likely blow when he found out.
Callen was being hounded by the media and accused of infidelity with a hooker.
Oh, and Livy had punched her in the face.
All she wanted was to get off the drama train before it went off the tracks. Maybe she could salvage anymore oncoming mess. So, she opted to dig.
“Yo! Team. What’s shaking?”
“We’re running the hookers and people you asked us to from last night,” Brody offered, staring at Johanna.
Elizabeth noticed the woman wouldn’t look at her husband.
Uh oh.
Trouble.
“Will you and Callen go grab us some coffees? He and I have to hit the road,” she asked.
“Sure,” Brody said, pushing away from the table. “Joey, do you want a coffee?”
She ignored him.
“Johanna?” Callen asked.
“Yes, please, Callen. That would be wonderful.”
Okay, it was clear who was angry with who. It wasn’t a woman versus man thing.
It was a husband versus wife one.
The two men headed across the room.
“Spill it, and make if fast, sister,” she said to Johanna as she took Brody’s vacated seat.
“He asked me why we didn’t role play like you and the men. I feel like I’ve failed as a wife. Is he really dissatisfied with our sex life already? It’s been less than a year.”
She glanced over her shoulder.
When the coast was clear, she went for it.
“Men are visual creatures,” Elizabeth stated. “They know things like hookers and schoolgirls are wrong, so that makes them want them that much more. With a wife who’s willing to play the role, they can just enjoy themselves in a nice safe sexual environment.”
“So he’s not bored?”
She laughed. “Joey, he spends all day checking out your ass. He’s not bored. He’s curious. The boy wants to take a walk on the wild side.”
“What do I do?”
“Rock his world and give him something to think about for weeks to come.”
She looked around. “I can’t do that here.”
“So go home, do it there, and then work afterwards. Clearly, he thinks you’re pissed. Use it to your advantage. What does Brody like?”
“Sex.”
She laughed. “Specific.”
“For Halloween, he suggested I dress up like a school girl. Do you think…?”
“I know he does. Ethan once wanted to play principal and naughty student. If you ever repeat that…”
She held up her pinky. “Girlfriend Code,” Johanna stated. “Right?”
She smiled. “Right. Now go buy something sexy, and then screw his brains out until he’s walking funny all day tomorrow. Pull out all the stops, do everything you know is horribly taboo, and watch him turn into a puddle of brainless mush before you.”
“I’m working. I can’t.”
“We’ve had about five hours sleep in two days. You can run out, meet him at home, rock his world, all while the computers do the work. Then you take a nap, get up, and if he’s up, get him off again. By the way, he’s going to be up after your little sexcapade. I’ve found the men are always hornier after they get some sexy new fantasy.”
She smiled. “Thanks for this, Elizabeth.”
She scribbled an address down. “Here’s the place I get my stuff. They cater to men who like fun. By fun, I mean a little edgier, a little naughtier, and a whole lot dirtier. Go there and tell them I sent you. God knows I’m in there enough. They had this plaid little number that will melt his brain.”
“Seriously?”
“I’ll keep him busy here. When he gets home, appear in it. Trust me. He’ll do the rest. It’s not that he’s bored. Men are curious by nature. If you don’t fill that curiosity, someone else will.”
That was exactly what she didn’t want.
Johanna never wanted her husband to stray. That would kill her. What was a little kinkery between them if it meant his needs were met, and then so were hers?
“Thank you, Elizabeth.”
She smiled. “Lyzee. What’s one more friend, and you now offered up the Girlfriend Code. Welcome aboard. Buckle up. It’s generally a bumpy flight.”
Hopefully this one wouldn’t hurt her.
Johanna high-fived her, grabbed her stuff, and took off like a bat out of Hell. It was perfectly timed because Brody and Callen were headed their way.
“Where’s Joey?” he asked.
Elizabeth took the coffee that Callen was holding for her.
“She asked if she could go home early. I told her yes. She’s really upset. What did you do?”
He looked embarrassed.
“Brody?”
“Do I have to bring it up?”
“Uh, when it affects my team, the answer to that will always be yes.”
“I may have brought up something inappropriate in bed last night at your place. She got upset, and I don’t know how to make it right.”
“Romance,” Callen stated.
Elizabeth let him handle this one. She already masterminded the ‘Get Brody Off’ plan.
“What?”
