Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) (31 page)

He nodded. “Yeah, she got caught in the act, and we have a viable witness to point Elizabeth at. This night is getting better and better.”

She grinned. “It’s a win for us, and a big ol’ loss for Antonio Emerson.”

When Johanna noticed he didn't smile, she was curious. “What’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t cheat on me, right?” he asked, taking her hand in his. While there, he played with the diamond on her finger, sliding it back and forth.

Before she could answer, Brody’s phone began ringing. When he glanced down at the display, he saw his father’s cell number come up. “It’s only my dad.”

She was staring at him openmouthed.

“I need to know. Would you ever do that to me? I don’t think I could survive that.”

Johanna was horrified.

“Brody, why do you think I’ll cheat? Does that sound like me at all?”

“It’s just that we have to keep us secret, and that’s not something that appeals to women. I love you, Joey, and I’d tattoo it on my forehead if I could. I’d go back to FBI West and tell everyone about us.”

“But it’ll get us separated.”

“Yeah, and I love being your partner.”

“Which do you love more?” she asked. “Having me as your wife or me being you backup in the field?”

That was a no brainer.

“Wife.”

Johanna shrugged. “Babe, there’s not a lot of options here. If we walk down that aisle, we have to tell the Blackhawks. They will make the decision to keep us together, or break us apart. We don’t have a say in this. I hope you realize that if we’re separated, that we’ll both be fine in the field. I won’t ever betray you, Brody. You nearly died to save me. How can I forget that? On our last case, you could have saved yourself, but you didn't. I don’t turn my back on loyalty. I embrace it.”

He wasn’t so sure.

Yes, Brody knew his fiancée was capable of keeping herself safe, but still…there was that lingering fear that she’d get hurt. Every agent knew the risks, but that didn't mean you had to like them.

He didn't.

“I know.”

“At some point, we have to face the cold hard facts. To say ‘I Do’, we have to say goodbye to our partnership,” she said, trying to ignore the beeping of his phone. It appeared that Levi Seaton had left a voice mail.

“We’ll work it out.”

“You should get that. He’s called a few times today already. It might be important.”

Somehow, Brody didn't think that would be the case, but because he didn't want to think about Johanna getting hurt in the field, he needed a distraction.

Entering in his password, he listened to his father’s voice over the phone.

‘Broderick, it’s dad. I need you to come back to Damascus. Something has happened, and I need you to be here. It’s an emergency. Please get here.’

Then the message ended.

Immediately, Brody’s heart began pounding in his chest. While they weren’t on the best of terms, Brody still loved his old man. He recalled getting a similar message when his mother had died.

Johanna noticed he looked rattled.

As Brody began dialing, his face said it all.

“Has something happened?” she asked, moving closer. “Is Levi okay?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, redialing over and over again, trying to reach his father. “He’s not answering his damn phone!”

Johanna began tracing Levi Seaton’s cell number, using FBI equipment. “He’s in Damascus,” she said, rattling off an address.

“I’m going to have to go,” he admitted.

Now he only needed his boss to approve it.

Shit!

They were in the middle of a case with two killers, multiplying victims, and now his dad was either hurt or something bad had happened.

“I’ll call for you,” Johanna offered.

No, he had to do this one on his own.

“I have to do it, sweetheart. Hopefully, the boss will understand.”

He was praying she would.

Dialing Elizabeth’s number, he waited for her voice to come over the line.

“Blackhawk.”

“Elizabeth?” he said, praying for some sort of diving intervention. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Yes, Agent, what can I do for you? Have you found something?”

Maybe if he led in with the case, she’d go easy on him. “We’ve located the police report on the domestic dispute, and we have a potential witness to the fight.”

“Great. Send it over. What about the credit cards?”

“Joey has them flagged, and as of yet, there hasn’t been any type of hit against them. As soon as they use them, we’ll have a lock on their location.”

“Excellent.”

There was a pause as he tried to figure out how to ask his boss for this colossal favor. She’d already done so much for him that he wasn’t expecting a Christmas miracle.

“Are you okay, Broderick? You seem a little distracted.” She could hear it in his voice. Agent Seaton didn't sound right. Elizabeth had worked with him enough to know when he was on his game, and not.

This was one of those ‘not’ moments.

“Ma’am, I have a problem.”

“Okay.”

“My father just called and left a voicemail. He said he needs me to get back to Damascus and that it’s an emergency.”

“Oh. Is he okay?”

“I don’t know. He was vague, and I can’t reach him.”

She thought about it.

“I’m so sorry, Director, but I really have to go. Johanna is here working on the searches, and I can be there and be back by morning if I drive through the night.”

Elizabeth weighed her options.

They had Dakota and Delaney to help with searches and to pick up the slack. So, she could cut the man some leeway.

“You can go, Broderick, but don’t drive. Doctor Magnus needs a few things from the lab, so take the jet, pick up the items, and return by tomorrow, and we’ll call it even.”

He couldn’t believe it.

Here was his second miracle in three months. Brody had gotten very lucky.

“Really, ma’am?”

