Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) Read online

  It was obvious that Joey didn't want anything to do with her, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was to the point that it was borderline stalking. Soon, she was going to have to get a visit from the restraining order fairy.

  “You’re thinking about something.”

  “Am I?” he asked. Honestly, he was doing just that. In his suitcase, he had her early Christmas present. There was a big shiny ring, and Brody intended to propose, but now that they were on a case, he’d had to revamp his plans.

  At some point, he was going to ask Joey to be his wife.

  Now he could only hope she’d say yes.

  Truthfully, he was dying to do it. If it was up to him, he’d do it right then, and shortly after, detour them right to a justice of the peace. Brody knew what he wanted, and she was right beside him.

  “He left a message.”

  “Play it, sweetheart.”

  Joey did what he asked.

  ‘Broderick, it’s your father. I have something big to tell you, and I’m excited. I’ve met the woman of my dreams. I’m hoping we can get together over the holiday. I’ve tied the knot, son, and I couldn’t be happier. Call me back.’

  He didn't say anything, but the tension was clearly plastered on his face. Obviously, Brody wasn’t happy.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s typical dad nonsense. He once told me that he was madly in love with the woman who walked his dog. The girl’s father had money. She was half his age, and that didn't last long. My dad is a con man. He’s always looking for a way to make money. If he’s married this woman, it was for the greenbacks. They’ll be divorced in a couple weeks, and he’ll likely own half her fortune.”

  She laughed. “Well, at least this will keep him busy for a while. I wish my mother would find a cause to get wrapped up in. She actually left a note on the window of my car, asking me to meet her for drinks.”

  He glanced over. “Maybe you should do it, let her get it off her chest, and then walk away. She’s persistent.”

  “Yeah, I know. I keep hoping there will be some oil spill, and she can go cleanup some penguins in the Artic.”

  He laughed. “Sorry. I had a visual.”

  Leaning over, Joey brushed her lips against his cheek. It was soft, warm, and full of love.

  “What was that for?”

  “That, Special Agent Broderick Seaton, was for being patient while my mother stalks me.”

  He snorted. “You’re an adventure. Honestly, I’m just glad I don’t have to stalk you anymore.”

  “Brody!”

  He laughed.

  “What? It’s the truth.”

  Yeah, didn't she know it?

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

  He saw them approach, and he was happy. This was Bonnie’s plan, and it all worked just the way she said it would.

  Wasn’t he lucky?

  He had a smart woman by his side.

  Now they could take on the world, forcing everyone to see how important they were. No longer would they be the less desirables in the world.

  No, they were moving up the social chain.

  They were making a name for themselves.

  It would continue here.

  The woman getting out of her vehicle was the start of a beautiful life, and he couldn’t be happier. When the news got hold of her death, they would be notorious.

  Infamous.

  Legend.

  There was no doubt that they would be better than the real Bonnie and Clyde.

  In the end, it wouldn’t be the ones who died who made the headlines, it would be the ones who did the crimes.

  As it should be.

  Now it was a matter of making sure they didn't get out of there alive.

  It was time to take them out with a bang.

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

  Business District

  Coordinate Location

  As they arrived at the location, it looked ominous. The building was a decent size, and it was surrounded by a few other ones just like it.

  This was dangerous, and no one doubted that it was going to be bad. When a killer called you out, and this was where he wanted to play the game, someone was going to get hurt.

  As the team stood behind the protection of the vehicle, they suited up for what was to come. There was no way they were crossing this parking lot without Kevlar and riot gear.

  They weren’t stupid.

  “Maybe you should stay here,” Callen stated, hoping nothing was going to happen to her. It was hard not to think the worst when his woman was stripping out of her heavy coat and into the vest and light FBI jacket.

  Elizabeth didn't speak. She simply stared at him in warning.

  Callen didn't shut up.

  He couldn’t.

  His gut was in a knot, and his wife was going to get hurt. Then what? What was he supposed to do then? Was he going to wish he’d stopped her?

  “Don’t get mad, but this is exactly what they want. We’ve brought you here. I feel like we’re offering you up on some sick altar.”

  “Wow, twice in one day I was called the virgin. Who saw this day coming?”

  Brody snickered as he geared up too, slipping a com into his ear.

  “I’m being serious.”

  She didn't look up from velcroing into her Kevlar. Maybe he needed a little bit of reality to see the truth. “You’re in that note too, Callen,” she stated. “In fact, Ethan is your brother, so he could be mistaken for you. Maybe we should send the agents in alone.”

  They all looked at her.

  “That was sarcasm. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough,” she stated. “Only when hell freezes over, will I back down from my duty to protect and serve. I’m armed. I’ll be fine.”

  No one said anything more.

  There was a fine line between winning and getting your dick handed to you in a pissing match with your wife.

