Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four)

by Kelley, Morgan

  Jesus Christ, how the hell was he going to survive this?

  “Hey Cal, how was your shower?

  “Terrific.” What he wanted to say was ‘lonely, care to join me so I can feel you, taste you, and bury myself deep in your body until I explode?’

  “Great, you better get dressed. We have to go down in a couple of minutes. I want to be suited up before the team arrives.”

  Funny, Whitefox wanted to un-suit her before the team showed up. He struggled to regain focus and find some clothing that was going to cover his growing problem, and yet keep him from sweating his ass off in the swamp. He went with a pair of camouflage shorts and a tank top, as he prayed for divine intervention.

  Dressing, Callen hoped that his brother would arrive soon. Generally, that could scare the shit out of him enough to erase all his errant thoughts. Then maybe he wouldn’t be thinking of repeatedly taking Ethan’s wife over and over again.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, noticing he was tense. That and Callen was avoiding her. Usually he’d stroll around in his boxers and not think twice. She’d grown accustomed to it, and now he was rushing to dress, his back to her and his body was incredibly rigid. There were ripples down his back along his muscles.

  He started laughing. “Yeah, I’m terrific. I couldn’t be better, and I’m just damn awesome.”

  Elizabeth walked up behind him and placed her hand on his back, and was startled when he actually jumped at her light touch like it burned. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  There was more laughter because it was too funny. It wasn’t lost on him that it was a sick cruel universe thing, where he was destined to suffer immeasurable torment at the hands of love and fate. The man who had sex nonstop in his life just to have sex was now going to be celibate. Every day, he would be surrounded by a woman who turned his blood to lava and made him feel everything that he wanted in life.

  Karma was a bitch.

  Before sex was easy. Women who meant nothing were waiting to jump into bed with him for a sweaty romp, and now he found the one who mattered and Callen couldn’t touch her.

  What he felt when he was with Desdemona wasn’t half of what he felt just lying beside Elizabeth. Yeah, they had great sex, and it was fun, but just being near Elizabeth was far more… overwhelming, breathtaking, and magnificent. The list could go on and on.

  “We just need to get down there, Lyzee,” he muttered, trying to breathe and not think about her right behind him.

  “Callen,” she said, touching his arm.

  “Please, just step away from me. I need you to not touch me right now.” If he looked at her, he was going to do something incredibly stupid.

  Elizabeth felt the snap in his voice, and it shocked and hurt her. “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling pain at how he suddenly pushed her away and uncertainty at what she did to deserve it.

  Whitefox heard the injury in her voice, and he didn’t want to hurt the woman he loved. He turned suddenly, moving at her and grabbing her roughly. He ignored the look of surprise on her face before pulling her against his body and kissing her.

  Callen poured everything into it. It was days of pent up sexual frustration and need. He ripped through his body and tore into hers. Part of him knew that he was doing something so completely wrong. This was his brother’s wife, but he couldn’t control it. Whitefox swore, promised, and vowed that it would stop in a second or maybe two, possibly three. At least when Desdemona had been in his life, he had a way to burn off the lust that he was feeling for the woman in his arms.

  Now there was no outlet for his pent up frustration.

  Elizabeth just held on during the storm, and let him kiss her like he needed at that moment. She loved Callen and hated that he was suffering. It was a pretty phenomenal kiss, and she wouldn’t lie. It was incredible. He kissed just like his brother when he was all stirred up. Who knew?

  It took all his control but he managed to break the kiss. Callen stared down into her eyes, waiting to see the anger and hate that he’d crossed the line and destroyed trust. Yet, it wasn’t there. Elizabeth simply gazed at him with nothing but calm, clear, love and concern. She touched his cheek and he dropped his head to hers and they just stood there.

  “I’m so sorry, Lyzee.”

  “Callen, don’t be. I’m not mad at you.” Elizabeth ran her hand up and down his side, reassuringly. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” Callen wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he believed he might be able to pull it off.

  “That was a pretty amazing kiss, Cal.” Now she was giggling and trying to not break into full blown laughter.

