Fire Burns Hot ((An FBI/ Romance Thriller~ (Book 5))) (62 page)

The fear was replaced with a grin on his face. He may get caught, but he’d always have the memories.

Yeah, he still wasn’t done.

He’d never be done, as long as there were stupid women in the world that needed to be taught a lesson.

With that thought, he chugged the remainder of his beer and closed his eyes.

Tonight it was good to be him.

                                *    *     *

No one in the strip club was happy to see the FBI agents again. In fact, they weren’t very broken up about losing Lulu either. What they did want was to go home and get to sleep, and they made that point very well known to everyone who’d listen.

Unfortunately for them, Elizabeth didn’t really give a
rat’s ass. She was pulled from a warm bed to stand in the bubble gum colored strip club at two in the morning. Right then, she could be sleeping between two very sexy men. Anything the strippers had to bitch about was falling on very deaf ears.

At the small café table sat the woman
who came across their dead, burning woman. Her eyes were red; her makeup was tear streaked and her hands shook. When she couldn’t get her cigarette lit, Callen took the lighter from her hand and helped her out.

“Thank you,” she said, trying to smile. “I can’t believe Lulu is dead, and I can’t believe I
had to be the one to find her.”

“I’m sorry you had to
discover her,” Elizabeth reassured gently. “It’s hard to lose a friend.”

The woman snorted. “Lulu wasn’t anyone’s friend. She’d steal away a lap dance and cut a bitch just to watch her b
leed. I’m not sorry she’s dead, only that I had to be the one to stumble across it. Watching a body on fire isn’t exactly pleasant.”

Elizabeth lifted a brow
at the honesty. “Okay then Trixie,” she read the name off the paper the woman filled out describing the events. “Can you tell me in your own words what happened?”

She shrugged. “I had just finished a dance in a private room. I like to get out a
s fast as I can, or the man starts groping. I went outside to have a smoke, and as I opened the door there was his horrible smell. It was like a cross between melting plastic and cooked pork.” Again the woman laughed. “Lulu was practically rebuilt out of silicone and plastic. There wasn’t a piece of her that was real, and I always told her she was a little too piggish to be swinging on a pole.”

Elizabeth was at a loss for words. Generally she was the crassest person in a conversation, but Trixie had her beat on this one.
If she didn’t have another body on the morgue slab, and no evidence, she may have laughed at the comments. “So you hated Lulu, you thought she was a fat ass, and everything about her was fake.”

“Pret
ty much. Hey don’t get me wrong. She had lots of clients. Anyone could have repeat men if you’re blowing them in the back room for ten bucks.” At that she winked at both men. “Right boys? Once a girl gives you a really good blow job you’re theirs for life.”

Neither man spoke.

“I can show you both if you like,” she said, leaning forward. “I’ve always had a thing for exotic looking men. They get me all hot and bothered.

Somehow the men were pretty sure she said that to all the men that strolled through the door.

Elizabeth leaned towards the woman. “Hey Trixie, you see these men? I sleep with them both. You don’t need to picture your lips anywhere near their dicks or I’ll drop kick your drag queen ass across the county. Are we clear?”

The woman laughed. “We are
very clear, Mrs. FBI.”

“Now, back to the semi cooked Lulu, if you don’t mind. Who came to see her tonight? Anyone you recognize
d? Her time card says she left at eleven, but we find her on fire in the parking lot at two a.m. In fact, her car didn’t leave its parking spot.”

Trixie leaned back and blew smoke rings. “She has quite a few regulars, but she had a visit from
Fast Willie.”

Elizabeth was getting irritated
at the ridiculous names. “Who the hell is Fast Willie?”

“He’s a bouncer at some seedy joint across town. He’s usually trolling for a stripper or three to head there to moonlight, but the owner is a real trash bag. Marla is bat shit insane and likes to get violent.”

“William Thomas?” she asked, her interest piqued that they had a commonality between the two clubs.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

Elizabeth grinned at Callen. “I think we have someone else to have a little chit chat with,” she said. “Trixie, I could kiss you,” she stated standing.

The woman checked her out. “You’re actually kinda hot, so I wouldn’t say no.
With your booty, you could rake in the loot.”

Elizabeth
found that entertaining. “Thanks Trixie, if I ever lose my job, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Both men laughed, following her to the bar. “Don’t count on that,” muttered Blackhawk.

“Over my dead body,” added Callen.

She just shook her head and tapped on the bar, drawing Chase
Reynolds attention. “Hey, you see William Thomas in here tonight?”

“Who?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Willie,” she said, describing him.

Chase nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he had a private with Lulu and then left. Before her he was talking to Trixie and a few other girls. I guess he’s picky with his choice in ladies.”

“Did you know Lulu was putting out in the back rooms, Chase?” Blackhawk asked, leaning on the bar.

The man looked away. “Yeah, I knew. I got a twenty percent cut of her tricks if I just didn’t pay attention.”

“You know that’s pimping, right?” added Elizabeth, slightly impressed that he didn’t lie.

He looked appalled. “Am I going to jail?” he asked. “I’ll stop doing it.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Was it busy in here today?”

“No, business blew. Once word got out that there were feds in the joint, the
men stayed away. Listen most of our guys are married men. They come in because their wives aren’t getting them off anymore. They need a little excitement. You guys know what I mean, right?” he said, looking back and forth between Callen and Ethan.

Both shook their heads. “Married,” said Blackhawk, pointing at his ring.

“Me too,” Callen said.

