Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (15 page)

“She was my friend. I don’t want to talk about it.”

He looked sympathetic. “I’ll buy you a coffee, and we can talk over it.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Listen, you saw her. You can tell me everything. Did you happen to see the killer? That would be freaking awesome. We could blow this right out of the water. In fact, together, we can get this out on the Associate Press and have the story spread across the country. We’ll be famous.”

That was exactly what they didn't want.

“No!”

She grabbed her books and tried to get past him. Instead of getting away, he blocked her path.

“Come on. You know you want to help me.”

When he touched her arm again, tightening the grip, old training kicked in. She belted him.

Archy Saba didn't see it coming.

As the air was knocked out of him, he doubled over, barely able to breathe. As he was focused on himself, Johanna took that moment to rush past him.

She hoped no one saw her sucker punch him.

The last thing they needed was her blowing their cover. She was buried in the sorority, and that’s what the FBI wanted.

Racing to the steps of her dorm, she didn't look back. It was funny because at one time, she’d stand her ground, kick the shit out of the asshole, and not be afraid.

Now she was terrified.

Without Brody, everything was out of sync.

As Johanna raced up the dorm stairs, she tried not to look at anyone. Right now, she really wanted to be alone to think. Tonight was another party, and she was getting nowhere fast. Jason, her partner, had suggested she let one of the frat boys cuddle up to her. If she did, they might get into that basement room.

That scared her, despite knowing that he was probably right.

The key to all of this had to be down there. Every one of the dead girls had taken a trip downstairs with Arman. He was the likely killer.

If she could get down there, she’d be able to find out the truth.

Was there a frat boy killing the girls?

In her room, she took a minute to breathe. Tonight, she was going to let the first one who approached her try to get in her pants.

Shit!

The things she did for her job.

It made her want to be sick.

Dropping down on her bed, she grabbed the giant pink teddy bear and hugged it close.

As she closed her eyes, there was only one thing on her mind.

“I miss you, Brody. I really, really miss you.”

Chapter Five

Wednesday Afternoon

He had to get out of the frat house. The entire time, all the members were talking about getting laid, and that made him think about Johanna.

It was more than that with her, but still…he could remember what it was like to touch, taste, and hold her in his arms.

He missed it.

So, while he was miserable there, getting edgy about what was to come, he knew where he could head.

Heading off campus, Brody knew where his bosses were staying, and he opted to drop in for a visit. At least he could relay what he knew, while thinking about the job and not how to get Johanna back.

Knocking on the door, he waited for someone to answer. The Denali was out front, so he knew the bosses were there. When Ethan Blackhawk opened the door, he looked a little surprised.

“I was just heading out to pick up some Thai. Are you hungry?”

Brody was still intimidated by the man. Ethan Blackhawk exuded strength, character, and charisma, not to mention he watched you with his nearly black eyes, missing nothing. “No thank you, boss. I just came by to update you on everything I learned the last two days at the frat house.”

He was perplexed.

“You could have just sent a text. We would have gotten it,” he stated.

Brody looked anxious. “Is Director Whitefox-Blackhawk here?”

“Yes, Broderick, she is. Why don’t you join us in the living room?”

Ethan led him back. “Baby, we have company. One of our agents popped in for an impromptu update.”

When she glanced up, immediately Elizabeth looked concerned. “Are you okay?” she asked, checking out the time on her watch.

“Yeah, but I wanted to share what I learned.”

She waited for Ethan to sit. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Agent Seaton told them everything. It felt odd not having Johanna by his side as he broke it all down. This was something they’d done together, and often.

Elizabeth listened, and when he discussed that part about the photos, having to score with the woman before getting to ‘heaven’, she glanced over at her board.

“So, we have four women who all took a stairway to heaven, only to end up dead. That’s one hell of a coincidence.”

Brody agreed. “I’m a little freaked out that they had a photo of Joey. I mean…that they had photographs of all these women.”

She stared at her agent.

