Blackhawk understood. He felt the same way, but he had to go back to the hotel, and that’s the last place he wanted to be tonight. In fact, there was only one place he wanted to go, and she had the ‘keep out’ sign up for tonight. He was compelled to run out and replace the daisy that she must have tossed out, just to see it in her hair. While it was there, he felt like he had a chance with her.
“Promise you’ll ice your shoulder and lock your doors, Lyzee?” He wanted to see again if she’d tell him to lose the nickname. There was a curl lying against her face, and he moved it to her ear. His hand caressed her cheek, perhaps lingering longer than needed.
“Worried about me, Ethan?” Elizabeth questioned smiling, as she ran her thumb across his split lip.
Her touch was feather light as she tried to not hurt him.
“As a matter of fact, I am. Today you pissed off the mayor, the newspaper guy, and who knows who else while I wasn’t paying attention.” Blackhawk suddenly didn’t want to leave her side.
“Well Ethan, in my world that’s a productive day,” she drawled, and then stopped as he leaned down his lips near hers. Her heart skipped in her chest, or she swore it did as he felt his breath on her lips. Everything in her demanded she do it, but she still fought hard, costing her dearly.
“Ice it, Lyzee. I’ll see you in the morning,” he paused, waiting for her to close the space between them. When she didn’t, it took every ounce of strength he had to pull away and exit the room.
Blackhawk obviously was a masochist, but why make it worse by kissing her and going for dinner with a bunch of men. A wave of pure disappointment crashed through him. Ethan was unsure why she didn’t make the next move. Kissing her earlier should have spoken volumes to her. How could he be clearer? Unless she wasn’t interested in him, and that gave him a sinking feeling.
Elizabeth watched him walk away, and all she could hear was the pounding in her chest and ears. Since Ray, she had a rule about dating men she worked with, and Ethan was making it damn hard to not break it. Then again, it wasn’t like she worked with him…
See, she just did it again, trying to justify it to herself. She was definitely screwed, and knew it was only a matter of time before she did something that she hoped they both wouldn’t regret.
* * *
Blackhawk sat beside Tony at the table. He had just finished his sandwich, and was halfway through his beer. The sheriff had some pretty decent co-workers, and he had a feeling they weren’t just her deputies. When they spoke of her, they spoke with reverence, and that said a great deal. Most employees would toss in a few negatives, but not her group. It spoke volumes to the kind of woman she was, but then he already was figuring that out on his own.
“So, why didn’t the boss come with us?” asked Sara, finishing her beer. “It’s not like her to skip dinner with us.”
Tony shrugged, and then thought about it. “Something has to be bothering her, or she would have been here.” He motioned his head towards Blackhawk to let the others in on it.
Sara laughed, covering it with a cough, when Blackhawk lifted a brow. “Oh, yeah, you’re right,” she grinned. “Maybe her shoulder is acting up today,” she added, after the fact.
Tony kicked her under the table.
“Ouch, watch it!” Then she got it, but a little too late.
Blackhawk laughed, “I already know about it,” he said, finishing up his beer. “I saw the bullet wound today, so you can relax, Tony.”
Tony choked on his beer, and glanced over quickly at the agent, wondering exactly how he saw what she kept hidden under her clothes.
It was Blackhawk’s turn to laugh. “Doc wanted to take a look, and she was dressed.” He could have played with the man, but he seemed decent, and Ethan was starting to like him a great deal. He wouldn’t mention that he had the privilege of checking out their boss in a very sexy black bra, and jeans. Just remembering made his muscles flex, and his body flush with an intense heat. He drank more beer, trying to cool his body down.
It was a long day indeed.
“Oh, ok.” Tony relaxed immediately.
Blackhawk laughed and added, “I’m going to make an educated guess here. At some point you and the sheriff had a thing, and you want it back.” That bothered him, on some male level. He already saw Elizabeth LaRue as his, or at least she was in his dreams.
