The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) (28 page)

Blackhawk was pissed too, this was important information, and he just tainted the entire thing with holding back the truth. “Tony, you could have very well just cost Lyzee her job.”

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I picked her up at ‘
The Barrel’
one night and it went from there. It was casual sex.”

Elizabeth didn’t know if she wanted to cry, or beat something to death. On second thought, she knew and her face must have shown it.

“Tony, you better leave,” Ethan suggested, standing. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Lyzee and I have to think this one out, and figure out how to not destroy the entire case and both of your careers.”

Tony nodded at the man, appreciative of his calmness. “Lyzee, I’m sorry,” he said again, walking to the door. He gave her one last look over his shoulder, and saw the anger in her eyes. It was a look of betrayal too. With a soft click, he closed the door and escaped from her wrath, knowing that things would probably never be the same again.

Elizabeth LaRue felt her whole entire world sliding out of control. It was just like before in the FBI, except this time it wasn’t anything she did. Her own deputy took her down this time, and she just couldn’t believe it.

Blackhawk k
new how dire this situation was as he’d seen it happen before. A law enforcement team blowing the entire case by holding back information, and it always came out at trial. Defense teams were ruthless, looking for any plausible doubt to destroy a year of carefully built case.

“This is really bad,” she said, barely
able to breathe.

“What do you want me
to do, Lyzee? I’ll do anything to help you fix this,” and he meant it. 

She didn’t even
hesitate. “Tony forced my hand on this. I need you to call in the cavalry, Ethan. You have to remove him, and we have to redo everything he touched and compromised.”

“We can keep this from blowing up,” he turned her to face him. “I’ll keep this from escalating.
I promise.”

“We need reinforcements, we’re down one deputy, and if this gets out to the media, I’ll
definitely lose my job. I have to figure out how to keep hell from breaking loose.”

“Lyzee, I’ll take care of it all, and make sure your job and reputation is sterling. I swear to you
!” Blackhawk lifted her face to look into his eyes. “No one is going to nail you to the defense’s cross when this is over.”

Elizabeth wanted to believe him, but she’d been the scapegoat before.

He knew why she was afraid, and he wasn’t going to let her take the blame on this one. If he had to stand in front of her and be her armor then he’d do it.

Elizabeth kissed him and held onto him, praying he was right.

Blackhawk thought back to the dreams, and understood why she thought she was in hell. Only now he was going to save her and pull her out, no matter what.

~ Chapter Nine ~

Sunday
Morning

It had been a long night after Tony left. Blackhawk called his team, and they were ready to mobilize. They would be arriving sometime today to help sort the mess out in Salem.

Since finding out that one of her deputies was dating a victim, she had to immediately relieve him of duty.
Elizabeth had no choice; he had a personal relationship with the dead girl and held it back. All she could hope for was that the leak didn’t happen, and that they could redo all his work.

Elizabeth barely slept all night, but she needed to clear her head
. The only way she could do that was get a run in, and shake out the cobwebs that were forming in her mind. She snuck out of bed, trying to not disturb him as he slept. He had been up all night working with her, and she wanted him to get some rest. Just watching him took her breath away. Ethan was incredible. All night, he stayed with her, holding her, and just reassuring her that they would find a solution and to not worry. Somehow, Elizabeth believed him. It seemed crazy. She had only known him for a few days and already she was completely attached to him. It was hard to not think about him leaving when this was all over. He said it himself; he had his career, hundreds of miles away.

“Where are you going?” he asked, not even opening his eyes. He could feel her staring at him.

“A run.”

“Not alone you're not,” he answered, sitting up in bed. “Give me five minutes to get dressed,” he walked to his suitcase pulling out his running shoes and shorts.

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” she stated, walking over to hug and kiss him before leaving.

Blackhawk stretched
. He was used to very little sleep, and he may have preferred sleeping a little longer, but he wasn’t letting her outside the house without him. Most of the night, he stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t let her career be destroyed by Tony’s actions. That just wasn’t an option to him, and he had a way to fix it, and was going to implement it as soon as they got into town and he could explain it to her.

Elizabeth pulled on her running shoes and watched him come down the stairs, as he pulled his matching FBI t-shirt over his head. “How cute, we match,” she said, grinning.

“That was my plan, as I packed my suitcase six hundred miles away, before ever meeting you,” he said, stretching out more and laughing. “How far are we running?”

“Maybe six miles. It’s my usual. It helps me clear my mind.” Elizabeth opened the front door.

“
Great. I get to suffer so you have a clear mind?” he smiled, and kissed her on the top of the head. “Just for the record, sex is exercise, and we don’t have to leave the house to have it.” He was caught off guard when he saw she was actually considering it. His whole body tightened at the prospect.

“
I’ll make you a deal. A six mile run and then sex in the shower to loosen up?” she laughed. “Ready cowboy?”

“Hell, yeah, bring on the shower.”

