Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8)

by Kelley, Morgan

  He laughed. “Fair enough, and then my next inquiries.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Was that man really the first boy you made out with, and did you really wear pretty, girly sundresses?” Ethan asked, grinning.

  She glanced over at him. “Yep, he was my first and yeah, my dad was trying to feminize me from an early age. We see how well that worked out. When he saw me gravitating towards wanting to shoot his gun and climb trees, my stepmother tried to talk him into making me a girl.”

  “I think it’s sweet. I don’t remember my first kiss,” Callen said.

  Elizabeth began laughing. “He was also the first boy I had sex with. Are you still finding it so sweet?”

  Both men growled.

  “Hell no!” objected Ethan, reaching for his seatbelt. “I’m going to go kick his suit wearing ass!”

  When Callen began cursing along with him, Elizabeth started laughing and stopped both of them from getting out of the vehicle.

  “Let this be your lesson on asking questions,” she said, snorting at their tirade.

  “He’s a dead man,” Ethan grumbled.

  “I’m going to hold him down for you,” Callen added.

  “Ahhhh, home sweet Salem. It brings out the best in people.”

  * * *

  At the morgue, Chris Leonard was incredibly distracted. While everyone worked, he had snuck out to find a present for Cyra. Since Salem was small, it was no easy task. Rarely was Chris one to throw money around in an effort to get his own way, but in this case, it was important.

  Finally, one of the shop keepers agreed to engrave it for him, so he could pick it up before they headed out for the evening. Now, it would all come down to his ability to get everything else taken care of in time.

  When he heard his bosses, he was actually glad to see them. They were on his list of ‘to do’ things for the day.

  When they walked in, Elizabeth was grinning, and that gave him hope that they would come through for him.

  “Hello, fine tech team, you may be wondering why I am smiling. Well, I’ve just had a defense attorney and snotty rich woman for lunch. For dessert, I’m aiming for some techs, unless you have something for me.”

  The lab rats scattered, leaving Chris, Tony Magnus, and Veronica standing there.

  “Well? Dazzle me.”

  Chris patted the pile of medical records. “It’s not conclusive enough to prove those bones belong to any of the three missing people.”

  “Damn it!” she muttered.

  “I’ve gone over the bones again and again, and there isn’t anything here that I can give you, boss. They were alive, they died, and someone dismembered them with a meat cleaver. My initial assessment stands.”

  It wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

  “We went over Doctor Trudeaux’s place with a fine tooth comb, and found nothing. We couldn’t even find a trace of him having a woman friend over.”

  “Okay, so, strike one, two and three. You really have nothing for me at all?”

  They nodded as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

  Ethan could feel the tension. “I’ll start trying to put together something to point you in the right direction.”

  Part of her didn't ask for one, so he wouldn’t be stressed, the other part didn't want him to fail and blame himself. Elizabeth was still trying to protect him as much as she could.

  “I don’t know how good it’ll be, but I’ll see what I can do for you, Elizabeth. I’ve pulled out bigger guesses that turned out to be right.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll leave you to work,” Elizabeth said, pointing at her staff.

  Chris stopped them before they could leave the room. It was now or never.

  “Can I talk to you three alone?”

  Elizabeth was hoping it wasn’t more bad news. “Sure Chris, what do you need to see us about?”

  They followed him into the private lounge.

  “I want to elope tonight.”

  Elizabeth’s look of concern instantly changed, and she hugged him. “You have to be a nervous wreck!”

  He started laughing. “I am. It’s funny, because I know Cyra said that it was probably best, but there’s this little part of me that’s scared shitless that she’s going to figure out that she could do better.”

  She punched him hard.

  “Shit! What the hell was that for?” he said, rubbing his arm.

  “I don’t ever want to hear you say that, Chris. You’re a great guy, and you deserve happiness. I told you that years ago, didn't I?”

  He grinned at her. “I’m so glad when I asked you out, that you turned me down. Us having sex would have been a disaster.”