“It’s not a big deal. We need that equipment, and it’s pricy. I’m not going to let him buy new gear to use here, and then have two at FBI West. That’s not in the budget. You’re actually doing me a favor.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth. I’ll be back as fast as I can. I just have to make sure he’s okay.”

“I want you to take Johanna. She can work on the jet, and if you need someone to help you out, she’ll be there.”

He knew what a huge bone his boss was throwing him. This was a gift, and for the second time in less than six months, Elizabeth Blackhawk was showing her softer side.

“Thank you.”

“Get moving, get that equipment, and make sure you’re both back by the morning. We have a killer to catch. If you don’t show, I can guarantee that the team will be looking for your killer.”

He snorted. “Yes, boss!”

When he hung up, Johanna was watching him.

“Did she clear it?”

He stood. “Yes, and you’re coming with me. She doesn’t want me doing it alone. So get ready.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she insisted.”

“She must be heavily medicated,” Johanna teased. “That doesn’t sound like badass Elizabeth Blackhawk, especially when pregnant.”

Brody knew the truth. Elizabeth was nothing like everyone thought. Yes, she could be tough, but there was definitely that softer side.

“We’ll call it luck and not question it,” he stated, as he grabbed his messenger bag and tablet. “We’ll have to work on the flight.”

She didn't mind.

As long as she was with Brody, it didn't matter what they were doing. They were partners in the field, and one day, they’d be partners in life.

“I've got your back,” she promised, as she followed him from the room.

Brody knew she did, and he was forever grateful.

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

Reservation

Cabin

Ethan Blackhawk was quiet. He didn't say much to anyone all the way back to the Rez, and he didn't utter a single word as he got changed into his jeans and t-shirt.

No one bothered him, and that was probably a good thing. No, he wasn’t mad, worked up, or angry.

What he happened to be was an overwhelmed man trying to focus on the case. He was putting the pieces together in his mind, trying to come up with one hell of a profile for his wife.

She was going to need it, and soon.

As she set up the whiteboard, and they waited for their company to arrive, he was trying to recreate Bonnie and Clyde’s reasoning in his head.

Elizabeth wasn’t the only one who lived in the minds of the killers. He had a front row seat to the madness too.

What he did was fifty percent psychology, twenty five percent gut, and twenty five percent luck. One way or another, the odds were in his favor.

Bonnie and Clyde were messing with the wrong team, and eventually, they were going down. It would just be a matter of time.

Here’s where he earned his reputation.

While sitting there, Callen was taking care of some Native issues which had popped up from his current case. His brow was creased with tension as he tried to talk the chief off the edge.

Ethan listened to his brother, and he was proud. The man was the epitome of professional when it came to his job, and that amused him.

The Blackhawk boys had come a long way in their forty three and forty two years of being alive.

They had made something from nothing.

It was built on blood, sweat, and tears, and they’d earned the accolades.

When he glanced over, he saw the reason why they played hard, and worked even harder. She was in jeans and a t-shirt as she stood in front of her whiteboard.

Even dressed down, she took his breath away. While standing there barefoot, her sexy toes painted red with green trees, he wanted to kiss her senseless. Out of all the women he crossed paths with in his life, only Elizabeth fulfilled all his needs, cravings, and desires.

She was his center.

Ethan was sure that was true with Callen too.

He couldn’t look away. With the smelly markers, she began drawing in the timeline, placing pictures of the victims’ faces on the board. She did it with such care and love. To her, they mattered.

It was why she was the best in the FBI.

Here, in that moment, she was giving them dignity in death. They mattered, and she was making sure the people, who were searching for their killers, were aware of it.

Justice wasn’t always blind.

In their world, the dead mattered, and they were seen.

At the knock on the door, Ethan headed there. Peeking out, he saw the two Marshals. They’d come bearing beer and orange juice, just like the men had asked.

Well, if they were going to play nice, so would he. This case mattered to his wife. He would take one for the team and break bread with a man who had a relationship with their woman.

The past was the past.

Hadn’t he always said that?

There was a lesson in this. His and Callen’s woman was loyal to a fault. She’d never hurt them, and he had to put all of his faith on her shoulders.

Elizabeth wouldn’t let him down.

Opening the door, he stepped back so they could enter. “Good evening,” he stated, taking the beer so they could strip out of their coats. He noticed they were both still wearing their guns.

“Going to shoot someone?” he asked, motioning toward the weapons.

Dakota laughed. “Hell no! I forgot I was wearing it. I think I can make it through the night without using it.”

“That’s good to know,” Ethan said, stepping back.

Dakota was still confused about being invited there. The man before him reminded him a lot of Elizabeth. He had that chilly veneer when he was focused on the job. He was also like a viper—he didn't know when he would strike—there would be no warning.

Now he only hoped that the rumors were true. This man was supposedly the best, and they need it.

He wanted Bonnie and Clyde in the worst way.

Plus, Callen and Elizabeth were still marked as victims, and that had to make the man want it that much more.

Hopefully.

“The pizza has arrived, Elizabeth is working on the whiteboard, and Callen is finishing up with some Native issues that have popped up. Have a seat, and we’ll eat soon.”