As they approached the door, the men went through first, making sure they would be safe. At their feet lay Tony, and despite the need to check on him, they knew Elizabeth would handle it.
“Tony!” Jaxon shouted, once she saw Elizabeth drop to her knees, sliding through the blood to get to the fallen man. “Oh my God!”
Elizabeth knew she didn't have much time. Pulling off her shirt, she stripped down to the tank top beneath, as Jaxon cradled his head in her lap.
“Tony,” she called, pressing her shirt into his chest wound, grateful that it was to the right side of his body, not his left. Then again, she knew there were arteries there, and if one was hit, Tony Magnus was a goner.
Ethan returned with a bathroom towel. Elizabeth promptly rolled it up and lifted her friend’s torso. The bullet had gone clean through. She could feel the hole in his shirt.
“An ambulance is on the way, and Callen is calling for the team. This is now a crime scene.”
She patted Tony on the face, trying to get his attention. When that didn't work she whistled. It was shrill and forced him to open his eyes.
When he did, she stared into his. “Hey! You’ve got to stay awake. I want you to look at me. Don’t look away.”
He tried. He was so tired that he could barely speak.
As she kept the pressure on his chest and back, he pulled her down with a bloody hand. In her ear, he whispered.
“Victim number one.”
She stared down at him. “Tony, come on. You have to stay here with me.”
Jaxon was hysterical. “Please, Tony! I need you. You can’t do this to me. I’ve lost everyone. Please don’t go too. I just got a boyfriend. You have to stay with me!”
While his eyes remained closed, he held onto Jaxon’s hand.
“He’s going to be okay,” Elizabeth promised. She had her doubts, but she’d keep them to herself.
“He’s escalating,” stated Ethan, hoping the man on the floor didn't become the next victim.
“Yeah, now he’s somehow got his hands on a gun.”
Suddenly, Jaxon began weeping. “Oh God! I think it’s mine. When he took me in the cemetery, I had my gun. I don’t think I know where it is now.”
Oh, the things Elizabeth felt like saying. How the bloody hell did a person misplace a gun? They weren’t toys or your favorite pen. A gun was something that could take a life.
This was the case in point.
“The tech team is rolling,” stated Callen. “I can hear the ambulances now.”
Tony was listening, but everything they were saying sounded like he was far away from it all. He struggled to keep himself awake. God, he wished he could talk. When they found out who pulled the trigger, they wouldn’t believe him.
In fact, that memory was slipping away now too.
Tony no longer could picture his face.
Everything was going black.
As the ambulance arrived, they hurriedly strapped him in and put in an IV.
“We’re coming,” Elizabeth stated, pulling her badge with bloody fingers.
They saw the guns and didn't fight.
“Ethan, Callen, can you make sure the team runs this? I’m going,” she stated, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Yeah, go.”
She raced out of there after the gurney and hoped into the back of the ambulance with Jaxon. The doctor was clinging to his hand as she wept bitter tears.
When the EMT took his hand from hers, she leaned back and sobbed.
Elizabeth put her arm around Jaxon, offering her reassurance. By the look on her face, it was obvious what she was thinking. “This isn't your fault.”
She knew guilt when she saw it.
In her life, Elizabeth had felt like this many times when she’d failed to keep someone in her charge safe.
“I hurt him. I never noticed that my stupid gun was missing. I hate them. I hurt the only man I love.”
Elizabeth patted her back as she cried on her shoulder. In all honesty, she was feeling guiltier than Jaxon could ever understand. Tony was her friend.
And she left him there alone.
Her heart ached. “Come on, Tony. You have to pull through,” she pleaded with her friend.
She could only pray that he heard her.
Blackhawk watched his team pour from their vehicles. They all looked astounded at the blood.
“Who was shot?” Meredith asked, pulling on her gloves.
“Doctor Magnus.”
A few techs gasped as they stared down at the blood puddle on the floor. It wasn’t a minor wound, that was for sure.
“We think he opened the door to the killer and whoever was waiting took the shot. It hit him in the chest. From here on out, we want you all in a vest. If he’s picking off Feds, any of us could be next.”
They understood.
“Check outside, around the cabin, and the doorknob. Find me something that will catch this bastard. I want this killer found!”
Another vehicle pulled up, and Deputy Turner hopped out. “I heard on the radio there was a Fed down. What can I do to help?” he asked, scanning the area.
He would accept any extra help they could get. “Can you start searching the perimeter? My people are used to finding evidence, but I don’t want them running into this asshole alone.”
“Any idea who it was?” he asked.
“No clue, so watch your back,” he warned.
“Can do.” With that, he hurried around the back of the cabin to walk the Native’s land.
“You’re angry,” Callen said, dropping his hand on his brother’s shirt.
“You have no idea.”
Yeah, he didn't blame him one bit.
The killer crossed a major line.
He had messed with family.
* * *
Once at the hospital, everything was a blur for Jaxon. She watched as nurses came out, trying to get information from her. Yet, she couldn’t even speak. Instead, Elizabeth had to tell them everything.
