Blood Shall Run (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 15) Read online

  Ethan wanted to rage, but he couldn’t. He was Deputy Director, and he had to stay calm. What he needed to do was be the boss.

  That he could control.

  “What else?”

  “We really need a profile.”

  “I’m working on it now. What I really want is for everyone to lay low until I get there. Tomorrow, we’ll regroup and refocus.”

  “That was what Lyzee told everyone to do. You’re both on the same page.”

  He wasn’t surprised. Now he hoped she was on the same page when it came to his plan for Chris.

  He told his brother about Doctor Gaines.

  At first Callen said nothing.

  “Well?” Ethan asked.

  This was a potentially bad situation, and Callen knew it. Instead of inciting a riot, or pissing his brother off, he went with a neutral answer.

  “Well, she’s going to have her work cut out for her. Chris couldn’t do basic triage. He’d shut down. He actually puked on the scene, and we didn’t even have a body.”

  That wasn’t good.

  “We’re going to have to call in a backup ME. He can’t be running that lab if he can’t hold it together.”

  Callen knew that was going to be one hot freaking mess. Pulling the man was going to piss Elizabeth off, and it might make Doctor Leonard worse.

  “Are you sure that’s the best play for the moment, Ethan?” he asked, trying to get his brother to think about it.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Well, I’m glad I don’t have to make that call,” Callen admitted.

  “I’ll take the heat. What can you tell me about the ME Elizabeth booted?”

  “He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s accurate. Chris redid the autopsies, and Doctor Perette was on target with their assessments. He’s not incompetent. He’s simply an asshole.”

  “I’m going to have him meet us at the morgue tomorrow. I’m going to have him work with us.”

  Callen laughed. “She’s going to strip your hide from your bones.”

  Ethan was well aware.

  Here’s where it got tricky.

  They were partners in life, but now…technically, Ethan was her boss. He didn’t have to ask her to do it. All he could hope was once he yanked Chris from the case, she didn’t resent him for taking over. It wasn’t personal.

  He was simply doing his job.

  And this was why the FBI didn’t let married couples work together.

  “I have no choice. She’s walking a fine line. We let Chris stay, but we knew if he started cracking, he was done. Remember when he wanted to yank her gun for her shoulder? He likes rules, and so do I. We can’t find this guy and have all the evidence tossed because our ME is questioned on his accuracy.”

  Callen was aware.

  It didn’t mean he had to like it.

  He figured his brother should hear everything.

  “Oh, and she jacked up her shoulder.”

  “What?” Ethan asked. “Is she okay? I thought you said she was fine?”

  “She’s hurting, but she’s not letting anyone see it. When she comes right out and tells you that she’s injured, you know it’s bad.”

  “She told you?”

  “She asked Chris to look at it.”

  “On her own recognizance?”

  “Yep.”

  “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, it might be.”

  Ethan thought about it. “Send her back to the B&B with Chris. Have Tony babysit them. Put Merry on the detective, and have the lab staff work the trace.”

  Callen laughed again.

  “What now?”

  “Well, she’s already planned on going back to the room. I don’t have to order her to do it.”

  “Holy mother of God. She’s on the edge. This is worse than I thought.”

  “Oh, you have no idea. As for trace, there’s very little. Doctor Perette’s team swept after they found the bodies, and now…it’s one hot mess. They found gasoline cans and a makeshift ignitor, but everything else is beyond trace. Think really hot fire in a marble box.”

  Ethan looked at his watch. “I’ll be there in a couple hours. We’ll start working on this.”

  “Bring dinner and a whiteboard. She’s going to need both. Right now, our wife is rattled. Pizza and smelly markers will help her focus.”

  He knew Callen was right.

  “Hey, Cal?”

  “What?”

  “Thank you for taking care of everything for her. I saw you on the news. I saw it all. Thank you for doing the job and doing it well.”

  “It’s my job. She’s my partner in the field. This is the new normal. I’ll do what I can to keep her safe.”

  That calmed him.

  Ethan knew his brother would do the job. He knew he’d watch her back. The anger began abating.

  The fear was pushed back.

  “You’re on duty until I get there. Then I’ll have your backs.”

  “I love you, bro,” Callen said, making a mental list of everything he had to do in the next two hours. On top of it was babysitting his wife.

  “I love you too. I’ll see you soon.”

  Ethan hung up.

  Pulling out his tablet, he made a call to the mayor. It looked like he was going to risk Lyzee’s wrath.

  He was bringing in an outsider to work the case.

  If she didn’t kill him, he was going to be lucky. Now Ethan had to hope that they were strong enough to hold up. He was going in as her boss, and that was bound to sit badly with her.

  How could it not?

  Ethan Blackhawk was pulling rank on his wife. No one would have seen this day coming.

  No one.

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

  Meredith Peyton was completely out of her element, and that was saying a lot. As she began processing the trace, Callen had yanked her from the job. When Ethan Blackhawk gave an order, she had to follow it, even if it scared the hell out of her.

