Revenge has Come (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 19)

by Morgan Kelley

  But she was pretty damn tough.

  He liked that.

  It was one of the things that got him all hot and bothered about Elizabeth.

  She could hold her own.

  This…

  It intrigued him.

  Dakota kept driving, but the whole time, he wasn’t only focused on Bonnie.

  He was now focused on Sarah too.

  And how he had just vowed they were done falling into the sack.

  Well, hell.

  Talk about horrible timing.

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

  Crime Scene

  Across the

  Street

  When they got into their vests and popped in the tiny coms, they were finally ready to go.

  All four of them ignored everyone around them, as they carefully kept their voices down.

  She whistled at a cop.

  He jogged over.

  “I need you to move the reporters back to the end of the block.”

  “Ma’am…”

  “I don’t care if you have to yell bomb, or bring out a police dog to chew ass. We’re going into that house, and the less media speculation, the better.”

  He headed off.

  “Someone is back on her game,” Ethan stated.

  “And bitchy. Don’t forget that,” Ivan stated.

  She gave him the look. “Shut it, pretty boy.”

  He did, but grinned.

  “How do you want to do this?” Callen asked.

  “Cal, you and Ethan will take the back door. Lock it down. I don’t want her sneaking out.”

  “How do you even know she’s in there?” Ivan asked out of curiosity.

  “My gut.”

  “Your gut?”

  “Are you hard of hearing, Igor?” she asked as she pulled her FBI jacket over her Kevlar vest.

  “No, ma’am. I hear you plenty.”

  Callen wanted to say one thing to the man who was going to be watching Elizabeth’s back. While both men would prefer it was one of them, that would leave at least one of them alone.

  She’d never allow it to happen.

  “Ivan?” Callen asked.

  “Yeah, sir?”

  “I know I probably don’t have to say this, but I will.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Don’t shoot her or let her get hurt,” he stated. “If you do…” He pointed at his brother.

  “Heads will roll,” Ethan offered.

  Ivan got it. “She’s safe,” he offered, not even joking around. “I have your missus taken care of.”

  “The missus is right here, and that sounds awful nineteen fifties to me. That’s dangerous and all kinds of stupid around me. You never know what I’ll do to make a point.”

  The men all zipped it.

  They got that she was safe. Ivan took his job seriously. There was no way he’d let her get a scratch on her.

  Still…

  She liked to ride his ass.

  “Zip it and watch my back,” she said the second Ivan opened his mouth.

  He listened.

  To her, that was miraculous.

  Crossing to Ethan, she grabbed him by the front of the Kevlar and pulled his mouth to hers.

  She could hear the media freaking out down the street. She didn’t care. This was their thing.

  They didn’t go onto a scene without that kiss. What if something were to happen?

  When she pulled away, he was grinning. “That was so hot I think my shoes melted to the asphalt.”

  She patted him on the ass.

  “I missed doing that.”

  Yeah, he really missed it too.

  “Come to daddy,” Whitefox stated, as he waited his turn. He lecherously wiggled his eyebrows.

  She went into his arms.

  The kiss was just as spectacular, but a little wilder. Callen was big into oral assaults. He held nothing back as he shared his soul with his wife. All the while, Ethan helped hide them from the media.

  When he set her free, he whispered in her ear. “Don’t get hurt.”

  She wouldn’t.

  “What about my kiss?” Ivan teased. “All of a sudden, I feel left out.”

  “You can kiss my ass. That’s all you get because I’d rather kiss a toad—less chance of getting warts.”

  He opened his mouth and Ethan pointed at him. “Nothing you can say from here on out will make either of us happy. Here’s where you tread lightly.”

  She laughed.

  He scowled from being robbed of his fun.

  “Let’s go,” she stated, pulling her gun as they headed toward the house.

  She could hear the media in the distance, and she ignored them. They had seen the kiss with Ethan, and that should keep them busy thinking about her personal life and not what they were planning to do.

  Her plan had worked.

  And she’d gotten some lip action from her sexy husbands. It was a win-win for her.

  On the porch, she signaled to the men in her life. They waved and jogged around back.

  She waited, giving them time.

  “I can’t believe you want me following you through the door,” Ivan stated.

  She glanced over at him. Elizabeth didn’t know much about the man, but she knew he respected her husband. No matter what he thought about her, he’d do the job for Ethan.

  That was why she was doing it.

  Besides, Callen would guard Ethan, and vice versa. If something were going to go bad, she’d rather it be to her. She’d already tried living without one of her husbands, and it was horrible.

  “I figure you were in the military. You have to have some skill at clearing a building.”

  “I can do it in my sleep.”

  “Marine?” she asked.

  He glanced over, holding his sidearm pointed at the ground. He looked a little shocked.

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “I know a few. They’re decent, good, people, and I would always give them my back.”

  He smiled. “Once you go Marine…”

  She lifted a brow and touched her ear. It was Callen’s voice they heard.

  “If she goes Marine, that Marine goes to sleep forever,” he said over the com.

