Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (67 page)

Okay, this wasn’t what he was expecting.

Honestly, he believed that she was going to lecture him on how Jaxon wasn’t worth his time.

Taking her hand in his, he stared into her eyes. “You know you can. I know I bust on you and the sexy Natives, but I will always have your back, Elizabeth. We’ve been through too much
over the years. I owe you that much, at least.”

She recalled that first day she met him. In that instant, he cracked a joke, broke the ice, and made her laugh. Where his partner in crime, Christopher Leonard, came onto her, he never did. They may tease about Miss Kitty, but he never
did anything inappropriate. Tony was the tougher of the two. When he heard about Ray, her old partner, trashing her, he was going to kick his ass.

Tony was very protective.

She knew his past and understood why.

“I need you to swear on your life,” she added.

Immediately, he held up his pinky and offered her the vow. “You know I wouldn’t betray you.”

“Even for a woman you’re crazy about?”

This was going to be a slippery slope. “No.”

She took a deep breath. “What do you know about her past?”

Ahhhh, apparently Elizabeth knew.

Where Tony could have lied, he’d already made the promise. This woman was family.
“He father was a mob guy from Boston, and Jaxon hates his guts. From what she told me, I can’t blame her.”

Well, that
was good. Then this might not blow up in her face. “Everything she told you, multiply it by a thousand. He was one bad dude. Let’s just say blowing him up would be a kind way to take him out.”

“Okay, so he was horrible.”

“He is,” she corrected.

“I don’t get it. Is?” Tony was watching her face. He could see the worry there. “Lyzee, I swear I won’t say anything. There’s no love lost in her life for him.”

“I have to admit that Jaxon piqued my interest. In the spirit of being a good boss, who knows her team, I researched her.”

He was good with that so far. That was procedure. “Okay, and?”

“Well, when I went to dig into her father’s life, I was blocked. It’s outside my clearance.”

Doctor Magnus busted her ass. “Maybe they heard what a bitch you can be.”

She laughed, needing that humor at the moment. After what she’d just seen and done in a church, her soul was shadowed. “Yeah, I wish. Unfortunately, there’s one level above me, and this wasn’t the FBI blocking me. This was the marshals.”

He wasn’t getting it.

“Remember that one case we worked out of Quantico? We had that one run in with a US marshal and our victim.”

“
You mean the marshal who had the hots for you?”

Elizabeth nodded, recalling
the few times that she dated him. They’d had a few drinks, laughed, and been pretty hot and heavy for a while. “Think about the case.”

Tony did just that. “He was on assignment, guarding that victim. The killer found him and he lost his witness
…”

Elizabeth waited.

He stared at her. “Oh shit!”

She nodded.

“Are you telling me her father is alive and in the witness protection program?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “I’m not telling you anything. You worked this one out in your head all on your own.”

Tony was now between a rock and a hard place. No, he was now between a mountain and a clusterfuck.

“See? If you tell her and it gets out, she could be at risk
, plus you’ll be in danger too. The Irish mob likes to tie up loose ends. They’ll go after her to get to her old man.”

He was sick to his stomach.

“If you don’t tell her, you’re keeping a secret that could blow up if she ever finds out you know.”

“I wish you could erase my memory.”

Elizabeth did too.

“This will kill her.”

She agreed.

“Why are you telling me this, Lyzee? Is this some way to torture me for all the years I busted your ass?”
he asked, hoping she wouldn’t hurt him this way.

She closed her eyes and let out an exhausted sigh.
“No, Tony. You're my friend. If you end up with her, you’re going to always have to watch your back. No matter what, there’s always that chance you’re going to get in the way and lose your life.”

He laughed. “I’m perfectly safe.”

She touched his cheek with the palm of her hand. “I love you and Chris. I don’t get attached to many people in my life, because I generally lose the ones I care about. I don’t want to risk you.”

“You could lose your job,” he said, placing his hand over hers.

“Yeah, but I’d rather lose that than you. Even Ethan and Callen are attached to you. You’ve been to our home. You’ve held our kids. You’re part of us, Tony. I can only protect you so much, and now you have the knowledge to keep your eyes open. It might save your life.”

“You’re not saying something.”

Elizabeth was honest with him. “I wish you’d let her walk away. A selfish part of me wants to keep you safe, and if she’s gone, you’re not going to get hurt.”

“I can’t
, because if she does go, I’ll die inside.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m giving you anything I can. I’m also going to keep my ears open with the Irish mob. If anything pops up, you’ll be warned. If I can just build a little bubble around you, I will.”

He was touched and hugged her. “Beside Chris, you’re my best friend. We’ve been through a lot. Thank you, Lyzee.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Are you sure you want to do this, Tony. You’re not in too deep yet.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I am.”

Elizabeth held his hand
, unsure what to say to that. If their roles were reversed, she’d never walk away from Ethan or Callen either, so she got it.

“I never wanted to be part of a relationship or have a girlfriend. Then, she strolled into my life. I want so much more, Lyzee. I want to marry her. I want to have a family, and most importantly, I want to keep her safe, now more than ever.”

“Sounds about right to me.”

“Is this how it feels? When you look at Ethan and Callen, what goes on in your head?”

Elizabeth thought about her answer. What she felt was so encompassing, there really weren’t words.

“Please
share with me. I need a light on this very shadowy path. I’m confused as hell.”

