He’d never thought about that.
Still…
He needed to know.
“Am I part of this?” he asked. “Am I really part of this marriage?”
He leaned against his desk. “Callen, you’re the glue that holds us together. She’s our center, but you’re the one who keeps us on track. You’re the mediator.”
“I’m being silly, aren’t I?”
“Yep. Ask her why she hates when you buy her things. I’m sure she has a good reason. This is Elizabeth. She doesn’t hurt us intentionally. If something is bugging her, she’ll tell you why when you ask. If anything, she speaks her mind.”
“Okay.”
Callen pulled out his phone.
Dialing, he waited for Elizabeth to answer.
It went right to voicemail.
“She’s not answering me. I think she’s really pissed. I probably deserve it too. I lost it and over reacted.”
Ethan got it.
His brother was worried.
Ethan pulled out his cell and called his wife. It rang once and went to voicemail too. That said one thing to him.
She had turned off her cell. As agents, they never did that.
EVER.
That worried him. Their lifeline was their cell phone. If his wife was out there working, and shut that off, she was now hard to track.
He immediately called Ivan to find out what the hell was going on with his wife. His cell rang four times before he finally picked it up.
“I’ve lost contact with my wife, Ivan. What’s going on? Tell me you have a visual on her,” Ethan said.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Ethan didn’t like the sound of that.
Callen began pacing again.
“What happened?”
Ivan sounded tense and pissed off over something, and Ethan suspected that it was going to be Elizabeth related. When she was angry, hell was always going to break loose.
Callen had fed the anger beast a whole shitload of explosive material, and she had gone off like a Roman candle on the Fourth of July.
“I don’t know what the hell she was thinking. I got this text from her to come inside the house, boss. She needed help with something, so I did what she asked.”
“Okay and what happened?” Ethan asked.
“She jumped me, locked me in a closet, stole my ride, and took off somewhere. I lost her. By the time I kicked the door open, I was in time to see my taillights in the distance. No offense, sir, but your wife is a fucking menace.”
Yeah, he was well aware.
Elizabeth was off the reservation, and off the grid.
Callen wanted to laugh, but he was too sick to his stomach. He’d left her alone, and she’d shaken her tail.
Of course she did.
Why was he shocked?
A pissed off Elizabeth was a vindictive one. He’d crossed to the bad side of crazy, and they were going to pay.
Dead husbands walking.
This was exactly what they’d feared. From here on out, it was Elizabeth’s game. She was driving the bus, and she’d show up when she was good and ready.
They’d made her angry.
Well, Callen had.
Ethan…he was still on her good side—for now.
If her cell was off, she didn’t want anyone tracking her. His wife was using FBI training tactics to shake them and the protective duty.
He was rather impressed by the balls that took. Protective services were supposed to be the ‘Secret Service’ of their field. They were supposed to be the best at keeping everyone, who had a high profile job, safe in the Federal government.
Yeah, not today.
“I’ve already called for a ride, but you really need to have a conversation with your wife. She has to have security. It’s part of the job. She’s married to the Deputy Director of the FBI. The whole family has to be protected.”
“I’ve talked to her, Ivan. It’s not as cut and dry as you think. In fact, she made a good point today, and I happen to agree with her.”
“What?”
“Callen needs protection duty. He’s our husband. We have an intimate relationship with him, and if someone wanted to hurt me, or Elizabeth, all they had to do was go for him.”
His brother began sputtering.
“Okay, I’ll file the paperwork and have an agent on him in the next couple of days. Once Gabriel approves it, he’s covered.”
Callen stared at him. “Seriously? Did you just screw your own brother over and stick me with a tail now too?”
“Yes. If it’s good for us, it’s good for you. You’re the one all pissed off that she said your money isn’t ours, so now you get to be included in the fun. Welcome to the clusterfuck.”
He couldn’t believe this.
“Uh, our wife is missing. Shouldn’t that be our first priority?” he asked, hoping he could talk his brother out of this.
Ethan wasn’t going to freak out. He knew she was going to be working on fixing her mess with Callen, and then toss in the job, she’d be occupied.
“What do you want me to do, sir?” Ivan asked, waiting patiently for direction on the phone.
There was only one thing they could do.
“Buckle up and pray she doesn’t burn DC to the ground. We have a pissed off woman running around and she’s armed, dangerous, and angry at her husband.”
Callen closed his eyes.
He was freaking screwed.
Chapter Four
Friday Afternoon
Fairmont Hotel
Yeah, she was pretty pleased with herself. Screwing with Igor had made her day better. Since she was going to have to fix the issue with Callen and apologize to Ethan for ditching her security detail, she might as well live it up.
For now.
While her plan had been to visit Roman Conley’s home to get an idea of what had gone on, and then visit the country club, she opted to pass.
Both scenes, five days later, would be useless. If the killer had been there, there was no doubt in her mind they’d lost any trace.
