Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) (26 page)

Elizabeth didn't like the hurt on his face. “When I get home I’ll make her bleed just for you, Dad. I’ll kick her up and down the Rez for being a bitch.”

Wyler didn't miss a beat, “And that is why Elizabeth is my favorite,” he said laughing.

“Hey
! We can’t beat up a sixty year old woman. There are rules,” Callen stated.

“Is she coming back, Dad?” Ethan had to worry about the kids.
Could his father handle it alone? There were three small children at home with an older man.

“I have this. Your children are angels. They must get it from their mother.”

She snickered and gave both men a warning look to keep their lips zipped.

“If she doesn’t show up tomorrow, I’ll let you know. I think I
can handle it. Look at them now. CJ is eating Cat and EJ is face down on the floor.”

“What?” Callen shouted
in alarm.

Elizabeth and
Ethan started to laugh.

“Bro, you need to relax. He busts you all the time.
Do you really think that he would sit there calmly if they got hurt? Favorite or not, Elizabeth would hunt him down and skin him alive.”

Wyler laughed. “
Not likely, I’m her favorite too.”

“Dad, I’m going to email Ginny at FBI West. If you can’t handle it, she’ll head over and play with the kids or escort you and them into the daycare facility.”

“I can do this,” he reassured them. “Let me try.”

The three of them knew that
Wyler was trying to atone for his past and sins that haunted him. Abandoning his sons was his greatest regret in life, and he viewed his grandchildren as a second chance to rectify his selfishness. He damaged his boys, but he was going to protect their kids.

“Okay, Dad,” Callen
answered.

Just then two kids
began to cry.

“I have to go. The
bosses call! I love the three of you and can’t wait until you get home.” With that he signed out.

The three of them sat there mulling over everything that they’d just learned.

Finally, Elizabeth broke the silence. “Is anyone in the mood to do cartwheels that Bly might be gone for good?” she asked. “Or is it wrong to feel that way.”

Ethan laughed. “I’m okay with you getting all giddy over her departure.”

“Count me in. She had a mean streak. She washed three of my polo shirts with my red boxers, and on purpose,” Callen stated.

“We may have to hire a new housekeeper,” stated Elizabeth
, “and this time, I get to pick. You two did a shittastic job on the last one.”

Ethan wanted to point out one little thing
, “She was hired because of dad’s suggestion. We took one for the team, so that he could have pie on a regular basis.”

Callen snickered even more. “
Apparently a few times a day too.”

When Elizabeth went to make a comment, Ethan covered her mouth.

It bought Callen time to continue, “Well, now that he told Bly that she wasn’t becoming the next Mrs. Blackhawk, his rolling around naked days are long gone. That woman holds a wicked grudge.”

Today was turning out to have a far better ending than beginning. “Know what I’m in the mood for, boys?” she crooned, getting both of their attention.

“What?” they replied
at almost the same time.

“Pie.”

Callen wanted to be clear on her exact meaning. “Are we talking real pie or Blackhawk pie?”

She
wiggled her eyebrows lecherously.

Ethan didn't
hesitate. He pounced on Elizabeth and began kissing her. It was time to celebrate their freedom from their housekeeper’s reign of terror.

“Hey! Save me
some pie too,” Callen insisted as he began pulling off his clothes as his brother heated up Elizabeth for what was yet to come.

Blackhawk mumbled something into her neck.

“What?” Callen asked, taking his position beside them.

Elizabeth was laughing
as she translated his comment. “He said he really loves pie.”

Yeah, that made two of them.

Chris stood in the hallway, glaring at his watch. He couldn’t believe
that he got trapped at work until this late at night. He didn't get to have dinner with Cyra, or anything else that was on the agenda.

It almost made him want to weep.

He stood there, staring at her door. In his head, he was trying to figure out the proper method of apologizing for blowing off their date. He’d sent a text, but she never replied.

That wasn’t a good sign.

He turned and moved back towards his room as his heart filled with dejection. Then, he stopped. No, he was going to at least tell her he was sorry and explain what had happened. The last time he allowed space between them, he’s missed almost a year of having her in his life.

There was a l
esson to be learned from that one.

Walking to the door, he lightly tapped. If she was already asleep, he didn't want to wake her up.

When the door opened, she stood there in her pajamas and he swallowed. Never had anyone looked so sexy in pink plaid flannel and a tank top. “Cyra, I’m so damn sorry. I couldn’t leave the lab. It’s part of my job to assure that it runs smoothly. I know that I screwed up, and you’re probably incredibly pissed off at me, and I don’t blame you. I’ll let you go back to bed and see you in the morning.”

She
waited for him to finish. “Are you done, Christopher?”

He swallowed
and braced for the anger. “Yes.”

“I ordered us
a pizza, and I hope that you’re okay with it being cold. I went with pepperoni.”

He didn't know what to say.

Could he really be this fortunate?

Cyra
held out her hand and granted him access to her room. “We’re both going to have nights that we have to work late. I’m not mad at you Chris. It’s the element of the beast. You sent a text telling me you were stuck there and you still showed up as soon as you could. You didn't do anything that needs an apology.”

He’d either just got very lucky or this was a dream. Dropping his messenger bag, he kicked off his shoes.

