Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (20 page)

He patted him on the back. “No problem, Christopher. Now, let’s talk about the case.”

Chris looked a million times better than he had a few minutes ago, so Ethan’s work was done.

“How are we on trace?” Ethan asked, directing that at his head lab tech. “Did we find anything to lead us to a suspect?”

Merry blew out a frustrated breath. “We only have about four million samples and not enough time in the day to eliminate all of them.”

He got the point.

They were working as fast as they could.

“Lori Denny was at a party rubbing up against about sixty men. I have everything from hair to fuzz from sweaters. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, Merry. Keep working.”

She would. There wasn’t any other choice.

“Doctor, where are our agents?”

Chris pointed toward a small room off the main morgue. “Last I saw, Agents Blaise and Flowers were in there working.”

Well, they were about to get some company. Heading there, Ethan found them inside with papers all around them.

Before Ethan could even ask what his agents had found, Jason Blaise was aggressively up and out of his seat.

“We have a huge issue!”

“Whoa! Take it easy,” Ethan stated, when the man started sputtering in anger. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can fix it.” Some days, being boss was more babysitter and appeaser than head of a large office.

It appeared today was a prime example of that.

Ethan sat, indicating that his agent should do the same thing. Obviously, it wasn’t going to be major. Agent Heidi Flowers looked completely calm and cool.

Ethan suspected this was going to involve another man trying to interject himself into the team.

“Tell me what has you this upset.”

“Last night, in the midst of our operation, another agent interfered, pulling my partner out of the frat party. She was supposed to be working on getting into the inner circle, and that basement room. Now we’re no closer and time is running out. I want him pulled from this case. He’s screwing with our plan.”

Oh, he had news for the man. He was no longer running the show. Elizabeth was, and while she was playing Cupid, and FBI agent, there was no stopping her.

Jason Blaise was outnumbered and about to be vastly disappointed. Someone wasn’t getting what he wanted.

“She could have wrapped this last night…” he began, only to be cut off.

“Stop. Breathe. Relax.”

The man didn't do any of those things. Instead, he still looked like a kettle ready to blow.

“We had him go in, and he wasn’t blowing the operation. We had inside intel stating that the frat boys weren’t taking anyone downstairs. We wanted to give Johanna a few hours off. She’s living in this role twenty four-seven. She needed a break.”

“But…”

He raised his hand. “Her old partner was instructed to go in to remove her for the night.”

Well, sort of. Since the man had cleared it with them first, neither found any harm in it.

“Right now, he’s on her like white on rice. We have this completely under control. You’re to be her eyes and ears when they’re in the field. You have your role in this operation, Agent Blaise, and it’s not as the boss. We’re here now and taking over.”

He didn't look happy.

“Agent Madden is in a great deal of danger. Her position is in the middle of it all, and Agent Seaton is looking out for her best interests. Elizabeth and I will pull her out before risking either of their lives. She’s not a pawn to solve this. She’s a valuable asset to the FBI, and we’d like to keep it that way.”

The grimace said it all.

“Let me warn you. I will tolerate the look on your face, but my wife will not. Had you just given her that puss, she would have wiped it off, tore you down, and shipped your ass back to FBI West with three new assholes. I suggest you learn to have a better poker face.”

He glared at Ethan.

“Oh, and if you’re thinking,
‘I’ll call Gabriel Rothschild’
, that bridge is burned. We’ve already learned that you’re jumping our authority to report directly to him. That’s one more reason you’re not running this anymore. When you swim with the big fish, son, one may end up a shark. Welcome to the pool.”

He said nothing else.

“The women who entered that basement didn't live long. We want to know what’s down there, but we aren’t willing to sacrifice Johanna. It seems you’re a little too eager to gamble with her life. That’s a very bad sign when you’re working in the field with someone.”

“Then why am I her partner?” he asked angrily. “If you don’t trust my judgment and sent in someone else, why am I here?”

Ethan pointed at his laptop. “When she turns on her trace, your job is to decide if something is happening. If she’s in a party and not moving, she’s safe, but if you find her in a car, moving away at a high rate of speed, something’s likely gone wrong. You’re her backup. I suggest you do that.”

“Send me in then, and let Agent Seaton babysit the laptop. I can play college boy the same as the next guy.”

While he probably could, there was one reason Broderick Seaton was sent in. He had more skin in the game. There was no doubt that he wouldn’t let anything happen to Johanna. He had too much invested—
his heart.

Obviously, this man didn't know that they had a sexual thing between them. That was probably good because it meant they were keeping it low key. That would make it easier to keep them together if Johanna was okay with that.

Jason didn't like any of this. This was a big case, and when it was shut down, he wouldn’t get the credit he deserved.

He knew it.

Shit!

It pissed him off.

Ethan focused on Agent Flowers. She was calmly sitting there, doing her job. She didn't look stressed out at all. That said a lot, since just last week, she’d been bitching about being Seaton’s partner.

Interesting.

“What did you find?” Ethan asked, referring to the job he’d given her.

“I’ve done trace after trace on Poppy Gauger. Nothing is coming up. She has to be dead, boss. There’s no credit card activity, her car hasn’t left the lot, and she’s not sending up any hits. I’ve even walked the campus, trying to see if I could pick up any trace of how he took her, and I couldn’t.”

