Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (26 page)

“Yes,” he answered, still keeping Jaxon in this position. “Now, when it came to the men, he went at them a different way. They were still asphyxiated, but he obviously couldn’t subdue them as easily.”

“What did he do?”

“I’m postulating that it went something like this,” he began, releasing Jaxon from his hold. With a hammer, which was lying on the table beside him, he swung it at the back of her head.

Tony gasped at the visual in front of him. It was making him sick.

Zane started laughing. “Chill. I’m not going to kill her in front of the bosses. That’ll get me fired.”

Elizabeth snorted.

Yeah, this whole thing was priceless. 

Going back to the scenario, he finished up his theory. “Anyway, I found cracks in their skulls where a circular pattern was left after an impact. The techs are running it against possible weapons, but this isn't my first hammer related homicide. I’ll bet
the team will concur with my postulation.”

“
That’s a damn good job, Doctor,” Elizabeth stated. “Can you give me more? Did the hammer do them in? Is that COD?”

“
No, it didn't end their lives. It was merely enough to take them to the ground, then they were strangled too. Only this time, he changed it up.” Moving in front of Jaxon, he placed his hands around her throat. He gently added pressure.

“Okay! Enough!” blurted Tony, to everyone’s surprise. “I get it now. It’s creepy,” he said, staring at his boss. “I
’ve learned my lesson.”

Yeah, that told them everything they needed to know.

Both Zane and Jaxon looked confused.

“Okay, boys. Show and tell is officially over. I don’t need my bone guy having a stroke in the morgue. That’s a lot of paperwork
, and Ethan will shit himself.”

Callen agreed. “Yeah, he will.”

“Anyway,” Zane continued, not getting what was happening around him. It was apparent that he had missed something. It must be a private joke.

Jaxon moved back over by Tony, and proprietarily he dropped his hand to her shoulder.

There was clue number two.

“Okay, so we know that our killer likes to choke his victims to death. He’s taller than Jaxon and smart enough to know he can’t take out a beefy man like Allen Payne. What else do we have?”

Callen spoke up, “It’s likely not a woman. If we had a female doing the killings, they don’t generally favor strangulation. It takes too much work.”

Elizabeth thought about that. While s
he could probably choke someone Jaxon’s size, she couldn’t take out anyone much larger. One of their male victims was almost Callen’s size. There was just no way. She was strong, just not that strong.

“I agree. Good one, Callen.”

At that exact moment, the two agents entered the room.

“We were looking for you, boss,” stated Johanna Madden. “We did your searches.”

“Spill it,” she stated as Callen got ready to take notes.

“We found the bar where Kaylee Bain was prone to hang out. It’s right between Devil’s Lake and the reservation. We have a dry Rez, so a lot of Natives head off the land to party there. When we pulled the police records, she wasn’t the only one who was arrested there. We have a few of the local indigenous people who were cited.”

“Like?”

“Bruno Whitefeather was one, and one of the tribe’s officers, a Brian Brewster.”

Elizabeth grinned at Callen. “So, that also gives us one of the men who dug up the bodies and a Native cop. That’s curious,” she stated.

“I see some scalping in their future,” Zane stated.

“Good one, Doctor. You get bonus points as do my two agents. In fact, they get shiny gold stars. I love when my team is so self-sufficient that all I have to do is ask what they found. It makes me so damn happy.”

“We aim to please, ma’am.”

Elizabeth pulled out her phone to search for a number. When she found it, she dialed. “I’d like to order twenty pizzas,” she stated, giving them the information. “Please deliver it to the morgue.”

There was a pause. “Do I sound like a freaking idiot? Of course I said
that. Do I have to spell it? I said M.O.R.G.U.E. You know, that place where they keep dead bodies?”

Again, she waited.

“Head to the back door. I’ll have someone waiting there for you.”

Hanging up, she glanced
at the team. “Dinner is on us, since you’ll all be working late. Share, play nice, and thank you for a good job,” she stated. When she whistled all the techs stopped moving. “You, come here,” she said, pointing at one male tech.

“Yes, ma’am?”
Pulling out cash for a tip, she handed it to him. “Sign the slip for the pizzas. I paid by credit card, so make sure you save it for me. Tip the scared driver, and if you jump out and manage to scare him, I’ll make it worth your while.”

He grabbed the money and grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her team started laughing. Yes, their boss was sadistic, but in a good way.

“Now, get finished for the day and head out after you eat. Be ready for a long day tomorrow. The techs will be searching all four victims’ homes
, and I’ll be out in the field with my partner. If you get or find anything, call me. I’d rather know than walk into some mess later.”
              “When is Director Blackhawk arriving?” Zane inquired offhandedly.

“Got me. Do I look like his keeper?”

“Yes,” they all said together.

“I love my team. I may request this exact group every
time I go out in the field.”

Now, they groaned.

“So much better,” she said, laughing on her way out the door.

“I’ll be right back,” Tony said, to the team. “I need to talk to the boss.”

“I’ll get back to the bodies and beetles,” Jax said, focused on the work ahead. Soon, the team wouldn’t be the only ones dining.

The beetles were
going to the body buffet.

Outside, Tony finally caught up to them. “Can I talk to you a minute?” he asked, touching Elizabeth on the arm.

She stopped in the grass behind the building. “You know you always can. What’s up?”

He swallowed. “This is personal, and I’m coming to you as a friend, not an employee.”

Already, she and Callen knew where this was headed. It was rare any of her doctors were off balance. She had a team so damn good, it made Gabe’s look faulty. They handpicked each and every one
for that exact reason.