“We can eat pizza in our jammies,” she stated before grinning wickedly at him. While he was at work, she had plenty of time to think about him. As she waited in her room alone, Cyra had plotted out a few scenarios that would push their relationship further, and she believed she’d come up with the perfect one.

He opened his mouth and then closed it. Chris liked to sleep naked, but he wasn’t going to say that. It was better to tell a little white lie on this one.
“Cyra, I sleep in my boxers.”

She started laughing
and enjoyed the flush that crept up his neck. “Well, if you want dinner, then I suggest you strip down to them. Are you chicken?” she dared, chewing on her lower lip as she fought not to giggle.

There was
no way in hell that he was going to over think this one. There was a beautiful woman, a pizza, and a bed. He was a smart man. It all added up to the same thing.

Sex.

Cyra was handing him the keys to the kingdom, and he wasn’t screwing this one up again.

Stripping, he tossed his clothes over a chair as she jumped onto the bed
to get comfortable. Before he finished, she’d had the pizza open and was waiting for him.

“All we need is beer.”

“Check the mini fridge.”

He’d died and gone to man heaven. This had to be a dream. Right now
, he was certainly asleep at the morgue and not really living this incredible moment.

He popped two open and handed her one. Joining Cyra, he took the pizza. “I’m glad you waited up
for me.”

Cyra wouldn’t have missed this moment for her
life. It was her plan to get him into bed, and even if this was far as it went, it was one step closer. At least they were progressing in the right direction.

It was hard to not stare at his body. Chris wasn’t ripped like some exercise fiend, but he was in really good shape. Cyra wa
nted to run her lips across the muscles on his hips.

“So, tell me about your family, Cyra,” Chris said
as he ate his pizza. “Do you have a big one?”

She sipped her beer
and tried to cool down from the lust induced fantasies bouncing around in her brain. “I have a brother and sister. When I was little my mom died of cancer, but my dad is still alive and remarried. So, yeah, we have a big group of Austins.”

He was glad
that she had a close circle. He’d always wanted siblings as a kid.

“How about you?” she inquired.

Chris didn't have much to say on this topic. “It’s just my mom. My parents ran away and got married really young. They had me before they were both twenty. As you can imagine, their families weren’t really pleased. When I was about four, my dad was out on a motorcycle and lost control. He died instantly. He was foolish and believed that a helmet cramped his style. After he died, my mom never remarried. She had a boyfriend here or there, but nothing long term.”

Cyra knew how it
felt to lose someone you loved. “I’m sorry, Chris.”

“
I was so young. I don’t really remember him all that much. I have photos, but that’s about it. Time heals, but it also fades the memories too.”

She touched his cheek in reassurance.

“Then my mom needed to escape and she took me as far from the family as possible. I was born on the west coast, but grew up out east, so moving out here to work at FBI West was like coming home.”

“It must have been hard
for her to raise a child alone.”

He started laughing. “Yeah, well my father was from a really wealthy family. When he died, my mother got his entire trust fund, so I didn't really have a hard life.
I was privileged enough to attend some great colleges and get a career in the medical field.”

She grinned. “I’m glad. Do you ever see the other part of your family?”

“No. When I came out here, my mother followed. She doesn’t assimilate well either. It may be hereditary,” he added, trying to not give away too much. There was a definite reason why she stood out, but he didn't think telling Cyra would make her want to be with him. Right now, he needed time to get her attached to the idea of being in his life.

Then he’d drop the bomb.

“Really?”

When she continued to press, he needed to give her something.
“My mom’s eclectic. We’re kind of the outcasts of the family. Her mostly, but I’m the offspring from her and my father’s union.”

Cyra couldn’t understand why. Here was a sexy, handsome,
and smart man. How that could even be considered something unappealing, was surprising.

“Why a cop?” he asked her
, refocusing the conversation.

“
I believe in justice. I hate to see the underdog get the crap kicked out of them. I always tried to be the mediator between my brother and sister.”

“Are you close?”

“Cannon lives within walking distance from my house. Chelsea is about a mile away. My brother is in charge of house sitting while I’m out of town.”

“What do they do for a living?”

“My brother is this high priced lawyer that wears suits and ties and my sister is a mom. To make our lives even more entertaining, my brother works to get criminals out of jail. Our big family joke is that we each picked a profession and cancelled the other out.”

Chris laughed.
“Don’t tell the boss lady. She hates defense attorneys. We’ve all had to face down a few vicious ones.”

“Good to know,” she answered laughing.

God, he loved her smile.
It warmed up the room and immediately made him relax.

“Why did you choose to be medical examiner?” she asked
as she finished her beer. “You went to medical school, so why not a surgeon or ER doctor?”

“I like puzzles. What I don’t like is being rushed through them. With the dead
, you get time to solve them, and if it takes three hours, you don’t have to worry about killing someone in the process. You may have noticed that I’m not really good at guessing. It drives the directors crazy, but I like to be one hundred percent certain with every answer.”

“
That is very logical, Christopher.”

When she
called him that, it made his heart skip. “Well, that and corpses are easier to handle and malpractice insurance isn’t a bitch.”

Cyra found that funny.

“Does my job creep you out?” he asked, knowing a lot of women liked the idea of being with a doctor, but not the kind that he had chosen in life.

“As in
, could I do it every day of the week myself? No. I’m a little freaked out at the way you take off the top of someone’s head and play in the brains.”