Even when her eyes filled with tears, she couldn’t let the emotion free. “This is a direct order, Christopher. Not friend to friend, but as your boss, I’m demanding you do your job and not question me on this. You’re going to obey this directive, or I’m going to fire you.”
He suspected that was total BS, and that she was protecting him. There was no way she’d can his ass over this. A part of him wanted to call her on it, but he saw how distressed it was making her. She was pregnant. Chris didn't want to hurt her either.
When he saw Elizabeth’s hand on the table, he took it in his. “Okay, Lyzee. I’ll try and keep this from blowing up on my end.” While he’d do anything for Tony, he and Elizabeth had a special bond. She’d saved his life. For an hour, she held an artery in his leg closed to ensure he saw his wife again. Chris owed her, and that was all that mattered.
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Chris.”
He went back to eating his dinner, this horrible dread filling his gut. Doctor Christopher Leonard hated that the woman he considered his sister was offering herself up to protect a man they called brother.
Someone was bound to lose. The gamble was just too big.
He could see that.
And Chris knew she did too.
Now they had to hope fate wouldn’t screw with them—at least not too much.
* * *
When he turned his back, going into the bathroom, she made her break for it. There was very little time to get a head start, and she wished that she was wearing shoes.
Magdalene was woozy.
Off balance.
Scared.
But, she had no choice. If she didn't make her break, he would use her as a baby making machine.
When the bathroom door closed, she quietly unwound the chain and headed for the door. All she could hope was that the click of the bolt wouldn’t alert him.
If it did, she was going to pay.
She could see the crazy in his eyes.
It would erupt around her.
With steady hands, she opened the door and made a break for it. The house was in the middle of nowhere, and she needed to get to a road.
Picking a direction, Magdalene headed toward the brightest patch of stars.
All she wanted was to be home.
With her step-mom.
Her dad.
Her old life.
Now, she’d have to fight for it. If she didn't make it, there was no way he’d trust her alone again.
It was a risk, but she was willing to take that chance.
With unsteady feet, she crashed through the bramble, cutting up her face and arms. It stung, and her feet burned from the rocks and debris, but there was no stopping.
She didn't want to be raped again.
She didn't want the spawn of Satan giving her a child.
Magdalene didn't want any part of his future.
She wanted her own.
As the sound of oncoming cars filled her ears, she knew that there was a chance to flag one down. When the chain around her neck got caught around a branch, she had no choice but to stop and set it free.
That’s when she saw him.
He wasn’t far behind, and he looked so very angry.
She screamed for help, knowing that it was her only chance of getting attention.
She needed to be free.
Magdalene just wanted to go home and heal.
Angry fingers dug into her shoulder, spinning her around. His fist swung out, striking her in the face before taking her to the ground. Then, he was on her.
The beating began.
The whipping started as he used the chain to punish her.
The rage flooded him, rushing from his mouth in a roar of anger, while hers was nothing but a whimper of pain.
“You’re a horrible, horrible wife!” he hissed, wrapping the chain around her throat. With it, he began choking the life from her smaller, broken body.
When she would black out, he’d release her only to revive her so he could beat her more. The snap of her bones and his heavy breathing were the only sounds that filled the night air.
When his hands came away bloodied, he knew what he needed to do. Using the metal around her neck, he dragged her toward the nearby river. Once there, he shoved her in and watched her eyes pop open.
She was drowning.
With nails, she struggled.
With silent pleas, she begged.
It didn't matter.
He was furious.
“You shouldn’t have made me mad, Magdalene. I would have taken very good care of you. This is your punishment. If I can’t have you, then you’re of no use to anyone!”
With that, he watched life leave her.
She was dead, and now so were his chances to be a father.
In anger, he shoved her further into the water, only to watch her toes bob to the surface as she floated away.
When she was no longer in sight, he headed back toward his home.
“Damn you, Magdalene! You were nothing but a worthless whore too! How hard is it to find a good woman to make me a family?”
With that, he went in to have a beer.
He needed to think.
He needed to calm down.
His needs weren’t met, and now he was alone.
The next woman would be better. She had to be. If he couldn’t find a wife, how could he have a fulfilling life?
He pondered his options and mourned his loss, not once thinking about what he stole from her. All that mattered was his future.
It had to come first.
* * *
When Tony used a tie to cover her eyes, she didn't know what he had planned. Instead, she allowed him to lead her wherever he wanted.
After all, Jaxon loved being with him. All day, he was distracted, and she only hoped that some time together would be enough to give him peace.
“Where are we going?” she asked for the millionth time.
“I told you that it’s to a surprise location that you’re going to love.”
There was no doubt that she would. Any place with Tony had the potential to be a great time. While they hadn’t had much alone time, the few stolen moments were amazing.
“Can I have a hint?”
“Yes. You love this kind of place. It always makes you smile, and we’re used to it.”
