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

by Morgan Kelley

  “I’m serious. I don’t want you to feel guilty, so please don’t take this that way, but kids heal me. It lets me feel innocence, and that reminds me that I have a purpose here. The idea of my little ones coming to me, knowing I won’t ever let them hurt is healing.”

  “Okay, but you have two kids, and you also have Ethan’s two.”

  “It’s not the same. When you brought Charlie home, it hurt. I know I’m a horrible person for even going there, but when I saw her I felt a hole inside me.”

  “Why?” she asked, now staring at him. “It’s not like you to be jealous of Ethan.”

  He was well aware, but this ran so much deeper. “It’s not him. I’m haunted.”

  “By?”

  “Desdemona.”

  That name spoken was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Elizabeth really hated the woman, and that was saying a lot since she’d seen plenty of assholes in her life. The abuse she inflicted on Callen was bad enough, but giving birth to their child—well, it was a constant reminder to all of them that she would forever be part of their happiness.

  She was like the gray cloud on picnic day. It was going to follow them through life.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I love Catherine. She’s my pride and joy, but she’s not going to ever be like you. Ethan has Charlie, and she’s going to grow up to be badass, and her momma’s little girl. Cat…she’s…”

  He couldn’t say it.

  “She’s going to be like Desdemona, and that scares you.”

  It hurt Callen, but it was the truth. “She’s never going to look like you. She’s never going to have that spark that you have. Every day I worry if Desdemona’s nastiness is going to taint my daughter. It terrifies me.”

  She took his hand in hers.

  “One day, she’s going to notice that she doesn’t look like you. She’s going to wonder why Charlie is tall, and she’s short. Why she has those eerie green eyes, and the rest of our children have brown and shades of blue.”

  Elizabeth understood. “You know that I love her as much as I love CJ, EJ, and Charlie, right? I don’t hold her mother’s sins against her. That’s my Kitty Cat.”

  He nodded. “You’re a better person than I am, Lyzee. I’m afraid I can’t love her the same. Does that make me horrible?”

  “Well, it kind of does.”

  He stared at her. “Well, don’t sugar coat it or anything.”

  “She’s your child, Callen. She’s mine. Desdemona gave you a gift, and then she left this world. If she didn't have any good in her, when she was dying, she wouldn’t have told them where to find you. She wanted you to have her. In those last seconds, she was asking for forgiveness. Cat won’t be bad. She’s going to be amazing. Look at the men who love her.”

  He thought about it.

  “Ethan cuddles her and treats her like his own. He’s always carrying her around like she’s his little princess. He dresses her in pink and built her a play village in the back yard. She’s never going to know that twisted hate that Desdemona’s mother instilled in her. She’s going to be raised in love and happiness. Wyler is going to make sure that she always fits in, and so are we. Whether she’s half Desdemona or not, she’s still half you, and you’re a damn good role model for her.”

  He sighed. “Okay.”

  The vehicle got quiet. Elizabeth could feel his hurt. Whenever Callen was freaked out, he would run his hand inadvertently over the scars on his arm. She couldn’t let him hurt.

  “Do you really need another child?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Elizabeth could feel him shutting himself down. With the therapy, this was Callen’s escape route in life. When he was worried or freaked out, he put up these walls. He would block everyone out while he suffered in silence.

  “With each child I have, at this age, there are risks—not only to me, but to the baby. I’m over forty now, and it’s not getting easier.”

  “I told you it’s okay. I’ll get over it.”

  Clearly, he wouldn’t.

  Elizabeth had to make a choice, and she knew it couldn’t be about her. She’d made a promise to Timothy Blackhawk that she’s always be the protective raven in their lives.

  Now, she had to walk the walk, since she talked the talk.

  “I don’t want to risk any of our children, but I’m willing to make that gamble.”

  He started panicking as he thought about her losing her life in childbirth, just like Desdemona had. There was still a part of Callen that believed his genes were jacked up.

