Even when he wanted to add a woman to the mix, they welcomed her willingly and without a single objection. They supported everything he did in his life, even if he suspected that they were having second thoughts of opening up their lives to his fiancée. Most of the doubts were stemming from the tension between himself and Desdemona. Although he tried to hide it, Callen was sure that Elizabeth saw right through the farce and shortly was going to speak up.
Marrying fast was his goal, because all he wanted was to have children of his own, much like his handsome little nephew. No matter what he did, his fiancée seemed to protest and fight him all the way. It was to the point now that if he brought up the ‘M’ word, Desdemona almost started to cry. It was out of his realm of expertise, and he’d yet to ask for help from Elizabeth, but it was coming soon. He wasn’t quite sure how long he could go on with the tempest brewing around them. Something had to give, and it just may be him.
He saw the way Desdemona glared at Elizabeth when she believed no one was looking, and he didn’t get the issue. No lines were crossed and no rules broken. Everything was exactly the same.
Walking into the office, he found everyone milling around like ants in a hill. FBI West was generally busy, but the energy wasn’t work related. He stopped over at Ginny’s desk and saw her furiously scribbling a note, as she spoke into the phone and worked on her computer. Handing it to him, she jerked her head towards his brother’s office.
He had to read it twice.
‘Two and a half B’s in the hive.’
Then it hit him and he grinned wickedly. Looked like he was going to see his family sooner rather than later and that cheered him up. He’d drop his equipment in his office and then stop in to see them. Maybe he could talk Desdemona into cutting out of work early to run home with him afterwards.
Walking into his office, Callen locked up his body armor, checked his messages on his desk and glanced around his room. As Liaison to the Native American Community, he had an office right beside Elizabeth’s, but since she’d been out on maternity leave, it just seemed lonely. Now that she was returning on Monday, he was going to have his partner in crime back, and he couldn’t wait. It was why Callen was hell-bent on wrapping up the assignment as fast as possible. His best friend was coming back to work, and they had immeasurable hell to raise.
Grinning like an idiot, he looked at the new pictures on the bookshelf; someone had been in there while he was away. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind at who the culprit was, and he was ecstatic. Elizabeth was notorious for leaving him little presents, most of them things that only they three would understand. It was an amazing feeling to belong and have his family after years of desolation.
As he picked up a picture, his eyes focused on the letters on his nephew’s shirt. Reading it he laughed, his heart swelling in love.
“My uncle is a fox.”
Yeah, and so was his mom.
As boys, he and Ethan picked their spirit guides. His was the fox and his brother the raven. Elizabeth always made a point to purchase little knickknacks of foxes at every given chance for him. Placing the picture back in place, he lovingly he ran his fingers over a book of poetry that sat beside it. The poems were housed in his office because it was his secret treasure. Part of him would have loved to put it on the bed stand beside where he slept, but he knew what that would cause with Desdemona. There was already tension over his family and attachment to them.
At the birthday party Elizabeth threw for him, she waited until they were relatively alone, and slipped it into his hand. He recalled the words she whispered in his ear,
And yet tis hard to quit the dreams
Which haunt the unsuspicious soul.
How that she knew that he loved Lord Byron, or his secret love of poetry, he’d never know. The gift nearly made him weep, it touched him so deeply. The moment would live in his heart forever, and the mere fact his brother watched her give it to him, kiss him on the cheek and walk away made it more valuable. Then he saw the words she’d scribed inside, and he shared them with no one. They were his alone to carry in his heart, alongside his adoration for Elizabeth.
Smiling at the memory, he felt the need to find his family. Callen wanted to be near the ones who gave him such peace. Heading straight for Ethan’s office, he stood in the doorway, just taking it all in for a second. His nephew was lying on a blanket kicking at some baby toy dangling above him like it was his mission in life reach it. His brother sat behind his desk eating his lunch, and on the corner of the desk like usual was Elizabeth, except she was in a dress and heels. Gone were the jeans and boots for the day and in their place was the feminine side of her that she kept locked away most of the time.
