Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12)

by Morgan Kelley

  Callen watched him enter.

  He didn't want a favor.

  He just wanted his happy family to remain intact.

  Inside, Ethan found her getting dressed. It appeared that Callen had come to the rescue again. She was slipping into fresh gear that wasn’t ruined. He vaguely recalled what he did to her shirt and panties.

  They were toast.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling off Callen’s sunglasses, so he could talk to her. While he was getting over it, he still needed to tell her he was sorry.

  Instead of saying a word, Elizabeth moved toward him. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she hugged him. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

  “Oh, Ethan Jackson Blackhawk, I love you so much. I don’t want you to hurt anymore. You have to let this go.”

  He rubbed his chin on the top of her head. Truer words had not been said in his life. He did need to start letting things go before it buried their unit.

  “Just tell me how to help heal you. I’ll do anything you ask. All you have to do is tell me how.”

  He held her tight. “I’m okay. I was mad yesterday, but when I…”

  She stopped him from going on. “We had sex, Ethan. It was pretty hot too, but next time up the foreplay. You owe me. I like watching you get all hot and bothered. It’s a turn on.”

  He laughed. “I didn't hurt you, did I? Did I hurt the baby?”

  She patted her flat abs. “Nope. We’re as right as rain on a spring day. What we shared wasn’t rape, Ethan. I know you, and you’re beating yourself up over this for nothing.”

  “Actually, I’m not anymore.”

  She stared at him. “Really?”

  This was a shocker.

  He told her what Callen had done. Immediately, her heart swooned. When she saw him, she was going to kiss him silly.

  “I’m lucky,” Blackhawk stated. “I have a woman I love and a brother who has my back. When we first came together, I was worried that the sex would erode away at our family, but I was very wrong. It made it stronger. Knowing what I know now, I’ll never go back.”

  She laughed. “Well, since I’m growing Callen a new child, you really can’t. I’m not keeping this one inside as a spare.”

  Ethan helped her into her jacket. “How about we head out, and you can tell me what I missed?”

  “Callen ran it yesterday. You should be proud. He went to the crime scene and did my job. I’ve gotten all the reports from the tech team, and it was flawless. He’s got some crazy mad investigator skills.”

  “Wait. We have a crime scene?”

  “Yep. You missed it while you were having your affair with Jack. We know who the second two victims are, and Callen went to the scene with the rest of the team to do our jobs.”

  “And Dakota?”

  She stared at him.

  That one question said it all. If she couldn’t read the animosity in his voice, then she was a pretty shitty investigator. Ethan wanted the man’s head on a pike.

  She didn't blame him.

  “He was there with Callen. I’ll say this once. If you can’t work with him, I’ll tell him to pound sand. I won’t risk yours or Callen’s heart for anyone. Your feelings come first.”

  “And you don’t regret not marrying him, only to get stuck with me?”

  She laughed. “Cowboy, you weren’t the consolation gift. You were the grand prize. I didn't get stuck with anything but the big ol’ reward. I earned this, and I plan on riding it out for the rest of my life.”

  He relaxed. “Phoning it in, are you?”

  She snorted. “I’ve given you two hornballs nearly four kids between you, plus mothering one that a crazy person gave birth to. I think that says it all, don’t you?”

  Ethan laughed. “You have a point. To answer your question about the Marshal, I can do it.”

  “Without punching him out?”

  “I promise.”

  “Great. Then let’s go.”

  On the way out, Elizabeth spotted Callen holding a cup of coffee for her as he waited with the Denali door open. He’d gotten her some caffeine and warmed up her ride.

  She was going to kiss him before, but now…

  Elizabeth was going to show him oral assault Blackhawk style.

  When he smiled at her, she didn't hesitate. Elizabeth launched herself at him, and made Timothy Blackhawk proud.

  She mauled him good.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  Morgue

  After orally assaulting one of her men, Elizabeth was ready to get down and dirty with the dead body parts. She was focused, in charge, and ready to run this like she always did. On the way there, they bought a whiteboard and tossed it in the back.

  She was going to need it, and her profiler too.

  Now she could focus.

  As they strolled into the morgue, her team watched her. Apparently, they were curious why she wasn’t at the scene the previous day.

  “I hear Director Whitefox is trying to be me, and you all liked it,” she stated.

  They grinned.

  “If you start saluting him, I’m going to hurt you. Keep that in mind. The captain is back on the boat, so be ready to work for it.”

  As if on cue, they saluted her, and she snorted. “I love my team.”

  Looking around, the two agents were there, sitting on a table not far away. They were typing like mad, obviously doing research.

  She was proud of them too. They were working autonomously, and that was a good thing. Babysitting was a bitch.

  Not far away, Chris Leonard and Tony Magnus were comparing notes, all the while staring at two skinless skulls. Someone had been boiling heads again.

  “Well, I’m glad I wasn’t here last night. It’s weird to smell boiling brains.”

  Tony grinned. “Yeah, you get used to it.”

  “Darlin’, I hope I never get accustomed to that particular smell.”

