Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11)

by Morgan Kelley

  Well, he was right about that.

  In fact, that was the last thing they needed. With very little damning evidence, they had to hope they’d pull something.

  “Keep everyone off the body, make sure the person who found it is isolated, and we’ll be there in the next thirty minutes. I have to get my team moving.”

  Yeah, and her ass going too.

  It wasn’t going to be easy. She was running on very little sleep and desperately needed it.

  “We’ll hold the scene together until you get here,” Nick stated. “She’s been here a while. I think this is your missing dead girl. She’s not looking all that pretty.”

  Elizabeth pulled on her jeans and had to wonder why now? Was this a break or was the universe yanking her chain?

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

  He couldn’t sleep, and that was mostly his fault. He didn't contact Johanna to let her know that he couldn’t see her, and it was weighing heavily on his shoulders.

  All he could hope was that she’d understand, and not be too worried about him. Brody knew his partner, and there was no doubt that she’d rush headlong into danger to follow him.

  It was just how she was.

  Now, as he lay in his bed, he missed her. There was a profound emptiness as he thought about what he craved.

  Joey’s touch.

  Her kiss.

  The feel of her body against his.

  This was total hell, and he wasn’t sure he could handle it. Sliding out of bed, he was going to have to have one hell of a good reason to be heading out. If someone was downstairs, he needed some reason.

  Staring across the room, he saw his sneakers.

  It looked like he was going for a run.

  Maybe he could swing by her dorm and see if she was okay. In the back of his mind, he was well aware that she was fine. It was insanity to think otherwise. Had Joey been hurt, someone from the FBI would have let him know.

  It’s just that sleeping alone really sucked.

  He needed her.

  Getting into his running gear, he grabbed his earbuds, and headed downstairs. When he arrived, he found Sutton at the kitchen table having coffee.

  “You’re up early,” he stated. “Going out?”

  “Running,” he said, faux stretching.

  “You’re stressed about the party, aren’t you?” he asked, “because you had to waste your time on that other girl.”

  Oh, he was stressed, but not because of that. As for Johanna being a waste of time, well, that was total bullshit.

  She was the only person in the world who mattered to him. In fact, she was more important than even him. When it came down to it, he’d die to keep her safe.

  “I’m just eager to see what goes on downstairs. It’s like Christmas morning,” he added, bullshitting his way through the entire conversation. Once he was down there, he had no idea what he was going to do. It wasn’t like he could have sex with someone, and he certainly couldn’t take five men into custody.

  Yeah, he was starting to get worried.

  “You have no idea,” Sutton stated, sipping his coffee. “Once you go there, you’ll never go back. It’s the most amazing orgy you’ll ever have in your life.”

  “It’s not…illegal, is it? The FBI has been digging around,” Brody said, trying to get the man to talk to him. “That freaks me out. I’ve been arrested before, and the last thing I want to do is spend a night in jail. My old man will shit a brick. He likes to keep our names out of the news.”

  He laughed. “Arman has it under control. He’s pretty smart. I think he has the Fed lady all tied up in knots.”

  “So it is illegal.”

  “Does that really bother you?”

  Brody had to cover his ass. “No, I guess not. My dad isn't exactly on the up and up. If he freaks out, I’ll just point that little detail out. I just like to know what I’m getting into.”

  Sutton looked around. “We give them a little something to calm down, and since they’re drunk, they don’t remember a thing. Not one woman has ever come back and cried anything but more.”

  That made him sick.

  The man just admitted to drugging and raping women. Yeah, Joey wasn’t going anywhere near this den of iniquity. It wasn’t happening.

  “It’s fast. We take the train for a ride, and that’s all there is too it. We stick some cash in her pocket to cover our asses. She looks like a slut, and we paid for her services. It’s five against one, and really…no one’s ever come back and said anything. It’s a shame you couldn’t get the ice queen to give in. She would have been one hot piece of ass downstairs. Arman has been trying to bag that babe for weeks.”

  The fact they wanted Joey to be one of their girls, made him glad he’d told them she was frigid. Now she was safe.

  That’s all that mattered.

  “You’ll love it. I swear. Just hang in there. You’ll never want boring old sex again.”

  If he stayed, he was going to punch the man out. It was best to plaster a fake smile on his face and head out. Then he wouldn’t blow his cover.

  “I’ll see you later,” he said, walking out the door.

  As soon as he was gone, Sutton pulled out his phone and made the call. “He’s gone. Are you sure we have to do this?” he asked. “I really like him.”

  He listened as Arman questioned his loyalty, and it grated on his nerves. The man thought he was God and ruled the universe.

  The truth was—he was nothing more than an asshole.

  “Yeah, I got it,” he said, hanging up. Sutton felt bad for the guy. If he was who he said he was, he’d be fine, but if this was him screwing them over, Arman would have his head on a silver platter.

  He was a douche like that.

