Once inside they sat on the couch and no one spoke for a while, unsure of a safe topic that wouldn’t turn into a brawl. Elizabeth wanted the men to leave, and she knew they were thinking the same thing about her too.
“I think it’s best if we simply skip it and save ourselves the fight,” suggested Blackhawk, knowing what was bouncing through his wife’s head.
“Agreed,” Callen stated.
She would have to let this one go and since they were willing to not boss her around, she’d do the same. “Tell me what the killer was thinking by leaving us the feather, Ethan.”
He leaned his head back and contemplated her question. “He’s upping the stakes. We’re worthy adversaries and now we’re being forewarned. In his state of mind, he’ll believe he’s doing us a favor by giving us a chance to out maneuver his next move.”
Callen didn’t like this at all. “He’s making it a game.”
Blackhawk nodded in agreement. “Yes, he’s probably assuming that we don’t have a clue about there being two killers. He’s either trying to give us another clue, or tagging one of us as his next victim.”
She thought about it. “Today I want to hit up council and talk to the shaman and the chief. I don’t like that everything we have is pointing to a council member for the first three killings. It’s hardly coincidence.”
“I’m with you there,” Blackhawk agreed. “We need to stay one step ahead of the killer with this one. Keeping as much information quiet as possible.”
There was a crunch of gravel in the driveway. “Were we expecting anyone?” Callen asked, walking to the window. “Oh holy hell!” he exclaimed.
“What?” Elizabeth raced to the window. “Oh shit, the media found us now too!”
Blackhawk joined them. “Someone sent them to our doorstep,” he stated. “No one knew we’re here but the chief of police and our team.”
“And the killer,” Elizabeth added, glancing at the men. “We’re not going to get out of here without dealing with them, so which one of us is going to pony up and make a statement?”
The men went with their standby and did rock, paper, scissors. Callen won and laughed triumphantly. “Between you two,” he stated, grinning.
Elizabeth smiled at her husband as he prepared to challenge her. “I’ll have really kinky sex for a week if you take one for the team.”
That had his attention. “Just the two of us?”
Callen protested, his hopes dashed at being excluded in the sex-fest. “Hey!”
“Yep,” she answered, leaning in and whispering in his ear. “Just you me and that.”
For half of what she was offering up he’d walk on nails and eat live scorpions. “Deal. Let me go get my suit on.” Blackhawk walked away whistling.
“What did you just score?” Callen had to know. Of the three of them, Ethan and Elizabeth hated the media and it had to be monumental for his brother to take it willingly.
She leaned in and repeated the deal.
“Holy shit, Elizabeth! That’s an option?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I like to save it for the times I need leverage against the men in my life,” she answered.
Blackhawk laughed from the stairs. “She’s a wild card Cal. You never know when she’ll offer up a deal, but when media is involved it’s a given.”
Callen kicked the sofa. “I’m never winning rock, paper, scissors ever again!”
Elizabeth simply grinned, grabbing her cup of coffee. She loved the men in her life enough that she knew she’d cave and let Callen in on it too.
* * *
Christina woke up with a pounding headache and a note beside her on the hotel bed. She was tired, sore and hung over. Then she remembered what she did and sat up, scanning the room.
Her lips were swollen and she was pretty sure tequila and the night of incredible sex was going to come back and bite her in the ass.
“Oh my God! What did I do?” Picking up the note, she read it and wanted to puke. “Yep, I did what I thought I did,” she said out loud to an empty room. “Apparently repeatedly.”
Again she re-read the words:
Chrissy,
I had to be at work before seven. I’ll see you
there and for the record… just wow!
Kane
“I’m a dead woman,” she muttered lying back on the bed and closing her eyes. Bits and pieces of the night flashed through Christina’s mind, as her body heated at the thought of the evening’s festivities. How he talked her into tequila and sex was beyond her. Generally, she was logical and thought everything through.
Then it hit her. He’d seen the scars marring her chest and arms. “Oh crap,” Christina muttered, wanting to cry. If she could call in sick, she absolutely would, but she knew the truth. That wouldn’t fly with Elizabeth Blackhawk. It looked like she was going to have to face the music.
Or in her case, a sexy man that saw her at her most vulnerable.
* * *
Ethan Blackhawk was an imposing man when need be. When dealing with the media hounds, there had to be a boundary set right from the start. If they thought they could bully the FBI, they’d try at every given chance. Going in imposing was the only way to have complete and total control.
Once he’d put on his tailored finery, he was ready to handle the mess brewing on their doorstep. Walking down the stairs, he paused at the mirror to make sure his tie was perfectly knotted and he was projecting an air of superiority.
Elizabeth whistled. “Hey Cowboy, you plan on schooling the media dogs or what?” When her husband put on the power suit in all black and the flame red tie, there was going to be a battle. “You look sexy.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss her. “I like to give them their money’s worth when I face them down.”
Callen grabbed their car keys. “We should head out.”
Ethan reached down to pull her to her feet. Elizabeth went into his body and pulled his mouth down to hers. The kiss was warm and sensual and spoke of the heat brewing in her for the man.