“Don’t try to kid a kidder, son. It’s okay that this has you all stirred up. She was your partner, and you’re crazy about her. Ethan would be exactly the same.”

He stared over the rim of his soda can. “Bullshit. I would be livid. In fact, I believe the word is homicidal.”

She snorted. “See? Old dog or new dog, the tricks are still the same.”

“What do you want me to do?” Broderick asked, hoping the answer was going to be
‘abduct Joey and make a break for it’
. That would probably make his day. Anything else was going to add to his emotional distress.

Elizabeth checked out her agent. From his starched shirt to his well-coifed hair, he still reminded her of a cop. “You have to loosen up. You look like Director Blackhawk does when he’s running a case. Take a chill pill and stop stressing it. You’ve done this before, it’ll all be okay.”

“Hey! I look damn good,” Ethan protested.

She winked at him. “You need to loosen up. Unbutton that top button, smile a little, and stop looking so freaked out.”

“I’m not used to doing this without her. That’s why I can’t stand my partner. Johanna led me, and now I feel lost.”

Ethan got it. That’s how he felt with Elizabeth. Once she entered his life, everything went out the window. Blackhawk was pretty sure he couldn’t go back to doing it alone either.

She stood, crossing the room to stand in front of Broderick Seaton. Sometimes, the job of boss meant playing mother too. “Here’s your assignment for tonight. Are you ready?”

He waited for it.

“I want you to go in, make contact, and then go somewhere you can talk this out.”

Brody looked shocked. “What?”

“You said that they aren’t taking a woman downstairs tonight, and that you planned on romancing your mark to get in her pants, so take a break. What’s going to happen, if you don’t settle this mess between you both, is you’re going to jack this, and the situation with her, up. You’re stressed.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay. I think I can do that.” In that moment, he trusted his boss.

“She’s going to be shocked to see you. Use that to your advantage. Then take that time to get in control and handle the situation. You’ll come out on top. My money is on you, Broderick.”

He listened. “You’re nothing like they say you are.”

She laughed. “Yeah, well, some of the things they say are true. I have my moments. I’m sure Ethan can attest to that if you ask him.”

He held out his hand and shook hers. “Thank you, Director. I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

“Just get the girl, keep your cool, and don’t blow the undercover part of this apart. If you manage that, we’ll call it even.”

He headed out.

“Good luck, son,” Ethan said, as the man headed past him. When they heard the door close, he glanced over at his wife. “Well, I better start coming up with plan B, because we are so screwed.”

Elizabeth laughed.

Didn't she know it?

      
         
* * *
  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Johanna was just about ready. She’d picked her clothes with the intent to get the most attention. At this point, whatever frat boy hit on her, she was going with him. They needed to get into that room and with the urging of her partner, they didn't have time to play hard to get.

So, she looked like a made up floosy.

It made her want to puke. Her red lipstick was garish, her black eyeliner so thick she resembled a vampyre, and her skirt. Well...her mother would kick her ass.

Yeah, she was just about ready.

At the knock on her door, she glanced over. There stood Garland, one of the sorority girls, and she looked just as ridiculous. She’d made sure her shirt was cut so low that she was giving out plenty of tit shots.

Great.

God!

She missed the homicide division in the worst way. Yeah, and on top of that, she really wished she was back home working a normal case with Brody too. He’d never let her pimp herself out like this. Not in a million years.

Johanna reminded herself to slap the shit out of Jason Blaise when she saw him. He was a total idiot for even suggesting this. No man in his right mind would go for this insanity. She truly looked like the poster girl for some raging STD.

Well, then again, they weren’t talking men. She was trying to lure in horny college boys. She was pretty sure they already had all the communicable diseases the world had to offer—and some yet to be discovered.

“We’re heading over in five minutes. We thought it best to go in a group,” Garland stated.

Johanna had news for them. Tonight, she’d be trying to leave alone, acting as bait.

Again, her partner’s suggestion, and again Johanna wanted to punch him in the face.

He’d better have her back, or they were both screwed. Elizabeth would have their heads on a silver platter. Either way, they’d both be dead meat.

