“You going to call Ethan?” he asked, softly.
Elizabeth thought about it. “Not this time, Callen. That one was all for you.”
Callen felt his heart squeeze and a tear slid down his cheek. “Goodnight, Lyzee.”
“Night sweetheart.”
Elizabeth waited until she felt him fall completely asleep, when his breathing was perfectly even, and he was out cold. She picked up her phone and sent her husband a text, telling him what happened between Callen and Desdemona, and that she was worried about him.
Then she told him she loved him, but kept her promise to Callen. She kept the kiss between them, because she knew Ethan would understand. He would want his brother to heal and not be broken into pieces.
There were sacrifices you had to make for family when you loved them, and you didn’t think twice.
Monday Late Night
The light sound at the door pulled them both from sleep. Callen grabbed his gun and jumped out of bed, holding his finger to his mouth. Someone was tapping at the door in the Gardenia room.
Elizabeth pulled her gun and moved through the dark to secure the second door. She peeked out the tiny eye hole and saw nothing.
Whitefox made it to the door, looking out the hole and immediately relaxed. It was Julian, and he opened the door for him, stepping back.
“Lyzee, it’s Julian.” Callen kept his voice low, as she appeared in the doorway.
“Sorry to bother you both,” he said, softly.
Elizabeth holstered her gun and motioned for him to follow her. Going back into the room her and Callen Whitefox were just sharing, she flicked on all the lights and looked at the watch on her wrist. They’d only been asleep about ninety minutes, and it was nearly midnight.
“What’s going on, Julian?” she asked, taking in his attire. “You just coming out of the swamp?” The man was staring at her and the room and taking it all in, and Elizabeth knew where it was heading.
“Yeah, I found the remains. There are a few issues that you need to be aware of and that’s why I’m late getting out. Trust me the swamp in the dark is a bitch.”
It was hard to not notice a few things in the room, the first being Elizabeth Blackhawk. She was wearing a tiny pair of shorts, and was vastly different than the pregnant woman he remembered her to be months ago. The second was they just came through a room where the bed wasn’t messed up, and both of them appeared to be sleeping together.
He knew she was married and loved her husband, but now she was just waking up from a slumber with her brother-in-law. She had the look on her face waiting for him to say something, but he wasn’t going that route. If her husband didn’t know, he wasn’t finding out from him. This wasn’t the assignment he was hired to work, and as far as he was concerned, it was none of his business.
“Tell me everything you can,” she said, coming alert at the idea that they indeed now had a crime scene and could do some actual work on it.
Callen went back to his spot in bed and leaned back crossing his legs at the ankles. He noticed the looks Julian was giving them. Most of the speculation was directed at Elizabeth. They ranged from checking out her legs to glancing at the bed where they’d been sleeping. Not that Callen wouldn’t have made the exact same assumptions in Julian’s place, and not that he didn’t wish he’d earned the curious stares.
“I didn’t touch anything, but I did get as close to the bodies as possible to see what we had. I couldn’t get pictures. It was starting to get dark. There are two bodies stuffed into a cave like area behind some Cypress branches.”
“How hard was it to access? I have to get a full forensics team in there to get those bodies extricated.” Now she needed to contact base, and she grabbed her phone and dialed, putting it on speaker as it dialed.
“Not impossible, but it has some challenges.”
After two rings, Ethan Blackhawk’s sleepy voice came over the line. “Yeah baby, are you and Callen okay?”
“Ethan, call in the team. We have two bodies. Julian just got in from the swamp, and we need to move in tomorrow morning and fast.”
Ethan Blackhawk came completely awake at the words. “What do we have?” he asked.
It was Julian that continued. “The first victim is fully skeletonized. There are roots growing through the body, so I’m going to say it’s been there a while. The one right beside it is decaying, and not looking so damn good. We’re talking possibly a few weeks in the swamp to maybe a month at my estimation. They’re both up out of the water, so the gators couldn’t get to them, but the bugs from the rocky area had a field day.”
