Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) (65 page)

He wouldn’t let go of her hand. “Please let me see this through.”

Tony was watching her.

Ethan was staring.

Callen too.

She had no choice. Love and friendship outweighed commonsense.

“You’re in, but you wear a gun.”’

He kissed her and then rested his forehead against hers. “I love you. Thank you for this.”

She sighed.

“We better get moving,” Elizabeth suggested.

“I need a gun. Mine was in the house,” he said, softly.

Callen dropped his arm over the man’s shoulders, and he led him away. He knew Ethan wanted to talk to his wife without the man there.

“I have an arsenal in our office. We’ll get you one, and a holster.”

“Thanks.”

When he was out of earshot, Ethan pointed at her. “You can’t let him put forty holes in her. This is going to go public. The more attention this gets, then the higher the chance that the old case will come to light.”

She was well aware.

“He needs this. You make sure he doesn’t play Annie Oakley, and I’ll make sure Lily Sanderson dies in a logical manner.”

“Elizabeth,” he warned. “This is a bad idea.”

Oh, she was aware.

Only, a line had been crossed. This woman was going to hell in a hand basket.

In pieces.

And a one way trip.

There wasn’t a choice.

“Saddle up, Ethan. We have a job to finish. Then I think I’ll have a baby, pack up a house, and head back East. The Natives out here are just too much for little ol’ me to handle.”

He watched her walk away, and Ethan had a bad feeling.

“Take care of her, okay?” Tony Magnus asked. “She needs a babysitter.”

Ethan took off his gun and handed it to the man. He’d get another to take with him. “Tony, you’re here to watch the family. Shoot to kill. I’ll babysit Tex.”

They all knew how impossible that was going to be.

Elizabeth Blackhawk was pissed.

And she was going off the reservation.

In a big way.

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

Everything was perfect.

She’d managed to break into the house, clipping the alarm wires at the box.

Being a Fed had its advantages, and this was it.

She was going to have something to eat, plot Elizabeth’s death, and then skin a backwoods deputy alive.

That seemed fitting.

It made her laugh. Lily wanted this so badly that she could taste it. She only hoped it would break Elizabeth.

It would be the best part.

Putting down the knife, she grabbed the cell phone she’d swiped from the dead tech.

Everything was in place.

Now, it was a matter of waiting, and getting ready.

Death was coming…for Elizabeth Blackhawk the skank.

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

In The Air

The entire time in flight, she paced. It wasn’t because she was worried about getting hurt. Elizabeth knew this was a long time coming, and so many people needed Lily’s death.

Director Donnelly was a good man. He served his country well, and he didn't deserve to be hacked apart.

Tristan Case had been used. As an agent, he’d worked with good men and women, and he should rest at peace. Lily’s death would do that. It would give him vindication, even in death.

Then there was Kay Feinstein. She’d lived a long life, but she didn't deserve the slaughter. Taking down Lily wasn’t about her as much as it was for Ethan. She’d been his surrogate mother, and that mattered.

Elizabeth wanted to give her husband peace.

As for Dean Quinlan, may he burn in hell. Elizabeth hoped he suffered. That went against everything in her when it came to being an officer of the law, but in this case, Callen came first. The man had raped him, repeatedly, and while Callen was moving on, she wouldn’t.

Not until she could kill the woman who killed his tormenter.

Then there was Cyra Leonard. Chris had always had her back. He’d broken the law, focusing Lily on him. Elizabeth knew that this was on her. While he might not say that, she still had to live it every day.

Cyra had died because he loved her. He was loyal, and that alone earned him this. Yes, she let him come, but she did not intend to let him get his hands dirty.

In their family, that was her role.

She was the killer, and she was doing her damn job.

Lily had crossed an ugly line, and it was time to pay. As she paced, the three men watched her.

“What’s the plan?” Chris asked. He wanted in, and he wanted an active role. “How are we going to get her?”

Ethan patted him on the leg. “I don’t know. She’s probably already worked this out. We’re going to be her backup.”

Chris watched her. “I know this is going to cost her, and for the record, I feel bad about it. I know she’s going to take her life.”

They didn't doubt it.

She was pissed.

“She loves you, and everyone else this touched. Lily did the unthinkable. She hurt her family.”

“Are you two really okay with me moving in, invading your life, and being near her?”

Ethan wouldn’t say this to just anyone. “Yes.”

Callen patted him on the shoulder. “Unless you think you’re sleeping with her. Then I’m killing you myself.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Chris and I came to a realization a long time ago. We’re meant to be family—not lovers.”

“Ripples in the pond,” he said.

She gave him a fist bump. “I told you so.”

She sat.

