“Callen, drive me to the White House. I’m going to find that old bag of wind, and I’m going to deflate his ego—starting with his balls first!”
He laughed.
As much as he’d love to, there was NO WAY he was letting her near the man. She’d be in jail before lunchtime.
“Sorry, Elizabeth. No.”
She growled.
“I’m going to kill him,” she said. “I really hate that man.”
Oh, she wasn’t alone.
She needed to take a number.
The list…it was endless.
Chapter Fourteen
Blue Garrick’s
Home
Sunday Morning
W aking in the lush bed was a brand new experience. Ivan slept like he was on a cloud all-night long, and the best part was that he was beside his fiancée. They cuddled up in the luxury and didn’t surface until that very moment.
Only, when he woke, it was alone.
Blue was gone.
Rolling out of bed, he headed into the adjacent bathroom and checked it out.
There was a claw foot tub, a giant shower, and marble everywhere.
Yeah, this was something he wasn’t accustomed to at all. He’d put a new toilet in his place, and it came in a box. He was pretty sure Blue’s hadn’t. It was a sleek shape and had a push button on the top.
So.
This was how the other half lived.
And now how he was going to live too.
Still, he wasn’t going to let it freak him out. This was still Blue, and she was down to Earth, sweet, and his. They couldn’t live in his little place, simply because he wanted a big family. So, he’d have to give a little to get a lot.
He turned on the water and stood under the giant showerhead. It rained down on him like he was in a tropical forest.
Holy shit.
It was Heaven.
Okay, this…this right here might be the thing that kept him from running in panic. If this was how his life was going to turn out, he was good with it. The tile was rustic, the showerhead nearly drowned him, and the whole enclosure smelled like Blue.
As he finished, he checked out his reflection in the mirror. He really needed to shave.
Only, he didn’t bring his razor.
Digging in the medicine cabinet, he found the normal things. Aspirin, lotions, and condoms.
He picked them up and they were unopened. Immediately, he tossed them in the trash. She’d never used them, thankfully, and she never would. From here on out, he was going to make sure his fiancée was ready to start a family.
When he found a spare razor, he used her girly scented shaving cream to handle his stubbly problem. It didn’t take long, and for that, he was grateful.
He missed his girl.
Rushing to get dressed, Ivan hurried downstairs to find her. He could smell bacon, and he was hungry.
AND surprised that he hadn’t been called out to follow Elizabeth around.
Maybe she’d gotten to sleep in too.
Good.
She wouldn’t be cranky and chewing ass on this fine Sunday morning.
In the kitchen, he found Blue sitting at the table, having coffee as the housekeeper was cooking.
Yeah, that was…weird—for him, but clearly not for her. Blue didn’t even bat an eyelash as the woman clucked around like this was her henhouse.
Well, he needed to face the woman.
“Morning,” he said, heading into the room. First, he stopped at Blue, and then the woman cooking.
“I’m Ivan.”
She shook his hand.
“I’m Delores. I’ve been with Blue for a long time. If you need anything handled, I will make it happen.”
She handed him two plates.
Ivan tried not to be freaked out, but it wasn’t easy. He wasn’t accustomed to a housekeeper. This was one more adjustment that he’d have to make. Instead of losing it, he placed a plate in front of Blue, and he sat.
Delores joined them.
“I’d be lost without Delores,” she admitted, seeing the look on his face. Blue knew he was going to say something about having a housekeeper.
It was only a matter of time.
“She keeps me on track,” Blue offered, hoping this wouldn’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Ivan must have looked befuddled.
“Go ahead, freak out. Let’s get it over with,” she stated, giving him the chance.
He shook his head.
“No, I’ll be okay. I’m just not accustomed to this. Having someone cook for me…”
Delores wagged her finger at the man.
“Listen up, son, I’ve been with my Blue for years. She’s like my child. If you think I’m going to be cleaning up after you, or babying you, then you have a lesson coming. You’re a grown man, and you can handle your own shit. You don’t need a momma.”
His eyes went wide.
Blue giggled.
“I love her.”
Ivan ate some bacon.
“I’m from a small town and a farm. I can handle my own shit, so no worries.”
The woman patted him on the back.
“Then we will get along well. Blue, baby, what do you want for dinner?”
She sighed.
“I’m likely working late. Just throw something into the fridge for me. Ivan, are you working late?”
He wasn’t sure.
“That’s going to depend on Elizabeth. It was quiet last night. I’m going to assume she didn’t catch a body.”
Blue pointed at the flat screen over the one set of cabinets.
He watched Elizabeth on a scene with flashing lights, police tape, and Callen by her side.
“Oh, shit! No one called me.”
He shoveled his food into his mouth, grabbed his plate, rinsed, and placed it in the dishwasher.
He pulled on his Kevlar and threw his shirt over it before popping in his com.