  Truth be told, with a baby on board, the stench nearly turned her off meat all together.

  “Morning, Director,” Marshal Delaney Moore said, getting her attention.

  When she turned, the two Marshals were there, watching her. “Morning.”

  That was all she had for them. First off, she didn't need either man losing it, and as far as she was concerned, they were newbies, and like agents, they weren’t running this, she was.

  “I hear you worked a scene,” she stated, hopping up on the table. “Callen didn't tell me much, only because he knows I like to drag it out of the team firsthand.”

  Merry was the first to speak. “Ma’am, we found some interesting things, and we didn't send them in the report. I was pretty sure you’d want to hear them in person.”

  Elizabeth glanced over. That spoke volumes.

  “What you’re saying is that you either found something so gross, or so fascinating, you wanted to see my face when you told me. Email would have been a downer.”

  She laughed. “You got me. I need to up my game.”

  “Not my first day on the job with you guys. Why don’t you shock and awe me with your discovery?”

  Merry continued, “Well, I pulled the DNA from the blood found at the scene. It matches a portion of the severed limbs. We definitely can link Ann Kong to the scene.”

  Chris spoke up, “I’m calling it a good ID.”

  Elizabeth glanced back at her head tech. “Carry on.”

  “Well, mixed in with her blood, we also found two other sources of DNA. They were dried to the top layer of blood.”

  She got it. “Which means after Ann Kong bled out, and the blood dried, they left their deposit. I got you so far.”

  She could feel Dakota watching her, and she ignored him. Elizabeth didn't really want him there, but Ethan had punched him in the face.

  She had no choice.

  “Next?” she asked.

  “Wait,” the Marshal stated. “You’re not skeezed out by that?” he asked. “Your tech just told you that the two killers l
ikely rolled around fornicating in the dead woman’s blood.”

  “Yeah, I got that. Thanks for breaking it down for those of us not on the same page, Dak.”

  “Jesus. That didn't even make you flinch.”

  “Darlin’, it takes a lot to freak me out. I’ve sat in body fluids, I’ve held the bones of dead children. Two crazies copulating on a bloody table isn’t going to make me jumpy.”

  “Maybe it should,” he stated.

  The team got quiet.

  “Maybe, but then I couldn’t do my job. You see, there are those of us who hold the dead in our hands, and there are those of us who kick in doors and play hero. You do the latter. I’m here to find out who killed the people. You’re here to bring them in. The two shall never meet.”

  He didn't say anything.

  “Merry, please continue. The Marshal is done interrupting. If he has something to say, it can wait until you’re finished.”

  She smiled at him.

  “Right?”

  “Sure.”

  Merry shuffled some papers. “The dried blood matches one of the victims. I cross checked it against other samples from a brush and toothbrush.”

  “Okay, so you have her locked down. Next?”

  “I can confirm that there was DNA on the bottom, and that didn't match the two other samples. One was definitely vaginal secretions, and the other was semen. I have the killers’ DNA locked down too.”

  “Great. We can run it.”

  “I’m in the process.”

  Elizabeth was pleased with her team. She could feel Dakota staring at her, but she still opted to ignore him.

  “Ethan, riddle me this. Is it odd for two crazies to bump uglies in a puddle of their victim’s blood?”

  He was the focus.

  “Not at all. They have no regard for life, and this is just more proof. If you’re going to rape and kill people, and then chop them up, why not get down and dirty in the blood? Depravity, in this case, has no limits.”

  “It gets worse,” Merry stated, “or at least I think it does.”

  That said a lot.

  They were accustomed to dealing with crazies, and had seen a lot of sick situations. If Merry was skeeved, that spoke volumes.

  “Please tell me it has something to do with the missing penises. God knows that’s the kind of week it’s been.”

  She nodded. “Director Whitefox suspected that they were using a blender at the scene.”

  “Yes, he mentioned over Chinese last night.”

  Dakota couldn’t believe it. “You talked penises and blenders while eating chicken and broccoli?” he asked.

  She stared at him. “Don’t be crazy. It was beef and peppers and spicy shrimp. I do like my food muy caliente.”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it.

  “Merry? Continue please.”

  “Well, boss, you might be interested to know that inside there was a slurry of interesting things.”

  “As in?”

  Ethan was listening carefully, building the profile in his mind.

  “There was DNA, flesh, semen, and chocolate protein powder with just a touch of coconut milk—probably to make it palatable.”

  Dakota and Delaney both looked grossed out.

  Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time they’d encountered a killer eating someone.

  She still couldn’t look at chili the same.

  Dakota was appalled. “This has to bother you.”

  She shrugged, continuing to address her team, “So basically, Merry, you’re telling me someone’s devouring dick, but not the old fashioned way?”

  There were snickers from the techs, and Callen had to cover a laugh with a cough.

  “Yes, I am.”

  She shook her head. “Well, ho ho ho. Tis the season for the mentally deranged. At least now we know what we’re working with here.”

  That they certainly did.

  “Can you tell me who owned the penis before it became a breakfast smoothie? Is it Christian or our unknown?”