Sara and Tyrell laughed together and spoke, “At some point?” When they said it in unison, they both laughed harder.
“Funny, guys,” he answered the agent. “Lyzee and I dated in high school. She was my date to the senior prom.”
“And then he dumped her for another girl the very next day,” added Sara, giggling.
“You dumped her?” Blackhawk was surprised. “I didn’t see that one coming.” This new information explained why he was always following her like a puppy. “Seriously, you dumped the sheriff?’ He couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you insane, man? The other woman had to be spectacular then!” Ethan let it hang in the air.
“No, she wasn’t even close. It was just to get laid.” Yeah, he was an idiot.
“So you downgraded? Who taught you the laws of dating, son?” Blackhawk teased, grinning. “You upgrade and never downgrade. I don’t see how much higher you could have gone when it came to Elizabeth LaRue.”
Christopher Santana jumped into the conversation. “Elizabeth is the top of the dating food chain, you had to have been drunk,” he added laughing. “I remember her from high school.”
“Apparently, I was an idiot back then. I went with the easy choice for sex. That didn’t work out either, and she’s never taken me back. Her motto is that you get one shot and if you blow it, you’re gone.” He looked distraught at his own stupidity.
Blackhawk was infinitely grateful for that motto and the information. In the game of war for a woman, he liked to know who all the players were and how to beat them.
Tyrell accepted another beer from the waitress. “The sheriff is pretty smart. She sees right through bullshit, and Tony slings a lot of it. Daily, hourly, by the minute, and…”
“Hey, I’m sitting right here!”
“You do! He’s telling the truth,” stated Sara. She motioned to the waitress. “Beatrice, I have to run. Can I cash out?”
“No need sugar, it’s been handled. Your boss called and picked up the tab,” she said, putting down another beer. “Oh, and Elizabeth had a message for the four of you and also you,” she said pointing at each of them and then the Fed.
“There’s a message?” Blackhawk was intrigued that she included him in it.
Beatrice snapped her gum. “Yeah, a message. She said if anyone is hung over tomorrow they’re fired. And for the Cowboy,” she paused, “she told me to remind you of the special kind of crazy.”
Blackhawk picked up his beer, and smiled that she was still thinking about him almost two hours later. It looked like his kiss earlier in the day had been plenty clear after all.
Suddenly his mood had greatly improved.
* * *
Elizabeth walked into her house and locked the front door. She put on the tea kettle and took a pack of ice out of the freezer to hold on her shoulder, as she leaned against the kitchen counter. She was glad her team was out relaxing for a couple of hours. They needed some down time.
There was no doubt that she needed it too, but if it involved Ethan Blackhawk, she had a feeling it would start rolling downhill and make her lose control. Already, she found herself acting stupid around him. First the daisy, then the kiss, and before she knew it she’d be making a mess of it, and that’s not what she wanted. Messes ended badly with someone getting hurt. Still, just the thought of Blackhawk made her body flush fast and hot.
Elizabeth was about to take her tea and head to her bath when she heard a bang from her back porch. Immediately, she went on alert. Someone was out there and shouldn’t be. Her whole team was at ‘The Barrel’ and wouldn’t come to her back door. As Elizabeth crossed to the French door that led to her pat
io, she drew her gun and heard the crash. There was no warning, just the quick slash of pain in her arm.
“Shit!” Elizabeth hissed, as the shattered glass cut deeply into her flesh. Someone threw a brick through the glass door, breaking it and drawing blood.
Elizabeth pushed the door open, gun ready and safety off, as she stood on her patio where she just had breakfast with the FBI agent that morning. On the round bistro table, a red pentagram was drawn, hopefully in paint and not blood. She thought back to the red covered rock at the crime scene. Someone was screwing with her now, and it had to be the killer.
She sighed as she pulled out her phone, calling the station to get her deputies back on duty and out to the house. It looked like they had a new crime scene, and she was part of it.