“You need to get her some roses, do something sweet, and tell her you love her. Jewelry is ALWAYS appreciated.”
“She hates jewelry.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Every woman says that because it’s easier than not getting any. I hated the stuff too, and now when the men whip out a sparkly, I’m all over it. I’m going to bet that Johanna has never had a man dote on her wit
h any romance.”
She pulled the feather necklace from beneath her shirt.
“Trust me. We like being doted on. It’s a girl thing.”
“Make it meaningful.”
“A snowflake.”
“What?” they said together.
“When we eloped, she was standing at the courthouse in the snow. One fell on her cheek, and I wiped it away. They remind me of her.”
Callen smiled. “There you go, son. Go find a snowflake and make sure you tell her exactly what you said to us. Buy flowers too. ALWAYS bring flowers when you screw up. They hurt less than fists if she throws them at you.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Very true.”
Brody stood.
Then sat when he realized he couldn’t just walk out of work to do what he wanted to do. They had a case.
He was stuck on duty.
“I have to do these searches.”
“Guess what, Broderick?” she said. “Computers can work on their own. Go find your gift, head home, and romance your wife.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“She said YOUR wife. That’s mine. See? There’s your first problem. You’re putting your lips on the wrong lady.”
Brody gave him a fist bump and took off.
“Johanna is going to be surprised.”
Elizabeth began laughing. “Not as surprised as he’s going to be when he finds her.”
“What?”
“Brody wants to play dress up.”
“Oh.”
“Johanna is going to be a sexy school girl. I sent her to ‘THE STORE’,” she admitted.
Callen shook his head. “When he has a stroke, you have to do the paperwork.”
Well, in this case, it was worth it.
“They’re like having more kids,” she offered.
“Yeah, they really are.”
“Shall we, my sexy Native?”
He patted her on the ass, despite people staring.
“Callen James!”
“I can’t help it. I pictured you as a schoolgirl. I lost control for a minute there.”
“Pervert.”
“Hell, yeah!”
In the parking lot, she found her other husband by her ride.
Only, he wasn’t alone.
Ivan, her personal tail, was there.
Well, this wouldn’t work.
At all.
“I thought you cut my babysitters free,” Elizabeth said, glaring at the man.
Ivan laughed. “Mrs. Blackhawk, a good day to you too. You’re so charming in the morning. Why would I want to spend a second away from you?”
“You like me. You want to kiss me.”
The man sputtered. “I DO NOT!”
Ethan laughed.
Part of his wife’s charm was that she would ride ass on just about anyone. They didn’t have to be married to her. He could tell she liked the man. If she hated his guts, like she claimed, Elizabeth wouldn’t even acknowledge he was alive.
She definitely liked the man.
“Lyzee, my love, I told them to back off. They aren’t supposed to interfere in anything—unless we’re in danger.”
Callen was smiling.
“Your brother talked you out of it, huh?” she said, glancing over at her other husband.
Callen opened and then closed his mouth.
“Good idea.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Blackhawk…”
She stopped him. “When I’m in this shiny building, wearing a gun, I’m Director. When you’re peeking in our windows to watch us, then it’s Mrs. Blackhawk.”
“I do not peek.”
“Liar liar, your regulation britches are on fire.”
Ivan pointed at her but looked at his boss. “Really? Maybe you should send me off duty. It’s been a long six months. I need some down time from Mrs. Bitchy Pants.”
She snorted. “That’s Mrs. Bitchy Britches, if you don’t mind. Learn the lingo.”
He sputtered.
“Ace, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” she drawled. “I’m going to make you work for it.”
Ethan broke it up. “We should get going. Ivan, tell security to only interfere when need be. My wife will hurt all of you, and then she’s going to come after me to finish it off.”
He was right.
She would.
“Yes, sir.”
He walked away.
“You really like him.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I do. He reminds me of a much younger Gabe. He used to be a pain in my ass too. Now I can ride this one. I couldn’t with the boss.”
They headed out of the parking lot. As they drove, Ethan figured he should tell his wife about the conversation he’d had with Gabe.
Lying was his big no-no.
It pissed him off to no end.
“Gabe paid me a visit.”
“Oh?” she asked.
Yeah, like she didn’t see this one coming a mile away. Livy got her ass handed to her, and she was going to send in Gabriel to save her.
No.
Just no.
