Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (46 page)

Didn’t he know it?

If Chris thought that was bad, they had the dubious job of solving this mess. While he was done after an autopsy, they had to find the lunatic doing this.

“I really need a TOD, and then I’ll let you do your thing. Right now, Elizabeth has the frat boys in a tank, and we need to know if the killer struck at the same time.”

Chris got it.

This time, he wouldn’t even put up a fight.

Pulling out his liver probe, he took a reading. When he did the math, he glanced up. “She’s been dead a little over an hour.  It looks like your frat boys are in the clear.”

“You made an arrest?” Doctor Leape asked, making notes for Doctor Leonard.

“Yes, but not for these killings. Unfortunately for our killer, he didn't know that we were on the move. If he was trying to make them look bad, he screwed up. This body is what will clear the five men of murder,” Callen stated.

Doctor Leape whistled. “I’ve lived here all my life until I went to med school. This is the first crime like this here. It used to be so quiet.”

“It’ll go back to being peaceful again,” stated Chris. “Right after Elizabeth kicks someone’s ass.”

“What’s missing?” Callen asked.

“I thought you said TOD and that’s it?” Chris asked, riding Callen. It wasn’t often that they had a new director running the scene. While Ethan was playing with the media, Director Whitefox was playing boss.

Chris loved screwing with his family.

“Well, that’s okay. I’ll guess. From the hole in her abdomen, I’ll say her thyroid.”

Chris stared at him openmouthed. “You have to be kidding me.”

He shook his head, well aware of the man’s antics. He’d watched his woman in action, and he knew how to screw with the man. If he let Chris gain the upper hand, he’d never be able to control the mayhem.

“What? I know I’m right. There’s that song.”

Chris stared at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know. The thyroid’s connected to the mandible, the mandible’s connected to tibia, the tibia’s connected to the…”

“Stop. Just stop. You three are sick. Her twisted humor leached into two other people, and I have to stop it.”

Callen started laughing. “Spill it, Doc, and I won’t tell her you’re messing with her favorite Native.”

“I’m telling Ethan.”

He laughed more. “Go ahead. They all know the truth.”

Chris grimaced. “Her uterus and ovaries were taken, okay?”

Callen made notes. “Now, was that so damn hard, Chris? You could just learn to play nice and save yourself some time.”

“She’s made you just like her.”

“Yee haw, ME.”

The other doctor watched them curiously. He wasn’t sure if this was normal, or out of the ordinary.

“Get a rush on this one,” Callen stated.

“Hey! I have a victim at the morgue that she gave me until tomorrow to complete. You can get this one after that.”

Whitefox shook his head. “Sorry, Doctor Leonard, but it’s after twelve right now. It’s technically Sunday, and I bet as soon as she’s done watching over our agents, she’s going to be heading your way.”

“Well shit.”

Time must had gotten away from him.

“You have two bodies, and two ME’s. This sounds like a no brainer to me,” Callen said, heading toward his brother. “You should divide and conquer.”

“You used to be the nice one!” Chris shouted, getting a laugh from his one boss.

“Is it always like this around here?” Doctor Leape asked, fascinated.

“Yeah, pretty much. Why do you ask?”

“This town is pretty damn boring. I was thinking of expanding my horizons.”

He stared at him. “And that means?”

“I might just apply to work for the FBI. Hey! Maybe we could share a lab together. We could be besties.”

Chris bit his tongue.

Seriously?

Could the universe hate him more?

Chapter Fifteen

Sunday Morning

By the time the doctors checked both agents out, Elizabeth Blackhawk had worn a path in the ER room floor. She was irritated at herself, her agents, and the frat boys.

They’d come close to killing Johanna Madden and Broderick Seaton.

Damn close.

Anymore Xanax, and they would have overdosed Johanna right into a comma. As soon as the doctors began working on her, they were pretty sure she’d be okay.

Well, that was over six hours ago.

Now, she was waiting for news from Brody’s doctor. He had a few broken ribs and a punctured lung. Fortunately for him, it was small, and he narrowly escaped having to have a tube inserted.

At that moment, they were getting them stabilized to be placed in a room, but there was no peace. She was pissed, riled, and edgy as hell. Not only had her agents disobeyed, but they could have both died.

This was one hell of a mess. 

When a panicked man entered, looking around like he was lost, Elizabeth knew exactly who he was. This had to be Broderick’s father. There were similarities.

“Mr. Seaton?” she called, crossing the room to catch him before he hit the nurses’ desk. The least she could do was try and help him.

