Dying to Love (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 18) Page 10

  “And that’s more reason not to do this.”

  “Please look at the pictures.”

  Callen didn’t want to have to say the words. He needed his brother to check it out, see what he saw, and understand what was going on for Elizabeth.

  Ethan took a seat behind his desk. When he opened his email, he was horrified.

  There were dead babies. Some maniac had eviscerated them, leaving them a destroyed mess.

  Then he saw the bloody messages scribbled on the wall.

  “Oh, Jesus.”

  “Yeah, we have one hell of a problem. We have a killer taking out hookers, and he’s aiming for our wife.”

  “Who isn’t a hooker.”

  “Yeah, but she’s played one at one point in her life, and just last night, she took a little trip down Miss Kitty lane for me.”

  Jesus!

  He forgot about that.

  Ethan got quiet. “Okay, get me everything you can on the crime scenes. I’ll start profiling. You stick with her no matter what. I’ll call Livy and see if I can get her back in here.”

  “Where is she?”

  Ethan explained.

  “That’s weird. She always knows what Gabe is up to in his day.”

  “Yeah, I know. You just guard our wife.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her, Ethan. Just get ready. You better call protective services and warn our father. We have a crazy on the loose, and our kids are in their bull’s-eye.”

  “Again.”

  Callen sighed. “Again.”

  Ethan really hated his job.

  This was why.

  When he hung up, he made the calls. The security would be locked down, and he would bump some shit around to help out. Yeah, he knew he was supposed to be covering for Gabe, but he’d have to understand.

  Family first.

  That was what really mattered.

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

  When Callen walked back into the room, there were techs already arriving. In fact, they were beginning to work the scene. Chris Leonard was right there.

  He was staring down at the little girl in the bed.

  “She’s Bethe and Charlie’s age,” he said, feeling the man approach. “This makes me want to be incredibly sick.”

  “Are you going to be able to do the autopsy?” Callen asked. “If not, I’m sure we can call up another ME to handle the children.”

  Honestly, Callen couldn’t do it.

  He didn’t know how some people could. That took a strength he didn’t understand.

  “Yeah, I’ll find a way through it. It reminds me of a case a long time ago. Elizabeth and I worked it. I’ll never forget it.”

  “How long ago?” he asked, as the techs wandered out of the room.

  “Nine years, I think.”

  “Was that when you were fucking my wife?”

  Chris’s head nearly spun off his shoulders. “What did you just say?”

  Callen stared him in the eyes. He heard the tech walk back in, and he never looked away.

  “You and I have a date, later. If you know what’s good for you, then you won’t even bring this up to Elizabeth. This is between us, Chris—man to man.”

  He swallowed as he stared at the larger Native man. Here was his fear, and it was coming to life.

  “Uh, Callen.”

  He leaned in. “You lied. Consider this judgment day, and I’m the judge.”

  With that, Callen walked away.

  He told Elizabeth he was going to talk to him, and she never told him it couldn’t involve the fear of God.

  Sue him.

  He was a husband.

  He didn’t always make the best choices, but he still had to live with them. Callen was fine with this one.

  “Where’s Elizabeth?” he asked.

  One tech glanced up from the dead woman in the hall. “She headed out.”

  “What?” Callen asked.

  They all jumped.

  “What do you mean ‘she headed out’?” he asked. “I know I had to hear that wrong!”

  The tech stood. “She had her keys in her hand, and she walked out the door. She looked like she was sick, so no one stopped her.”

  Christ Almighty.

  She was going to be the death of him yet.

  Callen rushed out of the building, and there was no car there. Immediately, he called his brother.

  “What?” Ethan asked.

  “She ditched my ass on a crime scene.”

  Had she not had a killer after her, he might have reminded his brother he’d done the exact same thing on their last big case. Only, this wasn’t the least bit amusing.

  No, it was terrifying.

  “WHAT?”

  “Call security. They might be tailing her. When I get my hands on her, I’m going to spank her, and not in the sexy way! I swear to God, I’m going to…”

  Ethan hung up.

  Callen stared at his phone. Well, it looked like he was on duty. He headed back inside.

  Someone had to work the scene.

  If his wife had walked away, it was bad. Instead of texting her, he went in to do something else.

  Torment the ME.

  After all, he’d had his dick in their wife.

  And that was just not right.

  Not in his world.

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

  Hoover Building

  When she arrived there, she felt bad for leaving Callen, but she just couldn’t do it. Grabbing her bag from the trunk, Elizabeth needed to clear her mind.

  At that time of the day, the gym would be quiet. Most agents were working or off shift. What she needed was a few minutes to herself to regroup, refocus, and get her game plan together.

  This was going to be a hard and emotional one.

  If she didn’t take this case, who knew what was going to happen? She was a mess.

  She wanted to hurt someone, and that was always bad when you were feeling that at the beginning of a case. It would leave her angry, scattered, and a mess.

  No.

