“There’s a waiting list for his help. He does two profiles a week, and people beg for them,” Dakota stated.
That seemed to calm her jets.
Good.
Someone was getting too big for her britches.
“So, back to this,” Ethan said. “Bonnie is doing nothing more than practicing.”
They all looked at him.
“What?” Dakota asked.
“She went from torturing them, and then cutting their heads off, to taking the head first. That means one of two things.”
“What?” Dakota asked, as his food was placed in front of him. They all waited for the waiter to walk away.
“She’s trying to rebuild her identity and get us to forget about Clyde, or she’s taken a new partner.”
They all looked at him.
“Bonnie’s not alone?” Callen asked. “Well, shit! That’s not good at all.”
They were all aware.
“Think about it. Why not call herself Lottie? That’s her name. When she was working with Clyde, she took on that persona. Now that he’s dead, why is she still using it?”
It was a damn good question.
“Maybe it’s that split personality,” Sarah offered.
“Yeah, only, she’s in control of it. She’s aware of what ‘Bonnie’ and ‘Lottie’ are doing. She’s a master manipulator who does everything to suit her own needs,” Ethan offered. “I’ve spent hours studying her. From her career, to her personal life. She’s acting in both personas.”
That was going to make her harder to catch.
She was unpredictable.
Still, the US Marshals were skeptical. You could tell by the way they kept looking back and forth at each other.
“Ask,” Ethan stated.
Dakota went for it.
“I want to buy it, but we don’t have confirmation that she’s working with a new partner.”
Ethan pulled out his wallet. He dropped a fifty on the table. “I’ll bet that she’s working with someone new. Bonnie can’t be Bonnie if she’s a loner. That’s not how this personality thing works. Lottie can be. That’s my first cue as to what we’re up against.”
Dakota was sure the man was wrong.
He dropped cash on the table.
“I am not doubting your skill, but I know Bonnie. She was pissed at being under Clyde’s thumb. She’s not going to let any man control her again. That’s why I can’t believe it.”
Ethan was good with someone questioning him. It kept him on his toes.
“I understand.”
Elizabeth scooped up the money. “I’ll hold this to see who is right,” she said, tucking it into her dress.
“Okay for argument’s sake, let’s say she is working with someone,” Dakota offered. “Why the random body dumps? You said she wouldn’t care if they were found. Why?”
“If she has a new partner, she’d be taking that person out for a spin. She would need to know that her new partner could handle it. Bonnie wouldn’t trust their word. I’m willing to bet she’s not the one wielding the ax. Bonnie is letting this mystery person do the deed.”
He looked horrified.
“No bet. I take it back,” he said out of the blue.
Sarah looked over at him. “What made you just cancel that?” she asked, as Elizabeth handed the money back to the two men.
“It makes sense.”
She didn’t get it.
“That’s why the MO doesn’t match. That’s why she’s not following her old patterns. She’s getting her partner to kill just to watch, isn’t she?” he asked Ethan.
“Or train. She’s getting her up to speed. That’s my second cue that she’s not working alone.”
Dakota began seeing it from Ethan’s perspective, and it made sense. Perfect sense. That was why they couldn’t track her.
“This other person is helping her stay under.”
Ethan nodded. “Yes.”
Elizabeth needed to see the files of the four dead men. She held out her hand. Together, she, Callen, and Ethan all scanned them. While Bonnie wouldn’t care if they were found, she was likely going to use it to her advantage.
That’s how she rolled.
She read over the names of the victims.
Timothy Sanchez
CJ Howell
Christopher Billings
Charles Lavel
The second she saw them, she got it.
Son of a bitch!
“Well, I know how she picked her victims,” Elizabeth admitted to everyone there.
“How?” Sarah asked.
“Timothy was our grandfather’s name,” Callen offered. “She picked it because she knew we’d figure it out one day.”
Yeah, it appeared that way.
“CJ is our son’s name,” Ethan stated. “He’s my first born, and she picked it to rattle our cage.”
And she had.
“Christopher Billings was chosen because her best friend is Christopher Leonard, and we named our last child after him,” Callen offered again.
Elizabeth cringed at the last one.
“Charles Lavel was picked because he and my Daddy shared the same name. He died because she knew I’d see Charles and think Charlie—which is our youngest daughter’s name.”
Dakota whistled. “She’s been planning this a while,” he stated. “She’s not messing around. Bonnie has been stalking your life.”
“Yeah, Bonnie never messes around,” Elizabeth stated. “She’s been digging into my past, and she’s trying to find things that will throw me off. That’s why she left the list and the medallion.”
They looked confused.
That’s right, she’d cuffed them and tossed them in interrogation before they could find out about the things found in Cannon Austin’s nose and the crime scene.
“What are we missing?” Dakota asked.
She smiled.
“Come on! We shared.”
She took a bite of her chicken and chewed. Oh, she was going to share, but she was going to wipe the smirk off the newbie’s face.