  “What?” Callen blurted, staring at the man.

  “Oops, you didn't tell him?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “I mentioned it to Ethan, but Callen never brought it up, so no, we didn't discuss it.”

  “I don’t know if I can handle today,” Whitefox said, closing his eyes. “First, I come face to face with the man that took your virginity, and now I find out our ME tried to get into your pants too. This isn’t turning out to be the ideal Valentine’s Day at all.”

  Blackhawk started laughing and shrugged. “Days like this have become the norm for me. Nothing fazes me anymore.”

  “Back to Chris, here,” she redirected. “Do you need any help?”

  “I actually do. I know it’s Valentine’s Day night, and I’m sure you three have plans of your own,” he said, pointing at Elizabeth and wiggling his eyebrows. “Do you think you can meet us at the courthouse and be our witnesses? It would mean a lot to me if you could be there.”

  Elizabeth was touched. She hugged him and whispered in his ear. “I’m proud of you Chris. I’ve watched you grow and you’re the man you’re supposed to be, right now.”

  He released her and stared into her eyes. “Thank you for befriending a geeky ME so many years ago. Because you did, I have the career I wanted, and most importantly, the family I didn't know I needed. I never thought that I would have a sister, but you’re it, Lyzee.”

  That made her sniffle.

  Ethan and Callen couldn’t help but grin. The man in front of them was a trusted friend and close confidante to all of them. They immediately hugged him, and then patted him on the back. “What time, Chris?”

  “Eight, if that’s good for you.”

  Callen offered him a fist bump. “Enjoy your last few hours of bachelorhood. You’re going to miss it.”

  “Much like Callen is going to miss getting laid tonight,” she quipped back, as she walked away holding Ethan’s hand.

  “Hey! Wait up!”

  Ethan shook his head, knowing the big secret in life.

  Marriage was all about knowing when to keep your damn mouth shut.

  Sadly, Callen still had a lot to learn, and it was going to be fun to watch him try and figure it out.

  ~ Chapter Fourteen ~

  Sheriff’s Station

  Inside the building, Elizabeth found her agents in the bullpen. They were busily working on something. When Elizabeth looked over Cyra and Harper’s shoulders, only the newbie jumped, which meant that she was either losing her edge, or Cyra was finally more comfortable around her.

  “What are my two agents so focused on?” she asked.

  Of course, Cyra spoke first, “We did what you asked and stalked pretty much every gossip hub in town. I even went into the hardware store and checked out plumbing.”

  “Good idea. Now, what did you find?”

  “No one’s talking cannibals. What they are talking about is a ‘no good, lazy drunk for a sheriff’, and how Charlie is rolling in his grave because you’re skipping around and flaunting two men like you won the lottery.”

  She laughed, because technically she had. “You were at the grocery store, huh?”

  “Oh yeah, someone names Betty hates your freaking guts. So, I’d watch your back.”

  That made her snicker, wickedly.
“Oh, is she still tied up in knots over that one little incident?”

  “Apparently,” she replied.

  “Wait, what happened?” Ethan inquired, not wanting to miss a single second of any Elizabeth related stories.

  “Are you sure you want to know, bro? I asked about Jacob Brome, and I regret it. I keep picturing him touching our Lyzee when she was a delicate, innocent flower.”

  She snorted at that description. “I’m sure you heard all the sordid details. Go ahead and tell them. I have nothing to hide. My past is squeaky clean, unlike some people.”

  Cyra smiled at the men. “It seems that Salem has a specific teenage make out location and one night, someone stole all the clothes from the front seat of Betty’s car. She swears it was Elizabeth.”

  What could she say?

  “Well, did you do it?” Ethan asked, grinning.

  “I do declare, I believe that it was me,” she replied, in her southern belle voice. “She had to head home and sneak into her house buck naked. You could hear her momma scream for miles around, especially when I made sure to call and wake the entire house up beforehand.”

  Both men laughed at Elizabeth’s mean streak.

