She didn't wait for her to answer.
But the woman’s face said it all. She didn't expect this outburst, and neither did Levi.
Hell! Brody didn't either. His girl was generally the calm one who over thought every move first.
“I didn't do this to hurt you…” she began.
That made Johanna even more irate.
“When I had cancer, you didn't care to stick around. You showed up, told them to do the surgery, and were gone. I didn't have anyone to stay with me. I had to go back to my dorm and heal alone. Now, you come back into my life, years later, and you don’t only piss me off, but you screw it up for us. This is so like you.”
She opened her mouth.
“Don’t! I’m so angry at you. I really think the only reason you had me was to screw with my life. You must get some sick kick out of it. He’s mine. His father, until this crazy moment, was mine too. You had to come in and marry him. You don’t even know him, and I know for a fact he doesn’t know you. If he did, he’d run for his life. You’re a horrible, selfish person!”
Brody put his arm over her shoulders and glared at his father.
“Dad, this was really bad timing.”
Before his father could say a word, Johanna went off again—like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
“Oh, no, it really isn’t, Brody. This is my wackadoo mother at her finest. This is typically her style. She does everything impulsively, and then bails. Let’s save the trees, and then she quits. Oh, the poor freaking whales, and then she’s gone. I’ll have a kid, and then when she’s bored, she lets the child raise herself or better yet, the maid will do it! This is exactly her calling card, and I don’t want to see it! This is exactly why I told her to get the hell out of my life.”
When she tried to pull away, to escape, Monica went to speak. “Johanna, I didn't mean…”
“You didn’t mean what? To screw with my life? You already jacked it up when you didn't use birth control. You never wanted me, and now you’ve married into the family that I wanted. This was mine, Mother. You don’t get that because you’ve never had to work for something. Brody, and even Levi, were mine. I finally found someone to love me. I finally had a shot at being happy, and you screwed it up. You thought only about yourself. I can’t ever be happy! I never want to see you again, Monica,” she stated, using her name. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re dead to me.”
Johanna faced Levi. “I feel sorry for you. She’s going to get bored and leave like she always does. When she does, you’ll understand the curse she is on your life. I’m sorry you’re going to get hurt. I apologize for my mother and her selfish actions.” Then she took a deep breath and stared into Monica’s eyes. “I’m used to it. All my life I’ve been saying sorry to people for her.”
The woman looked like she’d been slapped.
Then Johanna stormed back toward the Denali.
Levi whistled. “She’s got some issues,” he said, wrapping his arm around his new wife.
That pissed Brody off.
“Yeah, her biggest issue is the same as mine. We both have parents that care only about themselves. You’re a dick, Levi.”
“I don’t see what the issue is,” stated Brody’s father. “So what? We got hitched. We’re adults.”
Brody just shook his head in exasperation. How could he not see what a mess he just made of all this?
“Really? You married her mom. You’re my father. You’ve just made Johanna and I step siblings.”
He took a minute to think about it.
“I still don’t…”
“I just asked her to marry me. Now I’m going to marry my damn sister. If she doesn’t call it off, that is.”
Levi opened his mouth. “Congratulations?”
Brody wanted to lose it.
He really did.
This was exactly why he didn't like talking to his father and dealing with the nonsense. It was enough to make him bat shit insane.
Levi didn't get it.
He never would.
“I’m going. Please don’t call me anymore. If something happens, I’ll read about it online. This stunt has cost you your son. I hope you and Johanna’s mother are happy together because you won’t be making us miserable anymore. We’re moving, and I’m changing my number. This was the last stunt you’re ever going to pull.”
As he walked away, his father called after him. “You don’t mean that, Brody!”
Oh, he was pretty damn certain he did.
Once inside the Denali, Johanna wouldn’t talk to him. She stared out the window, saying nothing. She had tears sliding down her cheeks, and she was furiously sniffling to hold the rest back.
“Joey, we can…”
She cut him off. “I need to think for a little while. Just let me think, Brody.”
He knew it wasn’t going to be good.
Not only had Johanna’s mother ruined her life, but it looked like the woman was about to do the same damn thing his too.
Unless he could stop it.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Friday Morning
It was the same as every other day.
The morning started with waking in bed, stretching like a large warm cat, and cuddling between two men.
It was the best place to be in Elizabeth’s opinion. There was no need for an electric blanket when you shared body heat with two sexy Natives.
It was heaven.
It was divine.
Elizabeth knew she was one lucky woman.
After they woke together, they divided off to get the normal routines handled. Callen showered while Ethan made them breakfast. One of the best things about being pregnant was that she didn't have to do much.
The men doted on her as she was carrying one more of their progeny. They knew the delivery would be hell, so they let her relax.
Maybe it was archaic to enjoy it, but Elizabeth didn't care. The men were entitled to enjoy the process too, and since she was getting her tubes tied the second she had this baby, it was most definitely the last.
That was her final word on the matter.