  Only she would find what just happened funny, but it was contagious. Finally, Callen found the humor in it too, because it was definitely funny. He was just making out with his brother’s wife, in the Deep South, before going out to find corpses in a swamp. It was so completely insane that he had to laugh too.

  “Come on, Cal. Let’s get out there and get ready.”

  Elizabeth grabbed her FBI badge and hung it from the chain around her neck. Clipping on her gun, she slipped into her boots. “How do I look?” she asked, grinning at him.

  “Like a cross between the southern girl next door and a bad ass FBI agent. It’s hot and completely erotic in a redneck kind of way.”

  Elizabeth snickered, as he mimicked her actions, attaching his badge and gun. Together they exited their shared room, and headed down to get ready for the team. The entire bed and breakfast was silent, except for the owner standing behind the front desk.

  She was staring at them like they were aliens.

  “Good morning. I’m sure by now you’ve gotten the call and the FBI has rented more rooms, so let me reintroduce myself. I’m Director Elizabeth Blackhawk, and this is my partner Director Special Agent Callen Whitefox. He isn't my husband, but he is my brother-in-law. We’re here working an assignment here in Cypress Grove.”

  The woman just stared. “I really thought you both were a couple.”

  Elizabeth looked up and smiled. “We’re partners and VERY close, and we’ll leave it at that. In about five minutes my team is going to be rolling in, and I apologize in advance because we tend to be a handful. But on the bright side, no one will rob you while we’re here.”

  Julian came down the stairs and whistled. “You weren’t kidding, Director Blackhawk,” he said, stopping at her side.

  “Mr. Littlemoon is one of you too?”

  Elizabeth laughed when Whitefox pulled her closer to his body. “Yep, he works for us.”

  “So, you did need that second room?”

  Whitefox didn’t move or speak.

  “Sure we did. We needed a place for our suitcases. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a rendezvous in two minutes.”

  They walked from the building, dropping their sunglasses on their faces. The sun was just popping up over the horizon and she could hear the hum of big vehicles coming.

  “Looks like the cavalry is right on time,” Whitefox said. “Lyzee, thank you,” he added quietly, knowing she knew it was for the kiss. “I won’t ever forget what you just did for me.” The rest was for not denying him in front of the owner, by telling her they used the room when they clearly didn’t.

  “I told you, Callen. I’m not worried what people think. Standing here in a pink bikini in front of my tech staff should be proof enough.”

  Two more vehicles pulled up and a van into the parking lot. Out popped Christina and four techs who proceeded to stare at her like she was wearing a sign that said ‘GAWK AT ME’.

  Blackhawk was out of the one vehicle next, and strode towards his wife. Immediately, she went into his body and Ethan hugged her. “I missed you, baby.”

  Elizabeth missed him too.

  “I thought I said no bikini,” he whispered into her ear, and then started laughing. “Why does my brother look all freaked out and ready to implode.”

  Elizabeth whispered back. “Bikini, bed together, long tension filled night.” She wasn�
�t going to lie to him, he was too smart, and they had rules. No lying was the big one for them.

  Chris Leonard and Tony Magnus hopped out of the second vehicle and strolled over.

  “Wow, a bikini,” Chris said, and then saw the look both brothers gave him.

  Elizabeth started laughing. “I don’t see what the big deal is. You’re all in shorts and tank tops too; with the exception of my husband- because of course you're going to wear a suit to the swamp.”

  He laughed at his wife and added a salacious wink to follow her comments. “Get your Kevlar on, no one’s going in that swamp unarmed and not suited up. Gators, Natives, and plus a killer doesn’t mix.” He helped his wife slip into hers, and then his brother. He tossed Julian a vest and ordered him to wear protection too.

  “I’ll ride with you two over to the entry point into the swamp, and then I’ll drive into town to work my scary boss mojo,” he said, grinning. He tossed one of the techs his keys.

  Elizabeth nodded. “Okay, then let’s get this show on the road. It’s going to be ninety three degrees today in the shade.”

