Yeah, he wouldn’t have lasted three.
“It missed the right subclavian artery too. Mostly, it just broke his collarbone, and tore a hole in his neck. They said he’s going to be fine, as long as they can patch him up and get him some blood.”
For the first time in twenty minutes, she could breathe. It felt like she wasn’t being crushed anymore.
There was hope.
Chris had been right. Boone was fighting for her and the baby. He wouldn’t give up, so she couldn’t either.
“Thank you, Chris,” she said, breaking down all over again. This had come close.
Callen knew that they’d nearly lost him. When Boone was standing in front of that window, the only reason the nutjob missed was because the sun had been out. While Derek had been shooting into the rising sun, the glare on the windows had saved him.
He’d missed his head shot.
Thank freaking God.
Then he thought about the note that Boone had given him right before they entered his home. It was safely tucked into the pocket of his blazer.
Now Callen had to decide if he was going to give it to her. Boone had said if he died, she needed to read it.
This was a tough call.
He went with his gut. If something had happened to his spouses, and there was a letter, he’d want it before they passed. The mere thought made him ill.
His mind was made up.
“Merry?”
She glanced over at him. “Yes?”
He pulled the white envelope out of his pocket, and it had his bloody fingerprints on it.
“When we were driving over, Boone asked me to give this to you if something happened.”
Callen didn’t say the ‘D’ word. He didn’t want to make her any more upset than she already was at that moment.
After all, she was carrying a child.
She stared at it.
“I don’t understand.”
“I think he had some idea that this might happen, and in case it did, he wanted you to have this.
She wanted to weep even more.
There was no doubt in her mind why he had done this. Damn him and the smoke.
Boone was going to be the death of her yet.
She took it with shaking fingers.
“Can I have a moment?” she asked. Merry didn’t know what was going to be in there, but she was pretty sure anything she found was going to be heart wrenching. In this case, she wanted to be alone while she read it.
After, she might need them.
As the men gave her some space, she opened the envelope with cautious fingers.
Boone wasn’t out of the woods yet, so she needed to be careful. These were his last words to her.
Pulling the neatly folded paper out of the envelope, she took a deep breath.
Merry had to tell herself she was strong enough to do this. She had to believe in herself.
As she read the words, tears came to her eyes.
‘Dearest Meredith,
I’m writing this as you sleep beside me. There’s so much I want to tell you, and I hope that I’m wrong. I hope that this feeling I have isn’t real, and that I’m not going to die.
I saw blood in the smoke. As we did our protection ritual, it was there. I didn’t want to scare you, and I certainly didn’t want to risk you, so I kept it to myself.
I hope you’ll forgive me one day.
I know that no one likes talking about death, but when we came back here to DC, we knew it was a possibility. We knew that Derek might end me or go after you. It was scary, terrifying, and my worst nightmare. Still, it was worth the risk to be with you.
If you’re reading this, I know it has to be your worst nightmare, too, and today has to be the worst day of your life. I’m so sorry. If I died, please know that I lived the best few weeks with you. Before you, there was never a woman I loved like this. You stole my heart with those beautiful violet eyes, and I don’t regret it. Under no circumstance are you to feel like this is your fault.
It’s not.
This is on him, cher.
This is his fault, and not yours.
If he’s still alive, and I didn’t manage to kill him, don’t let him break you, and don’t let him win. He’s not worth it, but our love will remain out there in the universe for a very long time. It’s eternal. It’s meant to last a million lifetimes. Please know that when your time comes, I’ll be waiting for you.
You’re the love of my life.
You were born to be mine, and I’ll wait patiently until that day when you cross. I’ll be here biding my time until we can both leave together.
I promise.
I know this isn’t the time, but I need to ask for a favor. Can you please make sure my parents are okay? Don’t let them hear this from some cop doing a notify. Please do it for me. When you go, kiss my mother, tell her that I left my legacy, and it’s growing in your body. Tell her that my last gift to the ones I love is my child.
She’s going to heal too. With your beautiful heart, she’ll survive this nightmare.
Tell my father that I went fast because he’s the one I really worry about. He’s gentle, sweet, and a romantic. Tell him that I went down in the line of duty, protecting my family. Tell him I left this world fighting for what was right.
He’ll understand that.
I’m sorry to put this burden on your shoulders, but I don’t have anyone I trust more than you.
You’re strong.
My mother is strong.
Cops know this is a possibility with each day, there is always a chance. He won’t get that.
Be gentle.
If you need a place to stay, New Orleans has always been my home. When I’m there, I feel alive, and if you have to stay there until you’re ready to move on, please do. You’ll feel me there. My spirit will walk those streets, remembering the place we met, a simpler life, and the time you first kissed me.
I’ll remember all of that.
My parents will rally around you, helping you raise my child until you feel you can move on with your life. My people will protect you. You’re forever mine, Meredith. That will never change.