  She needed to focus.

  She needed to find center.

  This had to be about how to do the job the right way. It had nothing to do with vengeance. She had to play it by the rules, even when her gut said to hunt the asshole down and make him pay.

  At the gym door, she prayed no one would be in there. When she pushed it open, she’d gotten her wish.

  Perfect.

  She headed into the locker room, stripped out of her Kevlar, gun, and badge, and down to her undergarments.

  There, she stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t like what she saw.

  Time had not been her friend. Beyond that, her body was a hot mess.

  There were bullet scars in her shoulder, and a long wound across her abdomen from where they had to crack her open to save her life and do a hysterectomy.

  Then she studied herself more. The rest of her was strong.

  She was tough.

  She could beat this guy.

  Wherever he was, she could win. It wasn’t only about her, and those kids. It was about hers too. With each case, Elizabeth was fighting to make their world safe. She didn’t want her babies growing up in a lawless state where they couldn’t be happy, have a future, or grow up protected.

  So, she fought.

  She struggled.

  She battled.

  It was worth it.

  Pulling on her exercise clothes, she tied her shoes. When she was ready, she headed out to the gym and found her place on a treadmill.

  She began running.

  And running.

  And running.

  Elizabeth raced the demons in her mind. She raced the ones chasing her. Callen now knew about her relationship with Chris. It was so long ago, she hoped it didn’t bury her. She knew her fate was in his hands.

  She trusted him.

  He was her husband, and he would have her back.

  That’s why she ign
ored the last three texts from Chris as she drove there. She didn’t even read them.

  She’d promised Callen.

  She’d sworn on their children’s lives, and that mattered. She wasn’t breaking her vow.

  As she hit the fourth mile, her body was limber, alive, and loosened up. The sweat was dripping from her, and she was ready to do battle.

  With the killer.

  With the world.

  With herself.

  She could do it.

  As she was finishing up the next mile, she felt him near. It was Gabe. His cologne gave him away. He began running beside her.

  It was odd for him to be there.

  “Did Ethan send you?” she asked, figuring Callen had called their other spouse or protective services to find her. Ivan was lurking. She knew it.

  He always was.

  “No. I’m here to work out.”

  That was odd. Gabe was in shape, but he didn’t blow off his day to exercise. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time he worked out in the FBI gym.

  He had one at home.

  That was out of the ordinary.

  “Me too.”

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked. He knew her. Elizabeth was mid case. Why was she at the gym?

  “Killer.”

  “You’ll handle it. You always do. You’re the brightest shining star the FBI has.”

  She looked over at him. “What? Who are you? Did you just give me a compliment? Shouldn’t you be telling me I’m wasting time and should be working?”

  He kept running.

  “Are you sick or out of your mind? You never compliment people.”

  She saw the flinch.

  Something was up. She knew this man well. He’d been a brother, and then she lost him, only to get him back.

  “I thought you needed to hear it. That’s all.”

  She slowed the pace to match his. He was running slower, but he was pushing his body on an incline. “Why are you here? Really?”

  “I’m running and working out some things in my head.”

  “Like?”

  He was stressed. There were lines in his forehead. Elizabeth knew he only got them when he was worked up and ready to blow.

  She should know.

  She’d pushed him to that point plenty of times.

  “I had a rough day.”

  “Me too. This killer is playing games.”

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked.

  “No. I want to sweat.”

  He hit both of their stop buttons. “Then let’s sweat.”

  He headed toward the mats. “Kick the hell out of me. You’ll feel better.”

  “No! What are you, insane? I’m not going to fight with you. You’re the Director of the FBI. The last thing I need is the rumors flying on this one!”

  He swung out, aiming for her head.

  She ducked just in time to avoid being punched in the face. “Are you crazy? You nearly knocked my head off!”

  “Then fight!”

  He swung again, catching her arm and hip tossing her. She slammed to the mat, only to get up again. She was on her feet and moving around him.

  “Gabe! Knock it off! I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Maybe that was exactly what he wanted. Gabe needed to feel, and there was only one person who could help him with that and he knew it.

  “Afraid?”

  She wasn’t, but then again, he was acting weird.

  He swung again.

  Again, she ducked.

  When he moved in, Elizabeth had no choice. She booted him in the gut, just hard enough to move him back. Then she went in low, taking him to the floor.

  The security staff in the back moved forward, and he sent them out. “LEAVE! No one comes in. Do you hear me?”

  They stared at him as if he was insane, but they followed direct orders.

  “She’s my best friend. She’s my family. I’m safe. Wait outside.”

  Michael and Raphael headed out without saying a single thing.

  “Gabe, what are you doing?” Elizabeth asked, standing upright as he got up. “Why are you in a mood?”

  “I have cancer.”

  She stopped moving. “What?” she asked.

  He swung out, clipping her in the face. She knew he pulled it, or he would have knocked her on her ass.

  “Are you freaking insane?” she said, trying to focus on what he’d just dropped.

