Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) Read online

  Wasn’t that the truth?

  With that, they made the trek back to the morgue to give Elizabeth hell. Maybe by the time they got there, both men would be calm. She was lucky that she didn't follow. They would need the walk back to calm down.

  Or someone was in for a rather heated lecture.

  She didn't move.

  She was afraid to.

  Elizabeth laid there, the scent of blood filling her nose. All she could do, as Ethan and Callen took off, was to hope and pray that the pain she was feeling was isolated to her arms. She hit the ground rather hard, stealing her breath as it jarred her to the bone.

  As the men took off, the morgue emptied of her team. In the lead was Christopher Leonard. He raced to her side, the second he saw the blood staining her white shirt, he knew they had a big problem.

  “Shit! Lyzee, are you okay?” he asked, dropping to his knees beside her.

  She didn't even answer, because she was too scared that Charlie was hurt. She wanted to weep. The tears were just about ready to fill her eyes.

  Chris began taking her pulse with his shaking fingers. In his head, there was an internal dialogue as he prayed she was okay.

  As Chris continued to check her out, another vehicle pulled up, and Doctor Magnus ran for the downed woman.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Chris began moving her into a better position as gently as he could. “We heard a shot, and when we came out, Elizabeth was on the ground.”

  “I’m okay,” she finally said, still not moving too much. “I think I knocked the wind out of us.” Elizabeth hoped that was it. She was really scared this time.

  Tony and Chris surrounded her as Jaxon moved Elizabeth’s head into her lap.

  “We have you, Lyzee,” Tony reassured. He was concerned by the dual stains of blood spreading on her shirt.

  Obviously, she was rattled. Elizabeth was notorious for getting knocked down, hurt, but then getting back up.

  This time, not so much.

  “What happened?” Chris asked.

  “I saw the glint, heard the slide, and I reacted. I think the bullet grazed off Callen’s vest and across my one arm, vest, and then other arm,” she stated.

  She was numb.

  Either it was from the adrenaline or the bullet. She wasn’t quite sure.

  They went to move her.

  “Wait. Just give me a second, okay?” Staring up, her eyes met Chris’s. “Charlie…she isn’t shot, is she?” Elizabeth asked, her only concern was for the baby she was carrying.

  This was the worst day she’d had in a long time.

  If she survived it, she was going to age about ten years.

  “Let me check, and pardon the cold fingers, it’s chilly in the morgue,” he reassured.

  “It’s okay, Doc. Just get it done.”

  With gentle fingers, Chris’s hand slid beneath her shirt and vest, feeling for anything wet. When there was nothing, he continued his examination. As he pressed against her abdomen, there was a kick in protest.

  He released the breath he was holding.

  “She’s good, Elizabeth. I think she’s just shocked. That was a close one.” They could all see the slice in the vest across her body. “We need to get you in and look at those arms.”

  She knew they did. “Keep Callen and Ethan calm. They’re going to lose it.”

  No one doubted that at all.

  Ethan and Callen were going to do more than lose it. They were going to go shit nuts.

  When they hit the clearing of trees, their talking stopped. Something was definitely wrong. Where they expected to find their wife pacing in anger, they found an entirely different scene. The three doctors were on their knees surrounding her, as the techs nervously looked on.

  They knew she was still on the ground because they could see her booted feet.

  That made them both sick.

  Running toward her, they slid to a stop, and immediately dropped to their knees. The first thing both men saw was the blood.

  It was all over her white shirt and spreading fast.

  “Oh, Jesus!” blurted Callen, ready to be sick. From the look on his brother’s face, he too was feeling it. In fact, Ethan had such a look of fear across his features that it was almost indescribable.

  “Baby, are you okay?” he asked, despite the blood. He’d known Elizabeth a while, and whenever she’d been hurt, she’d always shook it off.

  This time, she didn't.

  Immediately, guilt filled him. They’d left her there as they ran after the shooter. They should have been with her.

  “Charlie is okay,” she said, waiting for Ethan to lose it.

  “We need to get her inside and out of that shirt,” Chris stated.

  Blackhawk wasted no time. Scooping her up in his arms, he headed toward the morgue.

  Elizabeth normally would protest, but this time, she tossed him a bone. She could walk, now that the fear had subsided.

  Inside, Ethan refused to let her go.

  She could feel the fine tremors running through his body. He was close to the edge, and she knew it. Even Callen, who looked worried, was obviously thinking the same thing.

  Instead of placing her on the table, he lowered Elizabeth to her feet. “Can you stand?”

  “Yes, Ethan.”

  Glancing around the room, he sent everyone out but Chris. From the tone of his voice, even Tony didn't joke around. They all sensed what Elizabeth and Callen knew.

  Here it came.

  With nimble fingers, he began removing the vest. As he dropped it on the morgue table, his eyes went to the slice across the front from the bullet.

  “It looks like it glanced off Callen’s vest and across hers,” stated Chris, pointing toward the other man’s Kevlar.

  Elizabeth glanced up at Callen. “He was in front of me, so that makes sense.”

  Ethan still didn't talk.

  He couldn’t. He wasn’t in control yet.