Take the beads, Merry, and keep searching for faith. I know right now you’re angry, and you’re so hurt, but faith will get you through. Each time you wear them, or touch my altar, it will remind you of me.
I’ll be there.
I’ll be standing right behind you, Merry, breathing in your scent, picturing your smiling face, and waiting until we can meet again.
I’ll watch over you and keep you safe. I’ll be there when you weep, when you laugh, and when you have our little one.
On the day our child is born, I’ll be there too. I’ll be leaving kisses on your brow, telling you to push, and when our son or daughter is born, I’ll be there to watch them take their first breath.
I’ll be alive through that child.
I will go on because we created something beautiful. While I only had you for a very short time, and it wasn’t close to being enough, the time I did have was beautiful.
You are beautiful.
You will smile again, cher, and when you do, know I’ll be there. I hope it’s in New Orleans, where you can feel the sun on your face, and know that my family there will love and keep you safe until you’re ready to spread your wings.
I used to see you as a gardenia, petal soft and fragrant, but now I know that wasn’t even close.
You are the beautiful butterfly.
Right now you’re in the cocoon, waiting to be free, but the day you get past this, and realize that my love is always yours, you’ll spread those gorgeous wings and take off.
I’ll be watching.
I’ll love you from the other side.
I’ll never forget you, even in death.
You were meant to be mine, and you will be again. I swear to you.
I only have two regrets.
I didn’t get to marry you, and you had to go back to New Orleans without me by your sid
e.
You are a blessing, and so is our child.
Don’t forget me, cher.
I love you forever.
Boone.’
His words touched her heart.
She never thought to leave him a note like this in case she’d been hurt. In her wildest dreams, she never believed she’d be loved quite like this.
Boone was an amazing man, and she was lucky.
As the men came back, she was wiping her eyes, but the sadness was gone. He was right. This wasn’t her fault.
This was Derek’s.
This wasn’t the end.
Boone had survived.
When this was over, she was definitely re-evaluating her life. This note had been eye opening. Boone had been candid, honest, and truthful.
She would never love anyone quiet like she loved him. For that, she’d do anything.
She’d give up everything.
“Are you going to be okay?” Callen asked. “Do you need some tissues?” he asked.
“I’ll be good,” she promised. “As long as Boone makes it, I know I’ll be okay. It’s time to move on. Derek can’t hurt me anymore.”
“He’s still out there, Merry,” Tony stated. “He’s still a very real threat.”
“Yeah, but you said Elizabeth was going to look for him. She’ll find him. She’ll get Boone justice. I believe in her.”
They all got it.
At one time or another, they had put their faith in her too.
Chapter Seventeen
The street was filthy with police. If Derek Zanders was there, he wasn’t slipping away. It wasn’t going to be possible. As they pulled up in their Escalade, they got out, and began pulling on riot gear.
Elizabeth was trying to stay calm.
It wasn’t easy.
The idea that her husband was going into a building worried her. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it. God knew he was just recently off the streets.
But he was high profile, and that meant that a nut job, like Derek Zanders would take shots at him.
It freaked her out.
Now she understood how the men in her life felt when she was out by herself.
“Yo! FBI!” called some cop, as they were both loading their sidearms, and securing their tactical vests.
Ethan handled it, like she knew he would.
“Where’s our shooter?” he asked.
The man pointed down the street and toward a building diagonal from Merry’s home.
Elizabeth checked out the trajectory, and agreed with the cop. It was the likeliest spot. It would be the only one where a shot could be made without hitting any of the trees around the building.
“Is this it? You brought a woman?” the cop said.
Ethan glanced over at his wife. He knew that Tex would be more than enough going through the door. She was an excellent shot, and if they had their way, he wasn’t going to get too close.
“It’s a serial killer. We can’t go at him with a million agents. It’ll be a bloodbath,” Ethan offered.
And it would be.
That was the absolute truth.
“Uh, aren’t you the guy in charge of the FBI? I think I saw you on the news? Is that safe? Shouldn’t you be sitting in an office riding a desk?”
The look on his face must have said it all.
Ethan wasn’t sitting behind his desk in the ivory tower. There was no way. Cat, his child, had said it the other day, and it bothered him now, but when the cop said it…
Yeah, hell no!
Ethan needed to do this. It was as if he had something to prove, not to them, but to himself. Had being Deputy Director made him soft?
Was he no longer viable in the street?
It was time to find out.
He was going into that building with his wife by his side. Honestly, it felt good. It reminded him of the times they went through doors together.
This was something he missed.
“We’ll be good. I need your men to create a perimeter around that building. If he’s in there…”
“He’s in there, sir. He took a shot at the ambulance as it was pulling away.”
That was good.
Well, not that he took a shot at the medics, but that they had him locked down. It meant as long as they all stayed down, they should be able to extract him.
