Sacred Burial Grounds (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 2)) (69 page)

Timothy kissed her forehead and held her hand.  “Elizabeth, I am so glad you are home safe. I have worried abo
ut you, sweetheart.”

Elizabeth saw the concern in his eyes, and she patted his cheek with love. “I never doubted I’d get home
, Granddad. You can thank your son for that. Wyler is officially my hero.”

Timothy could feel his family knitting back together, and it did his heart good. The boys had made peace, Ethan had found love
, and now even Wyler was being allowed back into the family.

It was all he ever wanted.

Elizabeth leaned back, and Callen pulled her against his body, and dropped his arm over her shoulders protectively. It was something her husband would have done had he been sitting beside her. It looked like she just picked up more bodyguards and a surrogate husband. It warmed her heart that in such a short time, they would protect and love her like they did.

In all honestly, she didn't mind at all.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” He dropped a kiss to the top of her head as he held her against him.

“Me too, Callen, me too,
” she patted his leg and just relaxed.

Whitefox felt relief that she was safe, he couldn’t imagine the terror his brother had felt, and now he was thinking about his father. “Is he going to be forgiven?” he asked, knowing she knew who he meant.

“I believe so,” Elizabeth answered, laying her head on his shoulder wearily. “He earned it, but it’s not my choice. I’ll say that I won’t treat him like anything less than a hero. In my opinion he earned my trust. I tend to not judge people on their past. We all made mistakes and we are all worthy of forgiveness at some point in our lives.”

Timothy squeezed her hand. She would be the one that held them all togethe
r when he was no longer around. There was no doubt in his mind. Her coming was the beginning of the end, and she was meant to be here. The family wouldn’t need a patriarch now. It now would have a strong matriarch.

“Where’s Ethan?” she asked, suddenly need
ing her husband.

“Outside with Wyler,” said Whitefox.

“I need to find my husband,” she said, kissing her brother-in-law on the cheek and freeing herself from his protection. “Gabe, you can stay with us if you want.”

“No, while Ethan’s with you I’m staying at FBI West. I’ll run it while he takes some down time with you tomorrow. Thomas Mason
’s a fugitive, and everyone’s out looking for him. He can’t hide for long.”

“Do you have a picture of him?” she asked, needing to confirm it for herself, and in case he approached her again. This time she’d be ready. 

Gabe pulled out his phone and pulled up the BOLO and showed her. “Is it him?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“We’ll get him, Lyzee,” he said, touching her shoulder.

Elizabeth nodded. “I’m going to lay low tomorrow if that’s okay with you.
Agents are out looking for him and honestly, Ethan is the next logical target.”

“Keep him inside,” added Whitefox.

“You’re on the list too, Callen.” Elizabeth looked over at him. “Thomas Mason is a fruit loop, and he lost the game. You both are his blood relatives, and he’s going to be gunning for you.”

“I’ll stay here with
Granddad and Wyler.”

“Okay.”

“Elizabeth, we have two agents outside your house. Just in case the killer thinks he can take another shot at you. Ethan has your gun and badge in his car. Mason has nothing to live for now. We got his home, his assets are frozen, and you escaped from him. We have eighteen adults and nineteen fetuses. That’s a death penalty in this state, and he knows it.”

“If he comes after my family Gabe, one of us won’t be walking away
.” Elizabeth meant it. “These men are my family, and I don’t plan on letting any of them get hurt.”

Gabe looked right into her eyes
and a silent message was passed. “Elizabeth, you do what you think has to be done.”

J
ust the words and the look on his face conveyed it all. Gabe would cover for her if need be. “If you don’t mind, I want to see Ethan,” she said, patting Gabe on the shoulder, as she walked past him.

She was glad he understood.
Thomas Mason was a dead man. Once before, in her past, working under Gabriel Rothschild, she took a life that she could have saved for the courts to judge. Was it wrong? Possibly, but there were justifiable reasons behind it, and they were the only two that knew the truth of what happened that night. She never even told her husband about that dirty little secret.

“We love you, Elizabeth,” said Timothy Blackhawk. “Go find your husband and go home.”

“Thank you, everyone, for having faith in me,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the men in her life and blowing the elder one a kiss. The smile she gave them all spoke volumes, right before she walked out the back door. There was no doubt in her mind, she loved her new family and would kill to protect them. Her mind was already made up.

Thomas Mason was a dead man.