  Elizabeth winked. It wasn’t like she was surprised.

  “Are you there yet?” she asked her husbands.

  “Just getting the layout by looking into the windows.”

  She gave him some time. Unless Bonnie rappelled out the window, she was trapped.

  “Anyway, Marines are fine soldiers. I respect them, even if you are a pain in my ass, Igor.”

  He snorted. “Gee, thanks.”

  “We’re clear,” Ethan offered. “It’s shotgun straight through. You’ll be able to see us when you go in. Ivan, don’t shoot me.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Six tours, sir. I only shot insurgents. I think you’re fine.”

  That was good enough for her.

  At the front door, she paused. “I don’t ever trust anyone with my back but my husbands,” she admitted. “I hope you’re as good as YOU say.”

  He smiled. “Just kick in the door, or do you expect me to do it for you because you like to masquerade as a woman?”

  She snorted. “Dick.”

  “Cranky bitch.”

  Then, it hit him. Ivan was genuinely smiling and having fun having her back.

  Yeah, he liked her.

  Son of a bitch!

  Ivan’s street cred would be ruined if that ever got out. Seriously! What was wrong with him? She was prickly like a cactus.

  He counted her down.

  Three.

  Two…

  One…

  She booted the door, and it flew back into the wall, echoing through the house.

  “FBI!” she shouted. “Bonnie, come out with your hands up!”

  Callen and Ethan entered the house once they heard the front door break in. There were four people staring at each other, their guns all drawn.
>
  Ethan pointed and Elizabeth nodded. The men were taking the rooms furthest from them.

  That meant it was time to begin.

  Staring in the nearest room, each pair began clearing it. The place was under construction, and this would be the perfect place to cop a squat.

  This was Bonnie’s kind of thing.

  Ethan and Callen cleared the kitchen.

  “Clear!” she heard over her com. That was all she needed to hear.

  Ethan and Callen were done with the back rooms.

  “We’ll take the upstairs,” Elizabeth stated, before either of the men in her life could pull the ‘penis’ card. They would try to protect her. If Bonnie was in there, she’d be at the upper level to watch.

  She was a sicko like that.

  Her tag team partner in this didn’t argue. Instead, Ivan followed Elizabeth as she moved up the stairs. At the top, he pointed to the left.

  She took the right.

  They divided off to find Bonnie. Elizabeth could smell perfume over the distinct odor of wood sawdust. She’d been here.

  Yeah, she’d bet her boots on it.

  “I know you’re here, Bonnie,” Elizabeth said, clearing that first room. When she glanced over her shoulder, Ivan was clearing that second room.

  He gave her the thumbs up.

  There was only one room left.

  As she pushed the door open with her boot, she could see inside. Ivan was at her back, and she knew he was scanning the room too.

  Once inside, she saw it.

  “SON OF A BITCH!” she muttered.

  Yeah, Bonnie had definitely been there.

  And as usual,

  They’d missed her.

  There were still rooms to check.

  Even if their wife was upstairs, Ethan and Callen had to back her up and take care of the rooms they’d been assigned.

  It was hard.

  Both men wanted to run up and protect her, but that wasn’t even an option.

  Instead, Ethan and Callen cleared the kitchen, bathroom, and a large living room. As they worked methodically, in tandem, they were making sure Bonnie, had she been there, was gone.

  If she wasn’t there, Ethan was going to have some paperwork. They’d kicked in the doors of a private residence, with a man who wasn’t a Fed, and without provocation.

  This was all based on Elizabeth’s gut.

  He hoped he didn’t have to explain that to Gabriel Rothschild, and a judge, when they were sued.

  Jesus!

  What was he thinking?

  How could this possibly go right?

  With Callen at his side, they wrapped up their search. They could hear footsteps above them, but other than that, there was not a single sound.

  “Where is she?” Callen whispered.

  Ethan pointed toward the front of the house. He knew where his wife would head. Ivan might not realize it, but she’d be aiming for the most dangerous place in the whole building.

  Where?

  The room Bonnie would be watching them from upstairs—but of course.

  Callen whispered into his com. “Lyzee?”

  Nothing.

  They gave her a few moments to get her work done. When she was clearing, she needed to be focused.

  “I don’t see any trace of Bonnie,” Callen whispered to his brother beside him.

  Yeah, he was aware.

  “The place is covered in dust, and nothing looks like squatters were hanging out here. If she was doing her dirty deeds out of here, shouldn’t there be some trail?”

  He looked around.

  Drop cloths were untouched.

  Dust had no tracks but now theirs.

  Yeah, it looked like the place had been abandoned a while ago after some construction crew ran out of funds.

  Still…

  This was Elizabeth.

  “I trust her gut.”

  It wasn’t that Callen didn’t, but Bonnie wouldn’t be so careless, would she?

  That didn’t seem like the killers they’d tracked.

  “She’s got to catch her,” Blackhawk said, not elaborating anymore. The time would come when he’d have to, but at that moment, he was focused on listening to his wife do her job above them.

