Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) (75 page)

“Yes,
you do.” The doctor didn’t have to tell Elizabeth what it all meant, it was unspoken between them, and yet they all understood. Jonathan Delray fathered a child with his own sister.

“This is going to be an ugly thing to swallow,” said Elizabeth.

Chris Leonard spoke, “Do you want me to tell her?” He knew that if she was related to Jonathan Delray, then she was going to be a match to Vincent Delray, who was on Desdemona’s list of men she had sexual relations with.

“I’ll go tell her now. Keep the tech team in the lab until I call you. We’re going to have another DNA sample inc
oming. I’m heading over to the church as soon as it’s daylight. I noticed on the church sign they have prayer meetings at eight a.m. I imagine the minister will be there for that.” Elizabeth hung up the phone and climbed out of bed.

“
This whole thing is just a nasty mess,” stated Whitefox. “Are you sure you don’t want me to be the one that tells her?” he offered.

Elizabeth shook her head. “Trust me
on this one, Cal. This is going to be more palatable from someone she never had sex with. I think I’m the best option here. Plus she’s going to be angry. It’s best I be the target on this one. The things she can say to you are going to hurt more than anything she can say to me.”

Whitefox
didn’t enjoy that Elizabeth was willing to be the bull’s-eye for the woman’s anger.

“You better shower first, baby,” added her husband. “You look like you just rolled out of bed with two men,” and he pointed at hi
s brother. “That’s a sore point, and no need to rub that in today.”

“I planned on it.” Elizabeth dropped her destroyed panties into the garbage can and headed into the shower. Now
, she needed to figure out how she was going to tell the woman who used to be her friend that she and her sister both were involved in an incestuous relationship. And it was probably what got Cordelia Adare killed.

When the bathroom door closed, Whitefox looked over at his brother. “Do you have a really bad feeling about today
? I just happened to get this sick feeling in my gut.”

Blackhawk thought back to all the times he felt just like he did right then. Everything was coming to a head, and he knew the shit was about to hit the fan
.

“Yeah, I have the same feeling.”

“What do we do about it?”

Blackhawk climbed out of bed and slipped into his boxers. “We shower, we go get the minister, and we don’t let her out of sight for any reason.”

“That’s going to piss her off.”

Blackhawk didn’t doubt that for a single second. “I’ll risk her anger and an ass kicking to make sure she stays safe. How about you?”

“I think it’s a good thing we have two couches at home. We’re both going to be riding them for a while, if she gets wind of this.”

“There’s no doubt about that.”

                                
*   *   *

Elizabeth Blackhawk stared down at her watch, and it was just after five a.m. It was a whole five minutes later than the last time she glanced down. Notifying a person of a death early in the morning was standard practice as a law official, but this was a whole new game for her, and it didn’t sit well in her stomach.

What she was going to tell Desdemona Adare was going to affect her life,
and change it forever. Knocking on the door, she stepped back and waited.

The knock on the door pulled Desdemona from her deep sleep. At five a.m. it couldn’t be anything good, but then she tried to talk herself into being positive. Maybe there was a break in the case, or Callen was finally sick of warming Elizabeth’s bed. That idea made her smile, and then w
hen she checked the peep hole, everything in her stopped. Nope, it wasn’t Callen, but the woman that stole him away. Elizabeth Blackhawk knocking this early wasn’t going to be a social call.

This was all
going to be really bad news.

Opening the door, she squinted into the light from the hallway. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I come in? We need to talk about something, and it’s important or I wouldn’t be here at this early.”

Desdemona stepped back and gave the woman access to her room. “What’s it about?”

“I’m here because of you and your sister. We found your biological father.”

She inhaled sharply.
“You found my father? How is that possible?” Now she was confused. “You were looking for him?”

“Not quite, we just happened on DNA evidence and located him.”

“Okay, who is it?”

“Desdemona, I need
you to sit down. What I need to tell you isn't going to be the greatest news on the planet, and it’s going to sting. Please know that I’m sorry that I have to be the one that tells you any of this, but I figured it would be best coming from me.”

Immediately she sat, and braced for the worst impact possible. She was going to tell he
r she found her father, but he was dead and she’d never get to meet him. “Okay, go ahead.”

“We used your mother’s journal to figure it out. We went to the local church and found that your mom had a long term affair with a man there. He fathered both you and your sister. It was a secret
relationship.”

“Okay. So my mom slept around. I’m the product of a loose woman. I’ll get over that.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to convey to you.”

Oh boy, for Elizabeth to be hesitating this was going to completely suck. “I’m ready.”
That was probably the second biggest lie that she had ever told in her life. The first was about her being fine with Callen being close to Elizabeth.

“You have two
more sisters and two brothers.”

Desdemona
smiled. “I’m not alone?” This was the best news ever. Now she had a family of her own and didn’t need to worry about losing the Blackhawks. This was what she always wanted, to not be alone and to belong. Finally she’d found a place of her own in life.

“Your father had a separate life
because he was a married man at the time of the affairs.” Here it came, there wasn’t going to be an easy way to tell her. “Your father is Jefferson Delray.”

The name hit its mark
and both women went absolutely still, but for very different reasons. One was in shock, the other bracing for the blowback from the grenade she just lobbed.

Desdemona actually flinched
, as it seeped into the mind and became a reality. “You’re telling me that Holly, Ivy, Jonathan and Vinny are my siblings? That their father is also my biological father?”

“Yes.”