  Apparently, she was on detective duty.

  When Callen told her, she honestly thought he was yanking her chain. She had to ask twice if he was serious.

  Finally, he pointed at the detective and gave her a direct order. She couldn’t believe it.

  The man she tried to avoid, she was now going to be confined with at his place.

  Well, shit!

  This was one hell of a predicament.

  She was up to bat, and the detective needed someone to monitor him. Boone was wounded. He needed a ride home, someone to wake him every couple of hours, and they thought she’d be the best person for the job.

  What they didn’t realize was that she was the WORST person for it. What she wanted to do, after him bringing her breakfast, was kiss him. Merry wanted to taste him, feel the Native man against her body, and enjoy life.

  Only she was too chicken to do it.

  Bock freaking bock.

  There was a time when she would have pounced, but her ex had broken that in her. She was more terrified than anyone should be.

  He was only a man, right?

  And a wounded one at that.

  What could possibly happen? He had one hell of a concussion, and if he tried to hurt her, she could take him.

  She hoped.

  Then again, her definition of taking him might not be appropriate. When Tony had been working on his arm in the morgue, Merry had been privy to what lie beneath the man’s clothes.

  Jesus.

  She wanted to drool.

  He wasn’t ripped and crazy built, but he was sexy in that understated way. There was barely any hair on his chest, and she imagined he’d be all sexy wet.

  As she fantasized about all the things that she’d love to do to him, he was sitting right beside her in his truck.

  “Turn here,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “Okay,” Merry offered, following his directions.

  “It’s not far up ahead. It’s the last cabin at the end o
f the street. It’s the one with no houses around it, and the blue rocker on the porch.”

  Merry listened to his directions, and all she could think was how warm and soothing his voice sounded. It was like honey and whiskey on a cold day. It lulled her into a sense of calm.

  It also terrified her.

  As she pulled into the driveway, there was a cabin up ahead. It looked like he’d live there. It was masculine, and very Native.

  “You can dump me inside. I’ll be fine,” he offered. “You can keep the truck. I can get a ride to work tomorrow. I’ll call for a black and white.”

  She glanced over at him. “Yeah, that’s not happening. We’re stuck together. I’ll drive you in tomorrow.”

  He opened his eyes. The crystal blue was filled with pain. “Why not?”

  “I’m on babysitting duty. I’m to make sure you survive the night with that knock to your head. Concussions can be dangerous, and since no one went to the ER, to avoid the media, you have a personal nurse for the next twenty four hours.”

  He stared at her.

  He had to be dreaming. Better yet, he still had to be unconscious. It was the only explanation.

  “So you’re staying?”

  “Yep. I’ll make you dinner, and I’ll keep you from slipping into a coma. It’s one stop service from your friendly neighborhood FBI team.”

  He laughed, and then groaned when his head hurt.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Where to begin?

  Boone was screwed.

  All day, he’d been thinking about her. What he wanted more than anything was to bring her back to his place or stay at the B&B with her. Only he never thought it would happen. She was too skittish, damaged, and on edge to trust him. Now it looked like the spirits intervened.

  He was going to be alone with her.

  Holy shit!

  And of course he was going to have a concussion at the time. Fate was funny and mean all at once. He was far from his best at the moment.

  Merry parked his truck and walked around to help him down. Truth be told, he was fine, but he figured he’d let her play nurse. If this was his only shot at getting close to her, he had to take it.

  He kept thinking back to what the spirits had told him. She was the one, and he needed to see if they were right. Would Meredith Peyton fill that hole in his life?

  Or would he forever be alone?

  Only time would tell.

  As Merry helped him into his cabin, she wasn’t surprised by the interior. It looked like him. It was warm, woodsy, and pristine. She liked that in a man. Maybe it was the scientist in her, but she liked herself, and anyone in her life, to be neat and organized. Chaos outside the workplace made her insane.

  Then she had to remind herself that he wasn’t hers, and she didn’t need a man. They were trouble.

  They lied.

  They broke their promises.

  They were violent.

  Merry didn’t want to get hurt—again.

  “I’ll help you to the couch.”

  He didn’t argue.

  “Where’s your bedroom? I’ll get you some clean clothes,” she offered.

  “My pajamas are folded next to my bed,” he offered, pointing toward the room.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  When she was gone, Boone started praying to whoever was listening. He wanted her more than he craved anything else in life. He knew deep down that she was meant to be his.

  He’d seen it.

  Now he had to make it happen.

  Somehow...

  Merry wandered his room.

  It definitely smelled like Boone. It was the lingering scent of his aftershave that gave her that warm rush of heat. As she picked up his clothes, she couldn’t help it.

  She sniffed them.

  It smelled like him.

  In that moment, she had the overwhelming need to strip out of her clothes, pull on his pajama top, and sit in his lap.

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  She was never a flagrant hussy.

  Ever.