That didn't give her anything.
Jaxon was easy to please, and he could take her to a busy street and she’d be happy. It had something to do with those sexy aqua eyes.
When they came to a stop, she waited nervously. The ground wasn’t even, and she could smell flowers and candles. There was the quick click of a lighter, and then a flash of light.
Okay, there were candles.
“I’m dying here, Tony,” she stated.
“Hush. I promise you’ll love it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. He couldn’t help himself. Maybe it was to add to the mood, or to alleviate his fears.
This place was a gamble.
“Okay, it’s time.” With nimble fingers, he freed the tie and let her look around.
“A cemetery?”
“An old Civil War cemetery,” he corrected. “Belleville has some of the oldest graves in the state.”
She squealed with excitement, rushing over to one of the oldest stones to read it. When she glanced back at him in the dusk, he saw the thrill.
Score one for him. He definitely knew his woman.
“I thought we could have a picnic here, and then take a moonlit walk through the stones.”
She loved that idea. Ever since she was a girl, the archaic notion of burying bodies enthralled her. There was something so mysterious about the rows of marble and who was housed beneath.
“Tony! This is perfect,” she said, seeing he also had a picnic.
Holding out his hand, he led her to the blanket that the tech had left for them. When he sat, she came down right beside him, still holding his hand.
“I’m so glad you like it.”<
br />
She kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, I love it! Like doesn’t even come close. Cemeteries are my favorite places to explore.”
It gave him the creeps, not because of the dead around them, but because he nearly lost her in a cemetery not that long ago.
But this wasn’t about him.
Tonight, it was all about Jaxon and offering her his ring.
“Well, I thought some dinner, a stroll, and maybe we could talk.”
She took the glass he held out to her as he opened the wine. “About what?”
He grinned. “Us.”
Jaxon took a sip of the wine and the bubbles made her giddy. “I assumed, but about what specifically?”
Tony pulled out the food that he’d picked and placed an olive in her mouth, before following it with his lips to seal them with a kiss.
When he pulled away, Jaxon looked dazed.
“You know—the normal stuff that couples discuss.”
Except, this evening was going to be anything but average. Tonight, he was going to give her something he hoped she’d cherish.
“I love being on a job with you, Jaxon. I really wish this assignment would never end. It feels wrong to not go to work every day by your side.”
“We could both get jobs at a university.”
His heart quivered. While Tony would sacrifice his future at the FBI, it would still wound him. “That’s an option.” With his resume, he could pretty much pick any job he wanted, and yet Tony hated that idea. He loved what he did for a living.
It was gratifying.
It was part of him.
“Look at those night blooming flowers,” she stated, pointing to a vine that climbed a nearby tree.
Getting to his feet, Tony decided to go with the proposal and to stop talking about work.
“Let me get you the perfect one,” he offered, reaching up to pluck it from the vine. With his other hand, he pulled the ring from his pocket and set the scene.
Jaxon nearly swooned watching him. Here was an older, sexy man, and he was picking her a flower on a romantic picnic in a cemetery. How much more seduction could she bear?
She was ready to melt.
Taking a seat beside her, he stared into her eyes. “This flower isn't nearly as beautiful as you,” he admitted, tucking some red strands of hair behind her ear.
She gazed up into his eyes, lost in the moment.
“Jaxon, will you accept this from me? Will you promise to always keep it and forever respect it?”
She didn't know what he was talking about. It was a flower. Soon, it would die.
Holding out his hand, Tony dropped the gorgeous blossom into her palm. When she looked down, he knew when the sparkle caught her eye.
“Oh my God!”
There in the center of the flower, around the stamen, was a ring.
“Marry me, Jaxon Charlotte Armstrong. I know I demanded before, but now I want it to be your choice. Take me as your husband, offer me everything you are, and let me lead us through life.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, Tony!”
With gentle fingers, he pulled the ring from the flower. It was simple, but elegant. The multiple stones glittered as he prepared to offer her his gift.
“I picked it out for you. The center stone is us, coming together. The ones on each side were us before finding love. They are smaller, because until we met, life was less. Now, we’re whole and complete.”
She watched him take her hand, sliding it onto her finger. “Marry me, Jaxon. Make me whole.”
It was hard to string a sentence together. Yet, she tried.
“Tony Horracio Magnus, it would be my honor to be your wife. I know you’ll protect me, treasure me, and scare away all the shadows that once lived in my life. You’re the perfect man for me. I love you.”
He brought his mouth to hers, and they shared their first official engagement kiss. Until that moment, it didn't seem real. Now that she was wearing his ring, it was perfect.
Here was his wife-to-be.
The mating of mouths intensified.
Her hands wandered, finding the opening of his dress shirt. When they dipped inside, his heart began pounding in his chest.