  “Then it hit my left arm, went across the vest, and then my right arm,” she admitted.

  Once the vest was off her body, Ethan focused on the blood and slices in the white shirt. He was horrified that the bullet could have hit their child had she not been vested up.

  It was a miracle.

  Because Charlie was smaller than the other babies she’d had, Elizabeth was still able to wear her Kevlar. That had saved their lives.

  If she had died, he wouldn’t have been able to go on.

  “I can get the shirt off,” she stated, not even putting up a fight. Normally, she would argue about getting topless in the morgue, but Elizabeth was well aware that Ethan wasn’t going to have it. While she was stubborn and pigheaded, the man beside her deserved a break. Since his abduction, Ethan had moments where his temper could be notoriously wicked. Now wasn’t the time to push her luck.

  Chris noticed that Blackhawk wasn’t speaking. “Callen, can you get the first aid kit? I don’t think Lyzee needs a trip to the hospital. They look like they might need some steri-strips and nothing more.”

  Callen was grateful for that.

  When she was free from her shirt, Ethan’s hands immediately went to Elizabeth’s belly. He could feel Charlie moving around like a maniac. Obviously, she was stirred up just as much as he was.

  Like father, like daughter.

  “Chris, can you check the baby?” Blackhawk asked, finally speaking.

  While he already did outside, he’d appease the man. Pulling his stethoscope out of his bag, Chris began listening to the little Blackhawk in her belly.

  “Did you land on her, Elizabeth?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, and neither did Callen or Ethan. I landed flat on my back. We’re fine.”

  Callen dropped the first aid kit on the metal table.

  Glancing over, Elizabeth noticed that he didn't look fine. Jesus, she knew what was coming. Both men were stirred up and going to give her hell at any moment.

  Great.

  This was the last th
ing she wanted, or needed.

  “Let’s clean up your arms,” Chris offered, pulling out some sterile alcohol and gauze pads. Once, we get the blood off, I’ll be able to tell you how bad it really is.”

  Elizabeth had no doubt they were going to bully her into just that. Once the ME was done, she was getting a double barrel full of testosterone.

  Chris stood over her, cleaning the wounds in her arms. When he poked at them, she screeched, “Come on, Doc!”

  He laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “I believe I now know how you feel, since I had you digging around in my groin. I’m trying to be gentle.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, closing her eyes.

  He lightened up on the poking. “You need a couple stitches, nothing more. If you want, I can throw them in fast.”

  Callen spoke up, “She’s going to the hospital.”

  Elizabeth kept her eyes closed. This might be the one time in their relationship that she wouldn’t throw down an argument. If they insisted, she’d go.

  Bracing herself, she waited for it.

  “I can take a few stitches without meds, Cal. Go ahead, Chris. Do your worst. Make them pretty. I don’t want any of those ugly autopsy stitches.”

  He dug in his kit for a needle.

  Immediately, Callen wanted to puke. The mere idea that the man was going to stick that corpse needle in her flesh freaked him out. Glancing over, he stared at his brother, as if asking if he was okay with all this.

  Ethan was stoic and said nothing. This wasn’t a new scene to him. In fact, it took him back over four years ago to a different morgue, a different time, and a different them.

  Surprisingly, his heart softened. There was no way he could ever ask her to change. She was part of his heart, and this was the path they began together.

  “Do you need someone to hold your arms down?” Chris asked.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  It was obvious that wasn’t the truth.

  “Okay, then let’s begin.” Chris moved fast, leaving three stitches in her one bicep and four in the other. When he was done, he began patching her up. As the last of the bandages was placed over the wounds, she sat up.

  “You’re still badass Lyzee Blackhawk to me,” Chris whispered.

  She needed that. “Thank you, Christopher.”

  “I have a t-shirt in my bag. You can wear it if you like,” he offered.

  Elizabeth was so grateful for a friend who wasn’t going to snap, snarl, or yell at her, making her feel like less than she was. Already, she knew the men were going to be all over her on this one.

  “Thanks,” she said, pulling it gently over her arms and into place. “It’s perfect,” she said, laughing at the skull on the front. “You’re a sick man, Doctor Death.”

  He offered her a fist bump, and then a kiss on the cheek. “Good luck,” he whispered.

  Hoping down off the table, she got ready to break down what was going to happen next. Elizabeth’s plan was to ignore the men and get on with work. Maybe avoidance would be the best policy at this point.

  “Before you start thinking that this day is going on as normal, it’s not. You’re going back to the hotel,” Ethan warned. He didn't give her time to reply. Instead, he jumped right into his directives for the team.

  “Chris, keep the techs inside and when you do leave, make sure that everyone is buddied up and wearing Kevlar, including you.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” he said, knowing that Elizabeth wasn’t happy about being ordered back to the hotel. He could see it on her face. In all honesty, he didn't blame her. These really weren’t big injuries, and he’d seen her get worse. He almost wanted to defend her, but he knew how the men felt.

  “How’s the shooting arm?” he asked, only to have her pull her weapon so fast, he jumped. “Okay, then you’re definitely clear from my end.”