  On cue, Dakota put down his coffee and looked a little green. “Come on!”

  “What?”

  “You act as if this is something you see every day.”

  She went to speak, but Ethan actually stepped in and answered him.

  “Maybe our reputation hasn’t reached the Marshals, Mr. Rakin. We handle the scary serial killers on this side of the country. We’ve dealt with cannibalism before.”

  The techs didn't even look fazed.

  “Your job sucks.”

  No one disagreed there.

  “Back to our dead man, Merry.”

  “I can confirm it was definitely his missing penis, and I can also tell you that if Bonnie and Clyde were ‘devouring dick’, they didn't drink out of the blender. They may have poured him into a glass.”

  Great.

  That was one hell of a Christmas cocktail.

  “So we don’t know if they’re eating the dead, or just trying to screw with us.”

  Either option could be very true.

  Sick people did sick things, and you couldn’t always rationalize them.

  It would make you insane.

  Elizabeth thought about what they knew. “Ethan, want to throw me a bone here and tell me if that fits into the crazy manual, or if we discovered the new continent of wackadoo?”

  He thought about it.

  “Vorarephila is already taken and named, so sorry about bursting your bubble.”

  “What is it?”

  Callen knew this one. “It’s when you get off on eating or being eaten.”

  They all looked over at him.

  “What? The suit is the only one who can pick up a book now and again? I researched it when we had the cannibal in Salem. I was curious.”

  She laughed. “No, keep reading. Chicks dig men who have books all around them. There’s nothing sexier than a smart man who can stimulate you.”

  “Amen,” said Merry.

  She gave Elizabeth a fist bump.

  “How about the sex acts in the blood?” she asked her husband.

  “There’s one for that too. It’s called Hematolagnia. It’s where you get off playing in blood.”

  Elizabeth just shook her head. “I want to laugh,” she admitted. “Here it is Christmas, so why couldn’t we just get some fat man in a red suit killing people? Apparently, I've been naughty this year.”

  Callen opened his mouth and she pointed. “Don’t do it, or I’ll make you cry in front of them.”

  He closed his mouth and winked at her. Yeah, she’d been very naughty, and he liked her that way.

  “Okay, so we have two fetishes. One is where you get off on eating people, and then there is the one where you have sex in a dead person’s blood. Now we need to know if it’s one killer who’s jacked up, or both.”

  Ethan continued, “Either way, they won’t be easy to stop. We can’t track their DNA, since they aren’t in the system.”

  “Do we know that for sure?” she asked, glancing over at Merry.

  “I’ve run them through just about every database. It’s looking that way.”

  Chris agreed. “We don’t have a match.”

  Well, she couldn’t have the killers handed to her. Of course she was going to have to work for it.

  “Does our time of death still stand?”

  They agreed.

  “They didn't die fast,” stated Merry.

  “Explain.”

  “We had a partially eaten sandwich on the counter where someone was dismembered. It was there longer than two days ago. The victims and the sandwich decomp don’t match.”

  She got what Merry was saying.

  “So they definitely were tortured?”

  “Yep, it was around two days before they were taken apart. They were definitely worked over.”

  Now her focus was on her ME. “Chris, tell me something about the victims.”

  “All I can tell you is that they were dead by the time their heads were
removed. Tony and I didn't find much more.”

  “Well, there’s a Christmas miracle right from the baby Jesus,” she stated. “At least they missed that part of the crazy show.”

  “There was no brain trauma, and no skull fractures, but I did find something interesting.”

  He sent his information to their tablets.

  Everyone looked down, and the two Marshals moved closer.

  “Burn marks?” Callen asked.

  “Yeah, they weren’t visible on the body parts, but now that we have the heads, I can clearly see them.”

  “Taser?” she asked.

  “It looks like. We took the measurements, and Merry is trying to find the exact brand. There’s not that many out there, and each contact button is going to be different in the specified brand. We might be able to contact the manufacturer and get some information.”

  They knew that was a long shot.

  Those companies had to sell thousands a day.

  “Okay, so they were taken down by a Taser. That’s their way to stun and disable. That tells me they aren’t going to be powerhouses.”

  Everyone was looking at Elizabeth, even her techs. Apparently, they’d all read the note. There were looks of concern for her and Callen.

  “We’re going to be fine. Right now, we need to focus on the people who aren’t fairing as well. I’m going to assume there were no missing person reports for either of them.”

  This was the paperwork monkeys’ arena.

  Brody shook his head. “We researched the couple, and we found that they didn't have family or children. That’s why they weren’t reported missing.”

  Dakota Rakin spoke up, “In all the other cases, the victims’ heads were sent to family.”

  Ethan replied, “Then that’s why they sent the two to Callen along with a note. They didn't want to wait for the crime scenes to be found, so instead, they pushed the game forward.”

  It made sense.

  “So, we might not even be a target,” Elizabeth stated.

  Ethan didn't know. “You could be, or you might not be. This is a game they’re playing, and they could switch up the rules at any time. To be safe, I say go with the worst case scenario. If we’re wrong, there’s no harm done. You don’t want to be taken and tortured.”