“Can you tell me if one is a woman?” he asked, hoping they had found Cordelia Adare.
“The rotting one is a woman; she’s wearing rings and has long hair. The other is completely bones. You need an anthropologist for that one,” he paused. “We have another issue. The cave like dwelling is smack dab on Native land.”
“And the Natives aren’t friendly?” Elizabeth asked.
“They were to me. Ethan and Callen should be fine, but if we start bringing a full team onto the land, we may have issues. The smaller a team going into the area the better in this case. I can lead us in, and we can quietly remove the bodies. That will make the tribe happy, and we like happy Natives, not angry ones.”
“What do you need, Lyzee?” inquired her husband.
“We’re going to need an ME. We can’t have Desdemona going in, so I need you to ship me Doc Leonard, Doc Magnus, and a few techs- maybe two or four at the most. They can process the scene. Christina loves some field work, and she’s the best we have.”
Ethan was typing on his phone as he listened. “Okay, I can have them there by five thirty in the morning. We’re going to have to contact the local police and claim jurisdiction on this one.”
“We have a problem there, Ethan,” said Whitefox. “We’ve been to the sheriff’s department. Sheriff Denton isn't going to cooperate, and my suggestion is we get to the bodies first, then tell him kiss our asses.”
“He can kiss my ass,” said Elizabeth. “He’s a jackwagon, and going to make my life complete and total hell.”
“We had a little name calling altercation where he insulted, Elizabeth.” Callen told his brother what happened.
“I’ll kill him.”
Elizabeth tried to calm her husband down. “I’d like to point out, that technically I am sleeping with the boss.”
Julian shook his head and looked around the room. When Elizabeth pointed at him he just shrugged.
Ethan laughed, obviously calming down over the situation. “I’m coming out. I’ll handle the jackwagon. You, handle the bodies and Doctor Adare. Callen, since you’re the Native American Liaison, you get the Indian tribe if anything pops up. We go in quiet tomorrow morning. Where do you want the meet up to be?”
Elizabeth thought about it. “Here at the bed and breakfast is probably best. It’s pretty quiet and not a lot of guests. I think there’s one couple besides us, and then Julian. We can meet up in the lot at five forty five and then caravan to the Adare property.”
“I’ll not be going into the swamp; I’ll head off Sheriff Jackwagon and cover for us until you get the bodies out. You need specific gear?” he asked, still typing.
“The water isn't that deep, just to about my knees. So you really just need light clothing and boots. We’ll avoid the deep parts.”
She laughed. “I told Callen to bring his swim trunks. I have my bikini all ready.” Both men in the room looked happy at that prospect, but the husband on the phone… not so much.
“Good try. You get a clean suit and I will duct tape it to your body. NO bikini, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth started laughing. “Ethan my love, it’s about ninety degrees outside now. I’m trudging into a swamp filled with gators, leeches and all kinds of nasty shit. I’m going to be comfortable. Just bring me some waders and I’ll be on my best behavior. Besides Callen is my partner and babysitter, and he’s almost more overprotective than you.”
&
nbsp; He laughed. “You think I haven’t seen your best behavior? As for my brother babysitting you, we both remember how that turned out last time. You just be up and all pretty for your gator trek at five forty five a.m. You have bigger issues tomorrow and her name is Doctor Desdemona Adare.”
“I have a plan on that one, Cowboy. You know this isn't my first rodeo, right? You just leave the doctor issues to me, and you get ready for the jackwagon.”
“Be safe tonight guys. Get some sleep. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous at five forty five.”
“Safe flight, handsome. I love you,” she said, giving him a kiss into the phone.
“Elizabeth. I love you too.” He knew what she was waiting for and just sucked it up. The kiss was returned, even though his brother was snickering. He cut out the call, and hopped out of bed and started dialing his team. There was the rush of blood in his body. Nothing was better than fieldwork, and he couldn’t wait to get out there and back with his partner and brother.
