Discarded by Fate Read online

Yeah, that had to be hard.

  “I want to end Bonnie. I want to take that ax and show her what a real monster can do.”

  And there was the internal battle.

  She was good at having evil thoughts.

  “I want to hurt her too,” Ethan said. “Our kids are broken because Wyler left.”

  Callen took a step closer, and this time, she didn’t move.

  “I want to torture her for killing good, decent people. I want to show her what scalping feels like as I peel her flesh from her bones for everyone who cared about Chris Santana. You aren’t the only one feeling vengeance.”

  “But I’d do it. I killed ‘The Butcher’, and we all know I have zero impulse control.”

  “You’re not bad, Elizabeth. You’re good. You’re so good you want justice to win, and it can’t always. Sometimes, the good guys have to take their beatings. It’s what they do afterward that matters. Do they lie down and die, or do they ask the people they love to help them up so they can fight another day? You have survivor’s guilt.”

  She stared at him on the tablet.

  “I know. Help me. Please.”

  And there was the start.

  She wasn’t denying.

  Elizabeth was reaching up for them.

  Callen opened his arms. “I’ll carry you while you heal, angel. I’ll hold you up when you feel lost. Just come to me. Let me be what you need.”

  Ethan offered her the same thing.

  She went into his arms and began sobbing. The crack in the dam was now a chasm, and the emotions, anger, and pain were coming out.

  “You are NOT a bad person.”

  She wanted to believe that.

  Ethan continued, since he couldn’t hold her. “You ran into those trees willing to die for her. You said goodbye to us, knowing that it was more likely you were coming out in that body bag.”

  Sometimes, she wished she had. This hole in her hurt.

  “I would have died for her.”

  Ethan knew it.

  “Look at me, Elizabeth.”

  She did.

  “You cannot judge everyone by your standard. You just can’t. We’re cops. We run right into the crazy. It’s something born in us. Maeve, she likely didn’t want to hurt you. She was scared.”

  “That’s the issue.”

  “What is?” Callen asked.

  “Here I fight for justice, and as I was staring down at her, I actually thought justice had been served. That makes me a monster. I know better.”

  Ethan got it.

  “I’ll hop on a flight. I’ll be there by morning.”

  “No,” she said.

  He stared at her.

  “I want to come home. Tomorrow, Callen and I will come home. Please be there for me.”

  “Oh, baby, I am here for you. I failed you once, but that was the old, angry Ethan. I’m not him just like you’re not the Elizabeth that Bonnie made you think you are. She’s screwing with you still.”

  “I want to believe.”

  “Do you believe us?”

  She nodded as Callen wiped her cheeks.

  “Then listen to us. We fight for justice too. If we thought that you were going to go rogue, don’t you think we would have said something?”

  They had a point.

  “You’re hurt and angry. When that passes, you’ll be okay. I want you to see Callie. When you come home, I want you to sit down with her and talk it out.”

  They both prepared for a fight.

  “Okay.”

  They both knew how broken she was for that to be an option.

  “Can she come to us?” she asked. Then she looked up at Callen. “Will you come with me? I need you both. I don’t know if I can do this alone.”

  “My love, I’ll be right there.”

  “So will I,” Ethan offered. “I will be right there. You aren’t damaged, Elizabeth. You’re just wounded. We’ll get you fixed up and you’ll be obnoxious, crass, and dropping f bombs just about everywhere,” he teased.

  It made her laugh.

  God!

  She wanted that.

  Callen held her.

  “Do you feel better?” he asked. “Has that weight lifted at all?”

  Neither man could blame her.

  “A little.”

  Well, maybe this would help more.

  “I’d be angry at her too,” Ethan stated. “In fact, I am. She invited Amara into our home, and she nearly took Charlie. I had a hard time feeling bad for her. I know that’s horrible, but it’s the truth. She pouted until security let her have her own way, and she ended up paying for it.”

  Elizabeth wiped her eyes.

  Callen went next.

  “I don’t really feel happy things for her either, Elizabeth. She made our father abandon our kids. He left and now we’re stuck raising his next child. The minute he married her, I knew we were screwed.”

  She looked up at him.

  If they felt all this, maybe she wasn’t so bad.

  Maybe she was…human.

  “Know why she’s in the garage?” Ethan asked his wife. “Do you know why I won’t even let her into our home even as a box of ashes?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to look at her. I’m disappointed. I don’t want to have to explain to our kids where she went, and why it happened. She took a risk and it wasn’t worth it.”

  “I’m disappointed too,” Callen offered.

  She glanced over.

  “I have never been more upset with our father, and in Maeve for putting herself in front of all of our kids, Chris’s daughter, and our hearts. That’s not love. You don’t betray family…ever!”

  She was able to breath.

  Granted, she didn’t doubt that they were telling her most of this and it was BS, but it helped.

  Ethan picked up papers on his desk in front of him. “These are adoption papers. I’m in the process of adopting my brother as my son. He’s never going to know what happened. Like with Cat, we’ll protect him.”