In fact, there was so much she didn't know about the man she called ‘boyfriend’- his home address, his medical conditions, or even his allergies. Even Elizabeth knew his middle name. How had she not known it was Horracio?
That’s because she never thought to ask. Qualities of her father appeared, and Jaxon realized that she had been selfish. This is the outcome of things like that. Her father had repeatedly proven that, and now she was following in his horrible footsteps.
She may have possibly ‘loved’ Tony to death.
It occurred to her that she was the worst girlfriend ever. Oh yeah, and she was the reason he was lying in surgery right now. It was her damn gun.
How was he ever going to forgive her?
Jaxon didn't doubt that at some point, the truth would come out, and Tony would know the details.
She’d lost her gun.
Let a killer point it at his chest.
And pull the trigger.
Oh shit!
The panic welled in her chest, suffocating all the breath from her body. Once the truth came out, he’d send her away. What sane man would want to be with a woman who caused him this much pain?
There would be no choice now. When she could, Jaxon would run and hide. If she went far away, then her disastrous self couldn’t hurt him. Poor sweet Tony wouldn’t suffer any more by her selfish actions.
Jaxon began planning her escape.
She’d wait until she found out if he was going to be okay. If he was, she’d leave him in far more capable hands. It was obvious that he did have family, by just the way Elizabeth was handling everything.
This was just proof. She’d never fit in his world.
Never.
Now, she’d do what she did best.
Run like a chicken.
Elizabeth watched the redhead sitting in the lounge. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to take off. She’d seen that look before on the faces of countless people who thought they had what it took to be a Fed, but soo
n found out the truth.
It wasn’t glamorous.
It wasn’t like what you saw on TV.
In fact, it was the opposite. More often than not, you didn't ride in to be the hero, but the villain. Someone had to wade through the death and clean up the mess, to fix what was broken. People got hurt in the process, but then again, justice wasn’t always neat and tidy.
Now, she could see that Jaxon Armstrong was ready to toss it in. The look on her face was somewhere between horror and pain. In all honesty, it broke Elizabeth’s heart. She knew that once Tony woke up, it would be her telling him the woman he loved was gone.
Immediately, she began working on a contingency plan. If Jaxon didn't love Tony, she wouldn’t be feeling half these emotions. That was good enough for her.
She was going to find a way to fix this.
It might not be done that minute, but if Jaxon Armstrong thought that she was going to let her bail on love, she had another thing coming. The men in her life didn't call her Cupid for no reason.
This woman was about to find that out.
And it was going to be the hard way.
Taking a seat beside her, she took her hand in hers. “You can’t feel guilty about this.”
“It was my gun. How can I not?”
“Not too long ago, Ethan was abducted. I blamed myself and let it eat away at me. It damaged our family to the point we almost lost everything. There was so much pain, and all of it was a mistake. Here, I thought he was blaming me for letting the killer take him. It turned out, he wasn’t. He was blaming the person who abducted him. Yet, it made me cold toward him. I was afraid to touch him, kiss him, and be with him. Ethan viewed it as me pulling away.”
Jaxon wiped her eyes.
“I’m just like my father. My mother loved him and look what happened to her. It was all because he cared about her. That’s my lifelong jinx. I love Tony, and now I’ve almost killed him. It’s the O’Banion curse, because we’re unlovable.”
Elizabeth knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. The woman before her was carrying too many scars, and she was only hoping to slap a bandage over them. Only Tony could heal her, and now he was fighting for his life.
“If you run, you’re risking his heart and yours.”
The warning hurt, but what choice did she have? She’d made the promise to not leave him, unless she hurt him. Here, she’d done more than that. Now, she’d have to keep her promise. Once he was out of the woods, Jaxon was on the first flight out of there.
“Don’t do this, Jaxon.”
She laughed sardonically but said nothing.
Yeah, Elizabeth had her work cut out for her. She worked it into her plan, right after finding a killer and nursing Tony back to health.
* * *
His heart pumped in his chest.
The feeling had been exhilarating, but it wasn’t right. He’d killed the wrong Fed. He’d wanted the bitch who had ruined his plans. He knew there was a fifty-fifty shot that she’d open the door, and he took his chance. Now, he would have to rectify it at some point.
BUT…
Until then, there was work to do for God. He still had someone to take care of, and since the FBI was now occupied, running around the Rez this would give him time.
Plenty of it too.
This one was the mother of all sinners, and he would have to suffer for what he’d done in life. Whereas the other victims all had their one evil sin, he had far more to be accountable for.
Greed.
Adultery.
Lust.
Just to name a few.
His punishment would far outweigh what judgment the others had been forced to face.
He was pure evil, and God wanted him to pay.
As he sat in his car outside the big mansion, he waited. Any second, the man would be returning. Out in public or at his shiny office, he wasn’t able to get to him, but here, he was free game.