  Ethan pointed at his brother. “I need you to locate a whiteboard and check in with Seaton and Madden. I want to know if they’ve dug anything else up on our other victims.”

  “Jaxon was just about finished with your next skull,” stated Chris. “We can have Merry start to run it for facial recognition if you want.”

  Ethan cut her off before she could even open her mouth. “Thank you, Chris. That would be helpful.”

  “I’ll get everything handled here, grab the data, and meet you at the hotel,” stated Callen, not giving Elizabeth the option to fight. If she was smart, she’d say nothing while both men were close to losing it.

  If she didn't, there was going to be one hell of a show, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

  “Okay, Callen. Be safe, and we’ll meet you there.”

  With that, Ethan took his wife by the hand and led her out the morgue doors and to the Denali. The entire time, he watched the surrounding area to make sure they were safe.

  He wasn’t taking another chance.

  And when they got back to the hotel, there would be one hell of a conversation.

  He had a great deal to say, and Elizabeth had no choice but to listen, even if he had to hold her hostage and at gun point.

  The line was drawn.

  For him at least.

  * * *

  Tony was worried about his friend, and the woman sitting beside him in the cramped office. With someone shooting at them, that upped the stakes a great deal.

  The last thing he wanted was for his fiancée to be hurt while working beside him. He’d taken a bullet meant for her, and he would do it all over again to keep her safe.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  He lied.

  “Your skull. How’s it coming?”

  She grinned triumphantly. “I think I caught the real spirit of her,” Jaxon admitted, turning the tray and lifting the paper sheeting from over the finished skull.

  The woman beneath had been an average looking woman, but from the pudgy cheeks, Tony could see that she was still closer to child than adulthood. Their victim was still young and just starting out life.

  “That’s amazing, honey,” he stated, dropping a kiss to her cheek. It wasn’t him just flattering her. Jaxon had done a good job.

  “We know she had black hair, so I added some. I don’t know about the eye color.”

  He stared down at the victim’s reconstructed clay face. “Why did you go with blue?” he asked.

  “I read the report on Jacey Durante, the girl who went missing from the ice cream place,” she stated. “She had black hair and blue eyes too.”

  Tony got it. “You think he’s got a preference?”

  “Don’t all men? If you had to pick a woman up, what would she look like?”

  He laughed at her question.

  “What?”

  “She’d have boobs and a smile,” he stated honestly. Before her, he wasn’t one to be picky. Women were great, and when he had that biological urge to get off, he didn't really have a specific type—unless you counted one who was willing.

  That worked for him.

  “That’s really bad,” she said, laughing. What Jaxon hoped was that he would have described her. She desperately wanted to know that she was his type.

  That they weren’t a fluke.

  “We’ll give this skull to Merry. She’ll find her identity, I’m sure of it.”

  She agreed.

  When he went to the door to get Merry, she wasn’t alone. Behind her were the two newer agents.

  “Wow! You rocked that out,” stated Agent Johanna Madden. “She looks so alive and real.”

  “Thank you,” Jaxon replied, proud of her work. It gave her great satisfaction to give their victim back her face.

  It overwhelmed her emotionally.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen a reconstruction that perfect before. You even gave her individual eyelashes,” Agent Broderick Seaton stated.

  “She deserves to be seen as more than remains,” Jaxon stated.

  Broderick Seaton grinned. “You should do this for a living. It’s freaking awesome.”

&
nbsp; Tony happened to agree. His wife-to-be had some crazy skill in this department.

  That caught Jaxon off guard.

  She’d never considered it more than a hobby. Working with clay was more art than science.

  “Thanks, I think.”

  With gentle fingers, Meredith picked up the skull and carried it away.

  “We have two more coming tomorrow,” Tony stated. “The team found two women who were pregnant. I don’t know why Elizabeth is focused on that, but she is.”

  Jaxon didn't mind the task. Sitting there was cathartic. She was beginning to enjoy working with the clay medium. It reminded her of her mother.

  “When they arrive, you should probably put a rush on it just in case. When the boss lady is back on her feet, she’s going to need everything we can dig up for her to get her on track, and fast.”

  Jaxon remembered working with her on the last case. “She’s going to work after being shot?” she asked in surprise.

  “It takes more than a little bullet to stop Elizabeth Blackhawk. Wait and see.” Tony could bet easy money on it.

  She didn't know if she should be impressed or horrified. “If you say so,” she offered. If it was her, Jaxon knew she’d be hiding in her hotel room.

  “Trust me. I’ve been doing this with her for a dozen years. She’s definitely not going to back down. In fact, she’s going to be as mad as hell. If there’s one thing that will put the boss lady over the edge, it’s someone taking shots at her husbands.”

  Jaxon imagined it would.

  She’d be pissed if someone went after Tony…again.

  Look out shooter.

  It appeared someone made one hell of a mistake.

  * * *

  The ride back to their hotel was absolutely silent.

  Neither spoke, and that was the signal of a bad storm brewing on the horizon. There was something festering between them, ready to break free as it consumed them both.

  Well, she wasn’t going to put up with it.

  Elizabeth was just as irritated and had as much right to be pissed off.

  With the shooter.

  With this killer.