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

by Kelley, Morgan

  “And? You just thought to wake me up and scream it at me?” Now she was irritated. She’d come back last night and seen the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, and it pissed her off. There was no doubt what was going on that they didn’t want interrupted.

  Desdemona then had Julian buy her booze to forget what was going on behind closed doors. Only it had the opposite affect and it made her want to knock on the door and confront the three of them. Luckily, Julian had the fortitude to restrain her. She needed to know if her ex fiancé had betrayed her with Elizabeth. Why it mattered at this point, she hadn’t a clue, but it was now consuming her and the big obsession in her life.

  “You want me to kick in the door?” she asked. “Okay, works for me.” Elizabeth went to the door and opened it.

  “Wait, okay?” Desdemona pulled out her keys and handed her the one on her ring. “Don’t lose it, it’s my grand'mere’s.”

  “I think I can keep track of a key.”

  “I’m going to sleep now until this hangover is gone. Can you bring me the journal? It’s on the desk in the bedroom. I want to read it later.”

  Elizabeth stared into the eyes of the woman who was once her friend. “For the record, Desdemona, I would have been your friend the rest of your life, despite Callen and all this. You mattered to me and I cared. I would have been here for you and helped you through all this. Now I’m left wondering if you can say the same thing.” Elizabeth pocketed the key, and turned away from the woman, slamming the door behind her out of anger, not out of spite. If Doctor Adare thought she was the only victim in all this, maybe she needed to take a closer look.

  Desdemona’s eyes filled with tears because she knew Elizabeth was telling the truth, and now she wished she could get that back at least. Where losing the fiancé hurt, losing the first real friend she ever had, hurt far worse.

  Climbing back into bed, she succumbed to the overwhelming need to purge the pain in the form of vicious tears.

  When Elizabeth returned back to her room, both men were flipping through papers and stopped to stare at her. It was hard to not laugh at the look on both of their faces.

  “You're both thinking about sex. I can tell.” She pointed at her husband first. “When you think lecherous things, your eyes get all happy and sparkly.” Then she pointed at Whitefox. “You just look damn giddy at the prospect, and your smile is just a little too big. People will talk if you both don’t stop looking so damn smug.”

  The men laughed and couldn’t help it. Smug was an understatement that morning.

  “Did you have fun abusing the team?” asked her husband, drinking his coffee.

  “Some women like sparkly things; I like to make people cry before seven a.m. Tears and diamonds are shaped the same for one very important reason.” Elizabeth crossed to the men and since there were only two chairs and both had occupants, she picked a lap.

  Callen was surprised it was his that Elizabeth settled in, especially since Ethan was right there. It made his heart skip in his chest that he was her first choice.

  “I got Doctor Adare’s keys, and we can head to her grandmother’s house at any time for the DNA.”

  “Did you have to beat it out of her?” inquired Whitefox, running his cheek across her shoulder, taking in her scent.

  Ethan watched his wife, noticing the tone in her voice. “You’re still mad and hurt, huh?” he asked, knowing her all too well. Elizabeth offered the woman complete friendship, and had it handed back to her with lies and the slap.

  “I’m over it.”

  Both men knew that wasn’t true. Elizabeth was a big puddle of mush under a hard shell. Once she loved, she loved completely and the hurt would live within her for a long time.

  Callen felt guilty. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this, made you be her friend, and she hurt you, Lyzee. I wish I could take it all back. It was a disastrous seven months, not only for Desdemona and me, but you too.”

  Elizabeth took his face in her hand and looked him in the eyes. “This is not your fault. You took a chance at love, and that isn't ever wrong. It just isn't always the right time or person. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at me for believing I could have a friend that wouldn’t hurt me. Sometimes the circle has to stay small to stay intact. I’ve learned my lesson on this one too.”

  “Want me to go kick her ass for you?” asked Blackhawk.

  “I’ll go too,” offered Callen, willing to do anything for her. The woman was rooted deep in his heart, and he felt the need to protect her with everything in him.