  Elizabeth glanced over at Ethan, and for someone who knew the secret she was carrying, he was relatively calm. At least he was handling this better than expected. Elizabeth didn't need two men on the edge.

  It was funny because Callen was freaked out, and he didn't even know that she was pregnant. It was probably a good thing he didn't.

  He would be losing his mind.

  “We’ll go in,” Ethan stated. “There are two doors. If we break up into two groups, we can clear it faster.”

  She agreed.

  Pulling on her yellow tinted glasses, she pulled a spare Glock from the lockbox in the back to stick to the front of her vest as a backup piece.

  “We’ll stay in constant communication. The quicker we get in and then out, the better,” Elizabeth offered.

  Elizabeth didn't want her team in there for too long. She didn't doubt that Bonnie and Clyde wanted her there, and she couldn’t let anyone get hurt.

  If she did, they’d never let her out of their sights. That would be really irritating.

  “Callen, Elizabeth, and I will take the entrance. Agents Seaton and Madden have the back door. Just make sure no one runs for it. Don’t get yourselves shot!” Ethan ordered.

  They saluted and headed off.

  It was cold, windy, and starting to flurry. They were all stripped down to their clothes, riot vests, and guns. They needed to get inside and get started before they froze to death.

  As they approached, they could hear Brody over their com, telling them they were in position to enter the building.

  It was now or never.

  At the front door of the large warehouse, they noticed it was locked. There was a giant padlock on the door, and Callen and Ethan did rock, paper, scissors to see who had to strip out of the leather gloves to handle it.

  Callen lost.

  As he knelt there, picking the lock, Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder. Here was the father of her child, and she couldn’t be mad at him for being worried.

  She was scared too.

  They had so much to
lose at this point, that it rattled her cage.

  So much had happened in the last few years, and they were lucky to have each other. How they survived this long without getting hurt was a miracle.

  They had someone watching over them, that was for damn sure.

  “Almost there,” he muttered, as he worked the mechanisms in the freezing cold.

  As his brother concentrated, Ethan scanned the surroundings, searching for anyone who might want to hurt them. When he didn't see any shooters on the adjoining roof, he relaxed marginally.

  “I think I just lost a nipple out here, Cal, can you pick up the pace?” Elizabeth stated.

  “Right or left?” Ethan asked, trying to keep the mood light.

  She snorted. “Does it freaking matter?”

  “We’re in,” Callen stated, standing up. As he pulled the chain from the door handles, Ethan braced his hand on the metal.

  They all took a deep breath, centering themselves. It was go time, and who knew what was waiting for them.

  “Stick close, and keep an eye out for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If this is a trap, they’re going to go for maximum damage.”

  Yeah, to their woman.

  She was the real target.

  Slowly, they opened the door and peered inside. Immediately, they were assaulted with the smell of death. It loomed inside the large building, waiting for them to come closer.

  “Shit,” muttered Callen.

  This was exactly what he didn't want to deal with, and here it was. The killers had been here, if they still weren’t hanging out inside.

  “Well, at least this is a game we’re accustomed to playing,” Elizabeth stated, breathing from her mouth to block out the offensive smell.

  It was something they were very familiar with, and it was here.

  “We’ve got bodies,” Elizabeth said into her com, warning her two agents. “They are somewhere inside. From the stench, it’s not going to be pretty, so heads up.” She wanted her agents to be well aware of what they were walking into.

  “Gotcha,” came Brody over the link.

  As they headed in, Ethan took their back. He wasn’t going to watch what was coming at them, only because he feared what was sneaking up on them.

  He was protecting their flank.

  Callen was in the front, riot gun up, and ready for anything that crossed their path. Their woman was sandwiched between them for her safety and their sanity. If she knew they were playing bodyguard, she didn't complain.

  Her hand was on Callen’s vest, and she was following him in with nothing but complete trust in them both. While they watched for anything that would pop up, she was able to focus on the situation around them.

  It was an old building.

  It looked like no one had used it for a long time.

  Why here?

  What did it all mean?

  Her tinted glasses brightened the darkened space. There were windows, but they were intermittently scattered throughout the place. Since it was cloudy and stormy outside, it cast shadows across the floor and walls.

  It was spooky.

  The smell of death wasn’t helping the situation out at all.

  “We have a section that’s closed off up ahead,” Callen stated, warning them. Up to that point, it was mostly empty metal shelving or some storage containers.

  “We need to clear it,” Ethan stated. “They might be hiding among the debris.”

  Elizabeth didn't say anything.

  She was studying the scene and waiting for something to pop up to get them. She was a realist.

  This was a bad situation, and they all knew it.

  “We have it on this side too,” Johanna said over the com. “It looks like a makeshift room surrounded by some plastic. I don’t see an entrance over on our side. It has to be closer to you.”

  She was right.

  It was there.

  Elizabeth saw it from their location.

  There was a slit in the plastic, and that meant they had a way in.

