Kiss of Souls

by Morgan Kelley

  It was a reminder of what he’d risked in anger.

  Ethan wanted to heal her.

  He owed her this much.

  “You’re my wife, Elizabeth. We had a fight, I said some horrible things, and I’m working on them, baby. I’m seeing Doctor Gaines again. I’m in therapy. I know it may not be enough, but I’m trying to save us.”

  “Ethan,” she began.

  “Just give me these three weeks. If you still love me, when I come for you, be there. Be in Salem. If I find you at the house, I’ll know we still have a chance, and all I’m asking is you forgive me so I can prove it.”

  “Will you really be coming?”

  “The day Gabe is back, I’m leaving. I’ll turn in my badge and walk away from the FBI if that’s what you want. I didn’t mean any of what I said. I didn’t mean those words. I see now that my temper…”

  She stopped him.

  He deserved to know.

  “I pushed Chris out of my life. I haven’t seen him. I don’t even know where he is. I tossed away a man who’s always had my back for almost two decades for you, Ethan. That should tell you what’s in my heart.”

  That hurt him.

  Ethan, in his rage, had damaged two people.

  “I’ll fix that too. Just promise me you’ll give me a second chance when I show up.”

  There as a pause.

  “Please, Elizabeth. Just give me one chance to show you that I’m not a lost cause. I’m worthy of your love—or I once was. Let me go back there and find that again,” he begged.

  If she said no…

  He was lost.

  “I’ll be waiting for you to arrive,” she said.

  “Promise, raven?”

  “Do you promise to show up, raven?” she asked, knowing he was talking about his last dream.

  It had been prophetic. It had come true. The three ravens had been through hell and back.

  She had left.

  He’d been broken.

  Callen had been the one who followed.

  “I’ll be the one on his knees waiting for you to save me. I can’t do life without my other parts,” he admitted. “There’s a hole in me. I need you to fill it.”

  She went for it.

  “I love you.”

  She heard the tiny gasp in his voice.

  “Oh, Lyzee, my love, I adore and miss you.”

  Elizabeth knew she needed to go. There was a mess waiting to be cleaned up, and she couldn’t get her hopes up. They were far from fixed.

  This was a step, but there was more to be done.

  “I have to go.”

  “Text me so I know you’re okay, unless that’s crossing some line.”

  She’d meet him halfway.

  “I’ll text you,” she offered.

  “Are you still mine?” he asked. “Did I destroy any chance of healing this? I need to know the truth. I need to weigh the significance of my actions.”

  “I tattooed your name on my back, Ethan. On that day, I made it clear. It’s still there.”

  He relaxed. “I don’t hate Chris.”

  That helped.

  “He’s my family.”

  “He’s our family. I’ll fix this.”

  It was the least Ethan could do. It would have to be long distance, but he’d make it right.

  “I’ll pave the way, Elizabeth. If they give you shit, have them call me,” he offered.

  “I will, boss man.”

  “I hope one day you find it in your heart to forgive me,” he offered.

  She hoped so too. “I hope you can do the same.”

  “I already have.”

  She needed to hear that. She wanted to forgive him, too, but there was the constant barrage of rumors that he’d cheated. It scared and worried her.

  Elizabeth needed to think.

  When she hung up her cell, Elizabeth sat down and wept in the privacy of the Littlemoon office. In that office, she mourned what was on the line.

  Then she stared at the whiteboard.

  “Granddad, if you can hear me, I need a sign. I need to know he’s going to get better, and that he’s going to be the man I married. I can’t do this anymore.”

  There was no sound of windchimes.

  No anything.

  Elizabeth felt so alone.

  Wiping her eyes, she checked her reflection in her phone. She didn’t want to go out there looking like a weeping baby. She had a reputation to uphold, and as of late, she wasn’t doing it very well.

  She was scared.

  And no one could know the truth. Over the years, she’d built up this reputation of being pulled together.

  She was anything but—especially without Ethan.

  Still, it was time to do her job.

  Heading out, she found Tori’s team working in the lobby. As she gathered her composure, Callen was by her side.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, taking the fingers of her healing arm in his own.

  Elizabeth was going to be okay.

  It would take time, and if Ethan kept his word, she would get through this.

  She had to have faith.

  After all, she’d lied to him, and that had started this mess. Had she just been honest…?

  Maybe this would have ended differently.

  “Time will tell, Callen James,” she offered, right before she gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. “I know what you did. You had him call me, didn’t you?”

  He didn’t deny it.

  “Maybe I did.”

  This was his family.

  “You needed to hear him. He needed to hear you. I’m just the other spouse who loves his husband and wife, and need them to heal this rift.”

  She was grateful.

  But it was time to do what they came to do.

  “How about we catch us a killer?” she offered.

  Yeah, that sounded good to Callen. He knew that Elizabeth needed a way to make those three weeks go by, and fast.

  “Here’s the plan,” Elizabeth offered. “Tori and I are going to handle the lawyer and the bartender. I need Callen and Julian to find the first person on the list who is ‘missing’. Xavier Lake has to be there somewhere.”

