“Close the door,” she stated.
He did, and he waited. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. She’d heard about how he was sick, and he was about to get sent back to his old job.
Well, shit.
Here, he was having fun.
“What did you hear?” he asked.
“Pardon?”
“Yes, I have HIV, and no, you can’t get it from me working with you.”
She lifted a brow.
“Don’t send me back.”
Elizabeth offered him a seat on the couch and she took one on the table across from him. Clearly, he’d done this dance before, and she couldn’t help but see the hurt in his eyes.
He was expecting the worst.
Well, she wasn’t going to deliver a crushing blow. All Elizabeth could think of was this could be Chris—or it was once his diagnosis got out.
“You don’t want to be in HR, do you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Okay, I’m bumping you to the Violent Crimes Unit. Congrats. You get to be my minion. I’m a bitch to work for, as I’m sure you know, but I’m fair.”
God.
He wished.
“I can’t work for you. I just told you, I have HIV. Gabe pulled me. My days as an agent are done. No one, in their right mind, will partner up with me. If I get shot, and I bleed on them…”
He left it at that.
“How did you get it?” she asked. “If you don’t mind telling me. If it’s personal, I get it.”
She was curious.
This was Chris’s path, and at some point, she might be able to pump the man for information.
“My long-term partner was sick, and he didn’t know it. He got it from a sexual encounter when he was young. We had unprotected sex after we made a commitment to each other, and I was infected.”
“Okay, and? Do you want to be on this team?”
“If I wasn’t sick, I never would have left Alex as a partner. They were the best years of my life. It’s hard being a gay man with HIV. People think I slept around and deserve it.”
“I don’t,” she stated. “I think you got a shitty deal. It happens.”
Yeah, to good people too.
“Gabe won’t let me be on this team. The FBI has that rule of keeping ALL the agents safe.”
“I already talked to him. If you want in, we have to deal with a few things.”
“He did?”
“I’m good at blackmail. I think it’s because I’m married to a flock of hotness. I can negotiate like no one’s business.”
He laughed.
“On that, we agree on both points.”
She gave him a fist bump.
“Clearly, the rules state that you can’t be put into situations where you can bleed.”
“That’s why I’m riding a desk in HR.”
“You can ride a desk in my division, and you can still work the field. I’ll just take it easy on the assignments.”
“Why?”
“How long have you known?”
“Three years, two months, and five days.”
Well, clearly, it was on his mind.
“What is your prognosis?” she asked, not because she was focused on him, but she was worried about Chris. He was on this same path, and she wanted to learn.
To help them both.
“With antivirals, I have a good life ahead. I work out, I eat well, and I treat my body like a temple.”
“I don’t have a partner in mind for you. I was going to say Alex, but honestly, I plan on working him like a dog in the field. You know…since he ditched me all those years ago.”
Noah laughed.
“He regrets it if that matters.”
She was aware, but she busted balls, and he was not immune it.
“We’ll find you a more stable position. Will you go out in the field, yes, but likely for interviews.”
“I can do that. I’m hell on research.”
And that was why she wanted him.
“Yes, I’ve seen. Welcome aboard, Noah. You’re now part of the cuckoo patrol. Bless your sanity. You’re about to lose it.”
He smiled.
“You’re not like what they say you are like,” he stated. “Alex has told me for years you’re a good egg.”
“I’m scrambled. Trust me.”
“You’re not afraid to get sick?” he asked. “Most people think that if I drink out of their soda, they’re going to get ‘the HIV’.”
She laughed when he pronounced the word instead of spelling it out.
“No, I’m not afraid. I chase crazies who want to hack me to pieces more often than not. This is nothing. Since you and I both like dick, I don’t need to worry that yours will be around me.”
He found that amusing, and he appreciated the humor. It was how he dealt with the blow of dying.
“So, are you in?” she asked.
“I’m in.”
She shook his hand.
Just then, Callen opened the door and peeked in. “Max and Alex are back, and they found Brian Montany. They’re waiting on you.”
Hallelujah.
That was the best news she’d had all day.
She headed out, and the two men looked extremely proud of themselves.
Their faces said it all.
They had their suspect.
“You really located him?”
“We found him at the third address. As it looks, we need to move today on him. If he goes under, we have no other address to tag him with as a home base. This is his momma’s address, and likely his last possible local stop.”
She agreed.
“I’ll call the marshals. We’ll get a fugitive warrant recovery team in place.”
“Are we going in?” Max asked.
It took her a second.
This was like déjà vu all over again, and she knew it. Only, what choice did she have? Sometimes history repeated itself, and all you could do was hope and pray you could change fate the second time around.
“Elizabeth?” he asked.
She shook her head, trying to get the memories to go away. It was of Max’s father, his brains, and a really shitty day.