  Elizabeth leaned into his body and was grateful to have them both. “I love you both. Don’t ever forget that.” These two men would always have her back, and the circle they shared was precious to her.

  “Ready to hit the road?” Blackhawk knew they needed to get the day started. “Since you harassed the techs, I’m free for the morning.”

  “Yeah, let’s go get that DNA, so we can do a side by side comparison. Then we might have a little more to work with on this.” Elizabeth stood and grabbed her gun, badge and sunglasses. “Let’s hit the trail my sexy Native partners. We have a killer to find.”

  “Right behind you, Boss,” said her husband.

  “Because that’s the superior view,” added Whitefox, snickering and earning a fist bump from his brother in agreement.

  Elizabeth turned and stuck out her tongue, because she could. As they exited the room no one was around, and she took that as a sign that the team actually obeyed her. All three came down the stairs, and Elizabeth imagined they looked intimidating.

  Here she was tall, toting a gun on her hip, glasses in place and two large Native men flanking her body. Callen was dressed just pretty much the same. Beat up boots and jeans encased his body and made him look just as bad ass as she did. Then there was her sexy as sin husband. Usually he’d be in a suit, but today he too had boots. Although his were Italian, leather and perfectly shiny, and they matched his persona perfectly. As usual, he wore the customary black in the form of a polo and designer jeans. The man didn’t do laid back like her and Callen.

  The look on the faces of their team, as they passed them in the parking lot, was entertaining. They were desperately trying to not stare at the three, as they headed out to take care of their end of the investigation. Even the ME and anthro doctors were trying to avoid looking directly at them. It looked like the tech team had a slew of guilty consciousness between them.

  Inside the Escalade, Elizabeth finally grinned. Yeah, they got the point, and it should be handled for now.

  “Scared them shitless,” said her husband, laughing.

  “It was probably the comment about them filling out their own toe tags,” she answered, buckling into her seat.

  “Vicious women are so sexy.”

  Whitefox laughed. “Oh yeah they are.”

  * * *

  He ripped out the pages of the journal and began burning them in the barrel behind the building. He needed to make sure the truth was lost forever. Chances were no one had time to read the pages, since embarrassing questions had yet to be asked. There may still be time to save all the innocents unwillingly involved.

  When he read the dead woman’s words last night, it turned his stomach, sickening as the truth was plain to see. Trinity Adare had left a trail, even though she’d been dead more than twenty years.

  Now, he needed to ensure the trail went ice cold. Even if that meant scaring home the FBI agents who were invading Cypress Grove. The woman looked to be the boss, and that meant she had to be the first to go.

  If he couldn’t get to Desdemona Adare, he’d make sure that he got to the FBI and made his point known to them all. Since he was already guilty of taking a life, why not add to the count? A sin was a sin, and already he was accountable.

  Focusing back on the journal, he kept burning the tattered pages, until all that was left was the cover. Watching the ashes float into the sky, he released the truth to the heavens in hopes that only he and God would know the sins they wer
e hiding.

  * * *

  Elizabeth knocked on the back door of the Adare homestead, waiting to see if anyone was home. There was no way she was using the key if Morgana Adare was there. The old woman had a propensity for shooting her gun at anyone on her property, and it was too nice of a day to die. Looking over her shoulder, Elizabeth was worried about the men behind her. The bayou witch had a general dislike for Natives. Maybe they should have thought to put on Kevlar just in case.

  Her attention was drawn back to the door, as the older woman wandered over, unlocking it and welcoming them into her home.

  “Is my Desdemona with you?” she asked, concerned. “I came back this morning early with my herbs and can’t find her.” If anything happened to her other grandchild, she’d be crushed. Already her heart ached for Cordelia.

  “We have her under guard, and she’s safe back at the bed and breakfast.”

