Act of Blood (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 16)

by Kelley, Morgan

Hell!

  He did the same thing with Boone.

  It was instinct.

  He knew from Callen’s talk that she was having a rough time. Ethan couldn’t freak out. He’d carried her through the mass of reporters to the ambulance and…

  He stared at her.

  Something occurred to him.

  “You set that up.”

  She looked up at him.

  “What?”

  “You never ask to go to the hospital. This was some set up for the media.”

  She cuddled against him. Maybe he was right. “No, it really hurt. I just took a back shot. If the media saw you carrying me, that’s on them.”

  Ethan lifted her chin.

  He knew what she was doing. He’d heard their shouts as she and Callen arrived on the scene. They had their confirmation that Elizabeth and Callen had a sexual relationship, and she was leveling the playing field so he didn’t hurt.

  It was so like her.

  His protective Raven was running interference for his heart. How could he be angry about that?

  “You did this so I wouldn’t be upset.”

  She took his hand in hers and their wedding bands glinted in the light. “What wouldn’t I do for you, Ethan?”

  She’d swallow her pride, get the media off both of their backs, and let her husband have some peace.

  “I love you,” he stated.

  “For the record, I do need an x-ray.”

  Ethan stared down into her eyes. “Say the words, Elizabeth. I need to hear them.”

  “I love you, Ethan. You were the key that opened my heart. Without you, I couldn’t love anyone, let alone myself.”

  He gently placed his lips against hers.

  As always, she knew what he needed. After he got her checked out, he was going to do one thing.

  Lose his damn mind.

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

  Derek couldn’t believe it.

  He missed.

  That never happened before. He’d had the detective in his line of sight, and he’d pulled the trigger. Derek didn’t know what the hell had gone wrong to make him miss that shot.

  He was an excellent marksman. In theory, he should have hit his target dead center in the forehead.

  There was no way the man could survive that. It was crystal clear that Merry’s new dick was the luckiest bastard on the face of the Earth.

  Derek couldn’t believe any of this.

  What kind of power did this man have over Merry? He was sleeping with his woman.

  Merry was his!

  She was his to own, control, and have. When he finally killed the detective, he was going to get to her.

  It may take a long time, but he’d find a way, drag her off, teach her a lesson, and then kill her. After he ended her life, he’d take his own.

  She deserved this.

  She asked for it.

  In the end, it wouldn’t be his fault.

  No.

  Like everything, it would be hers.

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

  Callen scoured those woods like a madman.

  Whoever had taken the shot had left the casings behind, but that’s all. Someone didn’t police his brass, and that was going to come in handy when they sent this asshole to jail.

  When they finally caught whoever did it, he was going to the chair. He’d tried to kill a cop and a Fed. That was a death sentence in DC, and he’d enjoy watching it happen. When someone took shots at his family, they deserved to rot in the worst prison in the country.

  That’s where Derek Zanders would be heading too. He’d help make sure of it. A cop in a supermax would stir the inmates up. Derek wouldn’t make it a week.

  The taxpayers would be saved a shitload of money.

  In the end, it would be poetic justice.

  Callen was pissed, and it took a lot to get him to that point. The second he saw Elizabeth go down, his heart had stopped. Seeing that hole in the back of her jacket, over her spine, had scared the bejezus out of him.

  That could have pierced her vest.

  With the size of the bullet, the only thing that saved her was the double plating.

  One inch to the right, and she would have had a chest wound. Had the shooter picked a ‘cop killer’ this would have been her dying day.

  Callen wanted to be sick.

  As he picked up the man’s brass, he slowly made his way toward the team.

  “He’s long gone,” Callen said, dropping the spent casings into a bag being held open by one of the techs.

  “I think there’s something on this one, Director,” stated the tech.

  “It’s probably a fingerprint,” Callen stated. “I want them tested inside and out.

  He could see Madden and Seaton heading their way.

  “Boss! What the hell happened? We were doing the interview and when we came out, the media was asking if Elizabeth was dead.”

  He wanted to puke.

  Callen never wanted to hear her name and ‘dead’ in the same sentence ever again.

  His face must have said it too.

  “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine, Johanna.” Then he told them what had happened.

  Brody whistled.

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Needless to say, everyone is vesting up,” Callen stated. “Elizabeth is going to mandate it, so let’s save her the time and just do it.”

  “We’re already wearing ours,” Johanna offered. “We like to make it home at night.”

  That was a good policy to have, and from here on out, Callen was going to do the same. He wanted to see his kids, wife, and husband each and every night.

  He was going to put his on ASAP.

  “How were the interviews?” he asked, trying to focus on something other than what had just happened. The more he thought about it, the sicker he got.

  Johanna took that as her sign.

  “Peter Hampton, the man who found Roman Conley, is twitchy. You may want to talk to him. We got the basics out of him, but he wasn’t intimidated by us. Now, if a big Native man threatened him...”