  Everyone hopped up into the vehicles. Julian opted to drive his rented motorcycle, in case he needed to leave the scene. There were four shiny vehicles rolling through the town, and although it was early, they still garnered attention. A big black Escalade, followed by two black Denalis and a black tech van that said FBI. There was nothing like blending in.

  Pulling into the Adare family driveway, they all parked and exited, ready for the impending mission. Immediately, Desdemona and her grandmother met them in the yard, halting their entrance into the swamp. Both looked ready for a confrontation of some sort.

  Blackhawk greeted the women, nodding at his other ME. “We found some remains in the swamp, and the team is going in to retrieve them. We don’t have visual confirmation on whether they’re your sister or not, but we’ll advise you as soon as possible.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Desdemona said. “I’ll do the visual.”

  Elizabeth stepped forward now because this fell under her responsibility, since her spiffy husband had drawn Sheriff Jackwagon duty. “No, I’m sorry Doctor Adare; you will NOT be joining us on our little leech filled tour of Cypress Grove’s swamps. We have Doctor Leonard and Magnus with us for this one.”

  She felt her temper spike. “I’m an ME too. I think I can handle it!” She stepped towards Elizabeth and was very angry. “You realize you really can’t stop me.”

  Elizabeth Blackhawk loved a challenge. “Do yourself a favor and take the break on this, and don’t make me pull rank. If you think I won’t then you're kidding yourself.”

  “I need to do this, and you have to let me.”

  “Really? Rarely am I required to let anyone do anything. As of now, Doctor Adare, you’re on suspension pending termination for assault on two co-workers. You also maliciously lied to your boss, called in sick when you weren’t and tried to persuade your co-worker to propagate more lies to cover for you. Then, let’s have my favorite of all the stupid ass things you pulled in the last week. You transported your gun across state lines and lied, saying it was FBI related when it clearly wasn’t. You will be sitting this one out.”

  Blackhawk motioned for the team to get ready.

  “All this because he and I aren’t together anymore?” She was furious. “Callen dumped me, and now you’re going to road block me from doing my job? You may have managed to get him away from me, but you can’t keep me out of the fucking swamp.” She moved towards the house to get ready.

  Elizabeth stepped in front of her, blocking her way. “Desdemona, take this one off, and this is the last nice request I plan on giving you.”

  “Or what?” she demanded, and then physically shoved Elizabeth out of her way.

  The tech team gasped.

  Elizabeth was on her so fast, that she didn’t know what hit her. She grabbed her arm, twisted it and brought the ME to her knees in front of her. “Cuffs please,” she said, pushing her flat to her stomach and snagging the cuffs her husband tossed her. “You just assaulted a federal agent. You’re going to jail for a little vacation, darlin’.”

  Morgana Adare went to move towards her granddaughter, and Whitefox stepped between them. “If you touch her, I will restrain you. So back off!”

  Desdemona was furious. “What?” she demanded from her position face first on the ground. “I pushed you. I didn’t assault you, and even you know the difference!”

  Elizabeth walked her over to the Denali and rolled the window down, placed her in the back and buckled her in to the safety belt. “That’s what we here Feds call a technicality. Where you’ve been with the FBI under a year as a medical examiner, I’ve been a special agent for over ten years, and a director. My knowledge of how to skew the rules trumps yours, Doc.”

  “This is insane.”

  “No this is me pulling rank on someone that’s insubordinate, over the line, and being a damn pain in my ass.” Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. “Anyone here believe I won’t toss the good doctor in jail for putting her hands on me?” she asked the people behind her.

  There was laughter from everyone who knew her.

  “See you when we get out, Doctor Adare,” Now, she was drawling and grinning her big country girl smile.

  “Ready Lyzee?” called Whitefox, refusing to even look at the woman who was once his fiancée. He wasn’t feeling much sympathy for her. Just last night, Desdemona wished him a lifetime of loneliness, and then put her hands on Elizabeth, again. If anything, he was close to losing it himself.

  Elizabeth took the assault rifle from Julian and ignored the stares of the team as she slipped into rubber wading boots. “Come on, let’s get in there and get back out.”