  Blackhawk said nothing, doing what he did best- simply observing the woman from behind the reflective lenses of his sunglasses. Right now in his mind he was creating a profile of the potential killer, and everything and anything this woman said or did could help him. There was no question that Morgana Adare was incredibly uncomfortable with the two men standing in her home. Apparently, she had a big issue with Natives. None of the tension was directed at his wife, which was odd in itself. Generally, she garnered the hostility of people they interviewed. Her technique was to get them flustered and rattle the cage in an effort to get them to spill whatever they were trying to keep hidden. She’d damn well perfected it, but this time it was the two silent men who were making the elderly woman edgy.

  “Come on in. Do you want some tea? I just brewed some,” inquired Morgana Adare. Her focus was distinctively on the woman before her.

  “I would love some, thank you.”

  Both men declined.

  Elizabeth continued, “Then we need to ask you some questions, and hopefully you can answer them for us.” Elizabeth took the tea, trying to play nice with the elderly woman. As she sipped it, the scent reminded her of granddad’s tea and her heart ached at the thought.

  The old woman nodded, wandering back into the kitchen to fetch her own cup. “Gentlemen, please have a seat,” she offered, noticing neither moved, but remained behind the woman protectively. She pointed at Callen. “You were going to marry my Desdemona?”

  Whitefox’s cheek twitched. He’d remembered how Desdemona called him friend only, and it pissed him off. “I had planned on it, but realized it was a mistake. Hopefully we can remain friends.” It was simply the truth, and he wasn’t going to hide behind comfortable lies anymore. He held no animosity towards the woman, because he was partially to blame for the debacle.

  “The three of you have this aura around you. It is one of protection and togetherness as a unit. You spoke of the shaman,” Morgana observed, peering deep into Elizabeth’s eyes. She was the only one who took off her glasses out of respect. It was obvious the men felt none of that towards the woman, and it was telling.

  “Yes, I mentioned him.”

  “Ah yes, he’s passed over and there is emptiness in all of your lives now. But let it be known, he’s with you right now and always around you three,” she said, swirling tea in her cup.

  Elizabeth was good at keeping a blank face, even when she was getting angry. Timothy and all the men were off limits, especially to the woman.

  “You all have a change in your life, and a path that you didn’t suspect you’d walk on together.” When none of them answered or gave any sign of acknowledgement she continued. “They call me the bayou witch for a reason, and I know what others seldom see.”

  “They call me a bitch for a reason, and I seldom have patience for a great many things, this included,” stated Elizabeth, “Since you speak of our grandfather, maybe he’ll tell you that I view all this as bullshit.”

  The woman laughed. “You’re the protective one, I can tell and yet the men behind you are an enigma. They watch over the one that keeps them safe.” Morgana watched Elizabeth finish her tea and took her chance. She picked up the cup and swirled the leaves, reading them.

  Great, now the anger was moving towards the desire to beat down an old woman.

  “You’re going to have more children than just your son, and your house will be overflowing with joy. I hope you like boys and I even see a girl in the mix, possibly. They’re all around you. I need to warn you that so is darkness.”

  Elizabeth didn’t say a word, but both men placed a hand on each of her shoulders in support.

  “You have blood on your soul and death follows you. There will be more death before you leave Cypress Grove. You love with all your heart, and you share your bed with two loves.” Then she looked up at both of them behind her. “I see you as the dark bird flying over the battlefield, the caller of death and the reaper of life. Something is coming for you. The past comes for the raven and her companions and you need to be ready.”

  “You can stop right there, Ms. Adare. I don’t live for what’s coming, because in our line of work there may not be a tomorrow. I live in the present. As for death always following me, that’s fine. When you know what chases you, then you know what to expect. I rarely need someone to read my tea leaves to tell me what I already know.”

  The older woman nodded. “Someone from the past is coming back, dark bird. Someone that is tied to you both,” she pointed at Ethan and then Elizabeth. “Guard what you love, because it’s coming soon and you can’t stop fate from taking what it wants,” and now she pointed at Callen.