Now the horror rushed her full force and she stood. “I had sex with Vinny in high school.” She began to back away from Elizabeth, as her stomach began to roll with the knowledge.

“I know
, Desdemona. At Cordelia’s doctor appointment, she was worried about the baby and requested genetic testing. When she found the journal, she must have pieced it all together. Shortly after finding out the truth about the baby being her brother’s child, she stopped seeing him and was killed.”

“Oh my God
! We both had sex with our brothers.”

“We
have reason to believe that’s what ultimately got her killed.”

Now it got worse. “You think my father killed my mother and sister?”

Elizabeth believed Jefferson Delray killed her mother, but the sister part was still up in the air. That was something they still needed to prove, and tie it together. “I’m going to bring him in and do the interview this morning. If he did have anything to do with it, I promise to let you know.”

“
I can’t handle this on top of everything else! I think I’m going to be sick,” she blurted, racing for the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

It reminded Elizabeth of another conversati
on they shared once before, regarding the stalker that was chasing her all over the country. The bathroom door this time was locked, and Elizabeth didn’t try to get access. Moving back to the bed, she sat and waited, giving the woman time to adjust to the truth she’d just been handed. It may have been the ugliest form of truth, but it was still truth.

Desdemona sat on the bathroom floor after retching everything from her body. She couldn’t believe the things she was hearing. Her father killed her mother, and her brothers had been in both her and Cordelia’s beds. Desdemona thought back to the boy she had sex with in high school. He was her first. At the memory, she began sobbing.

Forever would that loss of virginity remind her of the cold hard truth; she’d had sex with her brother.
The sweet memories of first love were now tainted with something ugly and hideous and hardened her heart even more. Never again did she want that feeling of intimacy. Love was now officially dead to her forever.

Her whole body shook
in grief and anger. This all had to be a lie!

Then came the
resentment, bitterness and anger towards the woman who delivered the news. Standing from the bathroom floor she pulled the door open and found her boss sitting on her bed. Elizabeth was sitting so casually, like this was just another conversation on another day, on another assignment. “You have to be wrong about all of this, or you’re just playing with me to torture me!”

Elizabeth
stood. “We ran the DNA. Doctor Leonard did the testing this morning before I came here. I wouldn’t tell you any of this if I wasn’t completely sure of the facts.”

Desdemona felt the
fury building. “Right and you wouldn’t enjoy it either, right? You and Callen have already destroyed my life, and now this? You both are sadistic and horrible human beings.”

Elizabeth took the anger, expected it, and willingly carried it on her shoulders alone.
This was exactly why she wouldn’t allow Callen to tell the woman. “You’re angry and that I get, but we wouldn’t do this to anyone, no matter what we felt towards them. If you believe that, then you shouldn’t be working for me or near me.”

Desdemona seethed
in rage. “You’re right.” She went to the table and grabbed her gun and badge.

Immediately, Elizabeth went on alert, as the woman returned to stand before her. She didn’t trust anyone
that mad, who was holding a gun. Too many people took it too far in the heat of an argument.

“Here, take it and get the fuck out of my life. Take your faithful besotted Indian sidekick
s and go. I never want to see you, or them again.”

Elizabeth swallowed her
own nasty comment, and simply held out her hand for the gun and the badge. “I get that you’re mad, Desdemona, but really, tread lightly about what comes out of your mouth next. I’ve ass kicked bigger people for commenting on my husband’s heritage. You know I’ll beat you down for thinking and saying them about Callen too.”

“He wasn’t off limits when he was mine
, and you made sure of that. I sincerely hope he breaks your heart, like he destroyed mine. Karma would be nice right about now. I pray you come home and find him in bed with someone else and your entire life falls apart around you. Apparently, Indians can’t keep it in their fucking pants, and it’s only a matter of time. You were supposed to be my friend, despite Callen! Where’s the girlfriend code now?”

Now
, Elizabeth was losing control. “Give me your gun and badge, and then pack your shit and get out of here. You think I’m going to let you disparage them and then stay here on the FBI dime? We came here to help you, and you’ve made it difficult from the start. I’m sorry that you found out upsetting news, but we didn’t do any of this to you. I came to protect you by telling you personally, but I should have sent a tech to do the deed. You don’t deserve compassion Desdemona, you deserve me to kick your ungrateful ass back into the swamp!”

“Oh, I’m sure you would too. You’re big, bad Elizabeth Blackhawk
, and you do whatever the fuck you want in life, despite the consequences.”

“You really don’t know me, do you? This is just proof that you never deserved me offering you the girlfriend code. This is on you too, Desdemona. You’re just too damn mad right now to see it.”

She closed her fist and was so close to striking her boss again. Everything in her said do it, and she really wanted to let the rage free and hurt someone. “I don’t need your protection or your help, and I sure as hell don’t want your compassion or pity.”

Elizabeth walked past her. “It’s too late for that, Doctor Adare.
I feel compassion for everyone that’s been a victim, including you. I plan on finding justice for your sister and mother. I’ll do my job and then I’ll get on the flight back home. Enjoy your life, Desdemona. I’ll be taking my ‘besotted Indian sidekicks’ and getting out of here, as soon as this is done.” She opened the door and stepped out, slamming closed that part of her life forever.

“I won’t ever contact any of you again!”
Desdemona screamed after her in indignation. “I don’t need any of you, and especially the brothers you picked up on that fucking cesspool reservation. Keep them!”