She loved riding their tail, especially when they came into her domain and thought they could run the show.
Bonnie was hers for a reason.
It took a killer to catch a killer.
“Please?” he asked.
“What you didn’t notice at the crime scene was that there was a hidden message left for me to find.”
He got excited.
“You found it?”
“Yes. I did.”
“Where was it? I saw the message on the wall, but unfortunately, I was interrupted by you and the detective from doing a better search.”
“That was nothing. Bonnie likes to confirm that I’m still on my game. Could I play without finding it? Yes, but this is going to help me stay ahead of the game by inches.”
“What was it?” Sarah asked.
Elizabeth ignored her.
“Lyzbeth, tell me.”
Callen lifted a brow. “I think that’s the equivalent of some lovey-dovey term. Can’t you just call her Elizabeth?” he asked.
Dakota stared at him. “Um…”
Elizabeth patted Callen on the thigh. “Old habits, my love. They die hard.”
He got it.
Callen let it go.
Again.
“Anyway, gentlemen and newbie, the message was on the refrigerator.”
“All that was there were letters and scattered words,” he offered. “I saw them when I was walking through looking for a pureed dick.”
The people at the next table looked over.
He flushed red. “Pardon me.”
Elizabeth found that amusing.
“Yeah, and why does a grown ass man have letter magnets on his fridge?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure that being a lawyer, he was past the spelling issues.”
Yeah, she probably had a point.
Dakota was staring at her in desperation. This was her proof that he was obsessed. He was trying to hunt
her down to avenge, and that was a bad thing.
“She left me a list that I could use to play along.” Elizabeth pulled out her cell and slid it across the table so he could read it.
Lawyer
Teacher
Doctor
Friend
Enemy
Family
“Wow, she’s definitely targeting you,” Sarah stated. “She has some serious issues.”
“Yeah, she is, and that’s why I need to handle this, and not have two US Marshals running around, messing it up.”
“Thank you for sharing this.”
“If you even think of trying to cowboy it up without going through me, Dakota, I will make sure your boss hangs your ass from the tallest flagpole. Am I clear?”
He nodded.
While he might not ‘cowboy it up’, she couldn’t stop him from thinking and working it out in his head. Truth be told, if he could take down Bonnie, with or without her, he was going to do it.
Loyalty only went so far.
Debra Moore’s life needed to be avenged, and he’d made that promise.
“Okay, you said you found something on the victim. Who is he, and how does he play into this, other than the lawyer part?” he asked.
“His name is Cannon Austin, and he’s Christopher Leonard’s brother-in-law.”
Dakota’s face softened. “I’m sorry for his loss. Tell his wife I said that.”
“She’s dead,” Elizabeth stated. “Last year, a killer burned their house down with her in it to leave me a message.”
“Gee, you certainly have a lot of people who know you dying,” Sarah said.
“Gee, you certainly want me to kick that newbie ass of yours right here in the middle of this restaurant and send you back to your boss for retraining.”
She snorted.
Ethan patted her on her lap.
Elizabeth knew that she had to choose her battles, and this wasn’t one of them.
This woman was Dakota’s issue—not hers.
“Anyway, she picked him to get my attention. She’s studied me, as you can see by the dead victims you found. Bonnie needed something so big to get me to play along. Going after Chris’s deceased wife’s family would do it.”
Dakota felt bad for the man. “Is he okay?”
One of the things she had once liked about the man in front of her was his kindness. Yeah, he was hardened, badass as an ex-Ranger, and a good US Marshal, but beneath it, he was a kind man.
That’s the ONLY reason she let him in.
“I’ll convey your concern to him. He’s regrouping, and he’ll be ready for the next one.”
“Will it be here?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know.”
Sarah went with the obvious. “Well, what teachers do you know?” she asked. “Maybe you should start there.”
“Well, gee, why didn’t I think of that? Only, I went to a bunch of different schools, and the number of teachers is close to one hundred. Elementary, there were six. That was back in DC. Middle school was split between DC and Salem. There was Catholic school, and public school. I had teachers for different classes. That has to be another forty teachers and nuns.”
Dakota didn’t like the odds of figuring this one out.
“Then there was high school,” she stated. “It was in Salem, and there had to be another forty teachers. Then let’s not even think about college.”
“Well, it’s good to see you got an education,” Sarah stated. “Manners wasn’t one of the classes.”
Enough.
Was.
Enough.
Elizabeth dropped her napkin onto the table. “If you’ll excuse me, Miss Valley and I are going to take a little stroll to the ladies’ room.”
All the men looked worried, and none of them for Elizabeth’s wellbeing. They knew who was going to be hurting after that talk.
“I don’t think so.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “Okay, I’ll drag you there. Since I have no manners, don’t be shocked.”
“Go,” Dakota stated.
“What?”
