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

by Kelley, Morgan

They both stared at her.

  “We’ve had some kidnap fantasies, some ravage by the savage ones, and then there’s Miss Kitty.”

  “Yeah, but that?” Callen asked pointing at the machine. “Or that?” he asked pointing at some shiny metal thing that looked like a bent tube.

  “That’s a male chastity device,” Ethan offered. “You know…to keep a man’s dick at bay.”

  “What?”

  “It keeps…”

  “I know what you said. I just can’t figure out why someone would want to do that. The whole point of a penis is to have fun with it, right?”

  She snorted.

  Then Callen pictured himself wearing it.

  “It has to hurt.”

  “Some men like pain.”

  He opened his mouth, and then closed it. “Point made. I’m going to stop judging now.”

  She stared laughing. “I’ll get you one.”

  “Then you’re going on the machine.”

  Ethan laughed. “I think we need to focus on the main point here. Someone was a top, and someone was a bottom. Either Roman or Jasper liked to be dominated.”

  “Is it enough to kill?”

  He shrugged. “Sex can be deadly. We all know that.”

  Ethan had a point.

  “Something is bothering me.”

  The men looked over at her.

  “Again, only one thing?” Callen asked.

  “So if someone cleaned up, and we don’t know who, it likely wasn’t Jasper.”

  “What do you mean?” Callen asked.

  “If he was here, trying to hide all the incriminating evidence, why didn’t he dump most of this shit? I know if I went down in the line of duty, and this was in my house—off the bedroom—I’d want someone to toss it all before the truth got out.”

  The men agreed.

  There could only be one answer to her question.

  “He isn’t the one who was here,” Callen stated.

  Ethan agreed.

  “It had to be a maid.” She was hoping it wasn’t the killer. If it was, he was going to be even smarter than they thought.

  “I agree,” Ethan stated. “This room wasn’t cleaned. I’m betting the maid knew about it and was told to stay out.”

  “This whole place is puzzling, and even more so, who the hell is this killer?” Elizabeth asked. “So far we have a wife, a mistress, a maid, and a boyfriend, and we don’t know if they connect.”

  “We have one connection,” Ethan offered.

  “Yeah, the National Theater.”

  “It’s a good lead,” he offered.

  Elizabeth thought about it.

  “Ethan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need that profile later before we go to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

  He figured as much.

  “You’ll have it.”

  She pulled off her gloves.

  “Thank you. I’m going to need it.”

  Yeah, there was no doubt about that.

  Outside, they walked down the driveway and past the officers on the gate. As Ethan began asking them questions, Elizabeth could see the media approaching.

  They were everywhere.

  Only they weren’t the normal reporters. After being followed around the last two months, they got used to certain faces.

  These were more newbies than oldies.

  “Heads up,” Elizabeth offered, warning her husbands to put their game faces on for what was coming.

  “Callen Whitefox!” one yelled.

  He turned his head to find a microphone shoved in his face. He’d placed his body in front of Elizabeth to protect his wife. He figured they were going to get aggressive after finding out they had been alone at a hotel.

  “Is it true that you’re the bestselling author Jackson James?” the woman asked.

  Yeah, that wasn’t what he was expecting.

  Shit!

  “Pardon?” he asked.

  “We’ve gotten word from a source that you’re actually the bestselling author. Can you tell us about your books? Are you one of the characters? Is Jasmine Carter-Archer actually Elizabeth Blackhawk? Are you Leroy Carter? Is your brother Harrison Archer?”

  He didn’t know what to say.

  In fact, he was dumbstruck. Apparently, not only was his book stolen, but his pseudonym was jacked too. It made sense. There were emails to him from Leslie on that computer.

  Well, holy frigging shit.

  This was not what he wanted. This was the absolute opposite of what he’d ever had in mind. Now his family was at risk, and that scared him.

  Elizabeth and Ethan saw his face.

  There was a freak out coming.

  “Move!” she stated.

  “How do you feel about being Jasmine Carter-Archer?” one of the reporters asked. “Are you really that kinky in bed? Or is that artistic license?”

  “I’ll tell you how I feel. I’m going to hurt the next person who touches any one of us. If you think I’m kidding, look back at my track record with reporters!”

  They gave them some room, but not much.

  Yeah, this was the epitome of clusterfuck.

  This just made their lives even more difficult—especially Callen’s.

  “Are you protecting him because he’s Jackson James?” Another one asked. “In his books, you’re strong, a guardian, and always trying to keep him safe.”

  Ethan moved to stand beside his wife. He was about to shut them down. Only he didn’t get the chance.

  Callen knew he couldn’t let them defend him. This was his life, and he was going to do what it took to protect his loved ones.

  “I’m Jackson James,” Callen stated.

  Well, they wanted to come out, and here it was. They were going to have to face it.

  The media focused on him.

  Elizabeth took his hand in hers. There was no way they’d let him bear this alone.

  They began shooting questions at him.