“Oh brother,” muttered Callen grinning. “He put on a suit. Oh look, Ethan wears one every damn day, so that’s a surprise. You’d think he was going off to war.”
Blackhawk snickered. “Jealousy is very unbecoming of you, Cal,” he answered, winking.
Elizabeth leaned into his ear and lowered her voice. “Wear the suit for the week of debauchery. It makes me all hot and bothered getting you out of it.”
“Deal!”
“I’m not asking this time,” stated Callen. “I’m afraid to know.”
Both laughed.
“Show time boys!” Elizabeth proclaimed, as they headed for the door.
Once outside the flashes of cameras blinded them, as the men protectively stood in front of Elizabeth. It was second nature, and they couldn’t be sure the killer wouldn’t be out in the crowd.
The questions began immediately.
Ethan held up his hand, silencing them. Apparently, a large Native man in a power suit was the winning combination. “I’ll address the group, make a statement, and then we’re done here. You want to camp out here every day, that’s up to you.”
They started with the questions again. When he tried to speak, they buried him in noise.
Elizabeth whistled and it went silent.
“My name is Director Ethan Blackhawk; these are my partners, Directors Elizabeth Blackhawk and Callen Whitefox. We’re here working on an assignment related to the reservation. At this time, we aren’t at liberty to release any details regarding the case. If you contact FBI West, there is a press junket that we can make available to you. Other than that, specifics aren’t up for discussion or statement.”
“Is it true that the killer is scalping the victims and taking their skin?” shouted a woman with a microphone.
“Again, the details of this case aren’t being released in an effort to preserve the feelings of the victim’s families,” Blackhawk stated.
“Does Red River have another serial m
urderer?” shouted someone else. “Is this the Red River killer part two?”
“Again, if you want more details, please contact our office for the official press release.”
“What’s with the white feather being left with the victim? Is it a symbol from the killer?” some man said. “Is that why the FBI has sent two Indians to handle it?”
Elizabeth stepped forward and more flashes went off. “As my partner has clearly stated, this assignment is currently being investigated to the best of our ability. We aren’t releasing the ethnicity of any suspects or victims involved in the crime. For the record, Indians are from India, and Native Americans are the indigenous people of the United States.”
The man laughed. “Thanks for the history lesson, Honey.”
It took everything in her to not walk over to the asshole and punch him in the face. “You’re very welcome. I’m sure your fifth grade teacher would be glad you received the refresher you obviously slept through the first time.”
Blackhawk started for the Denali as they hopped in, slamming the door in anger. Backing out, he glanced over at his wife. “We have a HUGE problem.”
Callen thought he was referring to her basically schooling the reporter. “I think she took it easy on him.”
Blackhawk glanced up in the mirror. “Huh? No not her. I’m used to her and the media. That was tame. I’m talking about someone releasing the feather. There are only a few people that knew about it.”
Elizabeth agreed. “Our techs, the chief of police, his officers, the council and Julian’s family were all aware.”
“And the killer,” added Blackhawk.
“We have a leak?” inquired Callen.
She didn’t like it. “Hell yeah we do, and this is about to blow wide open.”
~ Chapter Eighteen ~
Elizabeth had every intention of discussing the situation with her team. Knowing them as well as she did, there was no doubt in her mind that they had nothing to do with the leaks. Somehow, someone had breached their information or simply spilled it to the media. Yeah, it could have been the killer looking for notoriety, but all avenues had to be covered.
The staff got the texts requesting them all to arrive in the morgue room ASAP. Arriving one by one, their looks ranged from trepidation to curiosity. It was rare for them to have a team meeting. When Julian and Tori rolled in last, Elizabeth began the talk.
“Morning everyone, and welcome to my pow wow. Anyone watch the news this morning?” She scanned the group’s faces to see if there were any looks of guilt. Her eyes landed on Christina and she knew something was off. Gone was the cheery, and in its place was the look of horror.
“Anyone? No? Well, let me give you all a rundown. This morning we had two concerning things happen at the house we’re renting. The first being this,” she said, taking the sealed up feather from Callen. “It was found in the grill of the Denali. The killer is making house calls.”
Everyone gasped.
“It looks like one of us directors has made the hit list,” she paused as her stomach twisted. “As you can imagine, that makes me really cranky.”
Generally there’d be some snide comment from the team to bust her ass, but they all knew how serious she was about anyone going after her men.
She’d killed for less.
“If that didn’t piss me off enough this morning, we also had a visit from about ten reporters. They’re camped out at our house, and some followed us here. Why is that a problem you ask? They had details we didn’t release.”
Another gasp, but this time they all looked around, as if they could spot the guilty party.
“Someone spilled to them that there were skinless corpses and white feathers. Now our two details that made this killer unique have been let out of the bag. That means we can get copy cats or people randomly messing with us by leaving out white feathers.”
Chris Leonard spoke up. “You don’t think it was one of us, do you? We’d never call in the media and compromise the investigation.”
