Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) (6 page)

“The ex-director was killed and placed in my back yard. He’s been sliced apart like the women from the case. I have a dead man, feet from where my kids play!”

She struggled not to throw up.

The nightmare was back, and she was going to face it all over again. Elizabeth didn't understand.

She’d killed him.

In cold blood, she took the shot based on what Livy had told her. Now she had to face the truth.

Maybe she had made a mistake.

Maybe her partner in her grief had been wrong.

Oh, shit!

His voice shook as he whispered. “I can only cover this for so long, Elizabeth, but you’re going to have to be the one who investigates. If I put any other agents on this, we’re screwed. They’re going to dig into this, and we don’t need that happening. I’m sorry, but this has to be your case. It started with you, me, and Livy, and it’s going to end there too.”

That was all he had to say.

She understood.

This had been her crime, and she had to clean up the mess. What sucked was that it even came to light, but why was she shocked?

Fate was a bitch.

“We’ll be there. Hold down the fort, and I’ll see you in two hours.”

When she hung up, Callen kept glancing over at her as he drove them toward FBI West.

“I’m getting that feeling like I need to freak out. How about you tell me everything?”

“Remember the case I told you about?”

He glanced over. “Can you be more specific?”

“Yes, I can. It was the one where I took a life. It was when I chased down the
‘Irish Butcher’.
”

He vividly remembered of that conversation. When Elizabeth had told him, he’d been shocked. “Yes, I do. You took his life after Livy was raped.”

“Well he’s back. The ‘
Irish Butcher’
is back, Callen. I screwed up, and now I’m in big trouble.”

“Define trouble.”

“If I don’t investigate this one, and someone else does, I just might be going to jail. If the truth comes out, I’m screwed. I need you and Ethan now more than ever. We have to get on that flight. We have no choice. I have no choice. I’m scared.”

Callen glanced down at the baby bump and did the only thing he could. He hit the gas.

It said it all, as he navigated the streets of Damascus toward FBI West.

“I’ve got you, angel. We’ll handle this. The mother of my children is NOT going to jail—over my dead body.”

She hoped he was right.

Only, all she could feel was dread. Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk was screwed.

And not in a good way.

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

FBI West

Mid-Morning

Ethan Blackhawk was just finishing some paperwork in his office. Mondays were a bitch when it came to working, but he didn't mind taking on the extra responsibility. It was for his family, and that’s all that mattered to him.

Right then, at that moment, he knew his brother and wife were working hard on Callen’s rehabilitation.

That had to come first.

Picking up the slack was a no brainer on his behalf.

Truth be told, no one was having an easy time of it the last two months. With Callen being down, they had to shuffle everything around to accommodate him being the ONLY director on duty. In fact, Ethan had to handle some Native relations, and it wasn’t fun.

He hoped Callen came back to work, and soon. If not, he was going to be heading to the reservation to handle some jackassery.

That didn't sit well with him.

This was why he gave Callen the job in the first place. Ethan wasn’t cut out to play with the Natives. It simply wasn’t his cup of tea. Just because he had the hair and skin tone, didn't mean he was equipped with patience to deal with it.

He wasn’t.

Hell!

It was the antithesis of everything he saw himself to be.

Ethan had more than enough BS to handle without throwing in some riled up Native chief. His ME’s were trying to order everything under the sun, his head anthropologist was away on some dig for his honeymoon, and he was holding the place together with bubblegum and popsicle sticks until Elizabeth was back.

If anything else came up, they were officially screwed. Ethan couldn’t wait until his wife, or brother, came back to work. He was overwhelmed with work.

Actually, truth be told, Ethan missed having Elizabeth perched on the corner of his desk. With each hour apart, he longed to be back with the two people he loved more than anything in life.

He wanted them back in their offices, raising hell, and stirring up the HR department. Considering the options, he’d rather them be there than not.

He was lonely.

Yeah, he had to be desperate to want to go there. He really missed working side by side with his wife. She was trouble, but some sick and depraved part of him loved it. The way her blue eyes twinkled, it made him feel incredibly lucky to have found her, even when she was stirring up the HR pot. At least with her there, he could be sure she was safe.

All day, he’d had that sick feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach. Then, to make it worse, when he was in the breakroom getting coffee, he saw it.

On the window ledge, there was a huge raven. It had watched him with its beady black eyes. The creepy bird tracked him across the room never looking away. Frankly, it freaked him out.

It reminded Ethan of Salem, the trouble that found them, and nearly losing his wife.

He couldn’t go there again.

She was his everything.

Needing a break, Ethan leaned back in his chair and stared at the picture of the three of them on his bookshelf. They had just found out the sex of their next child, and they were all smiles.

That day was one of his favorite memories.

His brother’s smile had been infectious. It filled them all with such joy. He couldn’t believe they were adding their fifth child to the family in a couple months. Six years ago, he was single, and alone.

Now he had peace.