“Okay, here’s the plan. It’s going to be early. I want to do a little recognizance around town. We’re going to go, drop our stuff at the house, and make some calls. I can have Tyrell drive around and check things out on the DL. Lily won’t remember him. She was too focused on hating me.”

They listened.

“Then we’ll move on the roach coach.”

Ethan knew why Lily had picked that place. He and Lily had stayed there until he’d moved in with Elizabeth. She would take this back to where it began.

It was symbolic.

It was time for Ethan to give her the last piece of the profile. “Lily is out of her mind. You’re going to have to kill her. If this goes to court, she’s going to be telling everyone you’re a killer. She researched enough, tortured Doctor Pressman, and she likely will spill it.”

Oh, she was well aware.

There was no way Lily was walking out of that motel. She’d paint the walls with her blood first, and burn the place down around her.

“You need to be safe,” Callen said, pointing at his son growing in her body.

She laughed. “That’s my plan.”

As they were about to discuss Lily more, the captain opened the door.

“Directors, we’re landing in five minutes. There’s a non-descript vehicle waiting for you. Director Rothschild made sure you didn't get anything Fed-like.”

She was glad.

They needed to be quiet.

When they touched down, Elizabeth went to grab her gear. “I’ve got it,” Callen stated, carrying it out.

On the tarmac was a minivan.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

They all stared at her.

“What? It’s one hell of a sexy ride. I’m a mad mom in a mini-van. It seems appropriate.”

They followed her.

Somehow, they didn't find any of this amusing.

Instead, it was terrifying at best.

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

Vacation Home

Salem

They hadn’t been back since Ethan started therapy and his path to healing. Coming here had been hard.

Not only for him, but for her.

Doc Trudeaux’s death left a hole in her heart, but she suddenly realized something. Had he not died, Lily would have gone after him. There was no doubt, only he probably wouldn’t have been strong enough to fight her off, or aware enough to call her like Tony had been.

She could see now that mourning his death was normal, dwelling on it wasn’t. Fate would have stolen him away regardless, and Lily would have tortured him.

That helped her heal a tiny fissure in her heart.

Fate planned to take him regardless of her actions.

As they pulled up, Elizabeth checked the place out. So much death had come here, and then again, so much life had too. Without Ethan, she never would have found Callen.

They wouldn’t have had kids.

So, it wasn’t all bad.

This place held many memories—from Charlie, to her brother George, to the people in town. It wasn’t a bad place.

“I kinda miss it here,” she stated.

Ethan glanced over. “Well, now that we’re going to be living on this side of the country, we can probably come here for long weekends.

She smiled. “I think I’d like that.”

Callen ran his hand over her bare arm. “I like that it’s warm. We Natives don’t like freezing our balls off in the Tundra.”

She snorted. “Yeah, yeah. We should get in. I want to start working this out. I have that whiteboard in my office. Remember it?” she asked Ethan.

“How could I ever forget? It brought us together.”

Chris had been silent. “I like it here,” he said. “You can feel the peace. This is a great place.”

Elizabeth knew that coming here might be hard for Chris. After all, he and Cyra had worked a case here. They had memories.

He touched her cheek as she stared at him. “They’re all good,” he promised, knowing what she was thinking. “I’m going to focus on the happy. That’s how I’ll heal.”

That’s what she needed to hear.

“I’m going to head in.”

“We’ll grab the gear,” Ethan offered.

Elizabeth headed up the walk. Passing the light, she thought about the shot taken at her at the reservation.

A wariness washed through her.

Elizabeth brushed it off as pre-murder jitters. This was Salem. What could possibly go wrong?

Lily watched from the window.

She smiled.

Oh, this was working out as planned. She knew from studying Elizabeth that she would come here. Now, she needed to wrap this up.

Yes, she wanted to kill Tony Morel, but this was plan B. Had he notified her, she’d try to keep him safe and return to the scene of the crime.

After all, this was her safety net.

She’d met Ethan here.

She’d fallen in love.

This was where it all began years ago.

Oh, there was one thing for sure. Elizabeth Blackhawk wasn’t going to expect her behind the door.

That was for sure.

It looked like she won this one after all.

As Elizabeth unlocked the door, she was glad to be back. When she turned, to shut down the alarm, it was already off. That set off bells in her head.

Turning, she was sucker punched in the face. Falling backward, she hit her head on the table in the hall.

The lights went out.

Lily had gotten what she wanted.

Her.

Ethan, Callen, and Chris all carried the gear up the stairs. When they got inside, something wasn’t right, and Ethan noticed it right away. Elizabeth was nowhere to be found.

Heading in to find her, Ethan came to a stop. That’s when his life came screeching to a halt. His wife was on the couch with Lily right behind her.