Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) (12 page)

Callen laughed. “Ah, it’s like having Elizabeth right here with us. Quick! Someone salute.”

They all did, and it even made the directors laugh.

Ethan appreciated their support. He was well aware they had a damn fine team and no one there had a bigoted bone in their bodies. Now, if only he could say that about the outside world, life would be so much easier.

“What do you want us to do?” Chris asked, leaning on his silver skull head cane. It had been a present from Elizabeth.

Ethan saw him favoring his one leg, so he glanced down at his watch.

“We’re going to do something totally different tonight. We’re going to lock up the bodies and head to the hotel as a group. I suggest you order pizza and stay in. Tomorrow, we’ll hit this up with fresh eyes. Callen and I will be out in the field the majority of the day. That’s going to mean that Agents Madden and Seaton will be doing paperwork in-house, as they act as your babysitters.”

When Ethan looked over at the two agents, they both nodded. He liked working with them because they generally did their jobs well, didn't cause any commotion, and blended in with the rest of the team.

Next, he glanced over at Jaxon.

“You’re going to have two choices, Doctor. You can play with the bodies, or you can help with the paperwork. I know that you’re not into the fleshy, so I’ll leave that up to you.”

She was grateful that he was giving her the choice.

“I’m hell on paperwork.”

Agent Seaton grinned. “Thank God someone is, because my current paperwork partner is cranky.”

Johanna Madden elbowed him.

“See?” he teased.

Ethan shook his head. “Since I opted to keep the sheriff in the dark, we’re going to have to scour the internet to find anything we can on the three victims. I’d start with the local papers, news stations, or local college sites. See if anything mentions a person who disappeared. Somewhere, there may be a reference to one of them. I can’t ask for the missing person reports, or he’s going to know something is up. We’re going in blind and with both hands tied behind our backs.”

Callen reassuringly patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll manage. We always do.”

He appreciated his brother’s optimism. Callen was definitely the team cheerleader.

Tony and Chris took over, making sure everything was secured, including the bodies. When Meredith offered up some locks, like the ones they would use to contain the evidence locker, it made everyone feel a little more secure.

Granted, they could be cut through, but at least local people might think twice about messing with the victims to get a sneak peek.

When everything was secure, only then did they head out.

In the Denali, Callen touched his brother on the arm, getting his attention. “It’s going to be okay, bro. Don’t worry about it.”

That was easier said than done.

Ethan Blackhawk thrived on control, and at that moment, he had none.

“Time will tell, Cal. Time will tell.”

                               *    *    *

Tuesday Night

She was a party girl.

An out of control, live on the edge, get drunk, get high kind of girl, and God help him, but he wanted her. The minute he saw her in town, he knew.

She was perfect.

Petite.

Black wavy hair.

Sweet blue eyes.

She had to be the one. He was going to take it as his sign and swoop her up before some other man did. She was wandering around just asking to be brought home to be a wife.

He could see it now.

She’d be the ideal woman for him.

Taking her was easy. All it took was creeping up to her under the cover of darkness as she stumbled back to her house. Once at the steps, she fell, passing out.

Luckily for him, no one was home.

Here, fate had delivered him the woman who would be his bride. How lucky could he get?

Tossing her over his shoulder, he gently placed her in the front seat. He didn't take the time to belt her in because he wanted her head in his lap.

It felt more…intimate.

It made their first moments together special.

This was almost like something two lovers would do after a night out on a date.

“Oh, Magdalene, I’ve wanted you for a long time. I can’t believe that you agreed to be my wife. I promise that you’ll have a good life, and I’ll keep you locked away and safe. No one will ever bother you again,” he vowed. “You’re going to be my secret treasure and the mother of our children.”

Running his fingers through her hair, he pictured how blissful their wedding night would be.

It was going to be magic, and it would start as soon as they got back to his place.

Tonight was the night.

When he pulled into the driveway, he continued talking to her. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the other women in my past. I’ll be honest. I really liked my ex. She was pretty spectacular, but I couldn’t keep her. She was too wild. I tried to break that streak, but I couldn’t do it, so instead, I had to break her. I know you won’t be like that, Magdalene. After all, you’re perfect and sent from heaven above to be my angel.”

He parked the vehicle and hustled over to her side. Yanking the door open, he pulled her to her feet. Immediately, her eyes popped open, and she began mumbling.

“Going…to…be...”

He bent her over as she sicked up the booze and drugs still swimming in her body. “After our wedding night, I’ll get you some food. Do you like pizza, Magdalene?” he asked, holding her hair as she continued to retch in his grass.

His heart ached as she purged. He didn't want to see his new wife sick.

“Poor baby,” he muttered, leaving her kisses on the back of her neck. “I’ll take really good care of you,” he promised.

When she was finished, he lifted her into his arms.

“Who are you?” she asked, barely able to keep her head up. It lolled back, dropping against his shoulder.

He grinned wickedly as he held her close. “I’m your husband. I’m the man who will be taking care of you for the rest of your life.”

If the words registered, she didn't make any move to escape. It pleased him. “See? I knew you’d be the one,” he stated, taking her inside his home. “I had a feeling that you’d stay and not fight me like the others.”