  She was so screwed. The harder she fought, the more she struggled against that need. There was something about him that called to her. When she was near Boone, he was peaceful, calm, and gentle.

  Those were the things she wanted in a man.

  No.

  Those were the things she couldn’t live without in her world—they mattered more than anything else to Merry. She should know.

  Her life lacked them.

  As she looked around the room, she saw a plethora of books. There were some on science, nature, and religions. It looked like the detective was well versed with reading.

  That appealed to her too.

  You could learn a lot about a person when you wandered through the most intimate room in their house.

  “Did you find them okay?” he asked, calling to her.

  Merry hustled out, knowing that she’d lingered too long in his personal space. Out in his living room, she found him stripping down.

  Shit!

  She didn’t need to see this.

  “I’ll make you something to eat.”

  He watched her as she handed him his clothes. There was fear in her eyes.

  “Miss Peyton, you’re safe here. I won’t jump you. Whatever’s chasing you won’t find you here. My house is well protected.”

  She didn’t understand that last part, but she let it go. Merry had other issues at that moment. She hated how he saw everything. Merry couldn’t hide anything from him.

  She opened her mouth to tell him not to worry about it, but that’s not what came out.

  “I know you won’t. I trust you.”

  Oh, hell!

  Why was she talking?

  Was she insane?

  Things were just falling out of her mouth. Maybe it had everything to do with the half-naked Native man before her. His hand was on his belt buckle, and he was waiting. In her head, she was begging, no, make that daring, him to do it.

  If he did, she’d be all over him. Concussion or not, she’d make him feel better.

  She wanted to slap herself.

  Crap!

  She was out of control.

  “Merry?”

  Did he want her to stay?

  Leave?

  What?

  She was going stupid with lust.

  Merry finally found the strength to leave. “Call me if you need me.”

  “There are provisions in the kitchen.”

  She escaped.

  Boone smiled as the petite woman raced from the room. He wanted her so much that he was willing to chase Meredith down. He loved the way she watched him. Her eyes casually swept over his body, and it sent chills and fire racing through his blood.

  It was torture having her near.

  Boone suspected she’d put up a fight, but the good things in life were worth fighting for, right?

  He knew she’d be worth it.

  As he got changed, he could see her in the mirror over his mantle. She was peeking around the corner at him and chewing on her bottom lip.

  He wanted to smile. That one little action was so sexy that it nearly took him to his knees.

  Boone moved slowly, letting Merry see his body. When he dropped his shirt, her eyes went huge. She’d seen the full back tattoo he’d been working on over the last few months. As he dropped his jeans, she ducked back around the corner.

  Here was his proof.

  She was interested, but she was wary. He only had to find a way to bridge that gap between them.

  “Is soup okay?” she called from his kitchen.

  Boone pulled on his pajama bottoms. “Yes, it is. You don’t have to do this, Merry. I can manage.”

  She said something, but he didn’t catch it. Boone was too busy focusing on the current situation. He really wanted a shower, but he knew if he left her alone, she’d bolt, or find some excuse to escape into the night. So, he was going to play wounded.

  Truth be told, he was
fine.

  Well, physically.

  Mentally, he was tripped up.

  Boone could hear his microwave ding, so he took a seat, making sure to leave room for Merry. Staring down at his folded pajama top, he left it there.

  He wanted to watch her react to him.

  As a cop, studying people was a big part of the job. Now he needed to see how she would do around him, in close proximity, and while they were alone.

  It mattered.

  This moment was important. He could feel it in his gut.

  Boone knew she was broken inside, and he didn’t know if he could reach her, but he was going to try. It would be baby steps until she really believed he wouldn’t break her.

  At the sound of her shoes across his wood floor, he glanced up. Merry was standing there. It appeared that she’d noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

  Good.

  It began.

  “Um…isn’t it a little chilly in here? Would you like a sweater?” she asked.

  He smiled.

  God!

  She was so damn sweet.

  “Maybe it was that knock I took to my skull. I feel a little warm.”

  She immediately placed his soup on the coffee table and touched his face.

  He didn’t feel warm to the touch.

  When he turned his face into her palm and kissed it, she jerked her hand away as if he’d burned her. “Detective.”

  “Boone. I’d really like you to use my name. We’re in my house, and I’m clearly not working.”

  That was a lie. He’d never worked harder in his life. Before Merry, Boone never had a hard time catching the ladies. Now he only wanted to catch her.

  She stared at him, trying to measure her options. He’d brought her breakfast, and she did pull a gun on him. Boone never even flinched when she dumped coffee on his crotch.

  That had to be the signs of a patient man—or one with no feeling in the lower half of his body.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Please?”

  Finally, he could see when she made the choice. The worry lines between her eyes dissipated, and she looked calm once more.

  “Okay, Boone.”

  “Do I get to call you by your name? Or are you more comfortable with the formality. I want to move at your pace.”

  That drew up pictures in her mind. All of them involved him naked and her sitting in his lap.