  That was one hell of a bomb.

  “You heard me. I need a friend right now. I need you to do this for me, Elizabeth. I need to feel. I'm numb. I need to stop being the boss, and be Gabe for a while.”

  She moved toward him as if she was going to hug him. It was all she needed when he lowered his defenses. Elizabeth lashed out, and kicked out his leg, making him trip. Then she elbowed him in the solar plexus, right before she tossed him with every ounce of strength she had.

  Elizabeth didn’t pull it.

  Gabe slid across the mat, but he was up.

  He came in swinging and this time, he didn’t pull a single punch, and neither did she.

  He needed to get the anger out, and this was Elizabeth. Their past and history mattered.

  With her, he could feel.

  She dodged each swing, going under his arm. When behind him, she flung herself, using all her body weight against him, taking him to the mat. They rolled around, him tossing her off his body.

  She landed on her knees, in time to take a kick to the ribs.

  That was going to hurt in the morning.

  She rolled, moving into a crouching position.

  Gabe didn’t hesitate to come at her.

  He was swinging like a madman. One hit landed on her bad shoulder, and she went to her knees.

  When he approached, she punched him in the balls.

  He went down.

  She went down with him.

  They both were out of breath, in pain, and on the edge. When she could breathe through the shoulder pain, she reached out, from her back, and took his hand in hers.

  “How bad?”

  “They caught it as a fluke. They screwed up my blood work, and in the process, they saved my life. I don’t know if I should weep or celebrate.”

  “Buy a lottery ticket.”

  He squeezed her hand.

  “That scared me more than anything. What if…?” he began, stopping before he said it.

  “Don’t think of the what ifs, Gabriel. You got a miracle. Think about what you’re going to do with the extra time. You’re a lucky man.”

  Oh, he was.

  “What kind?” she asked, staring at the ceiling. Her body hurt, but her heart hurt more.

  “Gallbladder. I have to do some shitty chemo where they pump it right into my liver.”

  “And?”

  “They said I’ll live.”

  “But?” she asked.

  “I’m scared. This was like a wakeup call.”

  She imagined it was.

  “Here I am, healthy, I work out, I live right, and something like this was caught by accident. I have six kids. Gabriel Junior is barely six.”

  She could feel his thumb rubbing back and forth over her hand. It was something he used to do before he’d married Livy. When he needed a confidant, she’d been it.

  “What did Livy say? Is she wrapping you in bubble wrap and making you eat healthy for the rest of your life?” she asked, picturing it in her head.

  He laughed. “I didn’t tell her. I’m not going to until the day before the chemo.”

  She glanced over. “She’s going to kick your ass, and you’re not going to need chemo.”

  He rolled to his side.

  She followed him.

  “Yeah, but…”

  Elizabeth stopped him. “I get it. Sometimes, you have to have secrets.”

  He saw the demons.

  “What are you running from?”

  “This killer.”

  “Liar.”

  “Callen found out I lied to
him and Ethan,” she blurted. Then she wished she could take it back.

  “Big lie or small lie?”

  She closed her mouth.

  “Really? I just told you I’m dying.”

  She snorted. “You’re not dying. You said you were going to live.” Then she paused. “Right?”

  He kissed her on the sweaty brow. “When I came back to the office, I needed a break before I faced Ethan. I wasn’t sure I was going to tell him. Raphael told me to work out. I’m lucky. I have good security.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I have Ivan. You stuck me with that ass hat for a reason.”

  “He’s the male you. I thought you’d get along,” he said, grinning wickedly.

  “Thanks.”

  “I figured if I didn’t come to a conclusion as I was working out, it would be a sign. Then I saw you in here. You’re never in here.”

  “We work out at home. If I’m in here with Callen or Ethan, we’re the talk of the place. Plus, no one will fight with me.”

  “But me.”

  “And that tells you all you need to know about your sanity, or lack thereof, my friend.”

  He grinned.

  “Now, what did you lie about?”

  “Chris.”

  “They don’t know you were all over the man for years?” he asked.

  “Apparently, we sucked at being secretive. No one was supposed to know.”

  He laughed. “I drove by your place one night. I wanted to grab you for a drink. Livy told me to get out so she could have peace. I was bugging her.”

  “And?”

  “I was parking when Chris ran down the street, rang the bell, and you opened. You kissed him like you were climbing into his body.”

  She snorted. “I’m passionate. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

  “You never kissed me that way,” he teased. “Had you at my reunion…I would have been a stud.”

  She laughed. “You told me kiss you—not molest your tonsils. There is a big difference there, my friend.”

  She had a point.

  “So, they didn’t know?”

  “I didn’t tell them. Callen figured it out, and I’m afraid. You know how…”

  She shut up.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Honey, you just fondled my balls.”

  She laughed. “I punched you in them. There is a big difference, Gabe, and you know it. You only wish I was giving them the Lyzee treatment.”