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

by Kelley, Morgan

  It wasn’t the ideal option, but they had to do it.

  When the door silently swung open, Ethan had his gun ready, and his eye on anything that was potentially dangerous. His body was in front of Elizabeth, keeping her safe.

  Old habits die hard, and he knew it.

  Yes, she’d boot his ass around DC later, but he didn’t care. There was no way in hell he was calling Callen to tell him that he’d failed at keeping her safe.

  Screw that.

  Inside, they were immediately hit with the smell. It was hard to miss it, and any cop could pick it out.

  It was death.

  Someone, or something, was dead inside this cute little home. That was only proof needed that Elizabeth had been spot on. Houses didn’t have the stench of death unless there was someone dead inside.

  Derek was there.

  Ethan headed left, clearing the one room to that side.

  Elizabeth headed right, keeping her eyes open for anything. Around the corner, she found the dead woman.

  It appeared that someone overtook her and ended her life. Beside her were the remains of her pet.

  It was hacked to pieces. It had once been a cat, and now it was nothing more than a pile of ruin.

  Yeah, someone had a few screws missing.

  Derek Zanders went from stalker to attempted murder, right to killer with ease.

  It was a damn good thing they had Merry well away from him. This guy was a danger to everyone around him—including himself.

  “We have a body,” she whispered into her com, getting Ethan’s attention.

  When he came around the corner, still clearing the rooms, he saw the older woman.

  Yeah, his wife had been spot on.

  This was the place.

  The dead victim was exactly why he didn’t question his wife when she came to a conclusion. She was damn good at her job.

  She pointed at the stairs.

  He nodded.

  It looked like they were going to go up and clear the rooms above them.

  When they heard pacing, he stopped her.

  Oh, they had their rat, and he had to be freaking out that he was trapped in the hole. By now, he knew they were inside. They weren’t being silent as they cleared the downstairs.

  “Kill shot,” she whispered into the com before touching the spot in the middle of her forehead. “He’s an ex-cop. He’s going to be wearing body armor. Don’t neutralize. End him.”

  He knew she was right.

  There wasn’t going to be surrender. You didn’t try to kill a cop, and then shoot at an ambulance after slaughtering an old woman and her pet to turn yourself in.

  Yeah, no.

  He was going to be a combatant, and that meant deadly force. Ethan was good with that. He didn’t mind the extra paperwork if they both made it home safe, and Merry wasn’t stalked for the rest of her life.

  Sometimes, crazy had to be put down like a rabid dog. This was going to be one of those times.

  Together, they headed toward the stairs. Once there, they each pressed their backs to the opposite walls. It was a tight squeeze, but they had to ensure each other’s safety. At the top, Ethan could see there were four rooms.

  He pointed toward two.

  She nodded in agreement. Now came the bad part. They split up.

  That was always the hardest part when it came to clearing a house. You lost your backup, and you didn’t have anyone watching your ass.

  Here’s where the shit would get real.

  As they moved apart, she headed into the first room to ensure that Derek wasn’t hiding there.

  It was empty.

  Inside, she could see that he had extra guns stashed for more firepower. Yeah, that wasn’t a good thing. The crazy jackwagon had an arsenal. It looked like he had been prepared to bed down and take out cops if need be.

  Someone wasn’t leaving that brownstone.

  She popped the magazines out of the three Sigs and slipped them into the pockets of her cargo pants. When they were empty, she placed them back down.

  Heading out into the hall, she slipped into the next room. It was dark in there. The room had no windows, and she sincerely hoped that he wasn’t lurking in the shadows.

  Inside, she scanned it, trying to check out each corner. She didn’t bring a flashlight, and that sucked.

  Fortunately, it looked to be clear.

  It was a typical bedroom, and it looked to have been converted to a sewing room.

  Staying in that room, she whispered into her comm. “Cleared both.”

  There was no reply from Ethan. Clearly, he got one of the rooms with the maniac.

  She crossed her fingers and said a prayer. Then she headed out to be his backup. Elizabeth knew he was going to need it.

  He scanned the first room, and as the light came through the window, he could see Merry’s house across the street. It was a much better shot, and he knew that if Elizabeth could have made it if she tried, that meant Derek could have too.

  He was a little shocked that the man wasn’t in the room, taking sentry out the window.

  That meant he had to be in the second room, or with Elizabeth. That was the option he least liked. Truthfully, he picked the front two rooms to keep her safe. If she figured that out, there would be two body bags leaving the brownstone.

  Derek’s.

  His.

  Still, a man had to do what a man had to do.

  Slipping into the hall, he moved toward the next room. As he peeked in, he noticed it was the room without a single window. This was going to make it so much harder.

  Stepping into the room, he heard his wife come over the earbud. She was clear.

  That meant he was…

  Ethan heard the click.

  He didn’t move.

  “Who are you?” came the voice as the cold press of steel touched his skull.

  Ethan stayed calm.

  As long as Elizabeth heard him on the com, she’d know what he was dealing with and have his back.