Even if it was in a swamp and his wife was threatening to wear a bikini.
Disconnecting the call, Elizabeth looked over at the tracker. “You better crash Julian; tomorrow’s going to be a long day. Hey, you get to go home after we get to the bodies. Great work!”
He shrugged. “I’ll stay if Ethan needs me, but you're right about the sleep. Are we having a sleep over?” he asked, nodding to the man lounging beside her. “Can I join in the slumber party?”
Whitefox pulled Elizabeth possessively against his side and gave him a not so nice look. “Julian, do you want to make it out of that swamp tomorrow, or have that be your final watery grave?”
He raised his hands and grinned. “I’ll see you downstairs for coffee tomorrow morning before we head into the swamp. Dress light. You don’t want to be weighed down in the mess. It’s not going to be a fun walk in or out.”
“Deja vu,” laughed Elizabeth. “I seem to remember you saying this to me once before, but wasn’t it cold and snowy?”
He laughed. “If you have your gun, bring it. There are gators in the water and they like pretty young FBI agent.” He walked to the door and made his exit.
“I hope he wasn’t thinking I was going to be the problem again,” she said, “Because I’d hate to school his ass twice in one year. That might be construed as ego crushing.”
Callen laughed and clicked off the light on his side of the bed. He slid down into the softness and waited for Elizabeth to join him. When she did he relaxed, but his mind was still going.
“What’s wrong, Cal?”
He didn’t know how to say it, and he hoped he didn’t piss her off when he finally just got it off his chest. “He knows we were in bed together. You and I know there wasn’t any sex, but word travels fast,” he sighed. “I don’t want anyone to hurt you or Ethan, and both of you are directors of FBI West. I don’t want rumors flying and damaging your careers.”
Elizabeth could hear the hurt and pain in his voice. “Callen, I’m not going to deny anything to anyone at FBI West. If they find out you and I were sharing a room, let them speculate on anything they want. I’m off duty and if I want to sleep in a bed with you, I’m entitled to just that. Ethan doesn’t care, since we were all just in bed last night. If anyone has big enough balls to start rumors at FBI West let them, because I’ll surgically remove them and use them as bookends. I look at it this way; I’ll be the envy of all the women in that building. I get to sleep beside two sexy men.”
He relaxed that she wasn’t going to hurt him. “It won’t be forever. I’ll be out of your way eventually.”
Elizabeth turned the light back on and looked over at him. “Look in my face, Callen James Whitefox. You aren’t bothering me or your brother. You’re not in our way or a burden. What you are is family and I love you. You sleep there as long as your heart tells you to, and don’t you dare listen to anyone else. Am I clear?”
He nodded. “Thank you, Lyzee.”
She nodded and clicked off the light, cuddling against his body. “You matter to me and that’s what it comes down to. I don’t care what people think about me. You should know that by now.”
“Can I ask you a question or two?”
She ran her hand over his tattoo of the fox reassuringly. “Shoot, darlin’.”
“Are you really going to wear a bikini into the swamp?”
Elizabeth started laughing. “I plan on wearing it under a shirt and with my cutoffs. Why?”
“Just because I want to bring a camera and take pictures of all the men’s faces that will be on this little exhibition into the swamp. You know how I love to torment my brother and this is probably the biggest fun I’ll have all year.”
Now Elizabeth laughed. “You may not make it out of Cypress Grove,” she said, snickering. “What’s your second question?”
Callen Whitefox kissed her on the top of the head. “I can’t sleep and I was wondering…”
“Yes?” she asked, looking up at him in the light from the window.
“Is there any Chinese food left? I’m suddenly very hungry.”
Elizabeth began laughing. “It’s in the mini fridge. You want to eat and get some work done instead?”
Whitefox clicked on the light. “Yeah.”
Who was he kidding? Now all he was thinking about was Elizabeth’s body in a bikini. There was nothing related to work floating around in his mind at that moment.