* * *
Everyone was having a really good time, laughing and telling Agent Blackhawk about themselves. He genuinely felt welcome in their little group. His partner had left to go back to the hotel, skipping it all, but he was finding them to be very informative. They were spilling a great deal of details about their boss, whether they knew it or not. He was just about to order his second beer when all their phones began beeping at the same time.
“Crap,” muttered Sara. “It’s an emergency call. We’re all back on duty again.”
Tony was the first to stand. “Shit,” he took off running out the door, his chair falling backwards in his rush.
“What’s wrong?” asked Blackhawk standing.
“The call is at the sheriff’s house,” answered Sara, pushing her chair back. Grateful she only had two beers in two hours.
“Another body?” he asked, following them to the door.
“No, the sheriff dialed nine-one-one, three minutes ago. She wouldn’t dial it in as an emergency if it was a body.”
Blackhawk felt sick to his stomach as he ran out after them. “I’ll drive, I only had one beer.” There was that feeling of guilt as he thought about her. Leaving her alone to go home by herself was a very bad idea. Now he certainly was going to have more to drink when he found out if she was alright.
When they all pulled up to the house, there were lights flashing on the ambulance and the patrol cars. His whole body twisted in fear.
Damn it!
Why did he leave her alone, especially after she stirred the hornet’s nest that morning? If anything happened to her, Ethan would never forgive himself. They had to park at the bottom of the drive, since the ambulance was blocking the road. He charged up the drive, running past Tony to get to her. When he burst through her door searching for her, panic overwhelming him.
There was relief as he finally found her across the room. It didn't take him long to cross to her, dropping to his knees.
“Elizabeth, are you okay?” he said, taking her face in his hands, and checking to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
“Ethan, I’m fine. I just had a visitor,” she motioned her free hand towards the patio, so he could check the crime scene for himself.
He went to the door, observing the broken glass and the pentacle painted on her table. His heart pounded and his stomach rolled. He motioned to the deputies, pointing. “Sara, inside and don’t leave her no matter what! Chris, you have the front door! Tyrell and Tony, we are going to check the perimeter. Don’t shoot each other or me!”
The three men walked the property, and they weren’t sure what they were searching for, but when Tony found a can of spray paint, they knew it had to be the killer’s. It was either dropped or purposely left behind.
“I found something,” he said, pulling a tissue from his pocket and picking up the can. “A can of red spray paint.”
“Bag it, it’s going to Quantico in the morning,” he stated walking back to her house. He didn’t want to be too far from her, not yet. He wasn’t over the scare.
Once inside, she was waiting for him.
“What did you find?” Elizabeth inquired. She noticed his eyes were fixed on the dried blood drips running down her arm. “Hey.” She moved toward him and touched his cheek with her hand. “I’m okay. The glass shattered and cut me, that’s all.”
He put his hand over hers on his face. “We found a spray paint can out by the perimeter of your property.” He wanted to say more, but couldn’t while they had company.
Elizabeth thanked the ambulance crew and sent them back. She invited her deputies in and had them sit down. “Guys, I’m okay, really. It’s just a cut. You know how the ambulance guys are; they like to practice for the apocalypse. Five more minutes alone with them, and I’d be a mummy.” It wasn’t lost on her that she was the only one who laughed.
“I’m staying here tonight,” stated Tony, adamantly.
“Not happening,” she answered back with just as much fervor. “You aren’t staying in my house, Tony.”
“Why the hell not?” he demanded, “This killer is stalking you now.”
“Tony, I’m your boss. You aren’t staying here,” she said, sitting back on the couch. Elizabeth didn’t want to hurt the man, but she wasn’t letting a co-worker sleep in her home, especially one she had a relationship with as a teenager. Elizabeth had learned from the Ray debacle, and wasn’t going there again, and especially with Tony.
“Lyzee, you can stay at my place,” offered Sara. “I have a spare room.”
