Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (46 page)

“
The perp didn't take him from here, so that leaves the area surrounding the house,” stated Johanna, heading for the door.

Once
outside, Ethan motioned for his team to move in and begin their search. Hopefully, they’d locate something.

Anything.

“We’re going to walk the perimeter. Our family has two small puppies, so we don’t take them for a long walk. Jed had a poodle. I’m betting he stayed close to home, especially if it was late.”

They each took a direction. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but what choice did they have
?

Fortunately, it didn't take long. Johanna called to her boss, the second she found the brown stains. “Director
, I think I found the point of abduction!”

Rushing over, Ethan crouched down and pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket. With gentle fingers, he plucked a leaf from the plant. “Will one of you search online for a picture of Angel’s Trumpet?” he asked.

Broderick pulled out his phone and did what his boss asked. Holding it out, Ethan examined it.

“
Good job, Agent. This flower matches Meredith’s findings. From the trampled grass, it looked like there may have been a fight here.”

Moving into the thicker brush, Broderick found a dog leash. “Maybe the dog isn't some elaborate message from the killer,” he stated. “What if he took the
pooch to shut him up? Maybe the poodle was trying to protect his master, and that’s why his little doggy neck was snapped.”

It was plausible.

Just as Ethan was going to say something, there was a scream from the house. One of the techs raced out, calling to them, “Director, we need you!”

Ethan charged across the yard and bounded up the stairs to get to his team. Once inside, he found Meredith rolling around on the floor trying to subdue a
crazed Native woman.

Grabbing the
stranger, he pulled her off his tech. When she went for a groin shot, Ethan took her to the ground, pressing his full body weight across her torso to subdue her.

“Calm down!” he hissed in her ear. “Who are you?”

She kept struggling. “Where’s my boyfriend? What have you people done with him!” she bellowed.

The picture became much clearer. Slowly,
Ethan released her, realizing what was coming. This woman’s life was about to drastically change.

Once off her, he
prepared to deliver the news. “I need you to get up, but if you try attacking one of us again, you’re going to jail.”

She stared at the gun and badge at his hip.

“Where’s my Jed?” she demanded.

Ethan ignored her to check on
Meredith. “What happened, and are you okay?”

She shook her head to clear it. “I was
in front of the recliner, looking for trace, and she jumped me from behind.”

He turned to the woman. “You just assaulted a
Federal officer. Now, who the hell are you?”

The woman had the decency to look scared when he raised his voice. “My name’s Anna Tunica.
Jed is my boyfriend. I came in the back door and found her in his house. I thought she was an intruder.”

Ethan lifted a brow. “She’s wearing a blue jacket with FBI across the back. I assure you they don’t sell them in the mall.
Are you trying to tell me you’re illiterate and colorblind too?”

She got angry. “I came into my boyfriend’s house and found a woman here. You connect the dots.”

Directing one of the techs toward Meredith, he gave his instructions, “Take her outside and clean that scratch on her face. I’ll talk to Ms. Tunica, then you can come back in and sweep. We found a sample in the grass over by the flowers,” he offered, being nonspecific. Mentioning blood might set the woman off, and he needed information first and foremost.

The techs headed out
, and Ethan got down to business.

“Was anyone giving Jed a hard time?” he asked.

“No, why?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “How about any problems with a man named Allen Payne?” At his name, Ethan noticed she bristled and the expression on her face
drastically changed.

“What did that asshole do to my Jed? I swear I’m going to go over there,
and kick his ass to get this settled, once and for all!”

Ethan pushed on
, as his agents made notes behind him. “What did Allen Payne do, exactly?”

“That rat bastard sold Jed a lemon. When he complained, he laughed in his face. I told him to just kick his ass and show him who’s
the boss, but Jed was religious. He said God would handle it. Well, I’m going to take care of it now!”

It amazed Ethan that in town, gossip hadn’t spread. This might be the first instance
where nothing leaked. Generally, they’d be inundated with media by this point. Other than the one incident in the cemetery, it had been quiet.

“So, you want to kill him for screwing with your boyfriend. I can relate to that. I sometimes want to do that with my wife when she’s given a hard time. Tell me, Ms. Tunica, are you religious?”

She looked at him like he was crazy. “Yeah, I worship on the almighty Rez. What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

Ethan was sorry his wife wasn’t here. This woman was a pain in his ass.

“Sometime last week, to the best of our knowledge, Allen Payne was murdered.”

“Good for him. I hope he rots in hell.”

Both agents stared at her. Oh, the nastiness karma was on its way. Anna Tunica was about to get bitch slapped by fate.

“I hope you don’t think my Jed did that! Is that why you’re searching his place?”

Ethan ignored her question. “Why was Jed fired from his job at the church?” he asked.

She stared at him. “If you weren’t one of us, I’d tear your ass a new one. That’s no one’s business but ours.”

Ethan wasn’t bothered by her comment. “Yeah, and if my outsider wife was here, she’d turn you inside out and dance on your colon. So, answer the damn question, before I take you in for questioning.”

She glared at him. “He was let go for missing funds, which I’m assuming was some sort of mistake. Jed was a good man, and we had a fantastic relationship.”

Yeah, not so much so, since she didn't know he was fired for stealing.

“Why did he assault Allen Payne at church?”

“Because he got tired of being dicked around! I’m glad he did it. That man deserved everything he had coming. As far as I’m concerned, justice was served.”
              “Ms. Tunica, where were you last night?” he asked.