“Yeah, we’ll go in with the marshals. I’ll arrange it. I know someone who owes me a favor, and she’ll help a girl out,” Elizabeth admitted.
Thank God for someone on her side in the marshals other than Dakota.
When she turned around, Chris was watching her.
His face said it all. He’d been thinking the exact same thing. They’d been there and done this before, and someone died.
Against Brian Montany, the odds were NOT in their favor.
Chapter Twelve
Saturday Night
E lizabeth headed home to kiss her children and plan the evening's operation. She would like to say that the case in Boston, all of those years ago, wasn’t having a negative impact on her emotions and thoughts, but it was.
How could it not?
It was at the forefront of her mind.
As she stood in their bedroom, getting changed out of her jeans and boots, she was on the phone with Harmony Wells. She was the US Marshal heading this case in the fugitive apprehension unit. It was her job to work with the local police or FBI when they had a warrant that needed to be handled.
This one…
It was going to be bad.
She could already tell.
Elizabeth wasn’t mincing words, and that said it all. This was all about going in, getting the man tagged and bagged, and then getting the hell out in one piece.
With her phone on speaker, she and Callen were changing into their riot gear.
“We have five other marshals,” Harmony offered. “What is it that you need us to do?” she asked.
“I need to get Brian Montany and alive. He’s our only link to this possible case. Our profiler thinks that he might possibly be involved and helping Carl Fitzpatrick out. He fits the profile to a T.”
“Blackhawk?” she asked
.
Elizabeth knew who she was referring to on this one. When it came to notoriety, she was the gun, and he was the profile.
“Yeah, he put his name on this one.”
That was good enough for her.
It was her job to keep the team safe and to decide if the FBI had credible information. No one liked kicking in a door on a warrant arrest only to find an old lady there having a stroke from being scared.
NO ONE.
“How many are you bringing?” Harmony asked. “So, I can get the trucks ready.”
“We have four.”
There was a knock on her door.
“Come in,” Callen called so his wife could finish up her conversation with the marshal.
Chris headed in and saw they were dressing and on the phone, so he remained quiet, unsure if he should head in or come back later.
She motioned him in, as did Callen.
“Harmony, this dude has tortured animals. He’s three days past loco. Even if he’s not our guy, we need him off the streets, and he has an outstanding warrant. I’m doing the world a favor on this one.”
She didn’t argue that one. That was not a good person to be out gang banging.
“Okay, so four going in, and I can call in more if you need it.”
“I think we should be good. It’s his momma’s home. If we can get her, too, I’d appreciate it. I want to question her. She’s a convict chaser.”
“Really? Who wants to screw around with a criminal who’s been someone’s bitch in jail? Gross.”
She laughed.
“Yeah, she wanted Carl dipping his stick in her well, and now he’s hiding in DC. I need to see if she has seen him around.”
That worked for her.
Chris listened, and this reminded him of that case in Boston. Only, they’d done it at dawn, and he’d nearly lost her that day.
Yeah, it was time to freak out.
“Okay, I’ll be at the building in forty, I want to go in as it gets dark. The lights in the house will make it easier.”
“Agreed,” Harmony stated. “Director, I hope we get your guy.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ll see you soon.”
They hung up.
Callen was already dressed, and he helped Elizabeth into her body armor. She was wearing extra panels that dropped over her stomach and lower back. He knew why.
If someone shot, that was where they aimed. A head shot was hard, and if she took one to her arms or legs, she’d be okay, but a shot to the gut or groin, where there were important arteries…you didn’t make it out of surgery alive.
“Chris, we’ll likely not be home tonight. I’m going to be interviewing him as soon as we get him in the interrogation room. Will you be okay?”
Well, he was on the verge of freaking out.
It was time to lie for her sake.
“Yeah, I’ll be good. I’ll make sure the kids are tucked in. The question should be will you both be safe?” he asked.
She smiled, trying to reassure him.
“Aren’t I always?”
Tears filled his eyes.
She didn’t move toward him. He’d just told her not to mother him, even though he looked like he really needed it about now.
“Uh, are you okay?” she asked.
“Boston.”
She understood.
He was thinking about that case. How could he not? She would be lying if she didn’t see the parallels in this case too.
“I’ll be fine,” she promised. “Callen’s got my back. He’s going in with me.”
He moved into her body and hugged her.
Chris was shaking.
“You can’t get hurt. Promise me that you’ll both be safe,” he said. “I can’t do this again. That day sucked.”
She was aware.
Max had died.
Now she had another Max riding shotgun, and she needed to make sure he stayed safe too.
There was a lot riding on this case, and on her.
“Ethan will be home soon,” she stated. “I texted him. He can’t go with us. He’s a security risk if things go bad. You can stay with him.”
Chris hugged Callen next.
“Please be safe.”
He patted him on the back. “I have her, Chris, no worries. I’ll make sure she’s fine.”
