Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) (47 page)

Elizabeth
nodded, and then began studying the report. “In twenty five years they’ve had three reports filed. One was Trinity Adare; one was a Jennifer Dorsey, who later was found. She turned out to be a teenage runaway, and then Cordelia Adare.”

“Okay, so that tells us
we don’t have a serial killer,” said Blackhawk. His phone started beeping and he pulled it off his belt and handed it to his wife as he drove.

“Tech reports are in
, boys. Doctor Leonard has them at the ME office. That looks to be our next stop then.” Elizabeth sent a text message back alerting them that they were on their way.

Callen sat in the back of the vehicle thinking about the two people in the front
of him. Something was on his mind, and he glanced up into the mirror, his eyes met his brother’s and then he looked away.

Pulling into the ME office lot, Blackhawk parked. “
Lyzee, head on in, because I need to talk to Callen for a minute.”

Elizabeth nodded, and figured
that had something to do with the look on his brother’s face. She hopped out and hustled across the lot to the door.

Blackhawk waited until the door was closed and looked back at his brother. “Spill it.”

“What?” he was caught off guard. “Spill what?”

Ethan knew his
brother; they’d grown up together, raised hell together, and got arrested together because they were two of a kind. The look on his face was something he understood.

“You're thinking about something
. It’s not work related or you’d spill it. That means it’s Elizabeth or it’s Desdemona related. If it’s the latter you would have again just told us or me at least, and that leaves me with the last option standing; Elizabeth.”

“I want to ask you something, but don’t get mad at me.
It has the potential to cross a big line, and I want to just throw it out there for you and me to discuss rationally.”

“
What could you be so worried about throwing out there? You’re already in love with Elizabeth and sleeping with her.”

Whitefox thought back to the time he reconnected with his brother and realized he was head over heels in love with Elizabeth, but he kept it to himself. S
o much had happened in so little time.

“What Doctor Magnus said earlier, about brothers in some tribes marrying the same
woman? I need to know how you feel about that.”

Ethan figured they’d be having this conversation eventually. He didn’t think it’d be on day one. Again, he was married to Elizabeth on day four himself, so who was he to judge
? Already he’d pondered how much he was willing to share Elizabeth with Callen. Could he share her as another man’s wife too, just not on paper? “I think that those societies did what was best for the unit at a whole. When a brave went off to war, chances were he’d die. He’d always want his wife and child protected.” The irony was he’d thought the same exact thing about him and the FBI.

Whitefox didn’t know how to continue.

“Are you telling me this because you feel like marrying Elizabeth? Because I need to remind you that though we’re Native and can claim ethnic rights, it’s not going to fly working for the Federal government. Not on paper, anyway.”

“Okay.”

Blackhawk saw his brother’s face and it squeezed his heart.

Callen figured he’d just put it out on the table for them to face together.
“I’m asking because I have grandma’s ring, and I’d like Elizabeth to wear it.” He blurted it out hoping the man wouldn’t be pissed. He knew he was sharing his wife, his life and family. Now he wanted to give Elizabeth the ring that should have rightfully been hers in the first place. It wasn’t only because she was heading the family, but because she owned his heart.

Ethan understood why his brother was so worried. He
fully expected him to say something and put up a fight. Timothy’s words replayed in his mind over and over and so did Tony Magnus’s words. “I say give it to her. You may not be able to make it legal, but I’m sure she’ll love that you thought to give it to her. I think that’s what matters here.”

“You don’t mind?” he asked, quietly. “She
’s your wife, not mine.”

Ethan Blackhawk waited until he looked up into his eyes. “I’m letting you have half of her
Callen, for as long as you need her, and us. If your heart tells you to give it to her, follow your heart. Isn't that what granddad wanted you to learn from all this? As for the other ring, it’s at home in our safe. I think you should contemplate wearing it. If you're giving her a ring that symbolized commitment, then you need to wear the other one and make the same vow.”

His brother was making a big sacrifice for him.
No, big was giving him his car. This was monumental.

“If you put it on
her finger, be prepared for people to make speculations and observations. Don’t think the tech team won’t notice her wearing the ring Desdemona once had on, and you wearing the matching one. If you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the fire. Once she wears it, we won’t be able to stay private.”

Callen thought about it. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he stated it with complete certainty. “I only care what you and Elizabeth think.
I’m willing to ‘come out of the closet’ so to speak.”

“
Then give it to her, but trust me and make it memorable. You don’t want to just hand our girl that ring. It recently belonged to her friend, so you need to erase that memory with a new one. You need to make it special. Hey! Do it over a dead body,” he teased and then got out of the vehicle.

“Nice. Great help you are
, Mr. Romance.”

“I
think I’m being pretty helpful. You are sleeping with my wife,” he said, laughing. “What do you need next? My kidneys?”

Whitefox stopped his brother and hugged him. “Thank you
, Ethan. I love you.”

Blackhawk hugged his brother back. He swore he heard his grandfather’s laughter at that moment, as a reminder he was always with t
hem. “You're welcome, Cal. Now, I’m going to get Elizabeth all riled up. Watch and enjoy the Lyzee show.”

“How?”

Ethan Blackhawk grinned. “Easy. I’m going to have Doctor Leonard examine her shoulder.”

Whitefox fist bumped his brother. “Awesome!”

Elizabeth sat on the metal table not occupied by the bodies of Trinity Adare, and as she just found out, Cordelia Adare. They had two members of Doctor Adare’s family back in their hands. Someone had to tell the doctor that her sister wasn’t coming home, and her mother didn’t abandon them as children. Someone stole her away too soon.