  “I’ll clear it,” Callen stated, moving toward it. He would take one for the team.

  There was no way in hell that he was leading Elizabeth in there. That just screamed dangerous.

  And stupid.

  Despite him offering to do it, Elizabeth followed. “Ethan, can you clear the surrounding areas?” she asked.

  He nodded, glancing over at the two people he was madly in love with. “Watch your asses. I don’t want to go home alone. Be careful.”

  That said it all.

  Ethan, while a man of few words, he’d picked the right ones to convey his panic.

  They headed in.

  Callen made sure to place his body in front of his wife’s. There was no way he was going to let her get hurt. He could fight with her and lose, or he could play shield.

  He made his choice.

  Elizabeth always joked around saying that she always had Native body armor, and in this case, it was true.

  Inside the plastic, they stopped dead.

  It was hard to shock them.

  Honestly, they’d pretty much seen it all.

  Until now…

  What waited for them was the most horrific sight they had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. They sat in body soup once.

  “Jesus in a manger,” muttered Elizabeth in horror.

  Ethan’s voice came over the com. “What did you find?” he asked, still clearing the rest of the space. From the tone in her voice, it couldn’t be good.

  “You won’t believe this,” Elizabeth said, staring up at the ‘masterpiece’ of mayhem the killers had left them.

  “Try me,” he replied, working his way through the row and rows of empty shelving.

  “Well…”

  From the metal cage-like bars above, there were meat hooks, and hanging from them, were random body parts.

  It was a human meat locker.

  Legs.

  Torsos with organs sickly hanging out.

  Arms.

  You name it, and it was there.

  Elizabeth didn't miss the message they were sending them. Yeah, she got it.

  First there were gifts with heads, and now ornament body parts hanging from the ceiling.

  Merry Christmas to them.

  Someone was one sick animal, and they had one hell of a job ahead of them.

  Callen didn't know what to say. There weren’t words to express his horror. He wanted to be sick at what he was seeing. Not because of the horrific nature, because that was bad, but because the killer chasing them was beyond insane.

  This screamed crazy.

  “It looks like a slaughter house,” he stated.

  Ethan went quiet.

  Finally, he spoke, “Are there any tables?” he asked. “Did they do the dismemberment there or was this all for show?”

  They looked around, weaving in and out of the appendages and torsos. It was hard to ignore the smell, and the puddles of congealed blood on the floor as it sickly formed blotches.

  “No. It’s strictly hooks with body parts,” Elizabeth replied. “What does that mean to you, oh great profiler?”

  Something didn't sit right with him.

  “How much blood?”

  Callen glanced around. “Not much. It’s mostly under the parts.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t good.

  Ethan was on alert.

  “Bad news is that if there’s not a bloodbath going on in there, then the victims weren’t killed here.”

  They knew what that meant.

  This wasn’t the crime scene.

  They had a storage area where the bodies were hung up for maximum shock. The killers wanted them to be in that enclosed area for a reason.

  Ethan’s mind spun as he tried to figure out what the killers were trying to tell him.

  This seemed like…

  Oh, shit!

  It really was a trap.

  Before Ethan could tell them to run, he heard his wife’s voice over the com.

&nbs
p; “There’s a blinking light in one of the torsos,” she stated.

  Then it registered to him why they left the coordinates and the enclosed area.

  “BOMB!”

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

  New York

  Marshal’s Office

  When the information came back, Dakota Rakin was excited. They definitely had Bonnie and Clyde in their sights. At that moment, Director Ethan Blackhawk was on the ground working his mojo.

  Oh, Dak had heard of him before.

  He was the go to guy when it came to profiling, and if he was on the ground working it, they had something substantial.

  He wasn’t called in on hearsay.

  According to the higher-ups, his time was valuable.

  Hell!

  Dakota was on the trail.

  This man meant something. The Marshals used him when hunting fugitives all the time. Granted, he’d never had the chance to work with him, but he knew all about him.

  He was the best.

  The rumor mill had him dedicated to his job, and he respected that in a person. After all, he, too, was all about being on his game.

  He lived for work just like Ethan Blackhawk.

  Yet, that wasn’t always the case.

  After Elizabeth LaRue broke his heart, he’d focused on work and nothing else. He was heading his division for one reason—he let work consume him to forget what he’d let slip through his fingers.

  Now, he had to plan out his options.

  Technically, this was his case, and he could push the issue. If the FBI was already on the ground, especially Ethan Blackhawk, he couldn’t swipe it away. The only way he was going to be able to get in on this was to charm the director.

  Be his buddy.

  Make nice.

  He thought back to what his brother said. Elizabeth LaRue was Blackhawk’s partner. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could charm his way back into her.

  That had once been his favorite place to find solace. The months they spent together were hotter than hell. Yes, they used each other to forget and get through the day, but he thought there was so much more underneath that.