That wasn’t all.
“You need to be safe too. I can’t lose either of you. I’ve just gotten her back, and you. Please come home to me.”
Callen understood the fear.
They all did.
Loving Elizabeth was moments of sheer terror mixed into humor and love. It was those moments of fear that you recalled the most.
“I promise we will.”
As the door opened, Ethan came walking in, and he went right to his wife and hugged her.
“You need to be safe. If he gets away, screw it. You need to come home to us.”
She didn’t laugh.
She didn’t argue.
She let him have this worry.
“Handsome, I’m good. He’s some snot-nosed, would-be, gang-banger wannabe. I got this. I have nine people with guns ready to go.”
Still, he’d read the file on her case in Boston all those years ago, and it worried him.
He knew the risk.
He hugged his brother next and gave him a kiss on the lips too. He couldn’t be beside them, and that sucked.
He missed that part of his job—oh, not being in danger, but not being able to protect his woman himself. It was tougher than anything he had to deal with on a daily basis.
“If you need me there, I’ll break the rules,” he stated. “For you both, I’d do it.”
She reassured him.
“Deputy Director, you can’t kick in doors whenever I do. I’ve got this. I was picked to head this department, and I can do it. Callen and I will be home late or we’ll see you in the morning. We have to interview the mother and son.”
He got it.
“Will you text me?” he asked.
She smiled at him.
“You betcha, handsome.”
He laughed.
“I like the British accent better than the Minnesota one,” he teased.
“Bloody well right, mate! I’ll call you on the telly as soon as it’s done.”
That helped them all relax.
She was trying to cheer them up, and they really needed it tonight.
As she vested up, locked and loaded her side arms, and slid the last one into the thigh holster, she was ready to go. Ethan dropped the badge over her head and kissed her on the tip of her freckled nose.
“Baby, bring him in.”
She patted him on the dress pant-covered ass, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Deputy Director, don’t you know it?”
She gave him a fist bump, patted Chris on the cheek, and then walked out holding hands with Callen.
“I feel sick,” Chris said. “This is like déjà vu all over again for me.”
Ethan dropped his arm over his shoulder and tried to reassure him, but he knew that it was the same shit for him too.
Having a badass wife was tough.
It almost always led to an ulcer.
He knew.
He had one hell of one.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
At the FBI building, Elizabeth met up with Harmony Wells. They hugged and she fist-bumped the woman. She’d worked with Harmony before on a few cases when she needed some backup.
She was the US Marshal who Elizabeth called now that Dakota had gone off the grid. They shared intel, and they shared details on cases.
You always had to have someone on the inside.
The woman was an expert at firearms, shooting, and kicking in doors. If you wanted someone on your side, you wanted Harmony. The brunette was badass, and she wasn’t afraid to get the job done.
When she was in street clothes, it was deceiving. She looked like some delicate flower, but in the battle, she fou
ght like freaking Genghis Khan.
Down and dirty.
That was how Elizabeth liked it.
“Yo, Blackhawk, you’re looking good,” she said, giving her a fist bump. “All those men are good for you,” she teased. “What are you up to now? Nine? Ten?”
She laughed.
“Three.”
“Lucky bitch.”
Yeah, yeah, she was.
“Harmony, as always, you look like a school teacher,” she said. “That has to screw with the criminal’s minds.”
She snorted.
“Amen. It’s worked so far. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, Blackhawk.”
Didn’t she know it?
“Let me introduce the people I’m bringing in, so you don’t accidentally kick their asses.”
And she did.
“As you know, this is my husband, Director Callen Whitefox.”
He shook hands with all the marshals.
“Sir, as always, it’s a pleasure to be helping you out with this warrant apprehension.”
He nodded.
This was his wife’s rodeo, and if it were up to him, the marshals would be riding solo. Only, he knew better than to say that out loud.
It would get him killed.
Elizabeth continued, “This is Agent Alex Bartlett. He’s normally on cybercrimes, but he’s riding shotgun today for shits and giggles.”
She shook his hand.
“Hey, pretty lady,” he said, grinning at her.
Immediately, Harmony bent his finger back, and he went to his knees in a submission hold.
Elizabeth laughed.
“THAT is the ONLY reason I brought him. Alex used to be my partner years ago. He happens to dig brunettes, and I knew he’d go there.”
She got down to his level.
“I take off dicks in my spare time, and I have more belts in Asian protective arts than you can imagine. Brunette is a color, not a degree of easy.”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
She let him up.
Then she headed toward Max.
“That’s Detective Maximus Chase out of the Boston Homicide division. He’s helping me with this case since this crazy began there.”
She held out her hand.
He looked at it.
“I’m not stupid, Miss. I know not to stick my hand in a trap,” he stated.
She laughed.
“Since you said that without looking at my tits, I won’t hurt you.”
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