The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) (32 page)

Elizabeth stood there with her mouth open, unsure what to say. Part of her was all hot and bothered that he
was being territorial. The other part was horrified that he just might do it.

“
Now let’s check on the team, and get home. I want to have something to eat. I’m suddenly starving,” he said adjusting her hat on his head.

Elizabeth watched him saunter away. He wasn’t the only one who was suddenly very hungry
, and definitely not for food.

Yes
, Ethan Blackhawk was very sexy indeed.

~ Chapter Ten ~

Sunday
Night

When they pulled up into her driveway, she was
extremely overjoyed to be home. It had been a long day, and just the knowledge that the FBI was working back at the station twenty four hours a day, meant that they could shut down for a little while and regroup.

Having Ethan Blackhawk beside her
made it even more relaxing, in her opinion. With him she felt safe and at peace. The only thing left stressing her was the continual thoughts of what she would do when he left, after all this was over.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, turning off her Jeep. “You’ve been quiet since we left the grocery store.”

Elizabeth smiled at him. “I’m thinking how nice it’ll be to have dinner, a glass of wine, and not have to think for tonight,” she hoped he didn’t figure out only half of that was truth. She climbed out of the Jeep and grabbed one of the grocery bags, handing him the other. “Are you sure you want to cook dinner? Aren’t you exhausted, too?”

“I am, but we have to eat, and then we can relax and leave the mess for the maid,” he scoffed, watching her face.

“Hey now, Cowboy! I am the maid!”

“I know, and that’s why I don’t mind cooking, and making a mess.”

Elizabeth dropped her bag on the counter and slid off her boots, and it was a wonderful feeling to be flat on the ground again. “Thank God, one more hour in those boots, and I was going to weep,” she sighed, walking around him and getting two wine glasses. “Want some wine?” she opened the bottle that she pulled out of the wine chiller.

“Yes, I sure do
, and we should celebrate. Another day without a body and the mayor is gone,” he laughed. “It’s the little things in life that matter most,” he said, taking the glass from her, smiling and toasting them.

She took a sip of her wine, and placed the glass on the counter. “I just wanted to do something all day,” she walked toward him seductively, chewing on her lower lip.

“Oh yeah?” he leaned down, expecting a scorching kiss, and was surprised when she only pulled the tie restraining his hair.

“So much better,
” she ran her fingers through it, grinning.

“Here I thought I was going to get this earth shattering kiss that was going to make me wild and hot.”

Elizabeth shrugged, moving back to her wine and denying him his fantasy. “There’s a problem with that plan, Cowboy.”

“Care to share with me, Sheriff?”

“It’s simple. I start kissing you, and then you get all excited. Next you get very hand-sy, and I end up half naked. You join me in my nakedness, and before we know it we’re having hot sweaty sexy on the couch, with no dinner.”

His body
reacted to the idea of them just getting naked, and having sex in her great room. “It doesn’t sound like a bad plan to me,” he stalked towards her, unbuttoning his dress shirt, and tossing it on the counter. Next came his shoes, and belt.

Elizabeth laughed
and squealed, as he started chasing her.

When Blackhawk caught her
he threw her onto the couch, and pulled her shirt off. He was leaving little licks and bites along her collar bone. When she paused, putting her hand over his mouth to silence him, he froze. Blackhawk moved his mouth to her ear, “What’s wrong?”

Elizabeth rolled off the couch, and
pulled her gun from the holster sitting on the coffee table, she motioned to the ceiling and her ear. Neither of them moved, as they listened for any sign of movement. There was a telltale creak. Someone was in her house on the second floor.

Blackhawk reached for his own gun, and motioned for her to remain there, and she looked at him like he’d lost his mind. Again the floor creaked, as they moved towards the stairs. He made a hand motion, and she nodded, understanding what he wanted to do.
They were going to search the house.

Elizabeth knew the stairs well
and avoided the creaks. Growing up as a teenager, sneaking in after missed curfew had given her the knowledge of which ones would give her away. Blackhawk was light on his feet, but he still hit the one step that gave her away countless times as a teen. The wood groaned under his weight, and it sounded like an explosion in the silence. Both paused as they waited to hear the intruder make the next move.

The sounds from upstair
s stopped, as if whoever it was heard them coming.

He motio
ned again and she pointed back. They were going divide and conquer, each taking rooms, one by one to clear them. Just to make sure no one stepped out surprising them, and ending their lives.

Elizabeth made it to the top of the stairs and broke right, her back against the wall. She watched him
mimic her motions. Taking left, he glanced over at her in the pale light being cast from the stairwell, and mouthed ‘be careful’.

Elizabeth
advised him to do the same.

The first room was the large
bathroom; she crept in and was glad it had a nightlight that went on when it became dark. Pulling back the shower curtain, she released the breath she was holding when it was clear. Mentally she crossed it off, and started out to her next room. It was one of the guest rooms. It was hard to focus. Her heart was pounding as she hoped Blackhawk was safe.

Blackhawk could hear
his heart pounding in his ears. Fear was gripping him, like icy cold claws. It wasn’t himself that he was worried about, but the sheriff. Leaving her on her own scared him. If anything happened to her… 

He pushed it down, walking into the spare bedr
oom and peeking behind the door. When he saw it was clear, he checked under the bed and then slowly opened the closet. Inside was also clear, and he relaxed marginally. Blackhawk’s thoughts were back on Elizabeth, and praying she didn’t encounter anyone. If it had to happen, he wanted it to be him.