Ducking down in the front seat of the white Camry, he waited until the man rounded the corner in his luxury vehicle. As soon as the gate began swinging open, he was out of the car and across the street. When the man pulled through, he timed it just right.
Oh, he was going to get in, and give the man the surprise of his life. He was going to pay him back for his sins. It was judgment day, and God wanted his attention.
Once and for all.
As he crept up the drive, he hoped the man would leave a door or window open. He had watched him well enough to know that the man didn't have a dog, and the maid only came once in a while.
Yes, God had cleared the way.
Now, he would make it happen.
Today was the beginning of his penance.
The man just didn't know it.
* * *
Saturday Early Morning
When they brought him back to his bed, Jaxon was waiting for him. By some miracle, Tony had survived the gunshot wound and the surgery to put him back together again.
Now, he was resting peacefully.
Jaxon sat beside him, holding his large hand in hers. There was some dried blood on his fingers, and she wanted to take him home to care for him.
Despite what Jaxon desired more than anything in life, this was where their journey would end.
Leaning down, she kissed him on the lips, breathing in the barely lingering scent of his cologne. Now, he was coated in the stench of hospital, and it made her sick to her stomach.
God, she wanted to cry.
As she stroked his hair from his forehead, Jaxon’s eyes filled with tears. There was no doubt she’d found the one, and now she had to sacrifice her heart to heal his. Once she was gone, he’d be okay.
Tony would survive.
It was obvious that he was a fighter. Just look at him.
Running her shaking fingertips over his face, she memorized the way he felt. Her thoughts went back to the last time they were in bed together. In her heart, she’d carry it forever as the one happy memory she’d have in life.
No one could take it from her.
Not now and not ever.
Again, she kissed him.
When she heard someone clear their throat, Jaxon turned around. There stood Elizabeth, leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed.
“I have to go check in with my team. Can I trust you to watch over him?” she asked, not really wanting to leave Tony, but there was a killer to catch, and her friend needed justice.
“Yes,” she lied. As soon as she could, she was making a break for it. All that she needed to do was head to the airport. Nothing she left behind mattered now, not more than Tony.
“Good. Text me if there’s anything you need.” Elizabeth had been doing this too long. She saw the intent and knew the minute she was gone, Tony would be abandoned.
That’s why she notified the nurses that he wasn’t supposed to be left alone. Until she could get back, someone needed to guard her friend.
“Thanks,” Jaxon whispered before continuing, “for everything you’ve done, Elizabeth.”
“Again, you’re making a huge mistake. You may not see it now, but I can from where I stand,” she warned, staring at her with icy eyes. “You can’t always do something rash and expect to be given a second chance. Make sure you’ve thought this out.”
She hated how the woman just knew.
Damn her!
When she didn't reply, Elizabeth headed out. Right now, she wanted to know what the team had found out, and it was a matter of wrapping this up. She was going to have a friend to heal when this was all over.
Staring down at him, Jaxon gave him her heart. “I will never love anyone but you. I know that now, but for your own good, I have to go. You deserve someone amazing, Tony. You’re a great catch, and someone will fall into your lap.”
The words hurt her.
“When you meet her, she’ll heal the mess I’ve made. I hope you go on, get married, and have a family to love.” It hurt her, because she wanted all that with him. Jaxon wanted him to be hers, but
for once, she wouldn’t be selfish.
She’d make the sacrifice.
“I love you, Tony. You’re the one memory I’ll carry for the rest of my life. Thank you for these five days.” Leaning down, she left kisses across his cheekbones and lips.
God, he was so handsome.
Her only other regret was not seeing his sexy eyes, one last time.
Kissing their joined knuckles, Jaxon laid his hand at his side. With one look over her shoulder, she bid him farewell. With each step away from him, her soul became more cold and dead.
She knew the truth.
Without Tony Magnus, her heart didn't stand a chance.
The killer had indeed succeeded in taking her life.
* * *
Elizabeth arrived at the morgue, and everyone was working overtime. When she walked in, Ethan and Callen were waiting for her. When she finally reached their sides, they closed her in their embrace.
Once wrapped in the cocoon of their arms, she could finally breathe again.
“How is he?” Callen whispered, keeping his voice down.
“He pulled through, but he’s got worse problems when he wakes up.” She told them about Jaxon and what she believed was going to happen.
“Well, shit!” Callen muttered.
“We’ll take care of him,” stated Ethan. “While he’s recovering, he can stay with us. If we have Wyler stay in the house, Tony can use his apartment. He won’t be alone.”
Elizabeth kissed her husband on the cheek. “You’re a kind man, Ethan.”
“He’s our friend, and he’ll need the family now. Besides, he liked Wyler. He can pump him for all the Native stories his brain can hold. We’ll tell him to work on his paper on us.”
She grinned. “Yeah, that will distract him.”
Callen knew Elizabeth would take care of the whole mess. She was a big romantic, and Jaxon didn't stand a chance.
Breaking apart, she was ready to face her team.
“We brought you a change of clothes,” Ethan said, pointing to the blood staining her jeans.
Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) Page 47