  “Forget I brought it up. You’re right. I should be grateful with what I have. I’m blessed.”

  “Do you really need this here?” she asked, touching his chest over his heart. “Be honest with me.”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s not just a big tribe thing?”

  He shook his head.

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  Callen stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Really? You’re going to get pregnant again?”

  “Yes, but really, this is it. I need a few months to recover from this last pregnancy, and I’ll start pumping up the folic acid and other vitamins. You get one last shot, and if we have a boy, that’s it. I’m not going to pop out twenty kids until you get the sex you want. You’ll have to name him a girly name and put him in dresses.”

  He touched her cheek and grinned. “You don’t have to do this, Lyzee.”

  Yes, she did—for him, for the promise she made to a dying old Indian shaman, and to the family she’d die to protect.

  “I don’t think I can do more than what we have. Four children is one hell of a handful. In all honesty, I’m wearing down.”

  “I won’t risk you. If you think you can’t pull it off, then we’ll stop discussing it. I’ll let it go.”

  She knew that wasn’t the truth. Callen needed this, and so she’d give him what he longed for.

  It was the least she could do.

  “Cal, I need to do this. Part of loving someone is giving them want makes them happy. If you need to heal, let’s do it. Ethan had Charlie, and you get one more. THEN I’m having my tubes tied. At this rate, I’ll be seventy before our kids graduate from college.”

  He kissed her. “I love you so much.”

  She touched his cheek. “I feel the same too, my love.”

  At the use of her nickname for him, Callen’s heart skipped in his chest. When she tucked the stray hairs behind his ear, he knew that he’d definitely won the wife lotto.

  “Thank you for healing me like you always do. Without you, I’d be lost, Lyzee.”

  Just as she was about say something sweet, Elizabeth saw the porch light go on across the street.

  “She’s leaving.”

  They ducked down in the Escalade as they watched the woman leave with a duffle bag and cooler. When she threw it in her trunk and got behind the wheel, they knew it was going down.

  “Yeah, she’s going hunting for some bone marrow,” Callen stated.

  “We have to follow. Don’t lose her, Callen. We only have an account number to tie her to this. We need to get more.”

  As he drove, Elizabeth called her husband. “She’s on the move.”

  “Let me know where you end up, and I’ll meet you there.”

  She hung up.

  “It looks like she’s heading back to the university. She’s going to their favorite hunting grounds.”

  Elizabeth rolled her neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension. “Good. Let’s make her life a living hell.”

  They followed her back onto campus, and when she got out of her car at a local pizza place, went inside, and ordered dinner, and then headed out, Elizabeth was appalled.

  “She is a total psychopath. This broad is nuttier than granny’s fruitcake. She’s going to eat pizza and then debone a human? That’s just wrong.”

  Callen agreed.

  As they walked behind her in the crowded college campus street, they held hands and pretended th
at they were lovers taking a stroll. As long as she didn't see their faces, they were in the clear.

  When the crowd began thinning out, they gave the woman more space. At one point, they had to jump into a cluster of trees to stay hidden, but they didn't lose her.

  “We need to move quietly,” she whispered, spotting the woman heading toward the frat house.

  When she ducked alongside the building, Callen and Elizabeth both popped their coms in their ears. They immediately heard Ethan talking to them.

  “She’s behind the frat house,” Elizabeth said from across the tree lined street. “I think she’s going to use the shed or take her into the woods.”

  Callen watched Pricilla as he recorded everything on his camera. If this woman even tried to get out of this, they’d have their proof. She may not have killed the first six women, but she was going down for their murders too, as an accessory.

  “Wait,” Elizabeth said, directing his attention further down the sidewalk. Under the light posts, she could see a college girl heading their way. “She’s going to take her,” stated Elizabeth. “I’ve seen her at the sorority house.”

  Callen spoke into his com. “Ethan, we have our mark.”

  “On my way.”