As she dressed, Callen and Ethan swapped duties again, and their morning progressed rather nicely. While they doted, she worried about the killer.
After all three ate, Callen washed the dishes. “I’m going to go warm up the car next. I don’t want our little momma getting chilly.”
She blew him a kiss.
“You’re creating a monster again,” Ethan warned, sipping his coffee.
“This is our last baby. I’m going to treat her like a queen.”
Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at Ethan. “Yeah, I’m the queen, so kneel sexy Indian love bug.”
Blackhawk moved so fast, she yelped. When he bit her on the neck, she laughed.
“Okay, I deserved that.”
Callen was amused. He loved how their lives were pretty much perfect. They had great jobs, their father was in their life, and Elizabeth was their woman.
It didn't get any better than this.
“Behave, and if you get her naked, wait for me,” Callen stated, grabbing the keys before he headed out the door. The second his foot hit the snow, he was startled with shouts and the clicks of photographs being taken.
He didn't know what the hell was going on.
Then it registered.
The damn media had found them. This had to be about the murders.
“Sorry, folks,” he stated, moving toward the vehicle. “If you’re expecting an update on the serial killer, we have nothing to add at this time.”
That’s when it got weird.
The questions being shouted at him had nothing to do with a killer, and everything to do with him and Elizabeth being shacked up.
Callen went from confused to nauseous really fast.
This was his worst nightmare.
“What?” he muttered, noticing they all had a newspaper in their hands. Grabbing the nearest one, he tried to ignore the randomly shouted inquiries, as he st
arted scanning the paper.
His heart began pounding.
This couldn’t be happening.
They were relentless. Callen tried his best to read and walk, but he couldn’t help but focus on what they were asking him.
‘Are you two having an illicit affair?’
‘Does your brother know you’re having a relationship with his wife?’
‘Are you swingers?’
Jesus!
What the hell was he supposed to say to that?
When Callen focused on the paper in his hand, he saw the headline and he nearly tossed his breakfast. Not only had the media found out about their threesome, but they had invaded their privacy and plastered it on the front page of some cheesy rag.
If it was here, it was going to be everywhere. News about them was like fire though a dry tinder forest. It would erupt, destroying everything in its wake.
This was bad.
Very.
Very.
Bad.
Instead of warming up the vehicle, Callen pushed past the media to return to the cabin. He needed to get back inside so they could regroup.
As he slammed the door, he spun to seek out his partners. The second his eyes met his brothers, he wanted to weep. This was exactly what he never wanted to happen. The media was cheapening their relationship.
“Ethan…” he began.
“Wow! It’s unlike them to be this riled up over a case,” Elizabeth stated.
Callen hated that he even had to say this to her. What he wanted was to protect the sanctity of his marriage to them. There was always that fear that they’d have to deny him to the world.
It was his biggest worry.
Immediately, his mind wandered back to the time Desdemona denied him to her friends, family, and anyone who asked.
It broke his heart.
There was no doubt it was coming again.
“It’s not the case. It’s us.”
With that, he handed them the paper. They both read the headline together.
‘Elizabeth Blackhawk is full of secrets. She’s a Fed by day, and a sex fiend by night.’
She opened her mouth, but kept reading. It went on to discuss their threesome, and even had pictures attached. There was the one where Callen had kissed her on their last case. It was a chaste kiss to the forehead, but it stirred the pot.
Then there was one where they both went into the decontamination tent to clean off.
It was almost too much.
They were being stalked by the media, and that was a dangerous line to cross.
Where Callen thought that it would be Elizabeth who lost it, it wasn’t. Ethan Blackhawk flipped his shit.
Right there, in the cabin, he lost his mind.
First, there was the profanity fueled tirade, and it was peppered with Native curses when he ran out of English ones. He began pacing and looked like he wanted to punch someone out.
“I’m going to kill the writer of this story,” he hissed. “Seth Denton is going to rue the day he ever picked up a pen and wrote this rubbish.”
Elizabeth wanted to calm him, but she was pissed too. The last thing they needed was their life hung out for the world to see. Granted, their dirty laundry was full of sexy things that made her heart thump, but still…
People deserved privacy.
“What do we do?” Callen asked. “We can deny it,” he offered. “We can pretend we’re not a couple. I don’t mind.”
They both knew that wasn’t true.
It was clearly present in his voice. Callen was the odd man out, and not Elizabeth’s husband on paper. It bothered him on some deep level, and they knew it.
Plus, they were both aware that when Desdemona denied him, he was crushed. Callen’s whole life had been fraught with people turning their backs on him, and they weren’t going to be added to that list.
Not now.
Not ever.
If anything, they would stand and take whatever the media had to offer. The Blackhawks didn't turn on their own, and Callen wasn’t only hers, but his too.
“Before we do anything,” stated Elizabeth, “We need to give Gabe the heads up. We can’t risk our jobs. We have a mortgage, and he’ll tell us how he wants us to proceed.”