“I was at
my job. I work in a factory, so I had a twelve hour shift. I went in at eight and just got out. I came by to get my dog. Where’s Killer? I hope you bastards didn't take him to the pound, or I’m going tear you apart,” she warned menacingly.

“What company do you work for?”

She rattled off the name. “Where’s Jed and my dog, you assholes!”

Ethan sensed her getting riled up again,
so it was time to let the air out of her sails. “I’m sorry to tell you this, and you have the FBI’s sympathy at this time, but last night your boyfriend and dog were murdered.”

She glared at him. “You think that’s funny?”

Ethan saw the intent in her eyes. She rushed him, but before he could stop her, his agent stepped in. Johanna Madden took one shot and took her to the ground.

Broderick grinned. “So hot,” he muttered, trying not to laugh.

“Thank you, Agent Madden. It’s like having my wife here to act as my bodyguard. She’s going to love this story and be a little jealous that she didn't get to initiate that hit.”

Johanna shook out her hand. “Her head is like a rock,” she muttered.

Ethan was saying the same thing earlier that morning about another Native. Oh, the irony.

“
Get the tech team in here to get working. We’ll call an ambulance to check her out. Cuff her first. I think she’ll be raring to go the second she realizes that she was sucker punched.”

The agents did what he asked.

Staring around the room, Blackhawk took everything in. This place appeared to be another dead end.

It looked like the killer had one up on them once again.

They needed a break, and soon.

                                *     *     *

The flight there was quiet. Elizabeth napped the entire trip, and Callen worked on his tablet trying to figure the best birthday present for his woman. In the back of his mind, he knew what he wanted to do, but now it was a matter of the fine details. Callen couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw it.

When the pilot notified him of landing, Callen gently touched Elizabeth’s cheek. “We’re back, angel. It’s time to get to work.”

Sitting up, Elizabeth rolled her shoulder. Sleeping on it had made it stiff. When Callen’s hand began massaging it, she relaxed and enjoyed the sensation. “Thank you,” Elizabeth murmured.

Callen offered her a kiss. “My pleasure.”

Once touching down, Elizabeth held his hand the entire way thought the terminal. Yes, they’d garnered some attention, because there were two gun toting Feds holding hands. Yet, when he tried to pull away, she wasn’t having it.

In the car, she drove
as Callen calmly sat there, praying that the man who haunted him would stay far away. He’d give anything at that point to be free from his psychological tyranny.

As they pulled up to the sheriff’s station, they noticed Ethan was just arriving with his team.

“He was at Jed Proctor’s,” she told Callen. “From the look on his face, he must not have found anything.”

Callen tried to swallow his fear
. Yes, Elizabeth had accepted his deepest, darkest horror, but would his brother? All his life, if there was one man he wanted to emulate, it was this one. Now, Ethan would know the truth.

“It’s okay,” she reassured, knowing
their partner would know the right thing to say. If anything, Ethan loved his family fiercely and to no end.

Callen had to trust her.
He could only hope his idol wouldn’t look at him in revulsion and horror. Crossing his fingers, he hopped out of the Navigator.

Immediately, Ethan headed toward him. As he approached, he saw the fear
in Callen’s eyes, and it tore at his heart. Throwing his arms around his brother, he pulled him against him. “I love you, Callen,” he whispered in his ear. “I’ve got you for the rest of your life.”

It was all it took.

Gone was the stress from his body. Now, Callen could resume his life. The two people who mattered most were there to support him, not judge.

Callen held onto his brother, listening to the words he whispered. There was nothing there but love. In that moment, he thanked the powers that be. He was doubly blessed.

Releasing him slightly, he stared into Callen’s eyes. “For the record, you could have told me. I would have found a way to protect you even then, but especially now. I’d fight the world for you.”

Tears filled his eyes.

“I know you would, Ethan, and I love you too.”

Blackhawk placed a kiss on his forehead as he pulled him back into a hug. “I
have your back and always will. You’re not my half-brother, Cal. You’re my blood and own half of my heart. It’ll always be like that until the day we die.”

He relaxed, breathing in the scent of his cologne. It was a reminder of calm, peace, and love.

Releasing him, Ethan patted him on the cheek. “We’ll get through this.”

Just then, the sheriff strolled out of the building and saw the love fest. “You
have a problem,” he stated. “I think your killer struck again last night, only he screwed it up and the victim lived.”

That had Elizabeth’s attention. This could be the huge break
that they needed to find information.

“Who and where? We need to do an interview.”

He shook his head. “That’s not going to be as easy as you think. After he called for an ambulance, he clammed up. Since we don’t have a lot of violence here, it has to be related to your case.”

She pulled out her tablet. “What happened to him?”

The sheriff started ticking off injuries on his fingers. “He has contusions, bruises, two missing teeth, a broken nose, and his right radius is snapped like a twig.”

At that, both Callen and Elizabeth glanced over at Ethan. As usual, he looked calm on the outside.

He was stone. That was sometimes the biggest indicator.

“A snapped
radius, huh? You don’t say?” she said, fully believing that someone had definitely been up to a few nighttime games while she was away.

“What’s his name?” she
repeated, already knowing the answer.

“
His name is Dean Quinlan. He’s a Native out at Black Mountain Reservation. This has the tribe all riled up. They think an outsider went after him after an incident in the bar.”