Don’t get him wrong, she’d be gorgeous covered in burlap and mud, but in a dress she was staggering and his heart lurched in his chest.
“Am I too late for lunch?” he inquired, staring right at her.
Elizabeth heard the voice and turned her head, grinning. “Why boys, I do believe my missing partner in this FBI fun fest has just wandered back home.” She hopped off the desk and crossed the room to the man who stood there grinning at her.
“A dress in the workplace?” he asked, opening his arms for the oncoming hug. It was one of his favorite things in the world. Callen glanced over at his brother and the smug look on his face, and needed no more explanation on what had recently transpired.
“It’s a special occasion. I’m back on Monday and let’s leave it at that.” Going into his body she let him pick her off the ground and spin her around. “I missed you Callen, darlin’.”
Whitefox breathed in the scent of the woman in his arms, and all the trouble that was bothering him ten minutes ago fell away, immediately forgotten. “God, I missed you too,” he whispered into her ear.
Elizabeth grinned over at her husband, who was watching them both, smiling. In this room were three of the loves of her life. She just had it bad for the Blackhawk men.
Callen slowly released her, looking down into her face and placed a kiss on her lips. “I hate being away from you three.”
Elizabeth patted his cheek and glanced over at her son, as he let out a screech, announcing his presence.
“Oh, I missed you too,” Whitefox added, releasing Elizabeth and heading over to the chubby boy rolling over on the floor. “Hey! You learned to roll over without me, big guy?” he asked, scooping him up and giving him kisses.
CJ squealed even more and got a handful of his uncle’s hair.
“Why is he in a tie at three months?” he asked, laughing at the outfit. “Where are his jeans and cowboy boots?”
Elizabeth went back to her spot on the desk corner, crossing her legs and picking her bottle of water. “Next time, I promise.”
Callen cradled his nephew, as he closed the space between him and his brother. Both men embraced and he whispered in his ear too. “I missed you too, Bro.”
Blackhawk patted his brother on the back, being careful to not squash his son between them. “Welcome home, Cal.”
Elizabeth stared at the three men and felt her heart fill with love. If she wasn’t the luckiest girl in the world, she didn’t know who was. Yeah, it was a really good day for her right then and there.
“You’re home early,” stated Ethan, as his brother took his son to the couch and held him on his lap. It was a common thing to occur when they were together. Callen was very attached to the baby, and that warmed his heart. Family mattered, and the man holding his son was his flesh and blood.
“Yeah, I finished up late last night. I wanted to come home and surprise everyone, including Desi. I’ll email you the report this weekend after I just get back into home mode.”
“I for one am glad your back.” Elizabeth was very happy he made it back for her first day post maternity leave. She may need him to lean on as she suffered from baby separation anxiety.
“May the jackassery and tomfoolery begin Monday at eight a.m.,” snickered Callen, wickedly. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
/> Blackhawk laughed, shaking his head at the two of them. Most of his job entailed keeping them from breaking every rule on the planet. “Oh look, you seem to have a new assignment, Cal. Oh well.”
“Come on!” he laughed. “What if I promise to keep it to a minimum and not get anyone hurt or fired? I won’t pull any pranks that involve mental anguish, and I’ll try not to sexually harass my co-workers.” Although that last one had some merit.
Now Ethan Blackhawk was grinning. “Deal, but who’s going to keep the real problem here at FBI West from doing all the damage?”
She looked appalled. “Oh no, you didn’t just refer to me as a ‘problem’, did you?”
“Absolutely not,” answered Blackhawk grinning. “I know better than to ever do that, baby.”
Elizabeth picked up her lunch off the desk and crossed to her brother-in-law, handing him the take out container and swapping the food for CJ. “You can have the rest of my lunch, Cal. He’s not getting it, just for calling his wife a ‘problem’.”