  “Lyzee, I’ll watch Pricilla. You keep your eyes on the target,” Callen stated. He zoomed in on the shrubs where the woman had disappeared.

  Elizabeth didn't like having to use this girl as bait, but there was no other way. They needed Pricilla to make a move before they could step in. Once she did, they’d have her dead to rights, and she’d hang for these crimes.

  They waited.

  They watched.

  As the girl moved closer, the shrubs shook as if Pricilla was getting into position.

  When the sorority girl was right in front of the place where Pricilla went in, they saw the glint and the motion.

  Then the girl was gone.

  “She’s pulled her in!” Elizabeth said, running from the trees. They knew there wouldn’t be much time. They had to move fast.

  Entering into the trees, they could hear the soft sobs of the girl not that far ahead. There was also Pricilla’s voice warning her to shut up.

  They couldn’t lose her.

  Not now.

  If they did, that poor girl wouldn’t be graduating. She’d be in the morgue in a black bag.

  “Shut up!” Pricilla raged as she pulled the woman into the tress.

  They girl sobbed even more as she fought against the woman dragging her by the hair.

  Elizabeth pointed at Callen, and then sent him around the opposite direction. They were going to have to box her in. If they didn't, and she made a break, it would be a foot chase through the trees.

  That would suck at night.

  Elizabeth didn't want to play that kind of game with a psychopath. Things like that didn't end well, and she knew it.

  “Why are you doing this?” asked the scared girl.

  “I need a donation.”

  “I’ll give you all my money. Please don’t hurt me,” she said, trying to pull away.

  Pricilla backhanded the girl, knocking her to the ground. “What’s your name?” she asked, as she stood over the stunned co-ed.

  “Garland.”

  “Well, Garland, I need your bone marrow. Some sick dying person is paying a shitload of money to get it. You’re going to give me the bones in your body.”

  She pulled an ax out of the duffle bag.

  “I’ll have to move fast. I’m pretty sure marrow won’t survive outside the body for too long. See, I skipped that lesson in biology class. That’s what my partner was for.”

  Garland tried to scurry away, but Pricilla kicked her in the head, knocking her out.

  “You’re lucky. I should have made you suffer. Only, you’d scream like a weak little girl,” she stated. “That irritates the shit out of me. Women should be strong and tough, not lambs.”

  When she looked like she was going to lop the girl’s head off, Elizabeth knew it was time.

  “What about me? I won’t scream like a girl, but I will kick the shit out of you,” stated Elizabeth.

  Pricilla jumped. “Oh, look who’s coming to my bone harvesting party. It’s the scary Fed. It’s about time you figured this out. I have to admit…you’re not all that smart. I’m about a million times brighter than you and those two Indians.”

  Elizabeth moved forward. “Yeah, I hear psychopaths tend to be high on the IQ scale. Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to take what I can get. In fact, here we are, you’re only holding an ax, and I have a gun. That’s pretty much all you need to focus on.”

  The woman stared down at the woman on the ground.

  “The second you lift your arm, I’m shooting you. I’m going to put a bullet in your brain, and I won’t even bat an eyelash. Later, when my tech team is scraping your head off that tree, it’s them I’ll feel bad for.”

  Pricilla laughed. “You know, I like you. Women aren’t often smart, tough, and leaders, but you are. When you strolled in, it was hard to be mad at you when you put that pompous asshole in his place. You’re just like me, and that’s a powerful thing. We could be friends.”

  “I hate people. This is why, but since you brought him up, he was your partner. I hope you don’t try to distance yourself now. That would be so lame,” Elizabeth said.

  “Nah. Why bother? By now you’ve already searched my house and have found all his shit buried under my shed. So, I know I’m going to jail. Only, I’m not going for murder. I haven’t killed anyone.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Actually, we didn't search your house yet, but thank you for telling me where to go. It makes it so much easier. High IQ, huh? Did you cheat on that test or give the person who administered it a blowjob too? I’m pretty sure a genius wouldn’t have just told the FBI where the loot is stashed. It seems counterproductive.”