  Elizabeth felt sick to her stomach.

  “Whether you want to hear it or not, I’ve given you the warning. What you choose to do with it is up to you.”

  Elizabeth leaned forward and switched it up. “Who was Desdemona’s father?”

  The woman looked surprised at the question.

  “Is Cordelia her biological sister?” Elizabeth took the tea leaves in the older woman’s cup and swirled them. “We can play your game, but now it’s my turn. I see in your leaves that you’re hiding truth. You know more than you say, and you will reveal all by the end. Desdemona’s next on the list to die, and you're not surprised by it. You suspect it all started with you and your daughter.”

  Morgana Adare stared into the blue eyes that taunted her. If these three weren’t protected, she’d teach the woman a lesson.

  Good, she pissed her off. That’s about how she felt hearing her future without asking. Unfortunately for Desdemona’s grandmother, Elizabeth wasn’t scared by hocus pocus, and she would confront it head on. The woman held part of the truth and was keeping it to herself. “Anyone can read the future if they ask the right questions, Morgana.”

  “You mock me then?”

  “No, I’m damn good at my job. All three of us are, and before this is over I’ll have the truth. While you may have the gift of sight, I have another gift. I can smell lies a mile away, and while you may be feared by people in Cypress Grove that call you witch, I have seen so many scary things in my life that you don’t faze me. I’m going to find who killed your granddaughter, and the other woman found at her side.”

  Morgana Adare flinched as if slapped.

  “You aren’t so good at keeping your emotions hidden, Ms. Adare. Like us, you believe she’s your daughter. If the other woman is your child, I’ll have justice for her too.”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “What happens in the past is just that. The past.”

  “Normally I preach that same line, but here’s another one that I hope to impart to you. Those that refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. If you think you’re immune to fate, you’re not as wise as you appear. But hey, if you don’t mind gambling with Desdemona’s life, have at it. Who am I to stop you?”

  She stood indignantly. “Get what you need and get out of my house!”

  Elizabeth stood and grinned. “Sucks to be told what’s going to happen when you didn’t ask, doesn’t it?” she added. “
Maybe you’ll remember that not everyone likes strangers peeking into their future.”

  Now it was time to get the DNA and get out of there. The woman knew something, but now wasn’t the moment she’d get it out of her. Let it stew and brew, and then she’d be back and beat it out of her if need be. In Cordelia’s room, she pulled on her gloves and collected the items she needed to compare DNA.

  Now all she needed was the journal, and then they could get the hell out of Weirdsville. It wasn’t anywhere to be found. Pulling out her phone she dialed Desdemona.

  “What do you want?” came the voice over the phone.

  Apparently, the hangover wasn’t better. “I’m here at your grandmother’s house and there’s no book.”

  “There has to be a book. I left it right on my desk,” she answered, testily.

  “It’s not here. So I suggest you get yourself dressed Doctor, put on your big girl panties, and get Julian to drive you here. I don’t see it, and if you think I have time to find your shit, you're completely wrong.”

  “Wow you're cranky today. You’d think getting laid by two men would make you happier,” she whipped back, crudely.

  Elizabeth paused, looking over at Ethan and Callen. “Who I sleep with isn't your business, Doctor Adare. Private life is just that and business is why I’m calling. I’m a little busy trying to help you find your sister to be playing games. I suggest you stop being a teenage girl, sulking over something you had a hand in ruining and get your ass over here yourself. Or I’ll find a way to ship you back to FBI West.”

  There was silence. “I’ll find the book! Thanks for nothing!” Then the phone clicked off.

  Elizabeth hung up and saw her husband’s lifted brow.

  “Come on, let’s get this over to the ME office.” Now she was cranky. There were witches telling her fortune, a bitchy ME who was holding a grudge, and a killer that she had no directionality on due to a team too busy gossiping. Today started as a really good day and now it was getting on her damn nerves.