  “Derek, you need to put that shotgun down,” he said, trying to warn his wife what was waiting for her.

  “You’re in my line of sight,” she whispered into the com. When I tell you, drop to the ground and stay down.”

  Ethan was in a precarious position. He had to be focused on both people.

  One wanted to end his life, and one was trying to save it.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Derek asked again, getting twitchy with the gun.

  “I’m Ethan Blackhawk. You’ve caused some issues, Derek,” he said.

  “You got me fired! You and that cunt, Merry, cost me my job!”

  Ethan hoped his wife hurried.

  If not…

  He wasn’t going home.

  “Derek…”

  “Drop,” came the order from his wife, and Ethan did what she said. He let his body hit the floor, and he rolled to make sure he could shoot if Derek tried to go for him or Elizabeth.

  There was one shot, and he watched as the bullet hit its target dead center. From the size of the hole in his skull, Ethan knew what took his wife so long.

  She’d switched to her Glock.

  “Clear,” she said, stepping into the room as he fell to the floor.

  There was a sick splatter on the wall behind where Derek stood. When she held out her hand, Ethan took it and was pulled to his feet.

  “Nice shot, Tex.”

  “Yeah, it was. It’s good to see I still haven’t lost it. You, on the other hand, Deputy Director, need to keep that sexy ass of yours in a desk chair. You’ve gotten sloppy.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

  What had him concerned the most was that she didn’t even look over at the dead man. Ethan knew that with each kill, it stole a piece of his wife’s soul, and this had to be bothering her. While she looked stoic on the outside, she wasn’t inside.

  There was turmoil.

  As of late, she didn’t kill lightly. Instead, it weighed heavily on her.
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  “Should we get the hell out of here?” she asked. “It is going to suck to be you for the next few hours,” Elizabeth offered.

  “What? Why?”

  “Oops. I just realized, sir, that he wasn’t our serial killer. We’ve got the wrong information. You may want to yell at whoever screwed up. You’re going to have a shitload of paperwork to clear up on this one. You crossed jurisdiction, we shot him, and someone is dead downstairs.”

  “You’re dumping this all on me, huh?” he stated, holstering his sidearm.

  “Oh, yeah. I hope you have it done by our date tonight. You’re taking me to a play, remember?”

  How could he forget?

  “I know you already threatened me with being late, but I really might be held up with all of this. My hands may be full,” he said, trying to weasel out of the National Theater performance.

  “If you blow this off, your hands will be full—of your own dick because I won’t be touching it for a good year.”

  He stared at her.

  There was always that wariness when he couldn’t tell if she was kidding or dead serious.

  Then she winked.

  He started laughing.

  “I love you, Mrs. Blackhawk.”

  She patted him on the ass. “I love you too, boss man. I have a date with Merry. Someone has to tell her the good news. She’s finally free.”

  And that was the best news they’d heard all damn day.

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

  DC Hospital

  Tuesday Afternoon

  When he woke up, his upper body was on fire. It felt like someone had stuck a hot poker into his throat.

  It sucked.

  Boone couldn’t figure out what had happened, and then it began coming back to him in little bits and pieces. He’d been in their nursery, and someone had shot him.

  He recalled hitting the floor.

  He remembered the smell of blood.

  The searing pain.

  He recalled Callen holding a shirt to his neck as he tried to keep him calm.

  It looked like he had survived.

  Opening his eyes, he knew she was there with him. Boone could feel her fingers in his, resting beside his hip. He gave a gentle little squeeze, and immediately, she stood up.

  Her face said it all.

  Merry was scared shitless, and honestly, so was he. This was way too close. In the decade of working in New Orleans, he’d never been shot before. DC was a menace to his health.

  And his sanity.

  The mere idea of losing her was enough to make his bowels go to ice, and his heart skip erratically in his chest.

  His heart rate monitor increased.

  “Oh, Boone!”

  She leaned over the rail of the hospital bed and kissed him softly on the lips. That single touch of skin to skin helped him calm down.

  His heart returned to normal.

  He’d made it.

  Boone had a second chance.

  “I love you, cher,” he said, and his voice sounded gravely and unlike it normally did.

  She held a cup of water to his lips and gently helped him sip. When some ran down his chin, she wiped it away.

  “You scared me,” she admitted. “I really thought I’d lost you, Boone.”

  He reached up and touched her cheek. His palm was cold, but her skin felt amazing against it. He never wanted to forget this moment.

  He was alive, and he had a shot at being a father and husband. This was a big blessing.

  Boone had never been happier that the visions in the smoke hadn’t been entirely right. There had been blood, but he was alive to see another sunrise.

  “Callen saved me. He moved fast and slowed the bleeding,” Boone offered.

  She knew the truth, and Merry wasn’t afraid to admit it. She was a believer. There had been divine intervention.

  The only thing that saved him was the spirits.

  That shot missed every artery in his neck. He had some major guardian angels that day.

  “Callen gave me your letter.”