He suddenly couldn’t wait until morning.
* * *
Blackhawk sat on the jet with his team in route to Cypress Grove. Practically the entire team was crashing and trying to catch a few hours of sleep, with the exception of Doctor Chris Leonard. It was difficult to not notice the man staring at him from across the jet, and he figured the doctor needed to get something off his chest.
Blackhawk motioned to him and slid over to make room for his ME. “Chris, you have a look on your face, and you're not asleep. Want to tell me what’s going on in your head?”
“Desdemona is on the ground there, and I’m on a transport to Cypress Grove. I’m going to guess she’s still in trouble.” He liked the woman a great deal and was feeling responsible, since he hired her.
“Okay, I was going to brief the team when we landed, but here’s what’s currently happening. Desdemona’s sister went missing two weeks ago. The last decade or so she’s had a situation with a stalker and we think it’s connected. Elizabeth and I don’t want her doing the visual on the scene in case it’s family.”
Now it was clearer, and Chris was less nervous about the entire situation. “Okay, I just was worried she wasn’t on your good side, and I was going in to replace her.”
Blackhawk watched the man. “Chris, she lied to her bosses, and while there she struck Elizabeth and assaulted Callen. She’s not in a good position with us right now. I’m not saying her career is done with the FBI, but she’s in hot water when all this if finally over.”
He was a little surprised. “She physically assaulted Lyzee and Callen?”
“Just be ready for some aggression over this. We need an ME to go in, and we really want to keep this in house and under wraps. Elizabeth has requested first dibs on the corpses to help Doctor Adare out. The tracker we sent in to locate the bodies found them on Native land, and while Callen and I both fit that role, we still have a fine line to walk.”
“I get it.”
“So please, no matter what it looks like on the ground, know that we’re trying to save her job and help her. No one should have to do an autopsy on their sister.”
“Agreed on that.”
“Now go catch some sleep. We land in under three hours; you have to trudge into the swamp to retrieve a body. It’s going to be long hot work and probably disgusting too.”
“Okay Director.”
Blackhawk touched his arm as he was getting ready to stand. “We aren’t in the field. You can call me Ethan. I really don’t bite,” he grinned. “Unless I catch your hands on my wife, and then I do more than bite.”
Chris Leonard laughed. “No offense Ethan, but you biting is nothing compared to your wife breaking my arms off and using them to beat me senseless from touching her. I think I’ll be afraid of her a little bit more. You’re the civilized one.”
Ethan knew that was the tale appearances on the outside told. The truth was vastly different.
~Chapter Eight ~
Tuesday Morning
Stepping out of the shower, Callen wrapped a towel around his waist. Waking up next to Elizabeth had its pros and cons. The pros were the feel and smell of her hair was unbelievable, and unfortunately the cons were the same damn thing. It wreaked havoc on the male body, and he needed a very cold shower to try and stop thinking about her.
When he stepped out of the bathroom he found her dressed, or what she was calling dressed. She was in a bikini top and cut off shorts, digging for a tank top in her suitcase. She was leaning over the bed, and the shower’s effects came screeching to a halt. His body was hard again, and he was instantaneously turned on by what was waiting for him in their room.
Watching her pull the tank top over her head, it somehow didn’t really do anything to stop the effect. If anything it made him hotter. Pink bikini under white tank top, and he was trying to force himself to stop thinking about it.
Yeah, he’d seen her in a bikini lying in the sun in the yard, but his brother and Desdemona had been there. That always managed to cool the fire, until later when Callen would use the memories to fuel some Elizabeth driven fantasies.
Yes, he had thought about her while having sex with his fiancée, a lot. It was horribly wrong and should have been his big indicator there was an issue. What played in his head was his own business, as long as it stayed carefully hidden away. At least that was what he told himself daily.
Now, he was ten feet from Elizabeth, alone, and very turned on at what he was seeing. He also remembered watching her in the mirror, and his body tightened more.
Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) Page 22