  “What did she do to earn that?” Callen inquired. “Did she steal one of your boyfriends?”

  “Hell no!” she objected. “I don’t play games over men. I just kick the shit out of anyone that touches what’s mine.”

  They had no doubt.

  “Betty Beauregard crossed the line. I was working on a science project, grafting some roses together. It was my final grade and she ‘accidentally’ dropped bleach on the specimen, and killed it.”

  They stared at her.

  “What? Just because I don’t speak lab-anese doesn’t mean that I don’t get the basics of science. I needed that grade to get into Cornell. That was messing with the wrong part of my life. I wanted out of Salem and into the FBI, and that was my direct route.”

  Ethan kissed her on the forehead. “I love you.”

  She leaned against him. “So, she deserved my stealthy little sneak attack.”

  Callen grinned at her.

  “Well, she’s looking for you,” Cyra said.

  Now, she was laughing. “Well, I seriously doubt that she could take me then, and I know that she can’t do it now, so I’m not really worried.”

  Cyra grinned. “No doubt. You’re one crazy bitch.”

  Elizabeth offered her a fist bump. “Amen.”

  Harper just sat there silently, taking it all in and wondering if she would ever have that relaxed relationship with the bosses. It must be nice.

  “Other than that little tidbit, the gossip is relatively clear. Right now, we’re watching the local news and scanning the headlines to see if anyone has tipped them off. So far, we’re looking good,” she said.

  “Way to be proactive,” she stated, patting the women on the back. “I’m going to go spread more sunshine,” she said, walking away. “Oh, Cyra, I hear you’re going out tonight,” she said, glancing down at her watch. “Why don’t you head out and let your partner do the research?”

  She got up and followed her bosses. “Where am I supposed to go?” Normally, they confused her, and now was no exception.

  “It’s Valentine’s Day, and we don’t really have a lot to do, so why don’t you go out and get fixed up.”

  Cyra stared at her.

  “You like to be girly, go do it.”

  “Are you serious?” She looked back and forth at Callen and Ethan, as if they were part of some joke. Of course she wanted to go get sexy for her Valentine’s Day with Chris, but she knew that the job sometimes put a halt to vanity.

  It was what it was, and she had to live by the rules.

  “Before I get all excited, and do something like hug you and squeal like a maniac, please promise me that you have no intention of taking this opportunity away in some mean joke.”

  She laughed. “Am I that big of a bitch?”

  “Hell yeah,” Cyra said. “You stole some girl’s panties and called her parents.”

  “For the record, I took his boxers too. Now, head on out. Go get some hot, low cut dress and get sexified. I want you to blow the man’s mind.”

  True to her word, she began bouncing and hugged Elizabeth. “Oh God, thank you! I’m going to get my nails done!”

  Before anyone could say anything, she was gone.

  They all laughed.

  Ethan thought about it. “I have an idea,” he said, leaning against the wall. “While Hotel Blackhawk is nice, who wants to hang out there on their wedding night? When I was doing research for places to stay, there’s this B&B not far away in the next town. It’ll be a thirty minute drive, but Chris and Cyra could use a little gift from us on their wedding night.”

  Callen stared at him. “Who are you?”

  Blackhawk grinned.

  “Cal, he’s a man that wants to watch his wife trot around in skimpy clothing for the whole night. That’s his ‘I’m horny’ look.”

  Whitefox could get down with that. After the fist bump, he stared lecherously at Elizabeth. “Count me in.” This morning in the conference room was still bouncing around in his brain.

  She shook her head and walked away. The two of them were fairly easy. All it took was some sex, and they were there.

  Callen was following her around with some super sexy fantasy playing out in his mind, when his cell phone pulled him back into reality. Taking the call, he moved off to the side.

  Outside of the bullpen, they found Tyrell in his new uniform. The man was smiling a mile wide and looked like he was ready to leap a tall building in a single bound.

  “Sheriff Tyrell Donnell! Don’t you look all spiffy in your new duds,” she said, calling to him.