Whitefox started laughing at the look of protest on his brother’s face. “I do love Thai food, and I did skip lunch.”
“Vicious woman,” retorted Blackhawk, as he tossed his container in the trash. “You laugh all you want, Cal, but now you have to do all the grilling on Sunday.”
“BBQ on the patio?” he asked, eating the food Elizabeth had handed him. “I’ll bring the beer.”
“Yeah, winter’s coming soon so we need to get in as many grilling days as we can before the rains come in and we switch over to Italian in the dining room.”
“I can’t wait,” he said, closing the take out container and kissing Elizabeth on the cheek besides him. “Thanks, beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Did you guys grill without me last weekend?” he asked, watching Elizabeth packing up CJ for the trip home.
“We did, but it wasn’t the same without you flirting and kissing my wife. I actually had the women all to myself. Granddad isn't feeling well, and Wyler stayed with him for the day.”
“What’s wrong with Timothy?” he asked, concerned.
Elizabeth answered for her husband, since she’d just spoken to Wyler a few hours ago. “He has a chest cold and needed to be put on antibiotics.”
“Is he going to be ok?” Now he was concerned. The man was eighty-nine years old, and they knew lately he’d been under the weather. For months he couldn’t seem to shake a cough.
“Timothy spoke to Doctor Wolman, and he said not to be concerned.”
Immediately, he relaxed. The old man raised him when his mother began neglecting and practically abandoned him. Without Timothy Blackhawk, there would be a big hole in his heart.
“I’ll swing on over after I get home and check on him,” he said, standing and tossing the take out container in the trash. “Lyzee, can you give me a ride to the house? My truck’s in Desdemona’s driveway.”
“I can and will, Cal.”
“Do you have ten minutes? I want to swing down and see Desdemona first. Maybe her boss will let her cut out early and I won’t need that ride from you. Maybe she’ll give me a ride,” and now he snickered and took a rib shot from Elizabeth.
Blackhawk looked confused. “She’s not here today. She called off sick this morning. Chris Leonard sent me the report for payroll an hour ago.”
Elizabeth looked perplexed. “I had coffee with her this morning. She was fine.”
Now, Callen looked panicked and started dialing her cell phone. When it went right to voice mail, his nerves were shot. “The stalker hasn’t been leaving notes while I was gone was he?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Cal, maybe she just took the day off to have a long weekend. The woman cuts into people every day. Maybe she just needed a mental health day.”
“Why isn't she answering her phone then?”
Elizabeth went to his side and took his hand in hers. “Maybe she’s showering, napping, shopping, turned off her ringer, driving, or just cleaning her house. Calm down. I’ll bring you home and you’ll see that you're freaked out for nothing.”
Elizabeth wouldn’t lie to him, so he calmed down and took a deep breath. “You're probably right. It’s just been months since the stalker popped up, and I’m always looking over our shoulders.”
“Take CJ down to the SUV, and I’ll be right down. I need to get some paperwork from my office, and we’ll head home.”
He took the keys and his nephew, and walked out nuzzling him on the neck and cheek. There was nothing like the smell of baby chub. It brought out something in him, as he carried the little man who was currently chewing on his hair.
Elizabeth turned to her husband when her brother-in-law was gone. She was getting that feeling in the pit of her stomach, the one that usually meant bad things were brewing.
“What’s up?” asked Blackhawk.
“Desdemona came to see me today and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I could tell something was wrong, but she wouldn’t tell me what was bothering her.”
“You think the stalker has been around again?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “See if she’ll answer your calls. I’ll call her too. Maybe she’s just pissed at Callen and dodging the call. If you call she’ll answer. You’re the boss, and she’s scared shitless of pissing you off.”
He nodded and started dialing his ME. He hoped his wife was right and the woman would answer his call. There was nothing that irritated him more than the prospect that his brother was going to be hurt by Doctor Adare.