“We know it wasn’t one of our team. You all know damn well that if I suspected you told anyone anything, I’d hunt you down and chew you three new ones. You’re the only ones that we trust at this point. The reason for this meeting is this; we need to keep the details buried. Any lab work, findings or answers to questions have to be protected. Trust NO ONE from this town, with the exception of Julian.” She pointed at the man.
“We need to lock it down, team,” Blackhawk added.
They all nodded.
“Okay, Christina?” Elizabeth called, and the woman actually jumped.
“Yes?”
Elizabeth lifted a brow. “I’d like to speak you in the ladies room. Is now a good time?” she inquired, handing her the feather in the clear plastic bag.
“Uh okay.” Christina followed her out and past the rest of the team.
She closed the bathroom door and locked it. “Spill it. You look like hell and aren’t chipper today. The only time I’ve ever seen that happen was when you were almost blown up.”
“I may have done something really stupid, and you may be really angry with me,” she said, getting nervous.
“What happened?”
Christina took a deep breath. “Last night I was working in the lab, and Officer Redwolf came down with a pizza and asked to have dinner with me.”
Elizabeth shrugged, not seeing the issue. “Okay.”
“Then I sent him out of the lab after a while, but he was sitting in there when I was working. I was analyzing the feather.”
She urged her on.
“After I left the lab, he was waiting for me in the parking lot. He came up behind me and scared me.”
This alarmed Elizabeth. “Okay and?”
Christina told her about knocking him on his ass, and then continued. “He took me out for a beer, which turned into tequila and a one night stand.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “Do you believe he’s the one that’s informing the press?” She really didn’t see what the issue could be, unless he was the killer or rat.
“I don’t know. It just seems suspicious. He gave me a hard time at the crime scene where we found Sheriff Duffy, and then all the sudden he wants to have a drink? Then sex?”
This all seemed to go a little deeper than just the possibility that the man was spying on them. “Are you more worried about the fact he saw the evidence being worked on or that you had a fling?”
“Both.”
Elizabeth went into mothering mode. “Okay, as for him seeing the evidence, he’s privy to it through his boss. If he’s the rat, that’s another story. Now for the tequila and sex,” she began. “I think you’re worked up because it’s not your normal response. I’ve never seen you hung-over or this riled up.”
“He saw the scars.”
Now she completely got the picture. “So?”
“I told him about them on the crime scene when he inadvertently saw one. Then all the sudden he wants to have sex? I don’t want pity or to be gawked at like I’m a side show freak.” Her eyes filled with tears.
She went with the obvious. “Maybe he likes you.”
Christina just stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Uh, you get sexy native men to follow you around. I’m a lab nerd. I get other nerds, not sex Gods. Case in point is the two men that are over the moon about you.”
Elizabeth turned her around and made her look in the mirror. “You want to know what I see?” she asked.
The head lab tech shrugged.
“I see a beautiful woman with gorgeous eyes, an infectious smile and attitude that men love. I also see a very smart woman, practically a genius. I think he liked you because your outer and inner match.”
She simply stared.
“The scars aren’t that bad, Christina. I don’t bull shit you guys ever. I play straight with you. The scars are worse for you because you suffered through it. Maybe that makes him crazy because you’re tattooed and bad ass.”
She wished that was tru
e.
“You want to find out if it’s you or he’s a rat? I have a sure fire plan.” Elizabeth took her hand in hers. “You tell him no more sex until this is solved, because he’s distracting and making you crazy. He’ll think he’s a stud, and you’re off the hook for the time being.”
“That could work.”
Elizabeth took it a step further. “Blame me. Tell him I found out about your fling and the FBI rules state no sex on the job with anyone we work with on assignment.”
“That could work too.”
She grinned. “You think I got to be boss by accident?”
Christina laughed. “I think you became boss because you’re really good at people skills and smart.”
Winking, Elizabeth offered her reassurance. “If the sex was good, he’ll hang around. Trust me, Darlin’.”
Pulling the note he left on his pillow from her pocket she handed it to her boss. Why not go all in on this one.
Elizabeth read it and grinned. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Christina immediately felt better. “Thanks Elizabeth!” She hugged her boss and the cheery was back. “Want to meet me in the lab with the bosses, and I’ll tell you what I found in the samples?” Christina asked, tucking the note back into her jean pocket.
“Absolutely. We’ll be right in,” she answered, unlocking the bathroom door and setting the woman free. Elizabeth found her way back to Callen and Ethan.
“Everything okay?” Whitefox asked, placing his hand on her lower back.
“Yep,” she answered, not divulging any of the conversation to the men. “Christina has some details from the crime scene and evidence. She needs to see us.” Elizabeth motioned to Tori and Julian.
Once inside the lab, they found Christina digging through paperwork.
“We’re ready when you are,” Blackhawk said, taking a seat as Elizabeth and Tori hopped up on the counter.
“Yes Boss,” she said, pulling out the correct paper. “I ran all the blood and bits we found at the scene. They’re all consistent with the DNA from the victim.”
Darkness Of Truth (An FBI/Romance Thriller~ Book 6) Page 47