  Ethan walked over to the Denali and looked into the window at the sobbing woman. “Doctor Adare, we will notify you when we find out if we indeed have found your sister. At that time you will be given the standard options.”

  “Are you going to leave me here?” Now the tears were starting to fall even harder. “I get that she hates my guts, and that I’m now the outsider to you all, but you’re generally the logical one.”

  “Desdemona, she put you here because she cares about you. What she was worrying about was you having to recover your sister and then see that the rest of your life. Elizabeth is protecting you, and despite everything that happened between you and my brother, she still cared. When you slapped her the other day she took it and believe me, I’ve seen her punch back. Elizabeth doesn’t slap. She once broke my old partner’s nose for hitting her. She loves you or she’d have knocked you on your ass and did some major damage to your face.”

  Desdemona sniffled.

  “Now, I’m going to the sheriff’s station to claim jurisdiction on this recovery. If you’d like to join me, you’re welcome to come along and keep me company, or the other option is you can sit here in cuffs. You decide.”

  “Can I get dressed first?” she inquired, looking down at her cutoffs and old t-shirt.

  “Yes,” he answered, opening the door and helping her out of the restraints. “You have five minutes.”

  Blackhawk watched her scurry away as fast as she could, and glanced at his watch. Next on his list of things to do was going to be fun. He loved screwing with the local law that insisted on giving his wife a hard time.

  Elizabeth followed Julian into the mire and muck and took it all in. It was thick and ungodly. “Holy shit, this is going to suck on the way out, carrying two bodies.”

  “Yeah it is,” Chris Leonard said, as he ducked under a low hanging branch that had creepy crawlies living in it.

  “Director Blackhawk,” called Christina from behind Elizabeth. “Are you really going to throw Doctor Adare in jail?”

  She started laughing and her ME and anthropologist joined her in the private joke.

  Chris Leonard spoke up and came to the defense of his friend. “You see that take down, Christina? Elizabeth wasn’t even trying. I once saw her take down
a drug dealer that had just killed three women in the drug house. He was a brick shithouse, and she slammed him so hard to the ground, he broke out three teeth. That wasn’t even halfhearted back there. I’d bet she’s already out of cuffs and with Director Blackhawk on her way to some frou-frou assignment that doesn’t involve leeches and snakes. Trust me; she’s the lucky one on this.”

  Elizabeth snickered at his choice of vernaculars. “That was a good day with the crack dealer. I needed three sets of cuffs to get his arms restrained. He was huge. I almost forgot about that assignment. It ranks up there with my all-time most enjoyable cases.”

  “Tell us more, Doctor,” egged on Julian.

  “We were retrieving the women he cut to ribbons, and he actually had the balls to come back to the scene. Elizabeth was trying to protect the tech crew from the knife he was wielding. She slid into his legs, kicking out his knees and barely got out from under him. He never saw her coming. It wasn’t until he called her ‘a sweet piece of ass’, that she busted in his teeth on the concrete floor.”

  Callen grinned and wasn’t the least bit surprised that her breaking point was a reference to her ass.

  “I’m not arresting her, Christina. I just needed her to snap out of it. You check out my husband’s ass daily, and I haven’t tossed you in jail or slid into you and beat you to a pulp. YET.”

  Everyone laughed, including Christina. “Point taken and don’t think I’m not grateful for that daily.”

  “How far do we have to go?” Whitefox asked. He was quiet the entire time. It wasn’t often he heard stories about Elizabeth’s past, and he hoped the doctors would keep talking.

  “A mile or so.”

  “Okay, so what was it like working with Elizabeth, back then?” inquired Whitefox grinning. “Was she this bad ass when she was younger?”

  Elizabeth snickered. She knew they should be focusing, but this was disgusting work, and they needed to keep their minds off what was in the water. She prayed there were no leeches thinking about making her a snack.

  “You think she’s bad now? She was less refined back then. Ethan has mellowed her considerably. She was crass, kicked ass, and was in trouble all the time. I remember one case where she was undercover on the street. We had a killer working the local area in DC with a predilection for hookers and having part of them as a snack.”