Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) (30 page)

Callen was still typing.

“He was in art school,” Livy stated, sending the pictures of the sculptures to Ethan. He used his tablet to put them on the screen. “We would have asked to take this with us, but then his sister would have lost it. There is no love lost between her and us.” By ‘us’, Livy meant Elizabeth.

They all studied it.

“We were hoping there might be some cut marks in it,” Elizabeth stated. “Then you could compare them, Chris.”

He sauntered toward the screen, leaning heavily on his cane. “There aren’t. I can’t do a comparison. If you have knives, I can pull up the old autopsies and go from there.”

“Yeah, only, I tossed the knife after he attacked Livy. I wiped my fingerprints and threw it in the Potomac.”

“What about the brother? If you get me his knives, I can compare them.”

Ethan hated to burst their bubble, but he had to be the voice of reason. “We’d need a warrant to get them. I doubt James O’Brien is going to hand them over.”

Callen started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Elizabeth asked.

“I think I know how to get that warrant.”

They all watched as he pulled a document up on the screen. It was a marriage license.

“By any chance did James O’Brien tell you who his brother was dumped for?” he asked.

“No, why?”

He pointed to the name. “It looks like Helena Brennan got married, and to a man named James O’Brien. Does that sound familiar?”

Livy and Elizabeth stared at each other.

“Uh, he didn't mention that.”

“Well, there might be a reason. How about we throw this at a judge and see if it sticks?” Callen suggested. “One of us has to have enough pull with a judge to make him see that there could be something there.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe it. She crossed to Callen and gave him a huge kiss. “I love my research lust monkey. Where would I be without you?”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “You would be getting manhandled by only one Native. What fun is that?”

Gabe ignored Callen’s comment, and instead, he got on the phone. “I’ll get that warrant for us by tomorrow. I’m going to play it as a scorned man trying to make the FBI pay for not finding his brother’s killer,” he stated, heading out.

That might give them a fighting chance.

Elizabeth stared at the screen, studying the details between both men. All she could think about was how when she had first interviewed Seamus O’Brien, he’d pointed her at a co-worker to get away. Never once did he direct them towards his own flesh and blood. He could have.

They shared DNA.

That was the ONLY reason she wasn’t weeping. Her gut was still clinging to that last hope. He’d lied to the FBI, but had an out and didn't take it.

That had to mean something.

Right?

“What are you thinking?” Callen asked.

“That I’ve screwed up bigtime on this one. Even when we get those knives, we can’t prove if I killed the right man.”

They all knew it.

“Anyone want to tell me how we fix this one?” Elizabeth asked.

No one spoke.

Yeah, she was afraid of that.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Tuesday Night

The mood was somber.

On the way back to Gabe and Livy’s, there was very little discussion. Everyone was focused on the case. For each of them, there was something at stake. This case was weighing heavily on the team’s hearts and minds.

The personal stake was making it hard to look at it from a professional point of view.
‘The Butcher’s’
return was turning all of their lives upside down.

For Gabe and Livy, their future was uncertain. If the rapist was still out there, then they had a huge problem. Their eldest child, Amy, was at risk. If the killer was alive, they feared he might come for her next. After all, she was the product of his sickness. If the O’Brien family found out about her existence, would they want to see her too?

It made Gabe and Livy sick.

Now they truly needed to make sure Amy’s real paternity remained hidden. Their secret horror became their number one priority.

They weren’t the only ones worried.

Ethan and Callen were trying to figure out a way to find the answers Elizabeth sought. They wanted the bullet that killed Seamus O’Brien to have been the end to a killer.

It would have given their woman desperately needed peace. This case was tearing her apart from the inside out. She was the most stressed they’d ever seen her, and frankly, they were worried.

How much strain could a pregnant woman take before it became detrimental to the child she was carrying?

Already, the worry was etched into her face. The lines were there, and her eyes were filled with nonstop concern. Anymore, and she was likely to break.

They didn't want to see that happen.

This case could very well be the one that broke her, and they knew it.

Then there was Chris Leonard. Gone were his worries about covering for his ‘sister’ and friend. Now he had bigger problems.

His wife had been texting him, and they didn't bode well. Cyra was laying down the law. They had gone from
‘I miss you’
to
‘If you don’t come home, I’m going to leave’
.

He didn't know what to do.

With each text, they were deteriorating, and he didn't know if he could handle the outcome. He was on the cusp of losing his wife and daughter.

It was slowly killing him.

He saw the writing on the wall, and it didn't bode well for him. The end was coming. Only, Chris had to choose his destruction. Would it be losing his family, or losing his…family.

Shit!

His life was a mess.

So, as they sat in the kitchen eating takeout, no one said a word. It was uncomfortable for everyone. Normally, there would be banter, talk of the case, or just easy silence.

