Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) Read online

  “Give us something to do. I trust you to take care of my town. I know the kind of woman you are.”

  Ethan wanted to rage around the room. He liked when everyone thought she was a bitch. The soft side was his and Callen’s, and now he was feeling like a special gift in life was being passed around to strangers.

  His anger issues began resurfacing, so he struggled to get a deep breath, but Nick’s words kept playing over and over in his head.

  Obviously, the Rakin men had a good look at the real Elizabeth too. This was far from over.

  “How about we task you and the deputies with handling the campus cops? Since they probably live in your town, they might be a little more forthcoming with you.”

  “Deal, sugar. We’ll take that and run with it.” He picked up his phone and dialed out to his men, calling one in. When the man arrived, he made the introductions.

  “Deputy John Reason, this is Director Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk and her partner. When they need something, you give it to them, you hear?”

  The man shook their hands.

  “What do you need, ma’am?” he asked.

  “Is there any way you can contact the campus cops and pick up any of their records on the girls who went missing? I need to get the interviews, or anything they did to follow up.”

  “Sure thing, ma’am. I’ll get right on it.”

  When he was gone, Elizabeth shook her head. “Nick, are we getting that old? He looks like a high school kid.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, we are, Elizabeth, and he’s not that far off the school circuit. Do you have any little ones?” he asked. “Tell me you didn’t procreate and have little Elizabeth’s all over the place.”

  Ethan wanted to slap the man. He loved having little mini Elizabeths. If it were up to him, he’d have more. Finally, Ethan spoke, “We have four children,” he stated.

  “Golly, girl, you’ve been busy. Again, Dak is going to shit a ton of bricks when I tell him all this. I can’t believe you tossed over my US Marshal brother and had babies too.”

  “Uh, I’m the guy she tossed him over for, so let’s remember I’m right here,” Ethan stated.

  Elizabeth heard the tone in his voice. Normally, Ethan was a lot calmer. It was a little unnerving.

  “I’m sorry, Director. I meant nothing by it.”

  She knew it was time to get him out of there before there was a bloodbath. It was amusing that this time, it wouldn’t be because of her.

  “We’ll meet up tomorrow, Nicky. You get the information for us, and then meet us at the morgue. My ME is working on the autopsies right now.”

  He tipped his hat. “See you, sunshine.”

  She snorted.

  “I didn’t forget.”

  Ethan headed out with his wife, saying nothing. Outside, he climbed behind the wheel of the Denali, still keeping his mouth shut.

  “What?” she asked, finally breaking the ice.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  She stared at him openmouthed. “What?”

  “I have never seen you be so damn happy in a sheriff’s office, including your own. He called you sugar, spun you around, and then ended with sunshine. You’d normally lose your damn mind, but today, you ate it up like candy.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Whoa! You better take a deep breath and get back in control,” she stated. “I don’t see why any of that pissed you off. You’re the one who tells me to play nice, and finally, you get your wish, and you’re pissed off at me?”

  He seethed.

  “Nick is an old friend. He didn't do anything wrong. We’re probably lucky, since we have to keep this quiet. I can trust him not to say anything.”

  “Why? Because you were sleeping with his brother and he proposed?”

  She stared at him. Well, that was a first. Ethan Blackhawk never threw out their past sex lives.

  Ever.

  “What the hell, Ethan?”

  “Well, when were you going to tell me that you had some man propose to you? I was under the impression I was the first.”

  With that, he slammed out of the Denali and walked away. Elizabeth didn't know what to do with this.

  It was shocking.

  She watched him cross the street and enter a coffee shop. Giving him a few minutes, she headed in after him. When she found him inside, he was drinking a coffee and on his phone. He didn't even buy her one.

  Well, that spoke volumes.

  She paid for her coffee and crossed over to him. “Can I join you, or do you want to sit here and be a dick all by yourself?”

  He glanced up at her. “Sit.”

  It wasn’t easy, but she managed to ignore the tone and how he was barking at her like she was one of his minions. Ethan had better pray that she stayed calm, or there would be an ass kicking, only it wouldn’t be to the local law.

  “I guess I should start at the beginning. It was right after Livy nearly died. I was working a case and ran into Marshall Dakota Rakin. Someone introduced us, thinking we could find something in each other. We hit it off, so we got more than casual.”

  “How long?” he asked, not looking up. There was a piece of him dying that she’d had a relationship with someone else.

  Elizabeth was his.

  Callen’s.

  Theirs.

  “It lasted a whopping six months. Dak was the relationship I had right before I jacked my career up with Ray. We went out one night for dinner, and he proposed. In the middle of this place, he dropped down on one knee and whipped out this ring. I didn't know what to say.”

  “Why didn't you say yes?” he asked, feeling his belly knot at the mere thought. His fear was one day Elizabeth would look back and regret what they had. Now he wondered if she ever looked back and wished that she’d said yes.

  Let’s face it. He and Callen weren’t easy to love. They had more issues than a normal man. The Blackhawk boys made her work for it.