“Nothing.”
Elizabeth hung up her phone too. “Same for me. I think we may have a problem, Ethan.”
Blackhawk didn’t like the feeling that was brewing in his gut. Something definitely felt off, and he didn’t want to be the one who had to tell his brother they failed at keeping his fiancée safe.
~Chapter Two~
Desdemona glanced over at her phone, as she drove the last stretch of her mission to get back to Cypress Grove. It was ringing non-stop, and she knew she needed to answer it, but if she did she was aware that lying to her boss was going to get her nothing but fired.
Callen’s family or not, Director Ethan Blackhawk took the rules very serious. Here she called in sick, left the load on Chris Leonard’s shoulders, and bailed without telling any of the people who promised to keep her safe. When they found out she was in the bayou alone, they were going to all be pissed.
Yeah, she was screwed. When this was over she’d be lucky if she still had a job, let alone people that liked her at all. Well, it was in for an ounce and in for a pound. Desdemona let it ring, but reached over to hit the mute button. As she became distracted, she swerved across the yellow line and jerked it back in time before causing an accident.
“Thank God!” She let out a breath, and then saw the flashing lights in her rearview mirror. “Great. Cypress Grove has three cops and one was right behind me,” she muttered, putting on her blinker and pulling over. Rolling down the windows of her sleek Mercedes, she waited for the deputy to approach and give her a great big ticket as her welcome home present.
“Ma’am, license and registration please?”
“It’s a rental, Deputy, but here’s my ID,” she said, handing it out the window without looking at the man. Really she wanted to just get this over with and move on her way.
There was laughter that drew her attention. “Desdemona Adare, how the hell are you?” he asked, and leaned down to look in the window, taking off his sunglasses.
She was confused, until she read the name tag. “Jonathan Delray! How are you?” she asked, hopping out of her vehicle to give the man a hug. “It’s been a really long time and you look the same.”
The man grinned at her, taking in the woman she’d become since he’d last seen her. It had to be seven years since she’d been back in Cypress Grove. “Here I saw this Mercedes fly by me down the road, and I was itching to hand out some big, fat tickets. Now I’m inclined to just let you go.” Now he handed her t
he ID back. “What have you been up to?”
She laughed when he winked at her. “I’m a medical examiner for the FBI.”
“You're shitting me. Little Desdemona is now working for the Feds?”
“Yeah, shocking isn't it?” she grinned back.
“Why are you in town? Is there some convention?” Then they both laughed over that one. Nothing ever happened in Cypress Grove that anyone would want to gather to discuss.
“My grand'mere called me. Cordelia is missing.” She didn’t miss that he flinched and then buried it. Something wasn’t right, or she was just hanging out with the Blackhawks a little too much and was bordering on paranoid. “She said she filed a report.”
“I didn’t check any of the reports before duty today. What can I do to help you find her? Is the FBI stepping in to work her disappearance?”
There was more hesitation in his voice, and this time she was sure of it. Desdemona’s gaze flickered over at her phone, and it was lighting up again. “No, I’m here on my own. I just want to see if she ran off with someone she was shacking up with, or if we need to be worried. THEN I’ll see if I can get the FBI to intervene.” Desdemona didn’t doubt that she could get Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk to help. Well, that was before she lied to them, skipped out on work, and did the opposite that they all wanted her to do. Oh, then toss in how she blatantly disobeyed their brother. It all made her feel like she was nothing more than a child. Her temper began to flare over the mere idea that the man liked to boss her around like she was three.
“Well, how about I stop by your grand'mere’s later after shift and see if I can assist you in anyway?” Jonathan Delray offered, feeling bad for the woman. He remembered when her mother went missing over two decades ago, and now she was faced with that all over again. The family seemed to be cursed.
“Jonathan, I can’t tell you how much I’d appreciate that.” It was nice to have a familiar face on her side in Cypress Grove.
Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) Page 5