Or stop him from stalking Merry—whichever came first. If his wife was on point, it would be the latter.
When the cop walked away, Elizabeth touched his arm. “Don’t put holes in this really awesome husband. I can’t get another.”
“You have a spare,” he teased.
She touched his face and got him to focus on her. Here was the man she loved. His hair was pulled back, he was wearing gear, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.
“There isn’t a spare. You’re my first true love. I can’t live without you.”
He kissed her as the chaos went on around them. It wasn’t anything passionate, or filled with lust. It was a simple reminder that they were in love, and a couple—through it all.
“Shall we?” he asked, popping in his earbud so they could communicate on their way into the house. He knew it was going to come down to sneaking up on him.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
Elizabeth was about to make a comment when she saw motion from the tape not far away. There stood Ivan and Ethan’s security guy.
She laughed. “Finally, they can’t bug me.”
Both men looked frantic as they tried to get the Blackhawks to give them clearance.
“If you do it, I’ll hurt you,” she warned.
Ethan was well aware. There was no way in hell he was going to go there. They’d try to stop them, and the last thing they needed was two security guys in their way.
“They’ll have to wait. Only cops and Feds past the tape,” he said, shaking his head when the cop on the line was waiting for him to give an answer.
Both security guys looked pissed, and that had been his master plan. If he had to pick, he’d always go through the door with his wife.
“What’s the plan, boss man?” she asked, scanning the rest of the street. The media was there, and they were snapping pictures. On top of that, lunatics were hanging out their brownstone windows filming them.
Yeah, Gabe wasn’t getting his wish.
They were going to be in the news.
“We’ll go in, contain him, and go home in one piece. Maybe we can toss in some kinky sex when we get home.”
She laughed as she checked the tactical riffle to ensure it was loaded and ready. While she preferred her Glock, she wasn’t sure what kind of arsenal Derek had in there.
It was better safe than sorry.
“Works for me. I have your very sexy ass, Deputy Director Blackhawk. Don’t put holes in the front.”
He wouldn’t.
He had this.
She followed her husband down the street. They moved parallel to the houses, their bodies sliding across old brick to stay out of the line of sight. This was going to be all about keeping out of the shooter’s sight to sneak up on him.
When they got closer, the quantity of cops thinned out. They were now walking into an incredibly dangerous situation. One or both of them could be shot and killed.
This was where years of training would work in their favor. Derek had been a street cop. He didn’t know how to think like a trained Fed.
Still, there was risk.
That was the nature of the beast, and they both knew it. At least Callen was safe in case something happened, and they didn’t make it back.
At the door of the brownstone, Elizabeth glanced up to check out the face of the building.
Something was off.
The longer she stared at it, the more she could tell they were wrong.
The trajectory, while it looked right from down the block, didn’t add up. The brownstone that was vacant and being worked on by construction crews was logical, but not in line with Merry’s house.<
br />
It was off a couple of feet.
Could she make the shot?
Yes.
Through glass?
No way.
To a sniper or a cop, taking one hell of a tough shot, it was all about the angle, and this one wasn’t perfect. She didn’t believe for one second that Derek had the skill or patience to do it.
This was wrong.
She was hell on the geometry of it all.
“It’s not the house,” she whispered into her com. “We’re at the wrong house.”
He glanced back at her as they were pressed to the side of the building. He was about to have them go up the stairs when he heard her.
“Are you sure,” came his soft reply. “The cops said this was it.”
She nodded. “They are off a few feet. I could barely make the shot from that window. I could watch them, but I couldn’t be accurate.”
Ethan weighed his options as Elizabeth pointed at the pretty brownstone with the fall decorations. It had scarecrows, pumpkins, and reminded them both that they had a date with their kids later in the week.
“He’s in here. I’d bet my badge on it.”
That was more than enough incentive to convince him. When it came to Tex, she knew her shots.
“Lead the way,” he whispered, scanning the area. All the cops were pointing at the house they were at, but he had to go with Elizabeth’s gut.
She had been his partner for over five years, and she was rarely wrong. He trusted her.
Completely.
She backtracked them to the quiet brownstone. The upstairs windows were closed, but that would be the perfect ruse for the shooter.
Oh, she didn’t doubt that he’d watched Merry’s home from the vacant building beside it, leaving the upstairs windows open, she just didn’t think he was still there.
She’d bet money on it.
At the door, she checked the knob.
It was locked.
She glanced over at Ethan, and he pulled a little pick from his vest and dropped to his knees. She blocked him from the media and Metro cops’ views.
There was the click as he had it unlocked in seconds.
They were in, and one step closer to finding Derek Zanders.
Ethan touched her shoulder, giving her the silent hand signals. He was going in high, she was getting low, and they were breaking off to clear the house—alone.
Act of Blood (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 16) Page 44