Ethan knew how he wanted to handle it. It involved killing some shitty reporter.
Callen was pacing, running his hands nervously through his long brown hair.
“Fine,” Ethan growled, making the call.
When the man answered on the third ring, he sounded like he was in the middle of something.
“What’s up, Ethan?” he asked, shuffling papers.
“We have a huge problem.”
There was a pause.
“Okay, what is it?”
Ethan read him the article.
‘Elizabeth Blackhawk, darling of the FBI, has some secrets of her own. It seems that this director is playing some high powered games every day. She’s cozied up to her husband, yet all the while carrying on relationship with her brother-in-law. This threesome has been together for a while, and I’m not quite sure why the FBI allows it. We’ve contacted them for a comment, but haven’t heard back.
Until we find out the truth, we’re left to assume. Is she some sexed up hussy, or a play thing shared between two men? Inquiring minds are dying to know, and we’ll keep you updated.’
There was absolute silence.
“I’m betting a sexed up hussy,” Gabe said. “I’ve seen her fawning over both of you. Then again, you two jump her about as much as I jump Livy,” he teased, trying to keep Ethan from losing his mind. It wasn’t normally like him to be this frazzled.
Then again, if the media was talking about Livy like that, he’d bust some heads too.
“Gabe! This is serious! Some scumbag just dumped our sex life across a rag paper. If this hits national media, BNN will be camped outside our door taking pictures.”
Yeah, now they had even more reason to move.
He laughed. “Ethan, breathe. You had to know this was going to come out one day. You’ve gone to holiday parties as a couple, in fact, you stroll into your holiday party holding hands. This isn’t as big a secret as you think it is. You’re in the field together, and you live under the same roof. People were bound to talk. You should be more shocked that it took this long to come out.”
He was, but they didn't have to like it.
In fact, they were entitled to their privacy. They made plenty of sacrifices for the country, citizens, and even fellow Feds. No one deserved their wife to be called a hussy.
No one.
Callen wanted to make this stop. The last thing he needed was the world calling his woman names. It was furthest from the truth.
She was a great mother.
Excellent partner.
Devoted Fed.
It broke his heart that he was the cause of all of this. Ethan’s career would suffer, and Elizabeth’s sterling reputation was now tarnished. She was now nothing more than a sexy plaything in the eyes of the world.
It made him want to weep.
“Ethan, handle it. If this was any other situation, what would you do?” Gabe asked.
“Redirect the media’s attention to something different. I would work on getting them to focus on another topic so it’ll quiet down.”
“So do it. Dig up dirt on Seth Denton and make him the center of attention. Shame them into compliance. It is FBI one-oh-one at its finest.”
He was right.
If you couldn’t win with a frontal approach, go with something that never let you down.
“I’ll handle it. I just want to make sure our jobs are safe.”
“Callen isn’t a full director, and he’s not technically your underling. It’s a job I created out of the blue, and he only answers to himself. Native Relations is something touchy here in the FBI. So, you’re not having sex with a subordinate. No one is taking your jobs away. I promise.”
That calmed him down.
“As for Eliza
beth, you were married before you took the position, and everyone is aware of that. I suggest you lead in with your closure record. Let them be ashamed of themselves for even bringing up your sex life.”
He was right.
“Thank you, Gabe.”
“If you need me to cover for you, I will. I’ll make some calls, and see if I can find the person who owns that paper. I’ll try and make the reporter disappear. I’m sure I can pull a J. Edgar Hoover on him.”
“Thank you.”
There was no reason for him to even offer up those words. After all, he owed them that.
For a while, he’d let them hang on their own, and he needed to make amends. They saved his bacon a few times, made him look good, and did their jobs. That was good enough for him.
He’d have their backs.
“Take care of this mess and get this case done. Your kids are expecting one hell of a Christmas when you get home. I’m sure you won’t let them, or me, down.”
With that, the call had ended.
Ethan hung up and glanced over at his partners. Even if Gabe told him to let it go, he wouldn’t have. He’d risk his life, limb, and career for the two people standing before him.
Elizabeth had saved him from becoming one more burned out agent.
Callen stood in for him when he was at his weakest moment. They deserved to be protected.
“I want you both to get ready to go out there. We’re going out with our heads held high.”
“I’ll take one for the team,” Callen offered. “We can pretend they’re insane.”
Ethan wasn’t having it. “No, Cal, we won’t. I won’t deny you or our relationship. We told you at the beginning that we loved you and you were part of this. You’re not taking one for the team. I am.”
Elizabeth went into his arms. “It’ll all be okay.”
Ethan pulled Callen with her, and they locked their woman between them.
“We’ll get through this.”
They both put their faith in him.
“When this is all over, we’ll go home and have the best holiday with our family. This won’t matter. They can’t break us,” he offered. “As long as we stand tall, push back, and don’t let them win, they can’t diminish what we have.”
Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) Page 29