When Blackhawk exited, she released the breath she was holding. Time for the
next bedroom, It was the one that was once hers as a little girl. The walls were still bright pink and covered in flowers, and she never had the heart to change it. Not since she remembered her father toiling over it and putting so much time into it.

Elizabeth scanned the room, and immediate
ly her eyes went to the closet. The door was open a crack, and she knew with her compulsive tendencies that she always closed the closet doors. The sweep under the bed turned up nothing, and then to the closet. With her gun pointing toward the danger, she toed open the door, keeping her hands free to use her firearm. Her one arm was still sore, and she needed the additional support to keep her aim straight.

As it creaked open she winced. Mental not
e, she needed to oil the hinges. Hitting the light, she saw it was empty and nothing looked touched. It just struck her as odd that someone would go into her old closet.

What could they be looking for?

Blackhawk cleared the last bedroom, the only thing left was the sheriff’s room, and he met her outside the door. Both nodded, signaling as they entered. This is where it would be dangerous. Making sure to keep her in his line of sight, just so they didn’t accidentally shoot each other, they proceeded. Blackhawk took the master bath, and cleared the space, as she checked the walk in closet. He noticed the window in the bathroom was open, and he knew they didn’t leave it that way.

Someone
had been in the house, and in her room. Rage filled him, as he crept walked back out, pretty sure that the intruder was gone.

“It’s all clear,” she said pointing her gun at the floor, and looking around the room. “I know I heard some
thing. I’m not going crazy.”

“The bathroom window is open, and there
’s a tree right outside the window. I don’t doubt you were right.” Ethan went to her, hugging her protectively against his body, and kissing her forehead before he continued, “Someone was here.”

“We need to call your people, they can dust for prints, but I want to
check all the rooms downstairs. Who knows how long the intruder was in here,” she said, shuddering at the thought the killer or intruder was going through her personal things.

“Let’s go down
. I’ll grab my phone and make the call. We’ll walk the entire house together, okay?”

Elizabeth
glanced up into his eyes, and saw the worry. There was no doubt that he was scared for her, because she was terrified for herself. The maniac was in her bedroom and in her house. There was no way she’d sleep again.

“You’re getting an alarm system,” he informed her,
holding her hand as his gun remained in his other one. “Come on Lyzee,” he said, leading her to the stairs. 

“I
’ll get one immediately,” she paused, looking around. “Wait, we were right there,” she pointed at the kitchen island, and then the couch, releasing his hand to move behind the wall and peek out. She stepped down, and they heard the creek.

Blackhawk’s eyes narrowed. The
scumbag had been watching them. He wasn’t searching for something in a room, he had been watching from the top of the stairs. The sick bastard had been watching them as he got ready to make love to her. His blood boiled at the invasion of their privacy.

“I think
that I’m getting the loudest alarm I can find, and a dog. A big dog named killer, with an extra row of teeth,” she shuddered, moving back to him.

“We have to call this in
now. Try not to touch anything, Lyzee.”

Elizabeth nodded and followed him down the stairs
, and immediately headed for her office. It was where her gun safe was, and where all her important papers were kept.  Everything that she found important was kept in that room. Scanning her office, she grabbed a tissue to protect any evidence on the safe dial as she opened it. Carefully, she peered into the safe, finding everything was there.

When
Blackhawk entered the room, he glanced around. It was the first time he’d been in her office, and it suited her. It looked like his at home. She was standing in the middle of the room, and she was making a scan, to see if something had been touched. When her eyes reached the desk, he knew something was wrong.

“What?” he asked, moving to her side.

Elizabeth pointed to the center of the desk, noticing her father’s laptop was missing. Someone had left a piece of paper in its place, with her name scribbled across it. It looked familiar, since it was her own stationary from her desk. “That wasn’t there, and my father’s laptop is gone.”

Blackhawk moved to the desk, and used a pen to flip the paper open
. Intruders who left notes, seldom left nice ones. As he carefully tried to open the paper, he scanned the note.

“What does it say?” she whispered, slowly moving to his side, almost afraid to look. The look on his face said it all, and she suddenly felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was going to be bad.

Blackhawk closed the note, and moved to her, pulling her into his arms. From the window, he could see flashing lights, and knew the show was about to begin. Once she knew what was in the note, she was going to have healed over scars ripped open. They were about to become vicious wounds once more.

“Ethan, please, what does it say,” she looked up into his eyes.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

He just held onto her, as tight as he could
. At least she would hear it from him, and only him. “That your father was easy to kill, and you will be too,” he spoke the words. He too was numb, as he forced his focus on comforting her as her body began to shake. All he could do was hold her. He was afraid she’d crumble to the ground.

Elizabeth
heard the words and everything in her stopped. It felt like a knife had been plunged into her heart, all the air left her body. The trembling took over, as she clung to the man who was now holding her up.

Someone murdered Charlie LaRue?

Had he been a victim?

She knew that now
she had to find the killer to give her father justice too.

“I’ll find him, Lyzee. I swear to you
that I won’t stop until this is done.” Blackhawk took the oath, and made the vow. It would be his mission in life. No matter what or how long it took, for her.

Elizabeth looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. There were no words at that moment, only sadness,
worry, and fear. Her father was a smart man, and the killer got him. She couldn’t help but wonder if she would indeed be next.