Besides, he was taken outside.
At that point, it was a waste of time. Once he was found, if he was found, she’d head to the country club—even though she hated the place. Why torture herself when she had more important things to handle?
Instead, she opted to kill two birds with one stone.
Heading into the lobby of the Fairmont, she was greeted by the concierge standing beside the desk. For some reason, his big smile set her off.
Immediately, she wanted to take his mustache, wrap it around his head, and call it a day.
Still…
She tried to be nice.
It was all for Ethan’s sake, and maybe hers. If she raised too much hell, he was going to be the one who had to pay the piper. While she was irritated, it wasn’t at him. This time, Ethan was innocent, and she’d cut him a break.
“Can I help you, Director Blackhawk?” he asked.
Apparently, the man watched the news.
“Yeah, I have two things I need your assistance with, and I was hoping you could help me.”
“Certainly. We pride ourselves on assisting anyone who comes to the Fairmont. What is it that I can do for you?”
“I need a room for the night at your fine establishment,” she said, using the same stiff speech he’d just used. Maybe he’d see how silly he sounded.
He stared at her as if she had three heads. “You do?”
“I do.”
“Uh, okay. We can make that happen. Do you have a preference as to what room?”
Yeah, she did.
It was go big or go home.
“I would like the penthouse for the night, if that’s a possibility.”
“Why?”
She lifted a brow.
Elizabeth was pretty sure that was a question a hotel employee didn’t really need to ask. His mustache was coming off in a few seconds if he didn’t figure out that she was TNT waiting to blow.
<
br /> “Excuse me?” she asked.
“I’m simply asking…”
She cut him off.
“I plan on having an orgy of epic proportions. We’re going to be swinging from the chandeliers buck ass naked and partying hard all night long.”
His mouth dropped open.
“What do you think I need it for? I want to stay here over night. I’m meeting my husband and I want to plan a night of romance for us.”
He relaxed.
“Director, we would be more than happy to host you and Deputy Director Blackhawk.”
Yeah, she had bad news.
Wrong husband.
He pointed at a woman at the desk. “Sarah, Mrs. Blackhawk wishes to have the penthouse. Is it available tonight?”
There was clicking.
“It is, Reggie.”
“Great. Book it,” she said, tossing a credit card to the woman. It’s for myself and Callen Whitefox.”
The woman’s eyes went big.
Reggie’s eyes went big.
Yeah, she knew what she was thinking. They normally tried to keep their threesome hush-hush, but this was letting a big cat out of the bag.
Yes, she’d specifically said her and her ‘husband’, and if that didn’t clue them in, they were idiots.
“Let me preface this conversation with a warning,” Elizabeth stated. “If anyone calls a tabloid, trying to make money off this, I will find a way to get you tossed into jail. Am I clear?”
Reggie looked insulted.
Sarah stared at the computer.
“I assure you that here at the Fairmont, we don’t divulge anything to the media about our paying guests. That would be tacky.”
She didn’t buy that for a hot second.
Loose lips sunk ships, and Sarah was the Titanic. This was going down, she was sure of it. Still, she didn’t care. If they wanted to talk, let them.
Callen was obviously upset by her behavior, and she was going to fix it.
When you loved someone, you did whatever you could to make them feel like they mattered. Callen and Ethan were so important that she’d be willing to risk the media speculation.
“What else can we help you with?” Reggie asked as Elizabeth was signing the receipt for the room.
“Next is that I need to speak with a woman by the name of Lucy Goodwin. I’ve been told she’s staying here at your fine establishment.”
The man closed his mouth.
“We don’t give out information on our guests. I’ve already told you that.”
Yeah, well, this was a totally different ballgame.
Elizabeth grinned at him.
Then she pulled her badge and held it an inch from the man’s face. “If you don’t want this shoved into your nasal cavity, out your ear, and then up your ass, I suggest you buzz her room, tell her the Fed handling her husband’s death needs an interview.”
He again pointed at Sarah.
She made a call, doing what Elizabeth had instructed. When she hung up the phone, she was smiling. “Ma’am, she’s in room four ten, and she’ll see you.”
Great.
At least her job wasn’t the issue today.
Then she thought about it. “Sarah, your job is to help me out, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you have some paper?”
She handed her a sheet.
Elizabeth scribbled down a bunch of things. “I need all of this brought to my room. Can you handle it?”
She scanned the list.
“I can, ma’am.”
“Thank you. Charge that credit card for everything. I’ll sign later.”
She grabbed her key, smiled sardonically at Reggie, and then headed toward the elevator. Once inside, she pulled out her cell to make a few calls.
When Chris answered on the second ring, she didn’t give him time to talk. She didn’t know who was hanging around him—mainly Ethan and Callen.
“Hey! Don’t say my name.”
There was a pause.
“Okay.”