  Callen hoped she would catch Bonnie.

  Of the whole team, Callen had the biggest reason to want revenge.

  Clyde, or Bonnie, for all he knew, had shot him. It had nearly ended his career in the FBI.

  That gave him the right to want to kick her ass just as much. Only, Callen knew how hard it was going to be to catch her. The woman was a snake.

  They listened to more of the footsteps above them. They could hear Ivan moving toward the front room of the house—obviously after their wife.

  They held their position so they could block any exit if Bonnie should run.

  Plus, they had to scare any of the reporters who managed to get past the few Capitol police that were outside.

  Ethan was about to say something when their coms came to life.

  They heard their wife’s exclamation.

  Jesus!

  That was all they had to hear.

  Racing up the stairs, the men got there as she was standing in the room, Ivan at the door.

  The wall said it all.

  ‘You’re too old and slow. I was here, but you know that. I see you found the teacher. Two of Six. Better luck next time.

  Bonnie and Lizzie.’

  She turned.

  Well, now they had her accomplice’s name, and the irony was NOT lost on her.

  “She is one sick fuck.”

  Yeah, that they could all agree on.

  Chapter Nine

  Hoover Building

  Friday Afternoon

  E than, while he’d rather be with his wife and brother, had some business to handle in his office. While he’d allowed Dakota Rakin and Sarah Valley to play on the team, he’d yet to notify their boss.

  In DC, interdepartmental cooperation was something you had to swear and live by, or you’d find your ass against a wall when you needed help.

  You didn’t piss off anyone else unless you really liked burning your bridges. Basically, he had to play nice.

  It wasn’t always easy.

  Plus, Ethan wasn’t going to break the rules for a man who was a pain in his ass. If someone’s neck was going on the line, it wasn’t going to be his.

  Despite that, for his wife, he was going to do the dance.

  Sitting in his chair, behind his grand mahogany desk, Blackhawk pulled the tie from his hair and relaxed for a few moments.

  Finally, he could breathe.

  They were out of the open, and all bodies were accounted for on their team.

  That was always a good end to a day like this.

  Not to mention that it was good to be home. Tonight, he, Callen, and Elizabeth would be asleep in their own bed, together, and in a secure home.

  There would be peace.

  That to him was a blessing.

  Speaking of families and blessings, Ethan was compelled to call his father and check in with his security team. They were guarding precious cargo, and while he knew Bonnie was all over them in DC, she didn’t really have access to Elizabeth’s home in Salem.

  Few people really knew of it.

  That was the other blessing.

  Their kids were safe.

  Picking up the phone, he dialed the house and waited for his father to answer the landline.

  Instead of Wyler, Liam, his personal security guy answered the call.

  “Sir, how are you?” he asked.

  “I’m good, Liam. How are things there?”

  “Very quiet, sir. Well, not quiet. Your kids are like a bunch of maniacs. I think they get it from your wife.”

  That made him laugh. “Yeah, I think you’re right. She’s a menace.”

  Only, he knew where they got it from. He and Callen had been hellion Natives running loose on the rez. He was pretty sure they’d passed on that gene.
<
br />   Oh, well, he’d let his wife take the blame on this one. It kept their pasts a secret. Besides, it wasn’t a stretch. She was a menace on the street.

  “Where’s my father?”

  “He’s outside in the tree house with the kids. Do you want me to get him?”

  He did, but first…

  “Tell me about the security team.”

  “Yes, sir. We run the perimeter walk every so many minutes, and there’s an armed guard with your children at all times. At night, the guard sits inside the house, making sure no one goes up those stairs. With the alarm systems that we installed, no one can get in.”

  That was all he needed to hear.

  That was perfect.

  “If you suspect anything is off, I want you to get them out. If anything happens to my kids, heads will roll, and Bonnie won’t be the one doing the axing.”

  The man got that.

  “And, for clarification, you want Director Whitefox’s kids evacuated too, right?”

  Ethan must not have heard him right.

  It was time to put this one to bed.

  “Liam, his kids are my kids. We don’t distinguish between them. Catherine, EJ, and Christopher Anthony are my children too. Nothing is to happen to anyone in that house. Period.”

  “Got it, sir. Just making sure.”

  He didn’t get why this was so hard, but now that he’d clarified, Ethan knew his team would get it. Their security staff was excellent.

  “Have my father call me from his cell.”

  “On it, sir.”

  Ethan hung up, and he waited for the call. When his phone rang, he caught it on the first one. “Dad?”

  “Yes, son. What’s wrong? Was someone hurt? Are you okay?”

  That made him pause.

  “Wait! Why do you ask?”

  There was shouting and squeals from the tree house, and then the sound of Wyler getting away for privacy.

  “I have this feeling, Ethan. I was sitting up here with the kids, and I sort of drifted off.”

  “It’s called falling asleep because you’re old,” he teased, trying to calm his own nerves. When Wyler had an epiphany, it was generally right.