                            *   *   *

He wa
tched her run down her driveway. The FBI agent was following behind, acting as a body guard. The time had come to really drive Elizabeth LaRue over the edge. There were few things in her life that had ever made her break under pressure, the main one was her dear old man. She was so busy chasing her tail and suspects who didn’t matter, she couldn’t see the truth as it sat in front of her.

First things firs
t, anything that her father had which pointed at a suspect, needed to be taken and removed from her possession. He couldn’t risk it that there was anything in the house that pointed at him as the killer. That meant entering her home and searching it. Her runs weren’t long enough, so it would have to wait until tonight, and while she was tied up playing sheriff.

It was time to tell Elizabeth LaRue
, and the world, what they completely missed. That Charlie LaRue didn’t die of just a heart attack, but that he was murdered.

Then
they would see if she could handle the pressure, or crack and fall apart.

He was betting she’d crumble like dust.

                            *   *   *

Almost finished with the six miles, she could hear his breathing and it matched hers
. It was labored but steady. Their footfalls were in perfect syncopation. Elizabeth knew that with his longer legs, he could have forced her to keep up, but he didn’t. The entire time, Ethan remained by her side. It wasn’t an easy run by any means, but it was more enjoyable with him. As they rounded the last corner, the front porch loomed in the distance.

He finally broke his silence.

“First one to the porch gets to be on the bottom,” he said, taking off running at full speed to the finish line.

“Hey!” she protested, but kept up, just barely
lagging behind him and almost tying with him. “That wasn’t fair!” she was laughing, bracing her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

“Not my fault leaving the FBI cut into your reflexes,” he grinne
d wickedly, swinging her up into his arms and walking into the house. “Now I will prove my sexual prowess by carrying you upstairs like a caveman.”

She laughed hysterically, trying to get him to put her down. “You're out of control,” she said, biting his earlobe and then freeing his hair, so she could
feel its silkiness.

Just the feel of her in his arms and her fingers running through his hair made him wild with need. Something about her just fired everything deep in his body. It was like he just couldn’t get enough of her. “If you keep doing that, we won’t make it to the shower,” he mumbled into her mouth
, as he kept kissing her, hard and rough.

Elizabeth was warm with need
, as he dropped her on the bed and toed off his running shoes. She started laughing as he dove back onto her, pinning her to the bed to take control of her mouth with his. The war began as Elizabeth pulled Ethan’s shirt from his body, and ran her nails lightly down his slick skin. She only paused from kissing him to toss his shirt onto the floor. She enclosed her arms around his neck, clinging to him and enjoying the taste of him. He was salty and masculine and it lured her in. Elizabeth wrapped her long legs around his waist as he removed her shirt. It didn't take long to have it join his on the floor in a pile.

Blackhawk
believed he was going to combust. She was wrapped around him and clinging to him, as he peeled the layer of clothing off of both of them. She was driving him crazy with her mouth on his, and he thought he might explode right there. “Lyzee, you're killing me,” he whispered, into her mouth.

“
I want you right now,” she answered back, then continued kissing him, a wild mix of tongue and teeth.

He felt like she was devouring him alive, every nerve in his body on fire. All he needed now was to just get her shorts off, and then he could find
some relief from the scorching heat. “Shorts,” he muttered back, as she unwrapped her legs, helping him slide them off. Finally, she gave Ethan access to the deep warmth his body was craving. She was quickly becoming his addiction.

“Now, Ethan,” she said, biting his lip. “Hurry! I can’t wait!”

Blackhawk groaned at the words and the urgency behind them. The way she wanted him drove him crazy. As he positioned himself at her entrance, he prepared for the intense feeling of bliss he knew was coming. Sliding into her body, in one fluid motion, it almost did him in right then. She fit him like a glove, so tight and perfect, as if made for him. For that brief second, they both paused, overwhelmed by the sensation of the invasion.

“Not sure if I can go slow
ly,” he said again, her mouth swallowing his words, as her hands joined his in exploring. When he found her hands, he leaned over her body, holding her to the bed with his body weight. Double pinning her, with hands and erection, so he could take what he wanted.

“Please,” she practically begged, her mouth missing the assault and wanting it back. Kissing him was like a drug, it made her dizzy and lightheaded.

He lowered himself, holding her arms pinned above her head, and she was his captive. He changed the pace, still sliding in and out of her body, taking, giving, and enjoying. His mouth was hers again, as she invaded and he plundered back.

“More,” she whispered, as his breathing labored. “I want more, Ethan,” she pleaded, as he increased the speed
and the depth.

In his heart
he wanted to tell her the same. Ethan wanted more too, but he didn’t mean the sex. He wanted everything else that came with it. He wanted her love just as desperately as he wanted her body.

God, he wanted her heart too.

Elizabeth felt so good, as they moved together. The words rushed through her mind. She was gone and in love, and there was no going back. This man made her fall hard, and now her heart was in his hands. Suddenly, her body tightened, and she broke the kiss, wanting to stare deep into his eyes. Just the eye contact pulled at her soul. All the emotion she could see in his face ripped her apart. He undid her and made her lose control. She felt the tightening of her body and was pushed off the precipice, him right behind. Both moaned each other’s name as they fell into the bliss together.