“Jaxon,” he warned, knowing that she was baiting him. When it came to her, he’d take her just about anywhere. This cemetery wouldn’t be any different. Let the spirits of the past watch. He didn't give a rat’s ass.
“Tony, just touch me. Put your hands on me. I want to celebrate this night, and I’ll never forget this moment. My future husband, the most romantic night, and sex in a cemetery, will forever be in my mind.”
If this was what Jaxon longed for, he’d give her just that. Leaning into her, he pushed her to her back. Immediately, his fingers began moving down her torso, unbuttoning her shirt.
When his mouth followed the opening material, she squirmed beneath him.
“I love you, Jaxon,” he murmured, finding her nipple through the lacy bra. With teeth, he caged it.
“Oh God!” she arched into his mouth, even as his fingers moved lower down her body. Jaxon could feel him sliding the zipper lower and lower.
“Tonight is all about you, Jaxon. I want you to forever remember our night together. When we’re old, I want you to think about how we made love in a cemetery as we promised to never be with another person again.”
She wanted to give him anything he asked for. The man above her was tearing her apart with his words and mouth. She would give him her soul if he asked.
“Promise me that your lips will only be mine.”
“Yes, Tony.”
He tugged her pants down until she lay bare beneath him. “Promise this will only be mine,” he whispered, right before devouring his woman.
She moaned. The feel of his mouth, on the most sensitive part of her body, drove her to madness. She wanted more and more and couldn’t help but fall into the spiral of pleasure.
Tony wanted to brand her forever with his kiss. He wanted anyone who ever placed their hands on her to be a distant memory. From here on out, it would only be him.
Jaxon would forget anyone who ever left a little impression on her life.
She was his.
Tugging her pants lower, he refused to let her fall into the bliss. He wanted her to beg, plead, and offer herself to him.
“Tony! Please,” she whispered, when he moved his mouth to the inside of her thigh. Delicately, he teased her there.
“What?” he asked, allowing his fingers to trail through the wetness.
“Please let me feel you in me.”
It wasn’t good enough. “Who came before us, Jaxon?” he asked, waiting for her response.
“No one, Tony. There will be no one before or after you. You’re my all.”
With that, he dove in hungrily. He stole, pillaged, and devoured her until she practically wept from the pleasure. His fingers, mouth, and tongue all worked together to find that one perfect spot, and when they did, she ruptured apart.
“Oh God!”
He watched the pleasure wrack her body as he stood. In the flickering candles, so much emotion showed on her face.
He was lost in it.
Dropping his zipper, he freed himself from his boxers and dress pants. Before she could surface, he was over her body, positioned in place.
Nibbling at her throat, Tony waited. When her eyes opened, he pushed into her, claiming what was only his.
His woman.
His wife-to-be.
One day, the mother of his children.
“Tell me you’re mine.”
She obeyed as he began moving. Immediately, her legs wrapped around his hips, giving him total access to her body.
“Tell me, Jaxon.”
She gave him what he wanted. “I’m yours.”
“You’re going to be the perfect wife.”
Her gasp of pleasure filled him.
It gave Tony peace knowing that this woman wouldn’t leave him. Over the last month, he’d bu
ilt the ties to bind them together.
As he reached closer to the edge, nearly slipping into his own bliss, Tony stared down into her eyes.
“Tell me you’re mine, Tony. Only mine,” she demanded.
Her words hit him directly in the heart.
Not only did she love him, she wanted to claim him as her own too.
“I’m yours,” he promised. “You’re going to be my wife. My one, my only,” he vowed. “I won’t ever touch or love another. I can promise you that, Jaxon. You’re my true love.”
Pulling his mouth down to hers, she sealed it with a kiss. Now, there were only the legal papers to tie up the last part of the knot.
With one last stroke into her body, and her tongue across his, Tony Magnus erupted like never before.
Then he fell, knowing that when he opened his eyes, it wouldn’t matter. He would be safe.
Home.
In peace.
He’d found his path in life, despite it all.
Nothing could break him now.
He’d found the woman who would be his wife.
~ Chapter Eight ~
This was all weighing heavily on her heart and mind. Both men knew, just from watching her, that it was definitely eating away at Elizabeth. While she was prone to sink deep into thought over a case, she wasn’t really one to nervously pace back and forth.
She was now currently wearing a path in the hotel carpet.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Ethan offered.
She glanced up at him, hoping that he wasn’t just trying to offer her empty words.
“I feel like I’m handling this all wrong. I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t figure out how to navigate around this.”
Callen wanted to offer her some reassurance too. “If I were you, I’d be doing this the same way. I know I’m not the investigator you are or the profiler that Ethan is, but I’d want to be sure. Why hurt him if there’s no reason?”
All she wanted to know was if it was DNA from his mother or father. If it was the latter, they would be safe. Never in her life had she ever prayed that they didn't find the identity of a victim. If Tony’s mother was in that hole, Elizabeth was sunk, right along with her friend.
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