“Bluebell, I’ll see you at the office. I have to find Tex and make sure Heath has it under control. I’m back on duty and knowing Elizabeth, it’s going to be a marathon.”
He gave her a kiss.
It was slow.
Heated.
And everything that made her toes curl.
Delores cleared her throat.
Ivan set her free and then went with being himself. He gave Delores a kiss on the cheek.
She couldn’t help herself as she laughed her ass off.
Ivan saluted his girl and headed out.
“Well?” Blue asked when he was gone. “You know your opinion matters. In his defense, Dolores, he’s really trying hard. My money makes him edgy.”
Yes, she could see that.
That was a good sign. He wasn’t a male gold digger, and that made her happy. She wouldn’t have to kick his ass.
“He did his own dish, he makes you smile, and he is kind. I can tell. He’s perfect for you.”
She agreed.
Blue finished up her breakfast.
She had a sketch to finish up, and that meant making sure she was at the office for when Elizabeth was ready.
Pissing off the boss was never a good idea.
Never.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
FBI
Morgue
Mariah was already on the table, and Chris was working on her. He had her completely unfolded, her organs were out, and he was just about done.
He knew he would need to be for when Elizabeth showed up. She was going to want to know everything and making her wait was not going to be a good thing.
He could tell by her mood on the scene.
She was running on fumes, and that meant anyone was a target if they irritated her. She was going to run them hard to find justice for the dead woman.
When they flattened Mariah out, they’d done some bone damage to her back, and that didn’t make Tony happy. He was going to have to work harder on this one, accounting for postmortem damage. Sadly, ther
e was no gentle way to get her into position to do the autopsy.
He hated when he had to unbend someone who was in rigor. It was never pretty.
“Here’s a sample,” he said, passing it off to Christina, so she could get her job done too.
She was still running the sperm, and she only prayed it was ready for when the boss rolled in.
As the door to Autopsy One opened, in came Ivan, and he was looking around.
“Where’s Attila the Shrew?” he asked.
Chris laughed.
The man liked to live dangerously.
While Chris knew she genuinely liked Ivan, he still gave him the heads-up.
“She’s running on nothing, this killer has her pissed off, and she’s changing her clothes to have a press conference. Tread lightly today.”
Yeah, no way.
That was the beauty of their relationship.
“She’s changing, huh?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“To what? Ones that holy water can’t permeate?”
He laughed.
“You’re on a roll today. Someone slept. I know we didn’t. She’s going to be bitchy,” Chris warned again.
Ivan was good with that.
The devil you know…
At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked over. Elizabeth had definitely changed, and she was rocking out a suit and skirt. Callen looked just as nice in his suit.
Ivan whistled.
“The devil’s handmaiden cleaned herself up and almost looks like a lady.”
She laughed despite her mood.
Ivan was just being Ivan.
“Oh look. It’s Sleeping Beauty. How was that full night of sleep?” she asked. “We wouldn’t know since we worked while you were chasing sleep. Ironically, you do that awake too.”
He snorted.
“Well, in my defense, no one messaged me.”
“I know,” she said, seeing him get agitated. “I do it to make you pissy.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, stare, get it over with. I’m in a suit. Blah, blah, blah, freaking blah.”
“You look like a grownup.”
“You look like a boy caught jerking off most of the time, but that’s just your face.”
Chris laughed.
“Told you. Cranky.”
Ivan grinned.
Now, this was the bitch he liked dealing with every day. Surprises sucked—especially with her.
“Chris, give me what you have. I will be playing DC whipping girl in front of the media in about twenty minutes with Ethan. I want to make sure we have everything so I’m not caught with my pants down.”
Ivan opened his mouth.
“Don’t,” Callen warned. “I’m cranky too.”
Wisely, he zipped it.
Chris wasn’t done, but he didn’t want her going out there without as much as he could give her.
“Well, we have same COD. There’s a knife puncture wound to the back of her skull. It severed the cord, and it was lights out.”
She made notes.
“The rape?”
He pointed at Christina, letting her handle this one.
“It’s still processing. I’m sorry, boss, but we don’t have his DNA yet. I need a little more time.”
She was about to bitch when Jaxon and Tony walked in. The man stopped, whistled, and then checked her out.
“Wow, someone is working the power suit.”
“I don’t get what the kerfuffle is all about,” she stated. “You’ve all seen me in a suit before.”
“Kerfuffle?” Chris repeated, laughing at the word. “Are you going British on us?”
“Don’t wet your knickers,” she said, with the accent.
Callen laughed.
“There’s my girl, being all British.”
Well, she liked to keep them distracted so when she went in for the kill, they didn’t suspect it.
“Chris, keep updating us. I still haven’t seen the note,” she said, cuing them in as to what was next in her questioning.
Chris made it magically appear in an evidence bag.
“Ethan is getting the funfest set up. We have about forty reporters out there. He’s chummed the waters and it best not be my derrière that is getting chewed, so give me something.”