  She started crying again.

  “You could have told us, baby,” he said, sympathetically. “We would have shared with you how we were feeling the same.”

  She saw that now.

  “Do you still love me?” she asked.

  Callen turned her to face him. “Elizabeth, what I feel for you is more than love. I want to protect you.”

  Ethan agreed. “When you were kicking our asses in Salem, you said you wanted us to trust you when it came to the job. We want you to trust us when it comes to our relationship. Can we meet in the middle? You handle the work aspect, and let us handle protecting our wife.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she stated. “I felt like a monster. I don’t want to become her.”

  They all knew who she meant.

  Bonnie.

  “You can’t become her. You have compassion or you wouldn’t be struggling with this. You are a good person, and Maeve’s betrayal hurt you. No one gets to justify that. No one gets to say how you can feel. You are entitled to your emotions.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt Wyler.”

  “Fuck Wyler,” Ethan said. “He’s made his choices. If he can walk away, that’s on him. We’ll handle that mess after we fix you. I don’t want you hurting. We will help you get through this, and we’ll be good.”

  “I’m sorry, Callen.”

  “For?” he asked, lifting her chin.

  “I ruined your night.”

  “Oh, angel, you made it better by being honest with me. I feel better. I’d trade a party for an evening to feel like I haven’t lost my wife any day.”

  “Me too. I thought we lost you,” Ethan stated. “When we went to Vegas to help the Crofts, I thought you were gone. Now I have you back.”

  Callen hugged her.

  She nestled into his body.

  “Can I be honest?”

  “Yes,” Ethan said.

  “Even if it’s going to be a shitload of paperwork?” she asked.

  �
��Uh, sure.”

  “I’m still going to kick Ivan’s ass when I see him. He’s the only one that knew, and I know he told you. There is no way you sleuthed this one out on your own.”

  “I almost feel sorry for him,” Callen said. “Oh, it’s over. He didn’t tell us sooner, and my sympathy just ran out. Kick it good, and then punch him in the face for me.”

  Ethan laughed.

  “Wait! I can’t confirm or deny that it was Ivan.”

  Oh, she knew better.

  His phone beeped. “It’s the president. I have to take this. Elizabeth, we are good, right? Are you sure you don’t want me to come and get you tonight?”

  She smiled. “No, Cowboy, I’ll see you tomorrow. I feel a million times better. Callen will keep me safe.”

  And she believed it.

  “Bring me a souvenir.”

  She would do that.

  “I love you, Ethan.”

  “I love you too.”

  The screen went blank. Elizabeth held onto Callen for dear life. She did feel better. It was as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders.

  “What can I do to make you feel protected and safe?” he asked, touching her cheek.

  He was doing it. This moment, the reassurance, and how he’d helped her pull out of the mire…it was all she wanted. Her bearings were back.

  “Anything, angel. I’ll do anything for my love.”

  She saw that now.

  “I need you.”

  He was good with that.

  “What specifically?”

  “Hold me up while I’m weak. I was sinking, Callen. Remember when you took off after running into that asshole who hurt you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s how I felt.”

  Well, then he couldn’t blame her. He’d run, and she’d internalized.

  “Will you really do therapy?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I promise.”

  “Good. Now what can I do to cheer you up?” he asked, as she rubbed against the front of him in that really sexy dress. “We can go back to the party, or we can get changed and grab some late dinner at a burger joint. My girl loves dead cow.”

  Yeah, she did, but she’d rather something else.

  Of course his mind went there as he prayed she didn’t leave his arms. Callen loved holding her.

  “Make love to me, Callen James. I need to feel again, and you’re the one who brings that out in me.”

  Thank God!

  He swept her up into his arms and carried her toward their adjoining bedroom. If that was what she wanted, he could do that.

  For the rest of their lives, he would pull her up if she was sinking. Now he knew that they couldn’t assume. She was fragile, too, and deserved to have men who had her back. Sometimes, they forgot she was human.

  This had been their fault too.

  Tomorrow, they’d head home. It was still the weekend, and they didn’t have work.

  “Tomorrow, let’s take the kids to the zoo,” she said, as if reading his mind.

  When he kicked their door shut, it was his wicked laughter that answered her question.

  Yeah, they might be busy.

  Callen wanted to spend all day tomorrow in bed, celebrating with his wife.

  They didn’t lose her after all.

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

  Sunday

  Before Dawn

  He knew this town like the back of his hand. He knew every way into buildings and out. This was his domain, and he knew that the best way to catch her off guard was to bring the game to her. As in, leave her a present to find in the morning when she woke up.

  It would be perfect.

  The beauty of that bed and breakfast was he knew the history, and she did not. In fact, he was willing to bet that they didn’t know that ‘The Underground Railroad’ used this as a place to lie low.

  Perfect.

  So that’s how he was going to access that carriage house on the property. He was planning the perfect surprise.

  As he schlepped his present through the tunnels—dug long before and part of something that time had forgotten, he found the access to the private space.