This time, it was too late. It was a long time coming, and Elizabeth was taking a stand. She needed to be free from the guilt and the weight of it all.
Ethan saw the look.
“He found her in her car, sobbing, and shoving fast food down her gullet.”
She snorted.
“Wow. You find that funny?”
“I had a visual.”
“You’re pissed, aren’t you?”
Elizabeth pulled off her glasses and let him see the shiner she had. Makeup BARELY covered it.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Well no.”
“What?” she asked, staring at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Men are different.”
Callen said NOTHING. He wasn’t getting on this train to Divorceville.
No way.
No how.
He liked being married, and he was not taking sides in the Lyzee-Livy feud.
Nope.
“When we get mad, we swing, we draw blood, and then we share a beer. That’s our signal it’s over.”
“Oh, okay. Let me go over to her house, kick her teeth in, and then crack a bottle of chardonnay open. That sounds completely logical to me.”
Ethan laughed. “It did to me.”
“Do you really want me to forgive her?”
“No. I wanted to tell you what was said because I don’t believe in lying to my wife, despite the consequences. You’re mad now, and I’m wearing the bull’s-eye. Still, I had to do it. It’s my job.”
She felt horrible.
Only not about Livy.
That bridge had been burned down. This was all about Ethan, and telling him about Chris and their past.
“So, no lies?”
“Never. I won’t disrespect you like that.”
“Even if the truth will piss the partner off and cause one hell of a rift?”
“Yeah, even then.”
She went to say something, and Callen elbowed her.
This was NOT the place.
Home.
Private office.
Anywhere but here.
They were about to do an interview and blindsiding Ethan would be a bad thing.
She got it.
“Okay, well, I sent Johanna to my sexy kinkery to buy a schoolgirl outfit to blow Brody’s mind. They’re on the clock, but she’s going to be getting his rocks off any second.”
“I did not need to hear that.”
“No lies, remember?”
He laughed. “I recall. Now about this interview. Who is up?”
“An asshole.”
They laughed.
Elizabeth had the address for Oscar Lopez’s business on her phone. She knew at one time it was a chop shop. Now he claimed it was a garage.
Potato.
Potatoe.
There was no doubt the man didn’t go straight. He was a hardened criminal back then, stealing, s
elling, and buying hookers. That was the street trifecta. All he was missing was drugs, and she was sure he was neck deep in that too.
If she was lucky, the man might have some connections. They might be talking, and he might be listening. If that were the case, she’d get him to spill his guts, one way or another.
Hopefully, it would be the painful way.
“How long was he in jail?” Ethan asked, so he’d be ready.
Callen pulled up his information from the corrections department.
“He did a decade in a supermax. He was chopping and selling, and he actually told the judge to blow him.”
“That had to make the judge mad.”
“Yeah, it was Judge Brown. She’s a lesbian and hates dick. I’m sure it went over like a lead balloon.”
Probably.
“How did you get him?” Ethan asked.
She laughed. “I got lucky. I was actually at a bar, meeting a guy I was dating. He pulled up with a fancy ride, and the man was all over it. He was excited.”
Ethan loved Elizabeth stories.
They were always amusing as hell.
“What happened after that?”
“The guy I was with went to the bar to order us drinks, and he approached me.”
“Let me guess. You weren’t wearing Fed gear?”
She laughed. “No, I wasn’t. I was actually in a dress, if that matters.”
“Oh, Lyzee on a date with her boyfriend in a dress. I love this story.”
Yeah, he wouldn’t if he knew who the guy was.
Chris was that man, and the pricey Mercedes was the ride in question.
“He asked if I wanted to make a quick couple of C’s. I asked him if it was illegal. He smiled and I knew it was going to be interesting.”
The men listened.
“He told me to meet him out back. I thought…he’s going to ask me to give him head. Then I realized it was all about the car. He was giddy.”
“I bet.”
“When my date returned, I dialed his phone, tucked it into my bra, and told him to be my backup.”
“Was he a cop?”
“Sort of.”
Callen knew who she was talking about. This was dangerous, and she should know better. Ethan was smart. One slip, and he’d put two and two together on this one, and it would equal bad. Then again, Callen got it. She was prepping him for the reality that she had a life before them.
“I followed the guy, he told me he would give me three hundred bucks if I would tell him where the guy lived so they could boost his ride.”
Dying to Love (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 18) Page 34