“It’s different with both men. When I look at Ethan, I feel safe. He’s been the strong one for over four years. When I’m afraid, or rocked to my core, he’s who I run to.”

He understood.

“Then, he was hurt. I lost my bearings and felt out of control. Life had no color, food had no taste, and nothing mattered.”

“What about Callen?” he asked.

“Oh, he’s my humor and light. You talked about that shadowy path. He’s my
beacon. When I found him, something clicked. Now, when I have a doubt or Ethan loses it, I run to Callen. He’s just as strong as Ethan, but he approaches things differently. He is like a cocoon infused with calm. When I’m freaked out, he sooths me.”

He waited.

“Being in love needs both those things. Your partner has to fulfill everything for you. Not to say they don’t to some degree, they just do more as two different people. It’s magnified.”

Tony got it.

“What does she do for you, Tony?”

“God! Where to begin?
She makes me smile. It’s something about her impulsive behavior. There’s this overwhelming need to keep her handcuffed at my side. For the first time in my life, I feel something. I’m not lost and empty.”

“You’ll find your mother’s remains one day. I know you will.”

He hoped so. “Now, it’s not as important. I have Jaxon, and I feel good. Plus,” he began and then paused, “I’m going to talk sex, so beware.”

“Yeah,
I might be offended because I’m a pregnant virgin.”

Tony offered her a fist bump.
“Nice.”

Elizabeth grinned wickedly. “I’ll survive. Spill it.”

“We just work. She’s more laid back, and I can be more of myself. It’s perfect and explosive.”

She knew what he was saying. “I think you should do whatever it takes to be with her then.”

“What if I have to leave the FBI? She’s not sticking around, Lyzee. I can feel it in my gut. All I have to do is give her a minute to think, and she’s in the wind.”

Elizabeth squeezed his hand. “Well, if she takes off, there’s one solution.”

“And that is?”

“We hunt her down.”

That made him laugh. “You’re bad ass, Elizabeth Blackhawk. I’m glad you’re my friend.”

She stood. “I love you, Tony. You’re the brother I never had,” she stated.

“Uh, you have a brother.”

“Yeah, but he’s crackers
and a homicidal maniac, so that doesn’t count.”

He started laughing. “
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or insult.”

“Yeah, neither am I.”

                            *    *    *

             
Ethan offered her a drink.

When she took
a seat, it was obvious that she was nervous as hell.

“What did I do?” she asked, taking the can of soda from Callen. It was hard to focus. All she could think about
was that these two men were the ones described in Tony’s paper on fraternal polyandry.

It fa
ct, it was making her curious.

“
Nothing yet, but I can see that you’re thinking, Doctor Armstrong,” offered Ethan. “Why don’t you share?”

“I
know I probably shouldn’t, but I need to know. I’m curious about Tony’s paper in the journal. I’ve only read about fraternal polyandry and never seen it in action, so it makes me want to ask questions.”

Callen laughed. “Yeah, you and just about every other person on the planet
wants to talk about it.”

“What specifically do you feel compelled to ask?”
Blackhawk inquired, watching her. Ethan was well aware that scientists were an inquisitive bunch, and more importantly, they accepted things far more easily than others.

“On paper, it shouldn’t work. How do you do it?”

Blackhawk pointed at his brother, warning him.

Callen began laughing. “She gets it from you.”

Jaxon blushed. “No, I meant, are there separate rooms? A schedule? How do you arrange private time? I’m sorry, but I ask a lot of inappropriate questions for the sake of science. I once studied a tribe in Tibet. Their burial plots showed that they were buried in threes. Although, they would sometimes kill the other two if the alpha of the couple died first. They’d be curled around each other in the grave.”

Ethan laughed. “Sucks you be you and Lyzee
if I go first,” Ethan teased.

Yeah, his brother was delusional.
“Last man standing gets the babe, bro. I also find it funny that you think you’re the boss in this relationship. If she hears you, she’s going to scalp you.”

Jaxon watched in fascination. “This is freaking awesome.
I bet Tony had fun writing the paper.”

Ethan got serious.
“We don’t have a schedule, Doctor. We have one bedroom and a very large bed. Elizabeth sleeps in the middle, and pretty much private time is a luxury. We have three children and one on the way. We have to go away on an assignment to get time alone.”

She grinned. “You know I’m going to ask about your kids, right?” Jaxon said, leaning forward.

“We have two a piece.”

The men were amused
as she giggled and leaned forward in her seat. She was like a kid on Christmas Day.

“I've always wanted to know about the relationship between the brothers and the opposite male’s children. You don’t get to meet many couples who will speak openly about it.”

“We don’t often. So, what you learn here needs to remain here. Think of this as Vegas.”

She
agreed. “Talk children to me.”

Callen grinned. “Well, I have Catherine and Ethan Jackson, and he has Callen James and
a baby on the way.”

Looking back and forth, she was enthralled. All her fears were gone. They appeared to be laid back and open. “So, you each named your primary son after your brother. That speaks volumes about your emotional attachment to the other person.”

They didn't disagree. What they had was stronger than titanium. They were blood.

“Well, I think it’s beautiful that you three can persevere over the naysayers and make something so anthropologically important work.
”

Now, it was Ethan’s turn. He’d allowed her to get comfortable. It was their turn to learn about her.