That didn't make him happy.

Somehow, she felt like a piece to the puzzle, and he needed to find her. It wasn’t only for them, but for her too.

She deserved to be found.

“Keep looking. She didn't just vanish into thin air. While you two are working on this, I also need to add more to your paperwork. I want you both to run the frat boys.”

“Which ones?” Jason Blaise asked, pulling out his pad and paper.

“Start with the four following Arman Smithfield around, and then expand out. We don’t know if this game is exclusively for his inner circle, or if they’re all involved.”

“There are about thirty of them. This is going to take days.”

Ethan’s brow winged up. “I’m sorry. Did you have plans? Were you heading out early for a date? No? Then get working. You like living a little too close to the fire, Agent. You’re going to get one hell of a burn.”

Ethan didn't mean being in the field. He meant with the insubordination to his superiors.

Jason didn't respond.

It was probably for the best.

With that, Ethan headed out. In the main morgue, his phone began ringing. When he answered it, he found the president of the university on the other end. The man sounded irritated, and that could mean just about anything. For all he knew, his wife had burned down the building she was in, and was presently dancing naked around it.

By the time he got off the call, Ethan was pretty sure lunch was going to be a pipe dream. He had feathers to unruffle, and that would take time. Before he could call his brother, Ethan’s phone chimed, and he knew who it was before even looking. Callen was calling.

“I was just going to text you.”

“What’s up, bro?” he asked, navigating traffic.

“How far out are you?”

Callen glanced down at the clock on the dash. “Maybe twenty minutes, why?”

“Is there any way that you can pick up the little woman and keep her busy before we meet for lunch? I just got called to the principal’s office.”

Callen began laughing. “Well, you should be used to it. You did go there a lot when we were kids. You tended to have issues with authority.”

He thought back to the agent he’d just reprimanded. Not that many years ago, he’d been the same. Now, the man formerly known as Cowboy knew better.

“Har har. Can you get her? I don’t like the idea of our wife wandering around among horny college kids.”

Chris Leonard heard him and laughed. “She’d eat them alive, and then spit them out in neat little piles.”

Ethan laughed. “Yeah, and that’s paperwork, Christopher. You know how I feel about that. Elizabeth is a loose cannon while contained. You can’t imagine the trouble she’ll cause running amuck.”

Callen didn't mind the wife duty. “I’ll be more than happy to swing by and get her. Send me the location’s address, and I’ll grab her.”

Literally.

It had been a week since he’d had his hands all over Elizabeth, and he couldn’t help but think about the video sex they’d had the other night. While he got off, it wasn’t the same thing. He wanted to feel himself buried in her body…

“Callen?”

That got his attention. “What?”

“Focus,” Ethan said, knowing the man was daydreaming. If anything, he knew his brother.

“I’m trying.”

Ethan wanted to laugh. Wait until Callen saw her. That would buy him plenty of time before lunch. There was no doubt in his mind that once Callen got a load of the glasses, tight skirt, and strict attire, he was going to have to spend some time getting her messed up.

“Maybe swing back to the apartment and unload your gear. There’s this little café not far from the morgue. She knows it. We’ll meet there in two hours. I should be done with the president by then.”

Or so he hoped.

“I can do that,” Callen offered.

“If I’m late, try and keep her busy.”

Again, Chris Leonard started laughing. It was contagious, and Merry joined in. There was no doubt where their minds had gone with just half of the conversation.

When Ethan stared at him, he innocently looked around. “What? If your conversation is private, this is the wrong room to have it in. If Tony was here, it’d be a free-for-all.”

“Be careful, Callen,” he stated, disconnecting the call. “I hope you feel that way when I tell Elizabeth,” he teased, typing in the address of the class to send his brother.

“You wouldn’t,” Chris stated, appalled that his friend would toss him to the wolves. “She’ll kick my ass,” he stated.

Ethan was well aware. “Yeah, I know. It’ll be fun to watch. Thank goodness for you this room is private. I’d be embarrassed to have my ass kicked in front of all my peers.”

Chris stared openmouthed as he left.

Merry giggled.

“Hey! I’m taking you down with me. So knock it off.”

She didn't care. She loved her job and the team. They made coming to work an adventure.

Chris actually growled.

They laughed and got back to work.

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

He paced nervously, just out of everyone’s sight. There was so much pressure for him to take the next woman that he didn't think he could wait that much longer.

Yes, he knew he should, but…

He was afraid to put it off.

He needed more, and there wouldn’t be a better time than tonight. The trail had to be getting cold, and that meant he’d be safe.

Right?

But who could he take?

There was no party, and that meant he’d have to find someone who fit the criteria and would be available. Granted, this was a college campus, but he had to be somewhat selective.

Didn't he?

He thought back to the group of girls from the other night. There was a pack of them when they left the party. Surely, one of them would do.

All he had to do was find a way to get her. It looked like he’d be lurking in the shadows again. That would be the easiest part.

Once he had her, then he needed to find a safe location to take her. That was trickier.

DNA evidence was a bitch.

There was no way he could steal her life on campus, and then safely escape. 

There were eyes everywhere, patrolling in hopes of catching him.

No, he had to be tricky.

He had to be sneaky.