“It has to be bad if you’re playing with the media,” Chris said.
Oh, it was.
Elizabeth had to take this one to the public. Someone had to have seen Carl or his sicko helper. They were out there, and they were going to get caught.
Elizabeth took the note from Chris and hopped onto the nearby, available table. She crossed her legs and then looked up at the male techs.
“HEY! Eyes on the work or I’m sending the husbands over there!”
They all stared down, but no one missed that she used plural when there was only Callen...and Chris in the room.
Callen laughed.
So did Chris.
No one could blame them. God knew they’d both been checking out her legs before, and again now. She was sporting heels, and that was always sexy.
“Are you wearing that all day?” Callen asked.
“Probably. Why?”
“We’re heading to Michael O’Banion’s at some point.”
Chris actually dropped his metal tool onto the table, and it made a loud crashing sound.
Everyone looked over.
“That’s a horrible idea!”
“Uh, I don’t have time to play dress up. I’ll wear this, do my damn job, and be home before we know it—or that’s what I keep telling myself.”
Chris said nothing.
Good for him.
Her husbands could take a lesson from him.
They’d done this dance so many times. Chris had seen her dressed up, dressed down, and undressed. Still, the whole Michael O’Banion thing would always likely make him edgy.
She couldn’t blame him.
Elizabeth got it.
“Besides, what better way than to head into a biker’s tattoo parlor and bar than in heels and a skirt?” she asked.
Both Chris and Callen gave her the look.
Elizabeth simply laughed.
It might loosen up some tongues and get them to talk. If she had to let some perverts stare at her to get justice for the dead women, so be it.
She wasn’t above it.
“Well, my day should be interesting,” Ivan stated. “I do love a bar and biker tattoo place. What could possibly happen?” he asked.
Callen couldn’t help himself.
“Ivan gets to stay here. We’re taking Heath only,” he stated, busting his ass.
That did it.
“WHAT?” he said, as his Styrofoam cup stopped halfway to his mouth. “Repeat that?”
The look on his face said it all.
“Chill out GI Jokester. He was kidding. We all know my day isn’t made unless you have to take a bullet for me.”
He snorted.
“Yeah, always a plus.”
Elizabeth focused on the note.
It was the same shit threat, on the same paper, and telling the same tale.
Someone had a big ol’ hardon over Michael O’Banion.
‘It’s a new day. I’m back, and I’m coming for you, Mikey. We’re going to meet, and soon.
C.’
Yeah, the good times were a coming. She couldn’t believe she was protecting Michael O’Banion from one of his goons only to have to drop him for Gabe.
What the hell?
Her life was out of control, and here was the proof. Before her husband became the deputy director, it was fairly cut and dry.
Get justice.
Now…
Not so much.
“Okay, Chris, give me what you have. You’ve managed to stall long enough.”
“TOD was what I gave you at the scene. It’s still around eleven, and she was alive during the rape. I’m going to guess that he disabled her with the face strike first.”
>
She was thinking the same thing.
“Face versus dumpster?”
“Yeah, that’s likely. Since it was at the mouth of the alley, if you can find video…”
Yeah, she was aware.
They were headed there today to see if the bar or tattoo place had any. Her fingers were crossed. They needed something to blow this open. She needed a glimpse at Carl’s helper.
Elizabeth felt like she was chasing her tail, and she didn’t know why.
Christina’s machine beeped, as did her laptop.
“I’m checking the database for his DNA now,” she stated.
They waited.
“Chris, no defensive wounds?” Elizabeth asked as they let Christina do her thing.
“Nada.”
“That strike to the face had to be a bad one. I know if someone was raping me, I’d fight like a hellion even if I was hurt.”
Yeah, most people would.
“It was a bad one. I’m going to say it knocked her out. There’s tearing thanks to the rape, and the tears are pink, so there was blood flow. With the other women, they were raped post-killing.”
“Who would have thought our killer was going to go from necrophilia to straight rape? It’s usually in reverse.”
“It sounds like our killer is unhinged,” Chris admitted because she was right. Usually, it began as rape, and then went to them violating a corpse.
Rarely was it the other way around.
“He had to be pretty strong to bend her in half,” Callen stated, pointing out the obvious.
She agreed.
Chris too.
In her mind, that pretty much excluded Carl.
“We found boot prints on her clothes. He likely broke her back before placing her in the can. I’ve never seen that happen before,” he said. “He was amped up on something.”
Yeah, that was what she was thinking. Normally, a killer on adrenaline was strong, but on Spice, or some handmade concoction, it was bad.
This pointed them right back at Brian, but the TOD didn’t fit. This was nuts.
Just then, Christina’s machines beeped again.
It was reckoning day for the sperm’s owner.
When her head tech looked up, Elizabeth knew before she even shook her head.
“No matches in CODIS. He’s not on record.”
Dead are Forgotten Page 49