He knew she’d baited Elizabeth, and in life, you had to hold your own. He was training her, and he had faith in his ex. She wouldn’t hurt her. Elizabeth, while a loose cannon, had an infinite well of patience. She’d trained countless people to be excellent Feds. He imagined she was a damn good mother too.
“You heard me. Go.”
Elizabeth got up, and Ethan let her out. He gave her a kiss on the lips and a pat on the ass before she left. Hopefully, it would keep her calm.
If not…
“She’s going to break her into a million pieces,” Callen said clinking his glass of his brother’s.
“Nah, she’s just going to show her how you treat your elders—especially when they can beat your ass,” Ethan stated.
“I’m not worried,” Dakota offered. “Sarah can hold her own.”
Both men laughed.
They knew the truth.
They wouldn’t want to be cornered by Elizabeth in the bathroom.
Not in a million years.
She was dangerous as hell.
And now she was pissed.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Hotel
Chris Leonard’s
Room
When he finally got back to his room, he was acutely aware that he wasn’t alone. He had a tail all the way there, and he wasn’t shocked that it was Elizabeth’s personal guard.
Ivan was always behind them.
He didn’t envy the man.
Following Elizabeth around had to be like trying to keep tabs on a greased pig. Just when you thought you had her, she’d slip out of your fingers.
At his hotel room door, he stopped.
“Want to come in?” Chris asked, calling over his shoulder to his semi-hidden tail.
Ivan walked around the corner and leaned against the wall. “Do you want company?” he asked.
Chris stared down at the six-pack in his hand.
He’d planned to get drunk, but that didn’t solve anything. If there was another killing, he had to be on his toes.
“Yeah, I think I do.”
The man headed down the hall toward him.
Ivan couldn’t be any older than thirty-six. He still had that youth about him. Chris remembered thirty-six. It felt like eons ago.
Inside, Ivan locked the door.
“Here,” Chris said, offering him a beer.
“I shouldn’t drink. I have to watch the boss lady later, and you never know what she’s going to pull to escape me.”
Chris wasn’t worried. “She’s likely going to be tied up tonight.”
“Literally?” Ivan asked, smiling.
It made Chris laugh.
“I don’t know. I never tied her up,” he stated. Chris assumed by now all of the security team knew they had a past relationship.
How could they not?
“So, the rumors are true. You two knocked boots, huh?” he asked, taking a seat across from him. “And you survived. That’s…miraculous. I figured the Black Widow killed all her past lovers and hid the bodies.”
He snorted. “No, she’s not like that, and you know it, Ivan.”
He simply shrugged.
“To answer your question, yeah, we were a couple for over ten years.”
“Jesus.”
“Didn’t think she’d stick with a geek like me?” he asked calmly. God knew he got that a lot.
Even when they were dating,
“No, but that’s like being married to her. Why didn’t you both just tie the knot?”
“That’s a personal question.”
“You told me you never tied her up, that’s a personal admission. I want to tie her up all the time, and then run a train over her.”
He laughed.
Chris needed this.
“You have a point. We were young, and we had issues in our relationship. I was jealous, she was way too impulsive for me.
”
“You mean crazy. That’s the word you’re looking for, Doctor.”
It made Chris laugh.
“It’s more like controlled chaos.”
Ivan lifted a brow. “Hardly. It’s full blown mayhem, and you know it.”
“At times, yes.”
“I don’t know how the Deputy Director does it, or Callen, or hell! You. I’d go nuts.”
Chris snorted. He knew Ivan liked Elizabeth. The man was a good person or she wouldn’t tolerate him.
“She drove me crazy a lot, and not in a good way. I’ve patched her up more than a few times.”
“So why aren’t you two still together?”
“I cheated on her.”
He cringed. “Still, she left your head intact?” he asked, pointing at the man’s lower brain.
Chris continued to laugh as he drank his beer. “Yeah, she did. She’s my sister.”
“Kinky.”
“You’re just like her.”
He stopped drinking. “Now why would you insult me? I was sitting here, drinking my beer in peace. I even tried to cheer you up, and you insult me. Not cool, Doctor.”
“Want to know a secret?”
“Sure.”
“She only rides ass of those she cares about. If she hated you, she’d ignore you. Elizabeth would let you follow her around and she wouldn’t put up a fight.”
He was horrified.
“What?”
“Now I have to be nice to her. Thanks. You ruined my life.”
Chris popped the cap off two more beers and slid one across the table.
“Why are you in a funk?” Ivan asked. He genuinely liked the Blackhawks, and Elizabeth particularly liked this one man. He mattered to her, so he must be a decent person. Plus, his daughter was damn cute.
Ivan was a sucker for kids.
“My deceased wife’s brother was killed.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I actually wished the Earth would swallow him whole. I just never thought it would happen.”
The man got it.
Guilt.
It would eat away at you.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that.”
Then Chris wanted to change the subject. “Tell me about you, Ivan.”
“I’m security. What does it matter?” he asked curiously. “Why would you care?”
Revenge has Come (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 19) Page 21