  When he turned, the joy in his face was contagious. “I know it’s only temporary, but I’m damn proud. I wish my daddy could see me now. He would be glowing like a swamp frog in a high beam.”

  She hugged him. “Think positive. Maybe this will be long term. You never know.”

  He grinned even more. “Want to come in my office and tell me what’s going on to get me up to speed?”

  Ethan and Elizabeth followed, with Callen following up the rear, as he hung up his phone. Once inside, he sat behind the desk and stared at her. “So, this is what it feels like to be sheriff,” he said, happily.

  “Well, a lot of responsibility goes with that badge,” she said, pointing at the star pinned to his shirt. “Look at your predecessor. He didn't do the work to stay in the chair.”

  Tyrell felt bad about that. “Tony’s a good guy. He’s just been messed up the last few years. The booze isn’t his friend. I hope that he pulls out of this and kicks it in the ass.”

  Didn't they all?

  “Okay, so, as sheriff, I want to be involved in this investigation. What’s my role going to be?” he inquired.

  Elizabeth loved how he was positive and wanted to do the job. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to have this one under control. Now, she only needed to make sure Chris Santana and the council saw it that way.

  “Well, Sheriff,” Ethan began. “Here’s where we are for now. Our lab staff has nothing. Our ME is out of possible clues, and I don’t have a profile because we don’t have enough of the victims to know who the hell they were. Until the killer slips up, takes someone else, or we find more leads, we’re at a dead end.”

  Tyrell thought about it. “Have you had situations like this before?”

  They all nodded.

  “And?

  Elizabeth was going to be honest. “Sometimes the criminals stay just out of reach.”

  “So are you saying that we’re beat? That we’re going to sit here and wait while someone snacks on Salem’s citizens?”

  They all shook their heads, no.

  “We have leads, but for today, they’re exhausted. Tomorrow, we’ll head out and start fresh,” Blackhawk promised.

  “Speaking of fresh possibilities. I just got o
ff the phone with Chief Runningwolf. He’s available to see us tomorrow around ten. He advised me that he will have Maxwell Steppapaw with him too. If we want to talk to him, he’ll be there. Runningwolf insists that anyone that we wish to talk to is entitled to tribal representation.”

  “So that’s our big stipulation?” Elizabeth asked, leaning back in a chair.

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  Blackhawk shrugged. “Hey, that’s fine. It’s not like we haven’t tangled with Natives before. We have you, Callen, to lead the way, and Tex here to stir the pot.”

  “What do you get to do?” his brother asked.

  “I’m going to watch. I’ll bring the popcorn and soda and do all the observing.”

  Elizabeth reeled them in before the brother thing got chaotic. While fun to see, it was her job to be the one who was out of control. “See, Ty? Ask and you shall receive. The lead Gods have smiled upon us.”

  He shook his head. “You know there’s only one God, Elizabeth,” he chided.

  She winked at him. “There is? Hell, I must have missed that lesson in Sunday school. Damn it.”

  “You went to church?” Ethan asked, incredulously.

  Callen stopped him. “I don’t know if I can process anymore Elizabeth information for today. My mind is on overload.”

  “I’m going to hurt you in three seconds, and then you’ll be in pain overload,” she threatened, trying not to smile.

  Ty laughed at her. “Okay, so tomorrow, I want to come with you to see Mr. Runningwolf.”

  They were all good with that. “Want to meet us at our place? It’s closer to the Native land.”

  Being sheriff was going to be the greatest thing ever. “I’m looking forward to it,” he admitted, honestly. “It should be a good time. In fact, anything other than sitting in a car and trying to catch jaywalkers is more fun.”

  Elizabeth stood. “I’d be careful what you wish for,” she offered. “Every time one of us says we’re bored or nothing’s happening, everything changes.”

  “For the good or bad?” Tyrell asked.

  They looked at each other and thought back to all the cases, all the death and the chaos.

  “We’re talking fire and brimstone, my friend, right out of Sunday school.”