His kids gave him that. With three boys, two girls, and all under five years old, you wouldn’t think that was possible, but it was.

It was pandemonium in their home, and he loved every damn second of it. His wild tribe of Natives was so very important to him as a father and man. As he grew up, Ethan didn't know what it was like to have a big family. When his mother died, it was just him, Callen, and granddad.

They were a rag tag trio, trying to make the best of the life they had been given. Most of the time, Timothy spent his days trying to keep them in school and out of jail at night. It wasn’t easy for any of them, but especially the old man.

They made him work for it.

Every day was a challenge.

“Oh, Granddad, you were a saint,” he said, laughing to himself. They really ran the poor man ragged. “If you were here, I’d buy you anything your heart desired. I didn't realize how hard this job was until I had all these kids relying on me.”

Yeah, now he got it.

Kids, while a blessing, were also a handful. Technically, they now had more kids than adults in the house. Once the new baby came, it would be four adults to five kids. The savage Natives would have them outnumbered.

They were screwed.

Yet, he loved it.

Ethan Blackhawk wouldn’t change a thing about his life. Instead, he was proud of what they’d made together. His family was unique, special, and all his—
and Callen’s
.

They had a kick-ass wife, five healthy little ones, and Wyler too. It was a good gig, and they were blessed beyond their wildest dreams.

Now…

If only he had backup in the office. Then life would be so much easier.

Standing, Ethan stretched. On a whim, he pulled his black hair from the tie holding it back. If his wife was there, she’d be running her fingers through it. Now that they were fully outed in the world, he didn't worry so much what others thought.

Ethan loved both Elizabeth and Callen being near. There was something cathartic about the warm embrace of the two people he loved.

He wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Just as he pondered grabbing a coffee and taking a break from the mundane tasks at work, he heard the running.

Immediately, his heart began pounding in his chest. When his wife and brother appeared in his doorway, her face said it all.

Something had happened.

He nearly couldn’t breathe.

“Lyzee, baby, are you okay?” he asked, crossing to them without even hesitating. Elizabeth looked like she was ready to cry, and he didn't understand why. In fact, Callen had a very similar look of worry on his face.

It scared the hell out of him on some deep level. The spouse in him was scared shitless. His family was rattled, and that couldn’t be good.

“We need to talk.”

He opened his mouth.

“Now,” she said, as Callen closed and locked the door behind them.

For that brief second, Ethan prayed this was some ruse and they were going to have some sexy liaison in his office. They’d yet to have a threesome there.

Them having sex in the office was proof of how rattled he was. That was his big no-no, and they knew it. His willingness meant one thing.

His head and gut already knew it was going to be bad.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

She didn't hesitate.

Instead, she rushed right into his arms. As she clung to his body, Callen followed her, pressing her between them. As they remained locked together, Ethan’s heart began thundering in his chest. With each second they held out, it was like torture for him. Ethan wanted to soothe his loved ones.

“Are the kids okay? Is dad hurt?”

A million things began rushing through his mind, and he was freaking himself out over each and every one of them.

This was going to be bad.

He could feel it.

“I’m in trouble,” she said, her face pressed into his neck. As she tried to breathe in the scent of husband, struggling to find calm, Elizabeth didn't know what to do.

She needed them more than ever in her life.

Her choices in the past were about to rear their ugly heads, and no one was safe.

Not Gabe.

Not Livy.

Not them.

The game had just changed.

“Okay, just tell me what it is, and I’ll see if I can solve it for you,” he offered.

Ethan couldn’t recall ever seeing her this worried. In fact, she was shaking in his arms. That was unnerving. Elizabeth Blackhawk didn't scare easily. Tex had faced down killers, assholes, and frightening things without batting an eyelash. Terrified wasn’t in her vocabulary.

Until now…

Apparently, it was.

Ethan led them toward his big leather couch. Gently, he took a seat, only to have his wife follow into his lap. Still, she didn't let go. The clinging to his dress shirt was borderline frantic. Her fists were balled in the pricy cotton, and she refused to let go.

Oh boy…

He wanted to puke.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I got a call from Gabe.”

He didn't get it. Gabriel Rothschild loved Elizabeth. They were a family before Callen or Ethan rolled into her life. In fact, Gabe was loyal and had their back. The last few months were rocky, but they were on solid ground once again.

“I need more, baby. What did he say to freak you out this badly?”

The tears came.

This was her one fear. Elizabeth lived her life to serve and protect, but that one line she crossed years ago haunted her. The day she opted to go rogue had changed everything.

It changed her life.

It made her cold and calculating.

It created a killer.

This wasn’t a mistake. It was a conscious choice that destroyed any hope of a safe existence. Forever would this haunt her life, and she hated it.

She’d screwed up.

Now she’d pay.

The young Lyzee had made a huge mistake. When she pulled that trigger, she destroyed so much. There was always a little piece of her that thought this would come back to find her, and here it was.