  Callen lifted a brow. “Really? He’s twitchy?”

  Brody was running the man. “I think I can explain why,” he offered. “He has a rap sheet. The man’s done time in jail. If you hit him, and I don’t mean literally,” he offered, referring to the media guy that Callen previously had a run in with, “he might crack.”

  “What was he in for?” Callen asked.

  “He was arrested on assault, B and E, and a little domestic assault to add the icing to the cake.”

  Callen glanced over at the team. They were digging the body out, trying to preserve as much of the scene as possible.

  “I want you to watch the techs and Doctor Leonard. Elizabeth will be pissed if you let her favorite ME get hurt.”

  Chris started laughing from his place by the body. “I think I should be insulted, but I still know it’s true.”

  Callen pointed at the ME. “I’ll go talk to Peter Hampton, and then I’ll be back.”

  “She’s going to be okay,” Johanna offered. “The boss is badass and tough as nails.”

  Callen’s face stayed neutral. “I know.”

  But he didn’t.

  The whole thing freaked him out.

  Big time.

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

  Across Town

  It was on.

  Tonight, a new victim would be taken, and there would be hell to pay. In fact, there was something huge planned. The FBI had found the three victims, and that was interesting.

  They were smart.

  They were on their game.

  They were going to make this fun.

  It was rather enjoyable to sit back, lurk, and watch them figure all of this out. They’d never do it. It was too hard.

  To stay one step ahead of them, it was time to utilize every possible resource.

  The best part was that
the media was making it easy.

  There were pictures of Elizabeth and Callen Whitefox leaving the pricy hotel, them making out over lunch, and then her being carried from the scene in Ethan Blackhawk’s arms.

  This was fun.

  While it started out as a game of necessity, it was now becoming entertaining.

  What more could one want?

  This was the drama one would expect in DC. There was intrigue, sex, lies, and lust.

  This would be the perfect theater production.

  That was amusing.

  Well, after tonight, they’d really have their hands full. There was something huge coming, and when it landed in their laps, it was going to take this to a whole new level.

  Hopefully, the media would be there when the next bodies were found.

  In fact…

  That could happen.

  All it would take is one little call.

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

  Washington DC

  Country Club

  Callen found the groundskeeper sitting in the lobby. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but that clearly wasn’t happening. There were two DC Metro cops watching his every move.

  Every time he twitched, the cops did too. If the man knew what was good for himself, he should probably calm the hell down before he got hurt.

  After Callen approached, he took a seat across from the man and waved the cops off.

  It was all on him now. He wasn’t accustomed to running an interview.

  Hell!

  He wasn’t accustomed to being in the field without either Elizabeth or Ethan. He hoped he could pull it off.

  “I’m Director Callen Whitefox,” he stated. “I’m here to talk to you about this morning’s incident.”

  “You’re the guy banging the hot chic.”

  What was he supposed to say to that?

  “Yeah, the hot chic is my wife.”

  The man opened his mouth and Callen pointed at him. “From here on out, anything you say will likely piss me off. I might just be so inclined to throw you in jail for shits and giggles—but only after I make you bleed a little.”

  The much smaller man eyed him up.

  “Okay.”

  “Good answer. Now, let’s talk about today.”

  “I don’t know why I’m still here. I told those two Feds what I know, and now I should be going.”

  “You have a record, Peter, and we have a dead body. Our big issue is that you found him. Those three things are exactly why you’re not going anywhere. Now, we can do this here, or we can do it at the Hoover building. Trust me, you wouldn’t like it there. That’s the first step before heading to jail.”

  The man swallowed.

  “Listen, I screwed up as a young man, and I made mistakes. I’ve worked for the country club for eight years now. I love my job. I get to be outside, I get to have money in my pocket, and I have a chance to have a real life.”

  Callen understood second chances.

  He’d been given one too.

  “Did you know Roman Conley? You know…personally?” Callen asked as he prepared to make notes.

  “What the hell does that mean? I don’t like men! I’m all about the babes.”

  Callen lifted a brow.

  He didn’t actually mean…

  “Okay, take a deep breath. I didn’t mean in a sexual way. I meant in an ‘I’ve passed you in a parking lot and I said hey’ kind of way.”

  The man still looked worried.

  “Wait, are you saying that Roman Conley was gay?” asked Callen, finally getting it.

  He nodded. “I saw him once making out with his ‘partner’. Two guys should never be checking out each other’s junk.”

  Then he stared at Callen.

  “You’re gay, right?”

  “Actually, no, I’m straight.”

  “You bone your brother. It’s all over the news. That makes you totally gay, and a whole lot of incestuous.”

  “Actually…”

  He stopped.

  Callen knew this was a dead end. He could fight it, or he could just say screw it and move on. They had to choose their battles, and this wasn’t one of them. Honestly, he didn’t care what Peter Hampton thought about him.