“I need you to be my spy for a second. Are either of my husbands there?”
“Not right now they aren’t, honey. What’s going on? I haven’t seen them in fifteen minutes. Why?”
The coast was clear.
“How are the autopsies going?” she asked, ignoring the last part for now. Elizabeth still had to focus on work, and then she could work on focusing on her relationship.
“I’ll have them done before I leave for the night. Where are you?” he asked, lowering his voice.
She heard the click of a door. Chris must have been going into his office to have some privacy for their conversation.
“I’m in the field.”
“Alone? Since Ethan and Callen are here, that means you’re out there by yourself.” he stated, his voice conveying worry and displeasure. “Is that wise?”
“I’m doing interviews.”
“Callen’s been down here looking for you. He’s a wreck. He asked me three times if you’ve called, Lyzee.”
“I screwed up, Chris.”
“Do you need to talk about it? I can head out for a bit and meet you for some coffee if you need me.”
She did, but she’d have to put that aside for now. If she couldn’t fix this herself, she’d take him up on his offer. That’s what best friends did.
They covered your ass.
Unfortunately for her, she had a case and work had to come first. Instead of setting up a meeting, she told him everything.
Chris let her get it off her chest.
He could tell she was really upset. Elizabeth was really good at keeping her priorities straight, but she sounded like she wanted to cry.
“It’s okay, honey. You’ll fix this. I know you.”
And he did.
“I really hurt him by what I said, and I didn’t mean it to come out so crass and mean. You know me, Chris. I wasn’t focused on the personal shit. I was thinking killers and death.”
He got it.
Elizabeth was very compartmentalized. When she was working, she was doing that. If you wanted to talk about personal things, it took her a second to switch it off.
They all knew that.
Callen knew it.
“He’ll be fine. Once you talk to him, he’ll see that you didn’t mean it like that. You don’t have a vicious bone in your body, honey. He was pissed, you weren’t focused, and it blew up.”
She hoped he was right.
“I just got us a room at the Fairmont and I’m going to try and fix this. What do I do? You’re a man. Help me.”
“Kinky sex might work. I know it would if I was pissed at you,” he teased.
It made her laugh.
“Christopher, sex isn’t always the answer, and you know that.”
He was aware.
When he had been at his lowest, just having someone listen, hold his hand, and love him was what he had needed to get through it all.
“You need him to understand why the money is something you dislike so much.”
“I don’t hate it. It makes me feel awkward. I don’t know how to deal with it.”
“You’re okay with my money.”
“I’m not bouncing in your lap. It’s your money.”
“If I let you bounce in my lap, I’ll share,” he teased, knowing the woman he called sister. Humor would help her through this. “That would be so worth it. I’ll take pictures to torment Tony.”
She snorted. “Freak. You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to take advantage of me at my weakest.”
“I’m a bad man. Punish me.”
Elizabeth relaxed a little. Chris always could help her refocus when she was a mess.
Her best friend got serious.
“This is tough, honey. You have to make him understand that it makes you uncomfortable. Callen will understand if you explain it to him.”
She sighed.
That was easier said than done. The whole damn thing made her edgy. It wasn
’t like she wanted to be a bitch about it, but give her beat up boots, jeans, and a cold beer, and she was pretty much a happy camper.
Luxury, wealth, and prestige were a pain in her ass.
She was the daughter of a cop, raised in a hillbilly town, and she didn’t know anything about being fancy. Yes, she could dress up with the best of them, but she was simple.
She was just plain old Elizabeth.
“You have this, Lyzee. Just be you. Callen and Ethan fell in love with the woman you are, not who they want you to be. The most charming thing about you is that you’re genuine. That’s why we all fell for you.”
She took a deep breath.
“I can do this.”
“You can, honey. I have faith in you.”
“Okay, I’ll be in for the details first thing in the morning, Christopher. I need you to get Seaton and Madden to look for something for me. It’s been bugging me.”
“What do you need?”
“Fern Yoder had a fifty thousand dollar check written out not too long ago. I want them to find out where it went, and if the other two victims did too.”
“Blackmail?”
She wasn’t sure. “Maybe. It’s too early to tell, but I’m thinking it might be a possibility. Maybe we had a bunch of rich people being blackmailed for kinky shit—like wearing Newton boxers.”
He laughed. “Please. That’s the only thing happening in my pants. Trust me there’s nothing blackmail worthy.”
She heard the tone in his voice. Chris needed his best friend just as much as she did.
“I really hate going there, but I’m going to since you just let me dump my shit all over you. Are you talking nothing or NOTHING?”
He snorted at the discomfort in her voice. There were days where he loved making her uncomfortable. It was kind of their thing. “I’m functioning, but just not feeling it.”
“Well, I wish I could help.”
Chris started laughing. “Well, since you offered, I can swing by and…”
Act of Blood (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 16) Page 11
