Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) (27 page)

This was a tough call.

“I’m going with you, Elizabeth,” Livy declared. “Don’t treat me like I’m broken.”

She pointed at the puke. “That says it all, Olivia, don’t you think?”

“Please.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Fine. We need to stop and get a beer before we head back.”

Livy stared at her. “Uh, news flash, but you have a baby on board. You shouldn’t be drinking. I’m pretty sure Callen will shit a ton of bricks if he smells booze on you. Plus, you’ve already pissed Ethan off by the divide and conquer plan.”

Yeah, he really would, and she was well aware. Sometimes, she had to crack a few husband eggs when she made an omelet.

“He’ll get over it. This is important.”

Only, this wasn’t about getting a drink. It was about visiting the killer’s hunting grounds.

AGAIN.

There was a sick feeling in her gut, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

Seamus had an identical twin.

That meant exact DNA.

Once more, this brought up the possibility that she did kill the wrong person. What if it wasn’t Seamus, who was the killer, but his brother?

This just got even uglier. For a while there, Elizabeth actually believed she was in the clear, but hell…

She wasn’t even close.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Autopsy

Callen was trying to find anything he could on the people still attached to this case. It wasn’t easy. Fifteen years had put a lot of distance between then and now.

In fact, everything was a million times more difficult.

The agents may have all stayed in the game, but they’d each moved on with their lives. He had to admit it.

He was batting a big fat zero.

At that moment, all he could hope was that his woman and brother were safe. Being stuck inside was shitty. He wanted to be out there with the people he loved, doing the job he enjoyed.

It gave him motivation to push on.

There was no way in hell he was letting his injury stop him. Callen couldn’t sit at home all day while they were doing FBI things.

It would kill him.

“You’re quiet,” Chris Leonard admitted, wrapping up the autopsy. He was putting organs back into the dead agent, as he tried to stitch him closed.

It wasn’t easy to form the man back into a…man. The killer had made sure of that.

“I was worrying about my wife.”

Chris glanced over. “Don’t be. She’s tough. She’s got this under control.”

He knew the man was full of shit. Chris was worried too. He could see it in his face.

“What was she like then?”

Chris laughed. “She was just like she is now, but didn't give a shit about what people thought about her. Elizabeth would walk into a room, say something ridiculous, and people would stare. She saved me on so many levels.”

“She’s still like that.”

“Oh, she’s mellowed. She used to do kissy-face in autopsy.”

He stared at the doctor. “Who the hell was she kissing?”

Chris laughed. “Mostly me. Don’t tell my wife that. She’ll skin me alive.”

Callen crossed his arms. “I just might if you don’t elaborate, and fast, Chris.”

He laughed. “The head tech, Carol Spade, used to torture me. I was a newbie, and I was green. They knew I followed Elizabeth around as if she was the pied piper. The second they saw I was fond of her, they used it to torture me.”

Callen relaxed.

“She told people she was my girlfriend just to get me street cred. No one expected the death doctor to be with a hot woman. Eventually, they stopped riding my ass. Meanwhile, she taught me how to fight, belong, and be more me. Elizabeth kept me grounded.”

“That sounds like her.”

“Gabe wanted to shit can me about a million times. She wouldn’t let him. Each time I screwed up, and trust me, there were plenty, she busted my chops, kissed my wounded ego, and put me back on track.”

“Yeah, now that definitely sounds like her.”

“She did the same with Tony. We were a hot mess when we started with the FBI. Without her, we would have taken different paths.”

Callen smiled.

“I can honestly say that she’s the first woman I ever loved. She never used that against me either. She knew I had money, and she batted away all the gold diggers who tried to drain me dry.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. There were a few women, who crossed my path, who were a bad idea, and she kept me focused on the goal. I owe her everything.”

Callen saw the adoration, and it wasn’t sexual. “I get it. When I first met her, I fell in love.”

“If you really see the woman beneath the boots and jeans, it’s not hard to tumble. Many have.”

“Oh, do tell.”

Chris laughed. “Sorry, Callen, but that’s not my story to tell. If you want to know about them, you have to ask her. My lips are sealed.”

Just then, Chris’s phone began ringing on the table, as he was holding the man’s liver. “Shit! It’s my wife. Can you hit speaker, please?”

Callen grabbed the phone and turned it on.

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you?” Chris asked, as Callen held the phone away from the gore of autopsy.

“I’m good, but I miss you a lot. When are you coming home?” Cyra asked.

“I told you that I don’t know. We’re in the middle of a serial killing. I’m stitching a man up as we speak.”

“I hate when you’re away, Christopher. It sucks.”

He was well aware.

Chris rolled his neck, trying to alleviate the tension. Suddenly, the weight of it felt…unbearable.

“I know, Cyra. I know. How’s Bethe?” he asked, trying to change the topic. The last thing he wanted was for Callen to be privy to the mess that was brewing in his personal life.

“She misses you too. If you come home, we can have more kids.”

Chris knew it was time to end the conversation. “Cyra, honey, I have to go. I’m elbow deep in organs. I’ll call you when I get back to Gabe’s house, okay?”

There was a breathy sigh. “Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He nodded at Callen, and he disconnected the call.

“Uh oh. That didn't sound good,” Callen stated. Since he was privy to it, there was no way he could just pretend he didn't hear the tension.

“Are we friends, Callen? I mean real friends—not just because of Lyzee.”

“Yes, Chris, we are. I think of you and Tony as our family, and so does Ethan. If there’s something wrong, or you need to grab a beer and vent, we’re here. We’re not just the bosses. We’re family.”

Chris relaxed. “I need a neutral party’s advice, so I can’t take this to Elizabeth. Normally, she’s the one I’d ask about this. My hands are tied, so I need a married guy’s advice.”