  He couldn’t wait.

  This was going to be fun.

  As he opened the trap door, he had to struggle to move the carpet out of the way.

  Once it was moved, he could pull his prize from the bowels beneath the home.

  Silently, he moved through the room, grateful that they’d left a light on. This would make his job easier.

  It’s like they wanted to play the game.

  As he placed her on the couch, her limbs flopped loosely around. All he could hope was the wires would hold.

  If they didn’t, his artistry would be ruined.

  As he dropped the note on the table, he was ready to head out. Back into the hole, he struggled to get the carpet to stay on the hatch.

  Oh well.

  He would find another way in if they found it out.

  With that last thought, he was moving silently through the tunnels, back to his car. He’d parked far enough away that security cameras on the outside wouldn’t see him.

  And that was that.

  It was beginning.

  She was going to be so impressed.

  And the game was about to begin.

  Chapter One

  Sunday

  Morning

  H aving her husband beside her was a beautiful thing. While Elizabeth rested in bed, Callen’s nearness comforted her, even if he was taking up most of the space. Honestly, she didn’t really mind. It was soothing to be this close to either of her husbands. Besides, she did have more room now that there was only two of them in bed.

  Today, when they got home, the bed would be that much more crowded. Ethan would hog the space too.

  It was just their life.

  As she lay there, she was beyond content. The bed smelled like her perfume and Callen’s cologne. All around the room, their clothes were haphazardly strewn.

  After coming clean to him and Ethan, Callen had carried her to bed, gently stripped her down, and then made love to her. He’d been gentle, doting, and his normal self.

  Now, as she watched him, she knew how lucky she was. While her heart still hurt over their family being a mess, she at least had them.

  That was her solace.

  Over the last few months, she’d learned that she couldn’t carry it all, and she couldn’t do it alone.

  She needed them as much as they needed her.

  Now they were back.

  They were on stable ground, and they were going to be fine. She’d sweat Bonnie later, or when Callie grilled her in the therapy she’d agreed to attend. That bitch had created enough havoc in their lives, and Ethan had been right.

  That had been her plan.

  Now that Elizabeth was thinking clearly, there was no way on this green Earth that she was going to let her have that kind of control over her.

  Never.

  Was Elizabeth going to take her down?

  Absolutely.

  Was she going to allow the sick woman to damage the best things in her life?

  Not in a million years.

  She had a decent life, and she was going to be happy in what she had.

  Them.

  As long as she had her men, she had a damn good existence—even if they were both bed hogs. She’d let them steal the space.

  Callen and Ethan had proved that they would be there for her, and she was going to lean on them. For years, she’d held them up when Callen faced the reality of his abuse, the loss of Timothy, and when he ran into the man who had raped him.

  They were strong.

  They weren’t easily breakable.

  She’d learned a valuable lesson. She wasn’t the only one who could hold the family up. The men she married were absolutely capable of doing that too.

  In fact, she owed them an apology. She’d doubted them, and that was so damn wrong on her behalf.
r />   They were good at their jobs. They had mastered the art of loving a tough woman.

  So, it was time to let them carry her.

  As Callen moved, the sheet that was draped over his lower anatomy slid precariously down his body, and Elizabeth was able to admire the view. From the tattoos all over his chest and abs, to the bulge just out of view, she knew what she wanted to do.

  Him.

  Tugging the sheet lower, Elizabeth found her way to her favorite part of his body. When her mouth found him, she could feel him waking up.

  “Mmmmm, now this is how I like to wake up,” he said, staring down his body to find his wife giving him one hell of a blowjob.

  She didn’t stop.

  Callen’s body reacted with every muscle going taut with need. If he died, he would be perfectly satisfied going this way.

  With her using his body.

  “More, angel, more,” he whispered, his hand finding the back of her head. As his fingers knotted into her riotous mass of hair, he couldn’t breathe.

  If she kept up the pace, he was doomed.

  Whitefox slowed her down, making sure to watch his rock-hard dick sliding between her lips.

  Yeah, this was heaven. This was pretty much how every man wanted to go.

  Wife.

  Morning erection.

  Blowjob.

  In that order.

  “I hope this isn’t a dream,” he said, scanning her body with a hungry gaze. In his world, there was nothing like soft, gentle bedtime sex only to be woken with raunchy morning sex.

  There was no one he’d rather have it with than her.

  Yeah, this was three days beyond perfection—right into nirvana.

  Elizabeth slid him out of her mouth, and then straddled his hips. She stared down at him with need and hunger.

  “Good morning, sexy Native man.”

  He grinned wickedly at her. In fact, he whipped out that infamous Blackhawk grin that made the girls do anything they wanted as young men.

  Since she’d already had his dick in her mouth, he didn’t have to work for it.

  “I rolled over and there was my sweet bed hog.”

  He laughed.

  Better yet, she was joking around. That was paramount. It had been a long time.

  And…she looked better.

  Mission accomplished.