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

  As he ran the loop toward Johanna’s dorm, he couldn’t help but notice that for that early in the morning, it was pretty busy out. Normally, college students slept in during the weekend. They partied on Friday and Saturday night, and recoupled the following mornings.

  It was the norm.

  This didn't seem right.

  As he got closer to the dorm, he could see the flashing lights, and his heart began pounding in his chest.

  This sucked.

  Something was going on just outside Johanna’s door.

  His blood pressure immediately shot up. The side of the building and the back was blocked off. All he could hope was that if he went inside, he could bypass the guard.

  Creeping through the door, Brody really wished he could pull his badge. It would make getting upstairs that much easier. When he snuck in with a group of campus cops, barely anyone even noticed him.

  That floored him.

  The one cop who noticed him took one look at his running gear and must have thought he stayed there.

  Thank God!

  As they headed toward the desk, he took the back stairs and rushed up them to get to Johanna’s room. When he knocked, she opened, bleary eyed.

  “What?”

  He pushed her back into the room and locked the door behind them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  From her closed blinds, he realized that she wouldn’t have a clue about what was going on outside. “I ran by hoping to see you, and instead, I found a mess.”

  He led her to the blinds, and they looked out.

  She stared. “Oh, crap! Should we go down?”

  “NO! You already found the last two bodies, and I saw that reporter down there. The vulture is looking for a carcass to pick at. You’re staying right here, and so am I.”

  She didn't mind. Going against his body, she rested her head on his shoulder. The familiarity of his scent drew her in. “I missed you last night. I waited up.”

  He was sorry about that. “I got stuck at the frat house, and couldn’t sneak away.”

  There was a pause.

  “Joey, we have to talk.”

  Johanna didn't like the tone in his voice
. It freaked her out. “What happened?” She could see from the look on his face, something was bothering him.

  Brody, while brave, had a shitty poker face. It gave him away every time.

  “You’re not going to like this, but it had to be done,” he said, before telling her everything that happened back at the frat house. He blanched when he had to tell her about picking a new girl and taking her back to his room.

  She stepped back, her mouth going wide with surprise.

  “I swear, I won’t touch her, Joey. My biggest concern was getting you safe, and now you are. I can’t have you getting hurt. I know we’re working, but I can’t risk you.”

  She didn't want to hear it. They were partners, and she was in this with him. “Brody. This is exactly why the FBI doesn’t let people in relationships work together. The male tends to lose his mind and think the female is helpless.”

  “I need you to trust me. I need you to believe that I’m not going to sleep with someone else, and that this is all going to work out.”

  There was fear in his eyes, and that bothered her. Johanna hated that he really thought this would break them. There was no way in hell that Brody would have sex with a girl while on the job.

  Well, unless it was her.

  “Stop,” she said, as his face showed a million emotions. “I trust you, Broderick. You’re not going to do anything to hurt me. We’ll get through this,” she said, taking his cheeks in her palms. “I have a way for you to get out of it, but you’re not going to like it,” she offered.

  He was relieved that Joey trusted him, but worried about what kind of plan she was hatching in her head. It couldn’t be good.

  No, it wouldn’t be good.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, taking her back into his arms. When she told him, he stared down at her, his mouth agape. “That sucks! I don’t like this at all!”

  “Well, I told you that you wouldn’t.”

  Sadly, he’d listened to it, and it might just work.

  He really hated that most of all.

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

  When he was gone from the frat house, Arman made the choice to violate his privacy. Sending Nels to do his dirty work, he had the man toss his room.

  Something was bothering him about the fellow brother, and he needed to set his fears to rest. If Nels came back empty handed, then there would be no harm done. He’d trust the man, and they could pretend this ugly little episode didn't happen.

  Deep down, he wanted to like Broderick Seaton. After spending the evening with him, playing poker and talking, he thought he was pretty damn funny.

  Maybe that’s what set him on edge.

  Broderick looked twisted up the entire time, and he kept asking a few too many questions as everyone else got shit face drunk. That alone threw up flags for him.

  Sutton swore the man was cool, but now he wanted to make sure. Someone had to protect their little unit, now that the FBI was tracking them like dogs.

  As he sat in the living room, watching the front door while the other brother watched the back, he glanced down at his watch. If he was running, he’d be back soon. If not, Garrick would be reporting in with the details.

  As he heard steps coming down the stairs, he glanced over. Calling to Sutton, he waited for him and Nels to join him. This was his kingdom, and there was no way in hell that he was letting someone destroy it, especially under the guise of brotherhood.

  “Well?” he asked as Nels approached with something in his hand.

  “His whole room is clean, except for this.” He dropped it on the table for Arman to check out.

  They all stared at it.

  “So?” Sutton asked, shrugging nonchalantly. “It’s a freaking picture.”

  “Turn it over,” stated Nels.”

  They did.

  On the back was the damning evidence.

  ‘Joey and Brody—January.’