The killer would be the least of their problems.

“I’ll be ready,” she said, fluffing her straw colored hair. That was the biggest pile of shit she’d ever uttered. She was going to do something incredibly stupid.

And sadly, she knew it.

“Okay, sex pot, we’ll see you downstairs. You’ve got panty lines, so lose them.”

She stared at her ass in horror. The worst part was she actually contemplated taking them off, and then she realized one thing.

She didn’t give a rat’s ass if people knew she had panties on. That this was even an issue freaked her out.

My how her life had been turned upside down.

God!

She missed Brody in the worst way.

This was one hell of a nightmare, and Johanna Madden wanted out.

Only, she knew that wasn’t happening.

Ever.

      
         
* * *
  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Wednesday Night

Frat House

It didn't take long for the place to start jumping. The music was loud, the booze was flowing, and there were half-naked, drunk partiers everywhere. It was the typical frat party, only amped up on sex and drugs.

Brody was appalled, and very glad that this wasn’t part of his past. Greek life definitely wasn’t for him. If this was what college parties were like, he definitely didn't miss anything. The women were loose, shoes were sticking to the floor, and the smells…yeah, Brody didn't miss a thing.

At that moment, he and the ‘brothers’ were standing at the top of the stairs, checking out the guests. Brody was getting edgy because as of yet, he couldn’t find Johanna in the mix. He knew from the update that she’d be coming, but he only hoped he got to her before some hornball college kid did. Then he’d have to kick the shit out of someone.

Explaining that to the Blackhawks would be priceless. He could almost hear himself now, trying to rationalize a grown man beating on a drunken college kid.

Yeah, and he’d definitely lose his job.

“Kickin’ party,” stated Sutton, as he chugged something blue from a red cup.

“Yeah,” he said, taking a beer from Garrick Tran. He was apparently the drink server for the night. He pretended to drink, but knew better. He wasn’t taking any chances with this group of potential killers. There was no way he was drinking anything from an open container around here.

He liked life a little too much.

“I think I see her,” stated Arman, pointing toward the door. “Your sorority girl has just entered the building. It’s time for the game to begin.”

They all looked.

Yes, she was there, and Brody felt his entire body react as she walked in. Despite the insane outfit, he could see the woman beneath. The makeup, the skirt—they were all to do the job and nothing more. That wasn’t his Joey. It was all a cover.

He focused on the bow shaped pucker of her lips, and the sexy slant of her brown eyes. It helped him stay calm.

That was the woman he loved. Already, he could tell she was going to smell amazing, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her.

“Are you ready?” Arman asked, grinning wickedly. “I bet you can’t even get to first base,” he stated. “Prove me wrong, and you’re on your way to heaven.”

Brody didn't even hear him.

Every ounce of his focus was on Johanna and how she was going to react when they saw each other again. For two months, he’d been waiting for this moment. It was all coming down to this meeting.

Would she run?

Would she rebuke him?

His heart pounded at all the possibilities.

He dropped his beer on a table as he crossed the room toward her. Brody couldn’t breathe as he approached. Over the smell of smoke, the haze of drugs, he could still pick up the familiar essence of her perfume.

That was the woman he wanted.

Not the costumed one.

As he approached Johanna, he could hear her laugh at something a man was saying. When the man’s hand made contact with her ass, his heart thumped as he had to fight not to rip it off and stomp it to pieces.

Then he was inches away. Stopping behind her, he waited for her to know he was there.

He knew when she felt him near.

She actually stopped mid-sentence, pausing before spinning around.

He heard her gasp.

Brody took in the look of shock.

He made his move.

Giving Johanna no time to speak, no time to push him away, or to question what was about to happen, he pulled her into his body.

The red plastic cup fell from her hand, spilling all over the floor.

“Joey,” he murmured, his voice drowned out by the sound of the music. As she opened her mouth to speak, he dove in, his lips crashing down onto hers as he took that moment to refresh both of their memories.

It all came back.