Callen looked around, teasing him. “Oh, you mean me.”

There was a laugh from the ME, lightening the mood.

“Yeah, you’ll have to do.”

“Shoot. What can I help you with?”

“How angry will Elizabeth be if I quit?” he asked, getting it off his chest. As you just heard, my wife isn’t happy. I’m afraid I’m going to lose her. She resents the FBI, and she resents my relationship with…”

He realized what he almost said.

“Elizabeth?” Callen stated.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Chris closed his eyes. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Yes.”

“Cyra’s big fear is that I’ll shack up with Elizabeth.”

Callen laughed. “Oh, well, I can pretty much tell you that won’t ever be happening.”

Chris knew it. “I keep telling her that, but I really think it’s the distance. I love Cyra, and I adore Bethe with all my heart, but my job is making my wife miserable.”

“Is your job making you miserable?”

He paused.

“Truth, Chris. If you want my help, then you can’t tell me half the story. I need all of it.”

He was right.

“No, not at all. I love my job. I miss my wife and daughter, but this is who I am. I have this desire to do my job and help people. This is how I do that.”

“It’s a tough place to be at. You’re trapped.”

“I am.”

“Well, I can’t tell you what to do, Chris, but I can tell you this. Elizabeth will never hate you. She can’t. You think she saved you, but what you don’t get is that you saved her too. You’re woven into the tapestry of her life. You and Tony are her brothers. You may not have the same blood, but she has claimed you as hers. If you left the FBI, it’ll sting, but she’ll love you until the day she dies. If anything, she’d want you to be happy. If it meant hurting in the process, to give you that shot, she would.”

“I love her too.”

Callen saw the pain on the man’s face. “Think long and hard, Chris. If you give it up, there’s no guarantee you can get it back. You know how positions working for the FBI fill up. They take the best and brightest.”

“I know. When Cyra quit, I was worried about all this. She was a cop, and then a Fed, but she wanted to be a wife and mother. Now I think she’s bored. Training dogs isn’t cutting it.”

“You quitting won’t make it better. You’ll both be bored. Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reason. Cyra might get pissy, but she has to see that you love what you do. You have to be happy too.”

He was well aware.

“I have enough money to never work again. We could travel, see the world, or move.”

The last option hurt Chris. If he moved, he’d lose the people who took him in. He’d miss the Sunday family BBQ’s. He’d lose the football games on the holidays. Tony would slip away too. It wouldn’t only be Elizabeth he lost.

He’d lose his identity.

But if he stayed…

He’d lose his wife.

Either way, someone was going to be hurt. What it came down to was him carrying that pain or Cyra. Chris knew he was going to have to choose.

“Why don’t you think about it, sit down and talk to Elizabeth, and see what you come up with? She’s going to want you to be happy. She loves you. We all do.”

He looked around the room. “I made a promise to her fifteen years ago in this room—that’s the irony, Callen. We stood here, and I told her that I thought I’d made a mistake in becoming an ME. I never saw this day coming.”

Callen watched him.

“And now?”

“Now I might have to break my promise to her, even though I know it’s a mistake. I have no choice. Who do I choose? The woman I love as a sister, or the woman who owns my heart?”

“Choices in life are hard, Chris. We’re here regardless. If you walk, we’re here. If you stay, we’re here. Family doesn’t bail even if you hurt them. Even if you move across the country, we’re only a phone call away. I’ve learned that and so has Ethan.”

Chris’s eyes filled with emotion.

Callen patted him on the shoulder. “I mean it. Family chases you down, they drag you back, and they make you see how much you’re loved.”

He was choked up. “I hope you’re right, Callen. I really hope you’re right.”

Only time would tell…

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

The Bog

Stepping into that seedy pub was like stepping back in time. Fifteen years didn't change it much. The stools, the walls, and the smells were all the same.

It was as if time didn't touch it.

Hell!

The dartboard was still there, and she had to laugh. Some things were immune to time, and this shithole dive was one of them.

As they entered, she glanced over at Livy. She looked fine on the outside, but inside…yeah, she had to be suffering.

“Want to get some blood sausages?” Elizabeth asked busting her ass.

Livy groaned. “Hell no! I haven’t eaten them ever since that night. I do have to admit, even though I got sick, I still have some amazing memories of that evening.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Let me guess—Gabe’s energetic cock?”

She laughed manically. “Oh yeah!”

That broke the ice. Livy didn't look as freaked out, and she was actually smiling as she took in the surroundings. One wouldn’t even know that Meghan O’Leary had been butchered there on the floor.

Only, she never forgot.

This was part of Elizabeth’s nightmare.

She took the life, and she waded through the gore of the place. Livy never saw what he did to her.

She didn't have the pleasure of seeing that poor girl posed so sickly on the floor.

In a way, Livy was so damn lucky.

“Is Patrick O’Leary still the owner of the bar?” she asked some young man behind the counter.

“Yep.”

“Is he around?”

“Yep.”

“Can we talk to him?”

“Maybe. What’s it about?”

Elizabeth pulled her badge. “Tell him it’s official business. We need to have a discussion.”

The younger man shrugged, throwing the towel on the bar before he headed away to find his boss.

Elizabeth and Livy both sat. When the man headed out of the back room, carrying a case of beer, he stopped dead in his tracks.

His face said it all.

He didn't want them there.

“Get out!” he raged, pointing at the door. “I want you both out of my establishment. You’re not welcome in here!”

Neither woman moved.

It wasn’t as if this was the first time in their careers that someone reacted like this. If Elizabeth had a dollar for each outburst, she could retire.

Believe it or not, they got it.

Before them stood an angry father who had lost his only child to
‘The Butcher’
. They didn't blame him. What he’d found that fateful day in his pub had changed his life.