When Ethan saw he, he stood. She looked so frail, he was almost afraid to touch her. What she had just lived through had to be so hard, he was staggered by it all. Deep down, Ethan Blackhawk wondered if she’d be comfortable with him touching her ever again. Then he saw the smile, as she ran directly at him. He had just enough time to open his arms, welcoming her back into his life. That answered that question. His miracle was back and she wasn’t hiding from him.

Elizabeth jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist
, hugging herself to his body. She could feel him shaking, as she kissed his neck and face. “I want to go home, Ethan. Please get me out of here.”

“Absolutely baby.”

Elizabeth smiled at her father-in-law and lovingly patted him on the cheek. “Thank you, Wyler. I won’t ever forget what you did for me in the woods.”

Wyler Blackhawk nodded
and couldn’t help but to be thankful to the woman wrapped around his son. This had everything to do with her. Because of her marrying Ethan, he now had a family again.

“Goodnight,
Dad,” said Blackhawk as he walked away and carried his wife. “I need to take my family home,” he said, accepting her kisses and relishing every single one. Before, he might be wary of his team watching the affection, but now he didn’t care. He promised the powers that be that if he got her back every minute would matter.

It started now.

Blackhawk carried his wife to the Denali. She was wrapped around the front of his body. He carried her past his tech team, and past the family that watched him, and he didn’t care.

Elizabeth was
safe and home.

Life could begin again.

Wyler watched his son
and daughter-in-law drive away, and he wiped a tear from his eye. It amazed him that all these years the outsiders were the ones that he thought he needed to dislike, and now one of them was the reason his life was changing. Fate had a funny way of teaching you a lesson.

“Can we talk?”

Wyler turned fast. He hadn’t heard his other son come up behind him. All his thoughts were directed at Elizabeth. 

“Yes, what do you want to talk about, Callen?”

“I want to talk about us, Dad.” He tried the word out, and saw the man’s eyes fill with more tears. Callen was certain that saying the word was going to be hard, but he’d been wrong. Deep down, he always wanted to be able to find a connection to his life and to the man that created him.

Wasn’t this what it all was about?

One son was always looking in from the outside at his brothers and wanting what they had, and here he was throwing it away. Elizabeth had been right about judging others by their past.

“I’m sorry, Callen. I’m sorry I abandoned you, and I wish I could take it all back.” All he could hope was the apology would matter.

“I’m sorry I was filled with hate all these years, Dad.” Whitefox took the high road his big brother and sister-in-law had taken, because he wanted to feel the peace that they felt. “I’m willing to fix this, if you are,” he said, softly. “It won’t happen overnight, but I’m willing to work at it now.”

“Why?”

Callen Whitefox thought about it, and shrugged. “Because I screwed my own brother over and hurt him too. Then he came back and forgave me. I didn’t deserve it, and he didn’t have to do it. I want to be that kind of man, not one that lives with a grudge forever.”

“Your brother is a good man,” he said pausing
before continuing, “and so are you. I’m proud of both my boys,” he stated, and it was true.

“Want to go in and have some tea with granddad and talk about it?”

“I’d like that very much, son,” he started walking towards the house.

Callen Whitefox did something he never thought he’d do. He dropped his arm over the shoulders of the man he swore
he’d always hate, and instead offered him a bridge back into his life. Honestly, it felt good.

Damn good. 

The ride began in silence. Ethan didn’t know what to say to his wife. Deep down, he felt like he let her down, and almost lost her because he put the meeting first. Before he pulled into the driveway, he finally spoke, “I’m so very sorry, Elizabeth.”

Turning towards him fast, she
wondered if he was going to pull away from her out of guilt. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a good man, and he was going to take all the blame and shoulder it alone.

“I shouldn’t have left you this morning,” he said, softly.

Elizabeth began sniffling, and she was so glad to see her home again. It was the big porch, the sunny flowers in the planters, and the sense of safety that gave her peace.

Ethan Blackhawk began to panic. He turned off the engine and took off his and her seatbelts. “Baby, come here,” he
said, pulling her into his lap, squashing her against his body. “It’s okay. You're home now and safe.”

Elizabeth just nodded and the tears finally came. She played brave in front of everyone that thought she was tough, and now she just needed to be herself. “I was so scared,” she said, hiding her face in his neck and just clinging to the man that was her anchor in life. Ever since
the first day he walked into her life, he’d been holding her up when she wasn’t strong enough.