“That’s sweet, Sara, but really, I’m good. I think you all forget that I have a gun, oh, and those pesky ten years with the FBI, where I was pretty good at staying alive.”
Tony was about to start an argument, the sheer anger on his face said it all.
“I’ll be staying,” interjected Blackhawk softly, almost daring her to say no or try to stop him. “No one has to worry about the sheriff tonight. I’ll be sticking close.”
Tony appeared furious at those words, and what the implication was behind them. It obviously rubbed him the wrong way.
“She’s not my boss, or my co-worker, and we aren’t in the FBI together. I can stay here and not compromise any moral code,” Ethan reassured, watching her face. There was no sign of fight, and something in him relaxed, when he realized she wasn’t going to tell him no. Then his body tightened at the mere possibilities.
“That’s fine, since I already told you that you and your partner were welcome here. It’s no big deal.”
Tony got up from the couch. “Night then,” he said, walking from the room and slamming the door angrily. It was a huge deal to him, and he couldn’t believe she was letting the agent stay.
“Boss, take care,” said Tyrell, leaning down and leaving a peck on her cheek. “If you need anything you call us.”
“Thank you, Tyrell,” she replied, watching him leave. There was no door slam from him, so it was only Tony who was angry.
Christopher saluted and then grinned. “I’ll drive you, Sara.”
Sara nodded, accepting his offer and was next to say goodnight. “Lyzee, if you need me to come back, and… ummm supervise, give me a call,” she grinned at the FBI agent. “Really, I won’t mind at all.”
“Get out, Sara!” she laughed, as the woman walked away, checking out Blackhawk’s ass when he wasn’t paying attention.
“Don’t be upset with him,” said Blackhawk. “He’s got it bad and wants a relationship with you.”
“I’m not mad, but that’s why I can’t let him stay. I know he doesn’t get that, but I won’t ever allow myself to have a relationship with a co-worker ever again.”
Blackhawk stood and walked to the front door, assuring it was locked and secured. When he turned around, she was standing behind him, so close that he could almost touch her.
“You don’t look good yourself. Want to talk about it?”
She didn’t flinch as he moved towards her, closing the space between them. He pulled her into his arms, holding her against his body. He didn’t know what came over him, but he just wanted to make sure she was okay. “Getting that call scared me to death,” he admitted, whispering into her hair.
Elizabeth let him hold her,
and she moved her good arm to circle his waist. It felt really nice to be pressed against him and breathing in his cologne. He smelled woodsy and masculine. It called to her, and she could feel everything deep inside her tighten at their closeness. There was no doubt that she should pull away, but Elizabeth just didn’t want to, not then and probably not ever.
Blackhawk just closed his eyes, relaxing against her, and just enjoyed the scent of her skin. It was spicy, and definitely had undertones of cinnamon. Just holding her to him, he felt himself beginning to wake up, wanting her more and more. He knew he should let her go. Part of him screamed to push her away and tell her to go to bed, but he just needed these few moments after a year of dreams, and two days of being near her. “I think I’m going to have to babysit you full time,” he whispered, looking down into her eyes. “I think I just aged ten years.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You aged? Imagine how much this scared me!”
He couldn’t resist the urge any longer. Blackhawk leaned down, and laid a kiss lightly across her lips. Breaking away he ran his fingers across her cheek. “You should ice your shoulder, and then take a hot shower. I’ll make you some tea.” He needed to get her away from his body, or he wouldn’t stop at a kiss. The carefully built control was fraying fast.
When he pulled away, she felt bereft and missed the contact. Elizabeth wanted desperately to be back against him. “I did have ice on it, and then the door shattered. So, I think I’ll take a shower, and then head to bed.”
“What time do we have to be in tomorrow?” Ethan inquired, heating up water for a cup of tea for her anyway or maybe it was to just keep his hands busy and off her body.
“I was going to go in early, but I think I’ll give Tony some time to calm down, and go over my notes here. Besides, I have to wait for the glass repair man now. ”
The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) Page 13