  They got it.

  “I need the rest of your team to do searches. We are going to need to know everything we can on every person on that list. All of them. I’m talking deep searches. I want to know about their mommas, their BFF’s, and what they order for takeout.”

  Mattie looked over at her husband.

  “Really?”

  Elizabeth saw the look and heard it in her voice. That, without better equipment, was going to be impossible.

  “Callen, give them the magic tablet.”

  He turned it around. “I’ve already started the search on Fredrick Raymond. His financials are running, and it’ll tie him to that bar if he ever used a debit or credit card there.”

  Roman whistled. “We get to play with the FBI gear?” he asked.

  “If you break it, or you tell anyone about what you see, I get to take you to Gitmo for a little waterboarding tour. You won’t like it. Trust me.”

  He swallowed.

  Callen found that amusing.

  His wife was definitely a little better. She was making threats.

  That was always a good sign.

  Well, for him.

  Roman…not so much.

  “Before we start busting balls all over town,” she began, “Callen and I have to take care of a little cop situation. We’re going to visit your commissioner, and let him know that there’s a new sheriff in town.”

  “And her name is Sheriff Badass,” Callen offered.

  She snorted.

  “We want him to know that he’s not going to be able to jack with the evidence.”

  “We have copies,” Tori offered. “If they change it, we have proof.”

  Even better.

  Tori was staring at her when the room began wavering. This was a bad time to get sucked under.

  A very bad t
ime.

  Only, she didn’t have a choice. Sometimes, she could fight it, and sometimes, she didn’t have a choice. It looked like this was going to be one of those times.

  Bethany was pulling the strings.

  Man!

  Explaining this to Elizabeth was going to suck.

  As the gray swirled around her, Tori felt the darkness closing around her. The tumble began, as she felt her body sinking deeper and deeper into the place where the dead hung out.

  Tori was having a meeting.

  And it was definitely against her will.

  Chapter Twelve

  W hen she came to, she was totally disorientated. The fall was normally a pain in the ass, but this one felt like she’d fallen so far into her mind, she’d never find her way out. It was bizarre. Tori didn’t like it.

  At all.

  As she opened her eyes, nothing looked familiar. While she knew she was really in her office, she wasn’t now. The place was warm, comfortable, and looked like the inside of a cabin. The beads, feathers, and Native blankets threw her for a loop.

  She was confused.

  “Hello, Victoria Littlemoon.”

  She stared at the older man. The minute she gazed into his warm brown eyes, saw the long braids, and the aged familiar face, she knew where she was.

  Oh, she recognized him all right.

  From a funeral.

  It had been Elizabeth, Ethan, and Callen’s grandfather’s funeral. She’d attended out of respect for her boss when the man had died. She hadn’t known them personally then, but…

  Okay, she was weirded out.

  Apparently, any old spirit could pull her under. Tori didn’t like that at all.

  He pointed to the couch. “Have a seat. We need to talk about a few things.”

  Tori wasn’t afraid of the dead. They lived all around them. Well, maybe not lived, but they were always there. It was part of life, so she didn’t freak out.

  “Mr. Blackhawk.”

  The older man laughed. “You may call me Timothy. I know how much my sweet Elizabeth loves you. That makes us family. You’re hers, so that makes you mine.”

  “Uh, where are my dead?” she asked. “Trey and Bethany are usually here with me.”

  “Let’s just say they are detained.”

  She stared at him. “You detained my spirit guides?”

  How was that possible? Bethany was old. She’d been dead a long time, but Timothy Blackhawk hadn’t been gone more than five years—six at the most.

  He read her mind. “I’m a shaman, young lady. I’ve been able to traverse in and out of this world in my tipi, so why not when I’ve passed? Spirit walking was kind of my thing.”

  Okay, he had a point.

  What did she know?

  “Why are you in my head?” she asked. “It’s not that I mind, since Elizabeth is my best friend, but I hope not everyone can do this. That’s going to be…irritating.”

  He laughed.

  “I imagine it would be.”

  “Well? Why?”

  “I see why you and my Elizabeth are friends. You’re bossy like her. I like you, Victoria Rose Christensen-Littlemoon. I like you a lot.”

  Two teacups appeared.

  “Still, why?”

  “I’m here because my grandson made one hell of a mess, and my granddaughter didn’t help the situation out either. I need to talk to her, and when I followed her into your building…let’s just say the rest was history. Plus, the dead around you talk a lot.”

  She was aware.

  Then it hit her. “What do they talk about?”

  “You. You’re a powerful medium, and I need to speak to Elizabeth. You’re my way to do that.”

  She was horrified.

  “The dead are telling more dead that I can hear them?” she asked.

  That couldn’t be good.

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Oh shit. My husband is going to flip his shit all over the place when he hears that,” Tori admitted, taking the teacup from the man before her.

  “Yes, he will. Native men are very protective. Unfortunately, they tend to be stubborn and have tempers too.”

  “Yeah, we noticed. Elizabeth isn’t handling the ‘separation’ well from her bossy Native.”