“Yes, are you a doctor?”

She tapped the badge on her hip after lifting her blazer. “No, I’m your son’s boss.” Elizabeth made the introductions before leading him toward a set of chairs.

“Is he okay?” he asked, running his hand through the same chestnut colored hair his son had.

She told him everything she knew. “I’m waiting on the doctor too. He should be out shortly.”

He looked sick. “My wife died a few years ago. Brody is all I have left. I know we’ve had our bumpy moments, but I love my boy,” he stated.

“Well, he’s getting the best care. I promise.”

The man sat beside her. “Who did this to my son?”

She told him the entire thing, just leaving out the names of the suspects. They’d be in the news soon enough, and she didn’t know what this man was capable of in his anger.

One never knew.

“His partner is hurt?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, they both got the shit kicked out of them. The doctors are working on her back there too.”

“The last time I spoke to Brody, he told me that he was dating someone. Is she here? I’d like to meet her. Like I said, my boy and I don’t get along. If I’m going to get an introduction, this is the only way it’s going to happen.”

This put her in a sticky predicament.

Then again, they broke the rules, so why the hell not? Maybe this would teach them a lesson.

“Johanna Madden is his partner and girlfriend.”

“Oh, no! Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes, but it was touch and go for a while.”

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, there was laughter there.

Elizabeth was pretty sure that nothing she stated was remotely entertaining. “Did I miss a private joke?”

“Let me explain. My wife and I weren’t exactly law abiding citizens. It’s just funny that my boy, who watched me break the law every day, is not only a Fed, but is dating one. That’s funny as hell to me.”

“Are we talking murder or…” she asked, pointing to the badge to give him a reminder.

He snorted, patting her on the leg. “Hell no. I was a bookie. That’s about it. I ran numbers with the best of them. In fact, I taught Brody how to do it, and he had a knack. I really thought he’d follow in my footsteps, but he was stubborn.”

Elizabeth was amused.

A psych evaluation only went so far, and apparently the man beside her wasn’t too bad, since their background check never pulled anything up on him.

As she was about to make a comment, the doors opened and a doctor came out.

“Director, your agents are ready to go up to a room. Johanna Madden is stabilized, and she’s awake, and Broderick Seaton is sedated and pumped full of pain meds.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“I’ll have the nurse escort you up to their rooms.”

She shook her head. “Room—as in singular. I want them together in one place.”

He looked at her as if she was crazy. “Ma’am, that’s not hospital policy. We don’t put people of the opposite sex in the same room.”

“They were nearly killed, and I’m the only FBI agent available for protection duty. I think that if your hospital allows anyone to get hurt, they’re going to be more worried about that than the fact you put a man and woman in a room together. I’m pretty sure they’ll be on their best behavior.”

He didn't argue because she had a point. 

“I’ll take care of it.”

When the man walked away, Levi Seaton grinned. “You got them to bend so they could share a room. You’re a pretty soft FBI agent.”

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m a pushover,” she stated. “Oh, actually, when I kill them for breaking the rules, this is just going to be a hell of a lot easier. It’s only one door to lock.”

He simply stared.

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

When they wheeled her into the room, she wanted to weep. All Johanna Madden wanted was to find Brody and make sure he was okay. She was sick as a dog, and her head was pounding in her ears.

The meds they pumped into her had saved her life, but they were also making her want to close her eyes and hide in sleep.

Only, she couldn’t.

No, she wouldn’t.

The last thing she remembered was watching the three men pound on Brody’s body. She’d saw him putting up a fight as they broke him any way they could.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t right.

It made her sick.

She’d kept asking to see him the second they woke her up, but they wouldn’t tell her anything. Then again, she was so looped on the drugs, they could have told her he was gone, and she wouldn’t have known.

It scared her.

If he was dead…

Her heart pounded in her chest, and Johanna wanted to weep. She struggled to calm herself down so she could focus on the task at hand. She needed to find him.

As they wheeled her in, the orderly patted her on the shoulder. “Shhhh. It’s okay. You have a roommate to keep you company. Your boss arranged it.”

She didn't know what that meant.

Johanna hoped, but she wasn’t quite sure if she’d get that lucky. After all, she’d broken just about every rule, and here they were—nearly dead.

When he helped her into the bed, Johanna pointed at the curtain, which blocked her view of the other side of the room. “Please open it,” she stated.

When he did, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Yes, there was Brody, but he looked like hell.