Ethan
pushed open the door, and carried his wife to their house. He opened the door for her, and watched as she waited for him to close the door so she could set the alarm.

That act alone spoke volumes.

Elizabeth never set the alarm.

He put their guns on the kitchen counter and swept her back up into his arms. “You can cry now. I’m here and no one will know.” He carried her to their living room and sat on the couch with her on his lap.

Elizabeth just let the torrent come. She had to be strong before, but now she just had to be Elizabeth, Ethan Blackhawk’s wife.

“It was horrible.”

He kissed her cheek and just kept wiping away the tears. “I can’t even imagine how scared you were. I don’t know how you did it, Elizabeth.”

“I had to get home to you. I promised that I’d always come home
, and I didn’t want to end up in that pit. I didn’t want to have you find me like that.”

His heart ached, as
he remembered the promise she made to always come home to him. Now he just wanted to take the pain away.

“I could hear him tracking me. He was taunting me, and I knew if he caught me I was dead. I was so scared for you.”

“If anything would have happened to you, I’d be destroyed. I already cried in my office. My brother had to hold me up.”

“I’m glad he was there for you.”

“But who was there for you, Lyzee,” he said, softly.

“Your dad found me just when I needed him to
, and then he promised me he’d get me back to you. If he didn’t find me, I don’t think I could have made it, Ethan. When I was cold he made me a fire and kept me warm. I don’t know how to repay him. I get to be a wife and mom now because of Wyler.”

She shook in
his arms, and he just held her. When the tears slowed down he kissed her cheek.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah baby?” He was never going to let her go. They were going to sit like this the rest of his life.

“I had Chris come to your
grandfather’s house.”

“I saw him.”

“He did the rape kit for me. I didn’t want a stranger doing it.”

Blackhawk tried to keep his body from tensing. There was no way to know if he pulled it off or not. “I figured,”
he said, and he did. There was no reason for the ME to be there unless it was in a doctor capacity. “What did he say?” Blackhawk tried to keep breathing.

“He’s going to call. I hope he calls your phone. Mine
is missing.”

“
The killer has it,” he said, evenly. “While you were abducted, he documented it with photographs.”

Elizabeth looked up into his face. “Oh
Ethan, I’m so sorry.” He obviously had been tormented by the killer.

“You didn’t do anything, baby. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Was it bad?”

Blackhawk laughed and closed his eyes, laying his head back against the couch, cuddling his wife closer. “
It was the worst emotional rollercoaster I’ve ever been on in my life. It started with pictures of you unconscious, and one of you half naked with a dove tattooed on your chest, and then his last message was that you were dead, and it was my fault.”

“Oh,
Ethan darling!” She turned in his lap and began kissing his cheeks, and then his lips. Slowly, gently, trying to heal his heart and give him some peace.

Just to get that as a text message had to be brutal.

When he began kissing her back and letting go of the fear, Elizabeth felt better too. This was home, and what she fought so hard to get to- this man.

“I’m supposed to make you feel better,” he said, his mouth still against hers.

“Making out with you makes me feel better.”

“Commence
kissing then,” he said, just wanting her to not be worried or afraid. After a while, Ethan pushed them both off the couch and carried his wife, who was still kissing him, up to their bathroom. When he placed her on her feet, she broke the kiss.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a little surprised.

“How about you grab a bubble bath, and I’ll go make you something to eat. You need to get some food into your body. I’m sure you didn’t eat all day.” He ignored her question, because he was far from alright, but he couldn’t risk her being a victim to the anger and violence brewing in him.

“I had jerky. Your dad gave it to me, and it was really good.”

He kissed her on her forehead.
“I’ll get him to make you more but until then, dinner is next on the agenda. Besides, I didn’t have anything since breakfast, and I need to eat too.”

Elizabeth could feel him emotionally pulling away from her, and it scared her. “Okay, Ethan. Can I borrow your phone? I want to call Chris.”

He understood. Elizabeth wanted privacy to find out if the killer had assaulted her. When she was ready she’d tell him. There was no doubt that she’d come to him and they would work through it together as a couple and team. Blackhawk prayed he’d be able to handle the news and not erupt and damage them.

“Absolutely,” he answered,
with zero emotion in his voice. Blackhawk handed her his phone. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Anything,” she
answered, accepting the phone. It was hard to miss the fury radiating from his body. “Thank you, Ethan, for being understanding.”