Chase continued.
“Wives get fat after pregnancy, they let themselves go, and a man needs a nice piece of ass bouncing in his lap. Are you both satisfied with sex with your wives?” he asked. “Or don’t you wish you sometimes had the fantasy of a hot sexy woman all over you?”

Now they started laughing.

“I don’t get what’s so funny,” he said, really confused.

Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m
the wife in question,” she said, including them both. “I also just had a baby six months ago, and I’m three months pregnant right now. They’re laughing because they’re waiting for me to jump this bar and beat your ass down for being a jackwagon. Honestly, I’m contemplating doing it too.”

“Oh, well… Sorry?”
He didn’t know what else to say.

There was nothing more to say to the man. Elizabeth slid her card across the table and looked him in the eyes. “Stick around and you make sure you stop pimping, or I will make sure you go in for it. I also will make sure you’re the pretty thing bouncing in some big man’s lap in the federal lock up.”

He blanched at the idea. “Yes ma’am.”

On her way out she could hear both men snickering. Outside she grinned. “What?”

“That was quite the visual you laid out there,” stated Blackhawk.

“Yea
h, well you know me. I’m Mrs. Descriptive.”

They walked the scene one more time, watching the tech team load up all the evidence into the vans. Chris was already gone, and so was their new team member, Cyra Austin.

“I think we need to head back to the office. There’s some video footage we need to watch.” Elizabeth looked at her watch. “Let’s grab breakfast first. I need to feed Baby Whitefox. He’s demanding something that doesn’t have bacon or eggs in it.”

“Bagel and coffee?” offered Callen.

“I was thinking more like oatmeal,” she said, hopping into the Denali. When Ethan stared at her she looked around her. “What?”

“Oatmeal?
Seriously?” Blackhawk questioned her. “You call oatmeal ‘that grainy shit that masquerades as food’,” he snickered, repeating her verbatim.

Elizabeth shrugged. “Hey, don’t blame me. I’m not driving this pregnancy. The little tiny baby
that’s squatting in my uterus is now in charge. I’m simply the host that he’s mooching off, and he wants oatmeal and blueberries. Blame the baby daddy’s DNA.”

Blackhawk practically snorted
. Elizabeth always entertained him. One never knew what was going to pop out of her mouth.

“I’ll get you whatever you want,” answered Callen. “When we get back to FBI West
, I’ll head down to the café and make sure they make you oatmeal with blueberries. Anything else,” he said, waiting for her wish to be his command.

“You’re spoiling her and that’s going to make it worse when she gets further along,” warned Blackhawk.

Callen didn’t care. “The mother of my child gets anything she wants,” he stated.

“Man, this is actually nice. A man that wants to worship his pregnant woman and not boss her around
like she’s three. I could get used to this.”

Blackhawk snickered. “You’ve created a monster.”

Callen leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Yeah probably, but a happy wife…”

“Is a damn happy life,” finished Elizabeth, laughing.

Wasn’t that the absolute truth?

~ Chapter Sixteen ~

Tuesday morning – FBI West

Standing in her office, she watched the tech set up the VCR for her
and the men. When she called down to the lab requesting one, you’d think she’d asked for a dinosaur to be excavated and dropped onto her desk. Looking at the machine, Elizabeth could see she wasn’t far off. It was old, crotchety and well past its prime.

Her silent prayer was that it didn’t consume the video before they saw the contents.
As soon as the men arrived with breakfast, they’d start the matinee.

As if on cue, both men came in carrying food and drinks.

Ethan had skipped the eggs and ham he wanted, knowing the smell might make Elizabeth sick to her stomach. Instead he grabbed two bagels and coffee for him and Callen. His brother had made the staff in the cafeteria make oatmeal just for Elizabeth and fresh berries on the side. There was even orange juice. It made him want to laugh, because he remembered doing the exact same thing when he found out she was pregnant with CJ.

“Yay! Food,” she said grinning.

Callen directed her to the couch, and placed the tray on her lap, and then kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, angel,” he said grinning.

Elizabeth patted the spot beside her. “I love you too, Callen.”

Blackhawk was snickering now to himself. It was fun to watch, because he knew what would be coming in about three months. Moodiness, crankiness and a woman on the edge propelled by hormones.

“Let him laugh, Lyzee. I plan on spoiling you the
remaining seven months.”

Blackhawk dropped onto the couch and leaned over to kiss his wife. “I’m laughing because I remember this
all well. I also know what’s coming next. You were away at qualifications and missed Tyranasaurus-lyz.”

“Guess who won’t be getting a woman to bounce in his lap anytime soon,” she quipped back, as she hit play on the VCR. Immediately, the grainy picture appeared of a half dressed woman gyrating in the man’s lap.

“Uh, what is this exactly,” muttered Blackhawk. “I’m sure porn isn't allowed at work. The bosses frown upon it.”

She laughed. “That’s ‘
The Pussy Cat Club
’ and that is Lulu dancing,” she said and then corrected herself. “Sorry, that’s her now giving him a very enthusiastic blow job.” All three of them tipped their heads at the same time. “Wow, the woman liked giving them.”

“Yeah, well you could have warned us,” laughed Whitefox. “I don’t know if I can eat and watch a stripper give head in a sleazy back room.”

“I’m with him. I really don’t like blondes,” Blackhawk said, thinking back to his ex and shuddering. The woman had been a holy terror.

It didn’t bother Elizabeth, and she continued eating. The baby she was growing had his own demands. She was now his
captive audience until she pushed him out.

All three sat there for a good two hours watching everything from lap dances, blow jobs to
copious amounts of copulation. When it was over she turned the TV off. “Well?” she asked, leaning against the desk.

“I feel like I need a shower,” laughed Blackhawk.