Once inside, he carried her around, showing his new bride the place. Granted, it wasn’t as big as hers, but it would do—at least for now—until they could build their life together. His father raised his family here, and now he would too.

“Here we are,” he sang, placing her body on the mattress in his spare room. Immediately, he began taking off her clothes.

“While you’re my wife, you can’t dress like this, Magdalene. It’s not appropriate, especially when you’re pregnant. I don’t want the mother of my children looking like a common whore. While seeing you in these clothes turns me on, our babies should have a good, wholesome woman to call mom. So, I prohibit you to wear anymore slutty things. ”

Then, he paused, thinking about what he just said. With a lecherous laugh, he continued, “Unless it’s going to be in our bedroom. Then you can dress like this for me all you want. In fact, I insist.”

She didn't say a word as he stripped her. Magdalene remained motionless and as still as death.

This was all he wanted in life.

It was what his father strived for and never found.

But he had!

Yes!

She was finally here. He’d found his wife.

When she was naked and her wrists and ankles were bound to the bed, he stripped too.

“Normally, I’d wait until you were more eager to please me, but I want to get a baby in that body of yours. It’s time to be lush and have a child for me, honey.”

Climbing onto the bed, he couldn’t help but run his hands across her alluring flesh.

He couldn’t wait any longer. This was the happiest night of his life. With bringing her home, his life was about to begin. They were going to have a bright future together.

He was sure of it.

After admiring what was now his, he didn't hesitate to continue the evening’s plan. Needing no invitation, he forced his way into her body, claiming his bride.

It was heavenly.

While tonight she was hiding in unconsciousness, tomorrow, he wouldn’t allow it. The training would begin.

The next twenty years would be amazing, and he knew it. As he pounded into her body, he was focused on one thing.

He couldn’t wait to be a daddy.

Now that he was a married man, the fun was about to begin...

                               *    *    *

After arriving back at the hotel, they got their keys and Ethan made sure that each and every one of their team was tucked in for the night. He wasn’t taking any chances with the people who relied on them. The last thing he needed was to pile on a mess.

While they all ordered their dinners, staying locked in their rooms, Ethan Blackhawk did what he did best—
worked
.

Sitting at the table, he scrolled through his tablet, auto signing all the paperwork that his administrative assistant had sent to him. Ginny must have been in the mood to take it easy on him. There was less than normal.

Maybe it was his lucky day.

After that, he got into his black pajama bottoms and slid into one of the king size beds. Callen was on the other, staring at the ceiling. He’d been that way for the last twenty minutes.

Blackhawk wondered if he should intervene.

Whenever he was stressed, Ethan enjoyed silence. It gave him the opportunity to work through it in his own time. Ethan was well aware that Callen was the opposite. He was a talker. Although burdened himself, Ethan had the overwhelming need to help the man he loved get through this.

Hitting the light switch to flood the room with darkness, he could still see his brother in the moonlight.

“What are you thinking about?” Ethan asked.

“Her.”

He assumed that he meant their wife. “Lyzee?”

“Yes.”

“Want to talk about it?” Ethan offered. Their woman was on his mind too. In fact, he had just sent out a silent wish to their grandfather to make her appear. When he opened his eyes, she wasn’t there, so that took care of that little fantasy.

“Today something happened.”

Ethan rolled to his side to listen. “Go on. I’m here for you, Callen.”

Without skipping any details, Callen shared the tale of the horny anthropology student.

“Were you tempted?” Ethan asked. “You are only human, Callen. We went from daily sex to nothing, so I can understand.”

He looked horrified that his brother thought that little of him to assume he would even contemplate it.

“Never mind,” he muttered, rolling over. There was his past, once more, staring him in the face. It hurt that his own brother would believe he’d break the vows he made to Elizabeth.

“You can tell me anything. You’re my blood, Cal,” Ethan offered. “If I upset you, I’m sorry.”

Callen let the anger swamp him. “I wouldn’t ever cheat on Elizabeth. I would die first. I’m more upset that I can’t function. I feel off balance, and anymore I’m scared all the time. I thought that by facing my past, seeing Doctor Gaines, and fighting those demons, it would heal me. Instead, I feel a million times worse.”

Now Ethan got it.

“I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong assumption, Cal. I can only tell you from my experience that it does get better. When you dig down into the festering wounds, they bleed more. You’re ripping off that protective scab and getting down to the damage again. They never really healed before. They were still infected, but you didn't know it. Now, they’ll heal the right way, but in their own time.”

“I miss her. I miss Elizabeth so damn much that I want to weep over it. I couldn’t imagine losing her. How would I face each day? I look at my son and see her. There’s that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. It’s the same one she gets when she’s ready to hurt someone for being a jackwagon.”

Ethan laughed. “Yeah, CJ gets it too, right before he clocks his brother. It’s a thing of beauty.”

“I want to hold her, tell her I love her, and wash away all these feelings that are brewing in me. I feel lost, defiled, and so broken. She left before I could heal. I needed her to get through this, and now she’s gone.”

“You’re angry.”

He was.

“She abandoned me when I needed her. She promised me she never would, Ethan. Now, she’s gone. I can’t do this alone. I’m not strong enough.”