  “Why the anonymity?” one asked.

  “This is exactly why,” he stated. “This was why I didn’t want my identity revealed. You people should be ashamed of yourselves,” he stated.

  They stopped talking.

  “Here I am, trying to do my job, and you’re stopping us from getting justice for people who were murdered. Are you freaking kidding me? I’ve seen you pull some crappy ambushes on people, but when we’re trying to find justice for dead people. Have you no level of standards?”

  Even Ethan was staring at him.

  “Yes, I write books, but that’s my part time job. This is my career as a Federal Agent. In fact, I was planning to stop writing after the next two books, and here is exactly why. No one follows you around asking you about your damn job, so why the hell is my job so important?”

  The one woman moved too close with a microphone and Elizabeth knocked it out of his face. “Try me,” she practically growled. “I will make you hurt.”

  Callen dropped his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders when they started moving too close to her.

  “I want peace and my family won’t have it now. This is exactly why I didn’t come out. It’s a sad day when a person has to hide to avoid this jackassery. You’re all a bunch of rumor grubbing animals, and I’m not addressing my pen name, or my writing career with any of you. When you see me wearing this,” he said, pulling back his blazer to reveal his gun and badge, “you MAY NOT ask me about books. Am I clear?”

  They actually took two steps back.

  “If you try to come between me and my job, I will start arresting all of you for stalking across state lines, interference in a federal investigation, and anything else we can come up with. How’s that for how I feel about reporters?”

  No one spoke.

  “I suggest you leave,” Ethan stated. “I suggest you leave our family alone. We aren’t here to be your posterchildren for rumors and gossip—and that includes our personal lives.”

  “Are you three a couple?”

 
They actually had to grab Elizabeth. She nearly went into the crowd of reporters.

  “Leave or I’ll have you arrested,” Ethan warned.

  This time, the reporters actually listened. Apparently, they didn’t want to mess with the three of them.

  Smart.

  Very smart.

  As they crossed the street, far enough away, he turned toward them. “Well, this is a really shitty day. I need a drink.”

  She went up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. Ethan even dropped his arm over his shoulder.

  They knew they were being photographed from across the street, and they didn’t care.

  “It’ll get better,” Ethan promised.

  “I think I’d rather a freaking sex tape.”

  Elizabeth grabbed a handful of his jean-clad ass.

  “What the hell! They just got that on video,” Callen stated. “Are you insane?”

  “You said you’d rather a sex tape. I was kicking it off with foreplay.”

  He stared at her with his mouth open.

  “What?”

  “I love you. In fact, I love you both,” he said, trying to relax. This was one hell of a hot mess, but there was one thing he still had.

  His family.

  And it was enough.

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

  Wyler had been watching the news.

  He’d seen the mayhem, and he knew the shit was going to hit the fan. Now the family was going to be scrutinized even more. Everything they did was going to be watched.

  Elizabeth’s mothering was going to be studied.

  Both of his sons were going to be under watchful eyes.

  And there was his life.

  Wyler was scared shitless. Most of his fears steamed from the media digging into his past to find out what a horrible father he’d been. Then they’d figure out that Callen was abused, and it had been his fault.

  Wyler failed as a father.

  What also had him riled up was that he was now dating a much younger woman. Yeah, age didn’t matter, not in the scope of love, but it did matter when the family would have to be hit with more media attention.

  It freaked him out.

  What was he going to do?

  He didn’t want his kids to be judged by his choices.

  Maybe dating Maeve was a horrible idea. It hurt his heart because he genuinely liked her. She was a smart, funny woman, and she filled his life with sunshine—that had been lacking for a very long time.

  Now he was going to fill hers with darkness.

  When she came into the room, carrying a basket of kids’ laundry, her bright red curls were pulled up on top of her head. She was humming a tune, and she had a smile on her face.

  Yeah, he was screwed.

  While Catherine, Ethan’s mother, would always be his one true love, he really thought he could find someone to grow old with for the last twenty years of his life. Maeve would be that person. She was fun, sweet, and she loved his grandchildren almost as much as he did. That, to him, was priceless.

  Then there was the fact that she got along with Elizabeth. While he lived there and called it his home, Wyler knew the truth. This was his daughter-in-law’s nest. She had to get along with anyone he brought into it.

  Unlike the mess with Bly.

  Now he was thinking all of this was a horrible idea.

  “Are you okay, Wyler?” she asked with her Irish lilt practically singing out the words. “You look pale, and that’s darn hard to do when you’re naturally tan.”

  “Not really,” he stated.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “It’s about us.”

  She stared at him and took a seat. “Oh.” His tone said it all, and she knew it. Maeve had that feeling it was going to be horrible.

  “The other night, we consummated our relationship, and I think that maybe we need to slow it down.”

  Maeve didn’t say a word.

  “I’m old enough to be your father.”

  Tears filled her eyes.

  “I see. That’s how you want to play it now, is it.”