  “I wasn’t in love with him. When we were together, he was fun, and it was great. We talked work, we rolled around naked,” she began. When he looked up, she pointed. “How many times did I have to hear about the skinny blonde flight attendant? You and Callen still joke about it, so don’t give me that look. I had sex before you. Yes, it happened.”

  She had a point, but as God as his witness, they’d never bring it up again.

  Ever.

  “Anyway, he asked, I said no. I wasn’t ready for a husband. I always thought that IF I did get married, I’d want to do it right. You proposed four days in, and I knew the night we made love. I knew from that second that I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. In fact, I wanted kids with you, and that’s just not who I ever thought I would be. When we went to Gabe’s house for dinner, I knew that we could have that. I didn't see that with Dak.”

  He took her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  She squeezed it. “You don’t have anything to worry about. That’s my past. If I recall, neither of us were virgins when we nearly burnt Salem to the ground.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hate the idea that some other man asked you to marry him.”

  “Callen asked.”

  He gave her the look. “You know that’s not the same thing. Callen is part of us. We have something powerful.”

  “You should chill. I bet you’d like Dak too. Maybe you can be friends? Have a few beers. Talk about how kinky your girl is,” she teased.

  “I’ll carry you out of here over my shoulder. Don’t push your luck, Elizabeth.”

  She grinned. “Better, sexy?”

  “Yeah, but if I ever see him, I’m going to punch him in the face. Then I’m going to let Callen do it a few times too.”

  Elizabeth started laughing, only she noticed Ethan wasn’t, so she stopped. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m as serious as a heart attack. It’ll be like the one Callen is going to have when I tell him this.”

  “Ethan!”

  “Elizabeth!”

  She dropped her
head to the table. Life used to be so simple, and then she fell in love.

  Twice.

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

  Campus

  President’s Office

  Late Afternoon

  When they arrived at the school, they were immediately escorted into the inner sanctum of the president’s office. There, they were met by his administrative assistant, Pricilla Sanchez. She offered them a seat and promised that he would be right with them.

  That was good, because Elizabeth wasn’t in the mood to sit around and wait. She wanted to get back to the apartment they were renting and relax.

  It had already been a long day, and they needed to settle in and get the whiteboard set up for tomorrow after the autopsy.

  When a man entered the room, he wasn’t smiling. Since he was about fifty, they assumed that he was Gabe’s friend.

  “Elizabeth and Ethan, I presume?” he asked, holding out his hand in greeting.

  “You’d be right,” she stated, following him back into his inner sanctum. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Hallowell. I’m glad we could help you out.”

  He sat, tugging off his tie. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you both.”

  Ethan pointed at the door. “Do you want that closed?” he offered.

  The man shook his head. “No. Pricilla is very trustworthy. She’s well aware of the situation.”

  Good to know.

  “Gabe said you two were the best, and that’s what the board of trustees wants. I, personally, would bury this for the world to never see.”

  “Why’s that, Doctor?” she asked.

  “We’ve recently had a little episode, and we don’t need any more bad publicity. Already, enrollments dropped three percent. We need every student’s tuition to run this university.”

  “Don’t BS us, Doctor. You need the donations to come in. We’re both familiar with college and know how it’s done.”

  He went stiff. “Gabe said you were a ball buster.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn't lie.”

  “Why don’t you tell us what the scandal was?” Ethan prompted. “Then we can decide how much we have to tiptoe around this mess.”

  “We had a teacher trading grades for sexual favors. One of the other students found out and took it to the school paper. Next thing we know, there’s a whole mess on our hands.”

  They listened.

  “Then we have someone taking women. The board of trustees is ready to fire everyone, including me.”

  Elizabeth got it. “So, you called your buddy Gabe in the FBI, and he’s helping you out.”

  “Gabe and I go way back, and we’re not so much friends as acquaintances. We went to school together.”

  That didn't make sense to either of them. If this man was getting the Dragon Slayer’s help, they had to be friends or…

  Ethan gave his wife a look. He could tell that she was thinking the same thing that he was.

  None of this added up.

  Gabe Rothschild, the head of the FBI, and man who golfed with the President of the United States, didn't hand out favors for acquaintances.

  It didn't happen.

  “He promised that you’d do this with as little media as possible. I don’t need this blowing up and becoming a big issue.”

  She had news for him. “Doctor, you have a serial killer. That’s not a big issue, that’s a HUGE one. We can’t promise to keep this hush-hush. If the media gets wind that we’re here, you could have even more attention. We’re two of their favorite topics.”

  “Yes, I know, and that’s why you’re only here as a guest lecturer. We even have you on our website promoting it. Trust me…the media won’t care that you’re teaching a class.”

  He was probably right.

  “At first, I wanted Gabe to handle this.”

  Elizabeth stared at him. “Yeah, he doesn’t leave his wife and kids for that long. His days in the field are pretty much over. I can’t recall the last time he did a job.”

  “Oh, is he married? Isn’t that quaint?”