  “And that is why I’m here. You are a good friend for her. I know Elizabeth loves you, and I could trust you to help me.”

  “I love her too. What do you need me to do? Surely, if they get divorced, I can’t stop it.”

  He frowned. “I don’t like that word.”

  Tori got chilly.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  He leaned forward and patted her hand. “Victoria, I’m not upset with you. I’m upset that they have a mess coming, and they can’t be divided like this. I need to speak to her.”

  “She’s not going to believe I can talk to the dead. I haven’t told her.”

  “I know, but she needs to learn that there is more out there than what she sees. I think if you tell her about this, she’ll be more open. Be gentle.”

  Tori sighed.

  “I can’t talk for you,” she stated. “If you want to talk to her then she needs a channel. You’re looking at my gift. I get pulled under, and when my spirit guide talks, I can sometimes hear her.”

  “Ah, yes, Bethany. Right now, they don’t even know I have you. They were busy.”

  “Busy? My bodyguard brother missed you swiping me?” she asked, laughing. “What was he doing?”

  “Having very interesting sex.”

  “God! Stop. Say nothing more, Timothy. He’s my brother. That’s gross.”

  He laughed and sipped his tea.

  “Can do.”

  “Back to telling Elizabeth,” Tori began. “I have a friend.”

  He cut her off. “Nyx will do.”

  “Um, she’s got some issues…”

  “She’s got a shit mess. There’s a demon floating around in your office, and she’s going to keep killing. People shouldn’t mess with things they do not understand.”

  The room shook in anger.

  “Woah! Don’t kill the messenger,” she said, when her teacup rattled.

  “I’m sorry. I just know what’s coming, and this message is important.”

  She got it.

  “I need you to keep me a secret until a little later. When the time is right, I’ll come through. Just tell her about your gift, and go from there.”

  Tori wasn’t sure if not telling Elizabeth that Timothy was waiting to speak to her was a good idea.

  “If she asks, be honest. If she doesn’t, give me time.”

  Tori could do that. “Okay, I’m going back,” she offered. “You realize she’s going to ask questions, right?”

  He laughed. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be my Elizabeth,” he admitted. “I love her for a reason, and that’s it.”

  Tori stood. “See you later, Timothy.”

  When she closed her eyes, she took a deep breath and was back. She could feel her husband holding her up, and she could hear Elizabeth.

  “What do you mean this is normal?” she asked. “People shouldn’t look like zombies. I’m pretty sure that’s the damn opposite of normal, Jules.”

  Tori opened her eyes. “Hey.”

  Elizabeth was staring at her like she was ready to call for an ambulance.

  Well, the fun began.

  “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”

  “I’m good, but…”

  She stared at her. “But what?”

  “I have a confession to make.”

  “Uh, what?” she asked, her icy blue eyes meeting Tori’s stormy blue ones.

  “I can talk to the dead. I’m a medium.”

  The room went silent.

  Everyone held their breath, waiting for the ridicule to begin—like always.

  “Elizabeth? Did you hear me?” she asked.

  “Oh, I heard you.”

  “And?”

  “Since you’re a medium,
I want to talk to Timothy Blackhawk because I know he’s here,” she stated. “I can feel him lurking around me, and I can smell his special blend of herbs all the time.”

  That wasn’t what Tori had expected.

  And that didn’t make it any easier.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Washington DC.

  It didn’t take Ethan long to find him.

  After all, if he couldn’t find one person hiding in DC, what good was he as the head of the FBI?

  So, when he cancelled his mid-morning appointments, and he sought the man out, it was with his entourage in tow. They refused to let him take his Mustang and handle this by himself. No, he wasn’t allowed to eat crow alone.

  He needed an audience.

  Yeah, he wouldn’t miss this when he was finally only the Deputy Director again. That day couldn’t come soon enough.

  When he’d been given Chris’s address, he wasn’t shocked by the location. It seemed that the man hadn’t ever given up his brownstone near where Elizabeth had once lived.

  That sounded about right.

  Of course the man would return to the scene of the crime. The place likely offered the sense of security he needed, now that Ethan had lost his temper and hurt his family.

  He didn’t blame Chris for hiding.

  He would have too.

  As the Lincoln pulled up to the curb, Ethan told the team to stay behind. When they gave him the look, he didn’t care. It wasn’t like the man was going to jump him.

  For Christ’s sake, this was Doctor Leonard. What was he going to do? Hit him with his cane?

  Besides, if the man did take a shot at him, he deserved it. The least he could do was protect Chris from his security detail. One false move, and they’d jump him.

  They were out of control like that.

  After everything that had happened, Ethan didn’t hate the man at all. He got it, and he wanted everything to go back to the way it was before his irrational meltdown.

  He wanted his family back.

  Heading up the steps, Ethan knocked on the glass door and waited. First, Ethan saw Bethe. She was pressed to the glass and trying to see out. Then there was Chris, scooping her up and hesitating as he tried to decide if he was going to open the door.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  The door opened only so far, and the chain was left on, as if Chris was trying to protect himself. That said it all.