  “I just think that it’s better off we don’t get too attached to each other. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “It’s too late for that. Apparently, Wyler, you’re a little behind with your words.”

  “Maeve.”

  “No, it’s fine. You’ve made it perfectly clear. We had sex, you’ve changed your mind, and you’re dumping me.”

  He waited for the anger like with Bly. He’d broken it off, and she’d flipped out. Now he was waiting for Maeve to lash out at him too.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  She stood up. “Please tell the Blackhawks that I’ll see them tomorrow. I’m going home. I only came in today to be with you. I’ll be going back to my Monday through Friday schedule. I’m sure you can explain to them, since you’ve done a wonderful job putting me in my place about how I fit into your life.”

  Wyler stood up. “Maeve.”

  She shook her head. “No, Wyler, it’s fine. We don’t both feel the same about each other. I feel more. It’s okay. You won’t be the first man or last who has no feelings for me.”

  She started walking away.

  Did she really see it like that?

  Wyler was only trying to protect her and his family. He’d been a shitty father, and he needed to atone for that.

  “Maeve,” he called.

  His answer?

  The door slammed behind her as she left.

  Yeah, he’d really screwed up.

  Again.

  Why the hell was he so damn surprised? It was the story of his life.

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

  The Whitefox-Blackhawk

  Compound

  There was never a time where he was more grateful to be the Deputy Director of the FBI. All the way home, they had a parade of tails. There was not one media van, but six, and they were all hoping to get as close as possible to the family to get a scoop on the story.

  It was irritating as hell.

  Fortunately, once inside the gate, they wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of pulling it off.

  His security would handle anyone who tried to get onto the private property. Between them and the media, there was an unmarked black Tahoe, and Ethan knew it was the men hired to keep them safe.

  They’d been following them all day, and he was grateful. Truthfully, Ethan was a little worried—not only for Callen’s sanity, but now for the whole family. More media would mean more crazies would be coming out of the woodwork.

  They already received sick messages from prisoners who had seen their wife on the news. Ethan had received various threats from people who believed he’d betrayed his people.

  Now this?

  Yeah, it was going to suck.

  “I’m going to have the team head to our house. I want them to give me what they found and to work on the whiteboard. I’d normally head to the office, but we need to lay low,” Elizabeth stated.

  He agreed.

  Hell!

  Callen even agreed.

  “I’m sorry,” he stated.

  They both looked back—Ethan in the mirror, and Elizabeth turning in her seat.

  “What?”

  “This is my fault. I just couldn’t lie about it. If they have Leslie Jefferson’s computer, then they have all the emails with my name on them. I never created an email for Jackson James. I assumed I’d be safe—that we’d be safe. I dropped the ball on this one.”

  “Callen,” she said, touching his leg. “We told you to come out last case. We’re proud of you, and you should be too.”

  “I am, but I just put more heat on all of us. I’ve risked our family.”

  They were aware, but that didn’t matter. They still had each other, and now Callen could be recognized for his greatness.

  “And for the record?”

  “What?” he asked.

  She smiled. “If you stop
writing, I’ll hurt you.”

  He started laughing. “Thanks. Now I have to worry about that too. I know how violent and sneaky you are.”

  She snorted.

  Ethan knew his wife was trying to lighten the mood. “Callen, worst case scenario…you lay low at the Hoover building for a little while. After your book comes out, you’re going to be yesterday’s news.”

  “Leslie already sent three texts and called twice to beg for my forgiveness.”

  “I think you should be glad it happened like this. Think of the publicity.”

  He was.

  It freaked him out.

  “I need someone to tell me that our children aren’t going to suffer because of my actions. They won’t get hurt because I had to write a book, right?”

  He needed their reassurance.

  “Have you freaking seen our security? We have a Native with excellent gun skills. Maeve loves those kids and would take a bullet, and we also have hired bodyguards all over the damn place. We’re good.”

  Ethan was going to see how good later when he and Elizabeth snuck out. He wanted to have some alone time with her as he reminded her how their lives used to be.

  “If anything happens to them…”

  “They will be fine. I promise,” she reassured. The whole time, she never looked away from him. Elizabeth needed Callen to trust her. They weren’t freaking out, so neither should he.

  Callen had to believe her.

  Elizabeth only promised when she was one hundred percent sure.

  Parking their vehicle, they were grateful to be home. Ethan headed toward his security detail to talk to them privately.

  Elizabeth hugged Callen, and then gave him a kiss. It was deep, warm, and helped calm his frazzled nerves. When he moaned, she reluctantly set his mouth free.

  “Callen James, be proud of who you are. When you told them off, it turned me right on. Later, the three of us will be naked in bed, and I’ll show you how hot your tirade was.”

  He knew that wasn’t happening, since Ethan had plans, but Callen played along for his brother’s sake. He would take one for the team even if now he was rock hard and craving Elizabeth’s touch.

  “Absolutely, angel.”