  Okay, this was setting off the bells in her head. Something was definitely not right. Gabe, while private, had never mentioned this jackwagon to her, and now the man didn't even know he had kids?

  Something was fishy.

  It reeked.

  “I can’t afford a scandal here. I want to keep the name of this school pristine. Gabe owed me a favor, and I claimed it.”

  That proved it.

  The man she worked under didn't handout favors easily, and the one he owed her was a huge one. Elizabeth couldn’t imagine what this guy had over him.

  It had to be big.

  Someone had the FBI director by the short and curlies. Frankly, it pissed her off.

  Gabe should have known better than to try and keep her out of the loop on this. When shit went down, her instincts kicked in. This was exactly why they didn't trust him.

  “So, I’m playing professor.”

  He laughed. “I hope you can pull it off.”

  When he stared at her beat up cowboy boots, and worn jeans she shook her head. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. I may slip and tell everyone the truth.” It looked like Ethan would be getting his bloodbath after all.

  He stared at her. “And that would be?”

  “That you’re a pompous ass and a borderline dickbag.”

  It took everything Ethan had to not laugh. His wife was still the fiery woman he married, and here was proof.

  Doctor Hallowell sputtered. “I don’t…”

  She cut him off. “Listen. You may have Gabriel Rothschild in your back pocket for something, but you don’t own us. I’m here to get justice for the dead. Your pristine reputation doesn’t concern me. I’ll keep it quiet, but I’m not promising miracles. Where I go, death follows, and that draws vultures. So, buckle in, grab your granny panties, and hold on for one hell of a ride.”

  He stared at her. “We’re screwed. This whole university is in serious trouble.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, likely. You invited the devil to the party, and who knows what’s going to happen. Now, tell me about the class I’m going to be teachin’,” she drawled.

  Ethan had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. The fun was about to begin. Elizabeth was going to torture this man.

  It was open season.

  “Is it on how to make moonshine and build wind chimes out of car parts? I reckon I can teach them a few things I learned in the backwoods. Hey! Won’t a few beer can sculptures class the joint up?”

  Ethan was in his glory. The drawl was out, and Elizabeth was on her game.

  He ignored her sarcasm. “It’s a basic criminal psych class. It’s required for the major. Are you sure you can handle it?”

  She leaned forward. “I don’t know. Where did the professor who’s teaching it graduate from?”

  He rattled off a name and it was a local state school.

  “Well shit, Sherlock. I went to Cornell and have a Masters in criminal psych and linguistics. I hope I can meet your low expectations.”

  He opened his mouth, but Ethan stepped in. “She’s telling the truth. Before you go there, rethink it. How about you tell us more about the victims? How many of the missing women were in that class?” he asked, keeping his wife from skinning the man alive with just a look.

  “All four. As I stated, it’s a required course. If you want to get a degree in criminal justice, you have to take it.”

  “Is it big?”

  He nodded.

  “Great.”

  “Are you two all the FBI has to offer?” he asked, getting red around the collar.

  Literally.

  There was a flush moving up his throat. Elizabeth had that effect on people.

  “We have agents already planted in the classes. Someone on your board of trustees handled that. You have nothing to worry about,” Elizabeth stated. “We’re damn good at what we do, and I trust my people.”

  And she
did.

  He somehow doubted that he shouldn’t be worried. This was his worst nightmare. “You’re not what I expected.”

  “Yeah, Gabe must hate your guts,” she stated, heading toward the door. “Tell the professor that I’ll be ready. I have the perfect bedtime story for the class. It’s Little Fed Riding Hood. The lead investigator saves granny and kicks the shit out of the bad guy.”

  He stared after them, sputtering.

  When his office door slammed shut, he picked up the phone and made a call.

  He’d been screwed over by the top Fed.

  This isn’t what he asked for.

  At all.

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

  It didn't take long for them to get the call. It wasn’t like they were shocked. They were halfway to the apartment when her phone went crazy. Picking it up, she placed it on speaker.

  Elizabeth wasn’t playing this game.

  “What the hell did you do?” Gabe raged.

  She stayed calm.

  It wasn’t easy.

  “Whatever do you mean?” she asked. “I met with the ME, talked to the president of the university, and answered your call. I think I’m three for three.”

  Ethan knew this could get them fired, and he was hoping she knew what she was doing. They were running on gut instinct here, and that could bite them in the ass at any second.

  “You pissed him off! He said you were rude and called him names. I know that sounds exactly like you, so I’m not going to question his integrity on this one.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, guilty as charged, but at least I didn't stick my boot up his ass. I wanted to, but I managed to keep it under control.”

  “Why?” he asked, feeling his blood pressure going up. “I thought I said low key!”

  She glanced over at her husband. They were in this together. Taking his hand in hers, she stuck to the script. “You have to think I’m some dumb fuck to try and pull the wool over our eyes again. First, you bone us on Oracle, and now you ask for our help and lie right to my face. We used to be family, Gabe. We had each other’s backs. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  There was silence.