That task was going to suck, and she dreaded making
Callen carry it alone.

“What are we waiting for?” asked
Chris Leonard, staring at her, as she was staring at the bones they’d cleaned.

“The Cowboy and his sidekick,” she
answered, still lost in thought.

“I heard that,” replied her husband
, walking through the doorway. “And he’s more your sidekick than mine. Callen was my tail as a kid. We did it up plenty of times and are prohibited in a few states from having that affiliation anymore.”

“I think it’s unfa
ir he’s the Cowboy, you're the Sheriff and I don’t have an official nickname,” he stated, grinning wickedly.

“Cal, we discussed this, the only title left is Indian, and it just doesn’t fit,” she said, snickering.

“Oh, you're funny. Hey Doc, she hurt her shoulder, and she needs it checked out right now.”

Her mouth dropped open
and Elizabeth didn’t know what to say.

“Oh my
God! She doesn’t have a reply. We actually caught her off guard,” Whitefox said, teasing.

His brother shook his head. “Son, if you knew what you just did
.” Ethan then started laughing. “You should have let me take the heat on this one.”

Chris Leonard
watched the three of them together and saw the connection from one to the other and back again. They made a very tight unit, and he was fascinated. He almost wished they would agree to let Doctor Magnus study them. There was no doubt in his mind they were a fully functioning couple.

Elizabeth was standing with her back to
the doctors and mouthed her reply to him.
‘NO sex for you tonight.’

Whitefox swallowed and his brother started laughing and patted him on the back. “Anyway,
Doc. We need her shoulder checked out. She had a run in with a car today and the ground,” he said, then told the man about what happened.

“Certainly,” he looked over at Tony Magnus. “Can you step out and keep the techs in there?”

“Can do.”

Elizabeth looked pissed. “This isn't needed. I’m just scraped up and
perfectly fine.” She watched Tony leave. Damn it to hell!

“Take your shirt off.”

“What?” she demanded. “I’m not taking my shirt off.”

Doctor Leonard grinned. “I can have Mr. Whitefox step out of the room, if that’s the problem.”
Chris had her pinned in a corner on this one, and he was laughing at the look on her face.

If she made him leave, it would hurt his feelings and imply they weren’t sleeping together. If she let him stay, Doctor Leonard would
have the confirmation he’d been wanting. Now she had to make a quick decision. Glancing at her husband, his face was blank, and then Callen’s face was a mix of emotions.

“He stays.”

Whitefox grinned and hid it behind his hand. It still amazed him that a woman who was engaged to him would deny him in front of everyone, but a woman who could potentially damage her career wasn’t willing to hurt him. No matter what the cost. Love overwhelmed him.

Chris Leonard was genuinely surprised that she took that route, and he curiously stared at both men
. It was obvious that Ethan Blackhawk was amused. He really wanted to know more because curiosity was killing him.

“I hate that I’m getting topless in an autopsy room again, only with a different doctor and now more people.”

“Elizabeth, I did your rape kit. This is nothing,” said Doctor Leonard. “Just take off your top.”

“
We can go out, Lyzee,” offered Whitefox. He was willing to swallow it for her dignity. “Right Ethan?”

“Sure can, baby.” Ethan wouldn’t make his brother go out alone. They both stayed or went, but they did it together.

“It’s okay, guys. Doc Leonard isn't going to say a damn thing are you?” she said, unbuttoning her shirt. “Since you checked me out when I was pregnant, and did the kit on me, you're like my physician. Doctor patient confidentiality is applied to this situation.”

“Damn it!” he muttered. “I hate smart women,” he replied
, laughing when she got a fist bump from her husband.

“
Well played, Tex!”

Elizabeth dropped her shirt and stood facin
g the men in her life, in a bra and in autopsy. She did it once for her husband when they first met, and now with her brother-in-law, who was now her other sexual partner. She started laughing.

“What?” they all said.

“Nothing. Just my own little party and none of you are invited, thank you very much.” She winked at her husband, because he’d get it. He’d been there for this before.

“Roll your shoulder,” said Doc Leonard
, as he pushed his fingers into the blade of her shoulder.

T
he pain nearly took her to her knees. She actually staggered and both men went to catch her if she fell.

“Fuck me
! That hurt!” she muttered, tears filling her eyes.

“You landed on it, didn’t you
?” he asked, checking the abrasions down her side.

“Yeah, who would have thought that extra one hundred pounds of Doctor Adare would jack it up that bad.”

“I want to see you pull your gun and raise it as if you’re going to shoot someone.”

She looked right at Whitefox
, knowing where the doctor was heading with this. It no longer was entertaining, because now she was screwed royally.

Oh she’d like to shoot someone right in his very fine Native ass. She pulled her gun and popped the magazine and discharged the one from the chamber and placed it on the exam table
, and then re-holstered her side arm.

“Okay Elizabeth.”

She pulled her gun and couldn’t complete the full range of motion.

“You know I have to report th
is,” he said to her.

“To who? I’m half of the damn boss team.” Now she was pissed.

“You’re a liability in the field.” Doctor Leonard pulled an ice pack from the freezer and held it on her shoulder. “It’s FBI rules. You know that.”

Her jaw
clamped shut, and she looked straight forward, her eyes filling with tears. “Great, and now I’m a fucking liability. Thanks for that Doctor Leonard.”

Blackhawk saw
the emotions and needed to intervene. “Doc, she’s ambidextrous. She can fire just as well lefty. How about you let her show you, and then you go from there. If she pulls it off to your satisfaction, and she promises to wear her sidearm on the other side, will you let it slide?”