  The woman fumed.

  “As for you not killing anyone, that’s total BS. You may not have killed any of the women, but you’re an accessory. Then you setup quite the elaborate scene with the president. Unfortunately for you, I have a pretty high IQ too. I can spot total bullshit. Next time, don’t roll the chair away. You left tracks in the fluffy carpet. That was so novice of you.”

  Pricilla’s hand gripped the ax tighter.

  “Also, FYI, people who are committing suicide always sign the note. They don’t type it out. That’s something you see on TV.”

  Pricilla lifted her arm.

  Elizabeth wanted her to charge her. She didn't want the woman swinging at Garland, she wanted her focused on her.

  “You also let whoever is paying you dump funds into an account that has part of your name on it. Not smart. There’s no way a judge is going to buy that it’s a coincidence.” Elizabeth slipped her finger to the trigger of her gun. “We’re tracing them, and once we find who is behind this, that’s going to swing that door closed pretty damn fast. The only thing I don’t know is why you’re involved in this. You have a job, you had a big payout from the university to not go too public, so why the killing and organ harvesting?”

  “That payout was a joke. When I got the check, I barely had enough to buy a nice car and house.”

  “Yeah, luxury is a bitch.”

  “So, I needed more. Someone approached me and I offered to get some help. See, I don’t like to get my hands dirty. So, Raymond, God bless his stupid soul, was the man for the job. He wasn’t right in the head. He had no empathy. He just wanted to save his university. When I offered him a way to do it, he jumped. He could keep cash coming in and maintain the shithole’s reputation.”

  Elizabeth let her hang herself.

  “He also could keep his job. When the trustees saw him dumping all this money in, they weren’t going to get rid of him. It was the only reason they didn't fire him.”

  “And when we were called?”

  “He was scared. He didn't want you here. You can see why. You wrecked a full year of planning in a week.”

&nbs
p; “How about David Lessman?” she asked.

  Pricilla started laughing. “Oh, please. He’s totally useless. I just pumped him for some little details about the frat house, redirecting everyone’s attention there. I just didn't know you had people on the inside. See, my partner, he didn't tell me that one little detail. Had he, well, then I would have had him kill her first.”

  Elizabeth was grateful he’d kept his mouth shut.

  “Did you know he was warning us? With each body, he gave us the next clue to the organ he planned on taking.”

  She laughed. “It figures. You can’t trust a man. They’re all idiots. I would have preferred to work alone, but what can I say. I needed to hide in case this was figured out.”

  “Well, you’re not leaving.”

  “I’m pretty good with an ax,” she said, lifting it to touch the blade. “I just sharpened it too.”

  Elizabeth watched her as she played with it, swinging it around like some twisted majorette.

  Then she saw her intent.

  Elizabeth dove, lifting her arm to take a shot.

  Pricilla lunged, throwing the ax with as much velocity as she could.

  The shot rang out just as the ax embedded itself in the tree where Elizabeth had been standing.

  Only, she didn't pull the trigger.

  “Nice shot, Cal,” she said. There was only one other person who could have taken her down.

  He stepped out of the woods. “Thanks. I didn't want to kill her, so she’s going to be hurting for a while. I figured a jury is going to have a field day with this wackadoo.”

  She agreed.

  “My arm,” Pricilla moaned, holding the right side of her chest. “You shot me.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, that happens when you play with FBI agents, Pricilla. You’re going to jail.”

  When she went for the knife on the ground, Elizabeth saw it coming. With her bare fist, she plowed it into the woman’s face. There was the crunch of bones.

  Pricilla went out like a light.

  “Well, her nose is definitely broken now,” Callen stated, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call for an ambulance.”

  Elizabeth shook out her hand. “Damn it! She’s got a hard head.”

  As Callen made the call, Ethan came running from the trees, his gun drawn.