“What’s up, Tony? You know that we’re always here for you.”

Callen dropped his arm over her shoulders since they were taking a duty break.

“I’m in over my head.”

Elizabeth leaned against Callen. “How so?”

“I’m out of my element with this woman. I’ve never felt this way before, and it’s got me
all tied up in knots. I’m usually okay with the opposite sex. They’re there for when I need to,” he began, pausing before he dared to continue, “God, this is mortifying.”

She started laughing. “Hey, I get it. You’ve been with women, but just in the biblical sense.”

He let out the breath he was holding. “If Chris was here, I’d ask him. When he called, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do himself. I need some advice on how to progress with this. I have to be gentle, because she’s got some issues.”

That made her pause.

He pointed. “No, you said you were my friend, not my boss. Anything I say here is between Lyzee, Callen, and Tony, not two directors and a doctor.”

He had her there. “I do need to know what kind of issues. Is she into freaky sex or…”

Tony was mortified further. “Elizabeth!”

Callen laughed.

“Spill it, and we’ll do what we can,” she reassured.

Like a dam, he broke under the pressure,
sharing everything he knew. From the bodies, the stress, her not sure if this was the job for her, and what he said to her that morning which made her mad. It all came gushing out in a wave of truth.

Elizabeth listened, taking it all in.

When he finally finished, Elizabeth and Callen looked at each other.

“It’s not going to be easy, Tony. You’re new at this girl thing, and she’s skittish.”

“How do I fix it?”

Callen took this one. “I’m an expert at difficult women,” he began, earning an elbow to the ribs
, “and I wouldn’t trade that in for all the money in the world,” he corrected.

Tony laughed.

“You need to remember that she’s not just a doctor. Jaxon is a woman. Every female on the planet, no matter how tough on the outside, still has the same fundamental needs on the inside.”

“And th
at would be?”

Elizabeth jumped in. “I like romance. When Ethan o
r Callen try to do something sweet, it turns me to mush. I also have moments where I like to feel safe and protected.”

He stared at her. “You need to be protected?” he asked, shocked. “You’re bad ass Lyzee Blackhawk.”

Callen answered, “Yes, but she’s a woman. My suggestion is that you need to spend some time alone with Jaxon. Take her out to dinner and be romantic. If the spark is there, it’ll set flame. If it’s not, you’ll know.”

“How do you feel about her?” Elizabeth asked.

“I feel confused, tripped up, and like I want to lock her in a box to keep her safe. When Jaxon was leaning against Doctor Legend, I wanted to beat him senseless. That’s not like me. I’m so very laid back that a nuclear holocaust couldn’t stress me out.”

“Sounds like you’ve found the woman for you,” Callen stated. “When I first met Elizabeth, I felt the same. Only, I had a bigger problem. She was married to my brother. I didn't think I’d ever be happy.”

“Is that why you proposed to Desdemona?”

Callen’s heart lurched at her name. Even though he was tied to her for the rest of his life, through the child she tried to hide, he still had emotions linked to her.

Anger.

Sympathy.

Hate.

It all lived in him for
that woman.

“I wanted what my brother had so
badly, that I was willing to settle for someone else. We all know how that ended. My suggestion is take it slow, be sure, and go for it when your heart tells you it’s time. Don’t listen to your brain on this one. Love is all about here,” he said, patting the man over his heart.

“I agree,” stated Elizabeth.

“Okay, so where do I take her?”

“Have you never done this before?” Elizabeth asked, lifting a brow.

“No. Whenever I’ve been with a woman, it was to satisfy the basic needs we all have. I’m not a dater. I’m a one night stand kind of man. I don’t build lasting attachments. I don’t know if I even can.”

The way he said it was so funny, yet it was clear he
never meant it to be. Her doctor was very analytical and didn't really see outside the box.

“That’s not true, Tony. You’ve built a family here. Look at you and Chris. He’s like a brother to you. Then, you have me. We’ve seen some scary shit over the years. You’re my family too.”

For a second, he had peace. “Thank you for that.”

“Okay,” stated
Callen, trying to give the man a starting out point. “There has to be a nice place in town or even close by. Tell her you want to take her to dinner. Buy her a few drinks, maybe give her flowers, and go from there. The way to a woman’s heart is to show you care and want to be with her. Hang in there and get ready for a fight.”

“Tony, she’s going back to Quantico when this is over. Are you prepared for that?” Elizabeth asked, believing that a warning was necessary in this case.

“I know. I’m screwed, aren’t I?” Already, he could see heartache on the horizon. “I’m going to get my ass handed to me on this one.” Tony fully expected to get hurt, yet he couldn’t stay away from the flame. He was like a moth drawn to it.

Elizabeth wouldn’t tell him that, but odds weren’t
on his side. “I’ll do whatever I can to help stack the deck in your favor. You just need to do your part.”

He appreciated it so much. “I don’t know how to say thank you enough,” he stated.

Elizabeth hugged him. Doctor Tony Magnus was a good man. He was the keeper of her secrets before she found the men who did that job now. When she had been shot and her partner died, this man and Chris Leonard had sat by her bedside to cheer her up. That was family at its finest.

“You don’t have to thank me, darlin’. You just try and get the girl. Cupid has your back.”

He kissed her on the cheek before rushing away.

“What are you going to do?” Callen asked, as they headed to the Navigator.

“I have no freaking clue. This one’s going to be tough.”

“How tough?” he asked.

“Three alarm fire, boot camp in full gear through the mud, and heartbreak looming in the background, tough.”