Maybe he looked understanding on the outside, but on
the inside he was raw and angry. Someone should give him the Academy Award for acting. “Sure, baby. Call me if you need me.”

Elizabeth nodded
. Her poor husband wasn’t doing well at all. As she dialed the lab’s number, she prayed and hoped that the serial killer didn’t touch her. Not so much for her sake, but her husband’s.

“Doctor Leonard.”

“Hey Chris, results?”

“I have them Lyzee. You can relax
, because the only DNA I found belonged to your husband. There were no signs of trauma or trace evidence. Now go get some sleep. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you for coming out tonight, Chris.”

“Take care of yourself and the boss man. I’ll email you later to check in on you. I have a vested interest. You’re my only living patient.” He tried to make her laugh and lighten her mood.

“Thanks, Chris,” she
said, laughing a little bit before disconnecting the call. Relief flooded her. Thomas Mason hadn’t touched her.

Elizabeth didn’t want to take a bubble bath alone. There was this overwhelming need to be with her husband right now. When he hurt, she hurt and now he needed to be reassured.
Now she just had to find him and lure him back upstairs.

When she found him, her heart stopped beating.
Rarely was she ever able to catch him off guard emotionally. Obviously, he didn’t expect her to come downstairs. Ethan Blackhawk stood facing the island, arms braced and the pain so evident on his face. The anguish had him so tight in its grip, he believed himself to be alone in their kitchen. Her heart twisted in her chest. He was battling it on his own, when he’d had just as ugly a day as she did. Tonight her husband needed her too.

Elizabeth went to him and touched his arm. “Ethan?” When he looked over
, his eyes were filled with pain and suffering, and tears he refused to let fall.

“
I’m sorry, do you need me to get something for you?” He tried to bury it all and keep it from her.

“It came back negative,” she actually saw the relief and the tension ease. “I want to take a bubble bath with my husband and order Chinese. We need to lean on each other right now and heal. I need you as much as you need me.”

Blackhawk stared down at their linked fingers and made the decision to follow her upstairs. Yes he could sulk and stay by himself, but then they wouldn’t heal. Right now, he needed his wife desperately.

“Let’s go upstairs Ethan,” she said, waiting patiently.

“Okay, baby.”

Elizabeth grabbed both their robes
from their bedroom, and he filled the tub with lots of bubbles. They both sunk in and although they didn’t laugh or frolic, they still connected. When she wanted to cry, he held her and she did the same for him. Together they began the journey back to resuming their lives together. Ethan and Elizabeth Blackhawk were an unbreakable team, and they were going to remain that way, despite the killer’s attempt to shatter them into pieces.

Love was a great Band-Aid to the battered soul.

                            *    *    *

Thomas Mason was mad as hell, and someone was going to have to pay. Not only had his
beautiful and priceless bones been taken, but his house was purged of all his precious souvenirs. The stupid woman escaped, and now his identity had been found.

Damn the Blackhawks!

This
wasn’t how it was all supposed to work out. His ultimate goal was to not be discovered and then swoop in when someone killed the sons. Now it was all a twisted mess. Every one of the Blackhawks had been a curse on his life from the day he was born. Their vile blood ran through his veins, and there was just one thing left to do. Oh no, he wasn’t finished with the family yet. Because of their meddling, he wouldn’t be welcomed back as the son they didn’t know existed. One option remained and he would enjoy every second of that plan.

Thomas Mason
would eradicate them all.

                           *    *    *

Blackhawk listened to the slow easy breathing of his wife. They had dinner in bed, and talked more about how they both felt. Granted he was considerably calmer, but he didn’t think he’d ever get over the events of that day. They shaped him and almost broke him, but he knew his wife understood.

Before she fell asleep, he’d been tempted to make love to her to heal her heart, but in the end he just couldn’t do it. He was still too raw, and didn’t know if he could keep the anger inside and be gentle like she needed. After that day, the last thing he wanted was to scare or hurt her more. Instead he just let it go, and put her first. If she noticed, she said nothing and that gave him a little tension; he didn’t want her to think he didn’t want her now, he just couldn’t get there mentally yet.

More than likely it was he, who needed time.

Instead
, he opted to cradle her into his body. After nearly losing her, just holding her in his arms until he finally joined her in sleep, was all he wanted at that moment.