In fact, he looked like death warmed over. His face was battered and bruised, his arm was casted, and his breathing was labored.

Oh God!

What had she done to him?

This was all her fault, and she couldn’t help but blame herself. After all, she was the one who opted to ignore their boss and get caught in one of the rooms. If he pulled through, she swore she’d never break the rules again.

“Get some rest,” the orderly said, before wheeling the chair out of the room.

That wouldn’t be possible. How could she, in good conscience, rest when the man she loved looked like he’d gone a few rounds with a heavyweight fighter?

Jesus!

Sitting there in her bed, she couldn’t stand to be that far away from him. The distance actually hurt, and there was no way that Johanna would rest alone in that bed. If the hospital put them together, this had to be a gift from Elizabeth Blackhawk. Her fingerprints were all over this.

Gingerly, she dropped her legs over the side of the bed and used the IV pole to offer her some support. Wheeling it toward Brody, she stopped herself from touching him.

His poor face was so abused and battered that it broke her heart. He was a bloody mess, even thought they had cleaned him up. She could see the vicious ugly bruises beginning to form on his body.

What could she do?

She started to cry.

He must have heard her through his sedation because he struggled to open his eyes.

“Joey,” he slurred, his fingers struggling to find hers.

She touched his swollen cheek, wishing she could take all his pain away. If that were possible, Johanna would have carried it in a heartbeat. “You’re a mess, Brody,” she stated. “God! They really hurt you.”

The tears helped him focus. “Don’t leave me, Joey. Please don’t leave me,” he whispered. “I’ll get better, and we’ll be okay. Just don’t run away from me again. I’m in no shape to chase you.”

His words hurt more than her pounding head.

How could she leave him?

He nearly died to keep her alive.

He was her hero. Brody took the abuse to try and protect her. He didn't have to come, but he did.

“I won’t leave you,” she stated, pulling back the blankets on his bed. Gingerly, she climbed in against him, placing her body beside his. She could feel the plaster of his casted arm against her back as he struggled to hold her.

“Joey,” he moaned, as the pain was too much.

She kissed him on the cheek and held him safely in her arms. “Go to sleep, Brody. I’m here with you. I promise. When you wake up, I’ll be right here. I’m not moving. We’re in this together.”

It seemed to offer him some sort of reassurance because there was an audible release of breath as he allowed the meds to pull him back under.

Johanna ran her fingers gently over his chest, trying to soothe his aches. No, she’d never leave his side again. In fact, she was staying right there to play sentinel over her heart. As long as he was weak and needed her, Johanna wouldn’t leave her partner. She was going to stick.

She loved him so damn much and owed him her life. From here on out, it was his.

Everything she had was his.

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

Morgue

Time was ebbing away.

While the frat boys stewed in holding, Elizabeth knew she needed to hit up the morgue for some details on the case.

While she wanted to stay with her team, Elizabeth knew she had to get to work. Besides, Broderick’s father was sitting there, babysitting them.

Now, it was all about the dead women. Later, when she handed the twisted frat boys their asses, then justice would be done for her team.

While they may not have killed the women, they still drugged and raped them.

For that, she’d take them down.

Entering the morgue, Ethan and Callen beside her, she must have looked like she was about to kill because no one hassled her. There were no jokes, no salutes, and no comments from the peanut gallery.

Well shit!

This was a first.

“We can start with the victim who was found in the storm drain,” Chris said, pulling off his soiled gloves. “I’m sure you’re going to want to hear about Poppy Gauger first.”

She absolutely did.

The entire time investigating this case, Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel like they were missing a piece to the puzzle. Now, they had all the victims, so nothing would be left out.

“Her eyes were missing, and her chest was a mess. He used a knife of some sort to butcher her.”

She moved closer but couldn’t bring herself to look into the woman’s face. “What else can you tell me? Have we confirmed when she was murdered?”

“She died between Veronica Libbey and Lori Denny. Decomp puts her a few days before and after the other victims. She wasn’t held captive. She was decaying. The killer isn’t keeping them long. Hours after they’re dead, the missing person reports were called in on all of them.”

It was good to know that he wasn’t taking women to keep locked up. That was just freaking creepy as hell.

“COD?” she asked, as Callen remained at her side, taking notes.

“She has a broken neck.”

“Well, at least we’ve seen that one before,” she stated. “Maybe he’s finally getting his pattern on, and that will help us catch him,” she stated.

“Yeah, don’t bet on that. He’s getting more and more violent,” Christ stated.

Great.

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.