  He watched her with icy blue eyes. He knew his whole heart was in that letter, and he wasn’t sure how he felt knowing he’d lived and she’d been forced to read it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She sat on the corner of his bed. “Don’t be, Boone. That was the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me. I’m damn lucky to have you in my life, and I won’t ever forget that you’re an amazing treasure.”

  He held her hand. “I want to get married, Merry.”

  She smiled. “As soon as you’re out of here, we’ll get married. I want to be your wife, Boone. I want that more than anything in the world.”

  Before him, she would have been hesitant. In the few short months she’d know him, he’d come into her world, healed her, made her a mother-to-be, and soon his wife.

  She was blessed.

  “What about Derek?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything yet. All I know is Elizabeth and Ethan are handling it. The news was on in the waiting room. They entered a building across the street from our home, and then you were brought up here.”

  “Did you watch to see…?”

  She couldn’t.

  His face said it all. There were worry lines etched into his face and brow.

  “I need you to stay here with me until this is all over. I need you to remain in the hospital and away from the windows.”

  She gently climbed onto the bed to curl up beside him.

  “I’m going to stay by your side forever, Boone. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  She took her gun off her hip and rested it on his legs as she placed her head on his shoulder.

  “We’ll be safe.” From her back pocket, she pulled out the beads she’d been carrying. For some reason, that morning, she’d had the compulsion to have them on her person.

  Together, they lay there, whispering a prayer in Creole to the spirits.

  They needed this finished.

  And fast.

  When she arrived, they were in bed together. Elizabeth wasn’t surprised. She’d seen a lot of couples do the same exact thing.

  Hell!

  She’d done it too.

  When Callen had been shot, she stayed by his side, guarding her husband. Why wouldn’t Merry do the same thing?

  “Knock knock,” she said, getting their attention.

  Merry sat up, but stayed beside him. “Elizabeth, is it over?” she asked.

  If there was one person in the world she trusted, it was this woman. Her love of the team was only overshadowed by her love of her husbands.

  “Yes. He’s dead. I put a bullet in his head. He’s on his way to the Metro morgue. You’re free, Merry. You’re free.”

  She began crying out of sheer relief. Merry wasn’t glad someone had died, but she was grateful that it wasn’t her in that body bag.

  This meant it was finally over.

  There would be no more abuse.

  No more stalking.

  Boone was safe.

  Now she could go on with her life. She could go on with her future with Boone.

  “Well, I see someone is a bullet magnet,” she teased. “How are you, Detective?”

  He laughed, trying not to move his neck. Every time he did, it hurt like a bitch. “I’ve had better days. I hope he suffered when you took him out.”

  Elizabeth told them everything.

  About the dead woman.

  The pet.

  Even how he nearly shot Ethan.

  By the end of the tale, there was one thing that was certain. Derek zanders was cuckoo for Coco Puffs.

  Big time.

  “I wish I could say I made him suffer for you, Boone, but it was one shot to the head. He never saw it coming. He wasn’t well. He had an arsenal, and he was bedded down—ready to go down in a blaze of glory.”

  Yeah, that sounded like Derek.

  Merry hopped off the bed and crossed to he
r boss. She hugged her, holding on for a full minute.

  It was really over.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth. I don’t know what to say. I never thought I’d be free of this day, and here it is. I’m going to get to move on, and you’re the reason.”

  Elizabeth patted her head tech on the back. “I’m not the reason, Meredith. You’re moving on because you took the chance and told people that you were being abused. You opened up to Boone, and you came to us. That was the first step to setting you free. I just put the rabid crazy down.”

  Merry knew it was more than that.

  Everyone thought Elizabeth was badass, but she saw the truth. With each kill, the light went out of her eyes. Still, she kept doing it for the people she loved, and the people she served and protected.

  “By coming to us, you allowed the path to open. A wise man once told me, when the sun is out, it is easy to see the trail. When it is dark, that’s when it’s more challenging.”

  “A Native?” Boone asked.

  “Yes, Ethan and Callen’s grandfather. He was full of those little gems. He passed them on, and I’m going to pass on one of my own.”

  Merry waited.

  “Life is too short to be afraid. When you find love, you have to jump in and go for it. Look forward—not back.”

  “Your grandfather again?” Merry asked.

  Callen entered the room. “No, that would be Cupid. She’s very fond of love.”

  Elizabeth snorted.

  When Callen wrapped his arm around her waist, she leaned into him.

  “Merry, take a couple days off,” Elizabeth stated. “We’ll find someone to cover for you.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “You’re in the middle of a case.”

  Yeah, she was damn sure.

  She smiled. “I’m positive. Stay with Boone.” Elizabeth focused on him. “I guess we don’t have to worry about sending you back to Metro. Way to get out of work and avoid having to do your job. I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

  “What?” Callen stated, staring down at her. “You’re insane, and someone needs to lock you up.”

  She was aware.

  Boone laughed, and it hurt like a bitch. “You know me. I’ll do anything to be with a beautiful woman,” he said, holding out his hand for Merry.