  “Yeah, it’s bro on bro action,” he said sarcastically.

  “Yeah, I don’t get that.”

  Callen didn’t really care.

  “How about we talk about Roman and not my sex life?” Callen offered. “Or I can get mad.”

  That got the man to focus.

  “Well, this guy was the same way. They were sharing some saliva in the parking lot. I don’t know his name, but they’re both members here.”

  Callen made notes.

  “If I do my research, Peter, am I going to find that you actually like dick, and you’re trying to point me in the wrong direction?” Callen asked.

  “No offense to you or your brother, but I don’t like dick. I’m a pussy man.”

  Yeah, ironically, so were Callen and Ethan, but that really didn’t matter. The media said what the media wanted, and you were helpless to it.

  “So, I’ll take that as a no.”

  “It’s a no.”

  “Have you ever talked to Roman Conley?”

  “Fuck no! I’m a groundskeeper. He’s one of the rich people. They don’t see us. I’m there to keep his greens pretty so he and his boy toy can look good as they play a few rounds. That’s all I am to them.”

  There was so much animosity there.

  “Do you like Shakespeare?”

  “Is he a member here?”

  Callen rolled his eyes. This was why civilization was eroding. No one read books anymore. If people paid attention in school, they might not end up in jail.

  “Yeah, I don’t think he plays golf here. I’ll take that as a no on name recognition.”

  “Can I get out of here? I have to water all the flowers by the main gate, and if I lose this job, it’ll suck. I really love it here. It took me a long time to learn this job.”

  “Yeah, you can get back to work, but I need your address before you head out,” Callen stated, waiting for the man to give it to him.

  “Why?”

  “When a Fed asks for something, you don’t get to ask why, Peter. Just do it or that sexy chic you were talking about earlier will show up at your house, turn your dick inside out, and make a wallet out of it.”

  His eyes went wide.

  The man rattled off his information.

  That seemed to work.

  “For the record, you can tell her to stop by any time. She can touch my dick all she wants.”

  Callen tried to control his temper.

  Yeah, from here on out, he was going to leave the threats to Elizabeth. This was one hell of an epic fail. He was more of a brute force threat kind of guy.

  “Get out of here,” Callen stated, “before I break your face into pieces.”

  Peter Hampton took off.

  The second he was gone, Callen called Chris to check in with him.

  “Pack it up. We’re heading back in. I want to make sure we have everything before the grounds crew comes by and destroys our evidence.”

  Chris didn’t disagree.

  When he hung up, Callen needed to think. He had a million things on his mind. At the top of his list was Elizabeth and if she was, indeed, okay.

  Yeah, and one more important thing.

  He needed to slap Boone Savage for jinxing the team.

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

  DC Metro

  ER

  Ethan was pacing.

  The entire time, he wanted to head to where his wife was to remain by her side. This was killing him. He didn’t like being apart from her on a good day.

  Well, this wasn’t a good day.

  Slowly, but surely, this was making him age. Honestly, he didn’t know how much more he could handle. It was as if she was the number one target for the crazies.

 
Maybe he should get a prescription for his ulcer. Ethan was pretty sure he was getting one.

  When his phone rang, he recognized the number.

  Crap!

  It was time to pay the piper.

  “Hey, Gabe. How’s your day going?” Ethan asked, trying to keep his cool.

  “What the hell…?”

  Ethan cut him off.

  The last thing he needed was his boss losing his temper. He was on the verge for all of them. Cool heads had to prevail.

  “I have it under control.”

  “Son, we’re going to discuss control. You really have no damn idea what that word means.”

  Blackhawk liked his boss. Really, he did. Only Ethan had noticed something. From the day he’d taken the Deputy Director position, Gabe had been riding his ass.

  He wasn’t talking boss to agent ass riding.

  NO.

  This was a whole new level, and it was getting on his damn nerves. Ethan was only in the job less than two months, and he was doing his best.

  It wasn’t easy.

  That was for damn sure.

  “Elizabeth is on the news, Callen is too, and then there’s you carrying her off the scene. What the hell happened?”

  “She was shot.”

  That seemed to calm Gabe down.

  “By the way, before you start busting my balls, Gabe, from friend to friend, your wife isn’t working in the field. I managed to work it out so she could do research in-house. You know…so you don’t have to watch her get shot.”

  Gabe heard it in his voice.

  Ethan was on a slow simmer.

  “You’re pissed.”

  “Good call.”

  Gabe let the sarcasm go. Ethan Blackhawk was generally calm, cool, and collected. The only thing that ever rattled his cage was when Elizabeth was hurt.

  He’d cut him a break.

  “Actually, I’m three days past pissed, Gabe. I’m irate, I’m scared, and I’m one second away from smoking a whole pack of cigarettes at once.”