  “That’s funny since it’s July,” Arman stated, leaning back in his chair. “It looks like the two love birds knew each other well before they met here at that party.”

  Sutton didn't know what to say.

  “I don’t trust him,” stated Nels.

  “And did you find anything else or is that it?” Arman asked, knowing that at the least, they had him lying. Now he needed to know what else the man was hiding.

  “Nothing at all. His room is clean. In fact, it’s organized and neat. None of his notebooks have anything in them, but hearts with ‘Joey’ written in them.”

  Sutton laughed. “So we have a guy who doesn’t take notes while he’s at school. Sue him. I don’t either.”

  Arman considered it all. He was pissed, but not sure what to do. “We checked him out, and he was on the up and up,” he stated. “We even searched online and found him with his father in a local paper. He’s definitely Broderick Seaton. Now we just have to figure what his game is.”

  Just then, Garrick rushed in out of breath. “I followed him,” he stated.

  “And?”

  “He went right to the dorm and the girl, only it’s weird.”

  Arman leaned forward on the couch. “What do you mean it’s weird?”

  “There were cops, lights, and the entire place was lit up like Christmas. Something happened there, and he’s in the middle of it.”

  That was interesting.

  “He walked in with a bunch of campus cops, and no one stopped him,” stated Garrick, tossing them his phone.

  Arman flipped through the pictures, and indeed, what the man was saying happened. This didn't look good for Broderick Seaton.

  “We have a rat in our midst.”

  Sutton tried one more time. “Come on, Arman. We don’t know that. He’s been visiting that girl all week. Maybe the security guard recognized him and let him in. This isn't proof. It’s paranoia!”

  The man glared at him. “Are you with us brother or against us?”

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  “We’re simply going to take what he loves, and use it to get the truth. Maybe she is just his sweetheart, or maybe he’s a campus cop in disguise. Either way, tonight we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Sutton leaned back and closed his eyes. This was all out of hand. He may be into the sex, but he didn't bargain for any of this. He had a feeling that it was going to be a big mess.

  “Help us or if this goes down, we’re all pinning it on you,” Arman stated.

  Sutton had no choice.

  Why was he shocked that Arman would resort to blackmail?

  “Fine. I’m in.”

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

  Arriving on the scene, there was pandemonium. There were cops and college kids everywhere, and Nick Rakin was desperately trying to hold it all together.

  He was failing miserably.

  As they ducked the police line, she could see from the corner of her eye that they had the wannabe reporter in their midst.

  “Callen, grab him and put him in a police car. I’m going to make him shake in his college boots.”

  He grinned ferally. “Can I watch?”

  She didn't reply, since she was focused on the mess waiting for them. With Ethan at her side, she stormed the dorm.

  “What the hell is going on?” she asked, finally reaching the sheriff. “This doesn’t look like it’s contained. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure it’s the opposite of contained.”

  He shook his head. “The college kids are emptying out of their dorms. We had to put ups screens to keep the body blocked, but the dorm windows are open, and they’re going to be taking videos.”

  “Well shit!”

  She wanted to punch something.

  “Who found her?” Elizabeth asked, keeping it under control. “Please tell me that it wasn’t one of my people.” Elizabeth didn't think that if Johanna was the one, the campus cops would believe it was a coincidence.

  This whole undercover setup was close to blowing up, and she
knew it.

  “Ironically, the cop who was bitching about the girl, was the one who did. When I got here, he was standing over her body.”

  That made her pause. “Wait. What? You said this was our third victim. She just turned up here?” Elizabeth asked, pointing at the body not far from the dorms. “She wasn’t there before. I’m pretty sure someone would have seen a decaying corpse, even a bunch of partying college co-eds.”

  He had bad news.

  “Well, you’re not going to like this very much, so I suppose I should be the one to tell you. Remember, don’t kill the messenger.”

  That sentence alone spoke volumes.

  Elizabeth knew for a fact that she was going to lose it. The look on Nick’s face, added to the chaos going on around them meant one thing…

  Someone screwed up.

  “Give it to me,” she said, as Ethan placed his hand on her lower back. It was his sign that she had to stay calm.

  “Roddy found the body. When he was doing patrols, he smelled something foul. So, he climbed into the storm drain, and there she was.”

  “That doesn’t look like the storm drain, Nick. In fact, that looks like the middle of the yard.”

  “Well, after he found her there, he got it into his head that she shouldn’t be left in there. Apparently, he was trying to give her dignity, and you can’t fault him for that,” he stated.

  Oh, yes, she really could.

  And would.

  “So, what you’re saying is that he pulled a week old corpse from the storm drain, and he’s pretty much fucked our scene, the body, and any evidence that might have been on her.”

  He thought about it. “Yep, that’s just about what I’m saying.”

  “Great,” she said laughing.

  Ethan saw the eruption coming. While the tech team was his part of the kingdom to rule, when there was a case, Elizabeth had control over them.

  Now her team was screwed.