There was none of that, and no one could miss the tension. There had to be a breaking point, and they were nearing it.

“Thank you for dinner,” Chris said, standing. “I need to go check in with my wife and daughter. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Elizabeth heard the stress in his voice. She’d known the man for a very long time. Something was very wrong. She’d bet her life on it.

Chris, while almost easy going, had worry lines etched into his features. They encapsulated his normally smiling mouth, and marred his brow.

Something was up.

She could see it.

When he was gone, she glanced over at her husbands. “What’s up with him?” Elizabeth asked.

“He’s having some issues at home,” Callen said, making sure Ethan didn't say anything. While they had allegiance to Elizabeth, Chris had trusted him.

“Maybe I should go talk to him.”

Neither man spoke.

“I hate to see him this riled up. I know we promised to leave him at the office more, but this came up.”

No one blamed her.

They knew Chris didn't fault her either. This case had blindsided them all, and that meant they had to fix the mess or it would haunt them for many years to come.

This was Elizabeth’s issue.

It was Gabe’s.

Hell!

It was Chris Leonard’s too.

“Maybe you should talk to him,” Ethan offered. He knew that if there was one person who could calm the situation, it would be his wife.

Or he hoped that was the case.

“Livy and I are going to head to bed,” Gabe said, dropping a kiss to her cheek. “Aren’t we, honey?”

She smiled up at him. He was wiggling his eyebrows, and she knew what he was thinking. Of course, the entire time they were eating, she was tormenting him with her hidden hand on his lap.

She was in the mood to forget, and Gabriel could give her that. He was the one way to calm her nerves and knotted stomach. Like always, this man was her solace.

“Yes, we are,” she said, closing the pizza boxes.

“We’ll clean up,” Ethan offered.

Gabe grinned. “Bless you.”

Livy hugged her friend before leaving the room. Quietly, she whispered in Elizabeth’s ear. “Thank you for today. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m so lucky to have you as my friend. Thank you for sticking all these years, even when it would have been easier to run.”

She hugged her back. “It was my pleasure, you horrible shrew.”

Livy laughed. “Gabe likes me like that.”

“I sure as hell do,” he admitted.

As they walked away, Elizabeth got ready to check on Chris. There was no way she would sleep, knowing that he was struggling with something.

He was part of her circle.

She had to help.

“Lyzee,” Callen began, not sure if this was a good idea. He knew it had the potential to blow up around her. “Maybe you should give him time to sort it out.”

She laughed. “Hell no! Doc and I go way back, Cal. We always got into each other’s business. This is exactly like that. If I don’t go up there, he’s going to be a mess.”

She headed out of the room.

Callen glanced over at his brother. “We better clean up and get upstairs. I have a feeling this is going to suck.”

Ethan agreed. “It’s like a Band-Aid, Cal. It’s better to rip it off. Trust her. She’ll be okay. If he’s walking away from the FBI, she needs to know about it upfront, not later when she least expects it.”

He hoped his brother was right.

Someone was bound to get hurt.

Callen just hoped it wasn’t going to be the woman they loved.

When she got to his room, she could hear him talking from behind the door. They were hushed murmurs, but she could hear the tension.

Yeah, he needed her.

She hated that he was suffering.

Knocking, she hoped he’d talk to her. Elizabeth really hated when Chris was in pain. He was her brother, and she had seen the storm brewing in his eyes.

“Come in,” he called.

When she opened the door, Elizabeth saw that flash of grief. She just didn't understand where it was coming from.

“Can we talk?”

He went back to his call. “I have to go, Cyra. I’ll handle it and call you later, okay?”

With that, he hung up.

“Hey, Lyzee. Come on in. I’d offer you a seat, but there’s a kiddie table or the bed.

She could tell his smile was forced, and there was no humor in his voice. Chris Leonard, for the first time in a long time, was faking it for her.

She just didn't understand why.

“You look like hell, Christopher. What’s going on? We’ve been friends a long time, and I can see something is chasing you. Want to get it off your chest?”

He closed his eyes.

Of course, she was going to figure this out. Now he had a dilemma, and since she was here, he had no time to think about it.

Chris was going to have to make this choice on the fly.

Shit!

Here went everything…

“I have a problem.”

“Can I help with it?”

Oh, how he wished she could. For the first time, Elizabeth wouldn’t be the solution. She was part of the issue. Chris hated every second of this.

“Cyra and I aren’t doing well.”

“Oh, Chris, I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“What can I do for you?”

“You have to let me go.”

His words struck her right in the heart. This was the first time in her life where he’d caught her completely off guard. She never saw this one coming.

Never
.

Not the man she called brother.

Elizabeth stared at him. “What? I’m sorry. I think I’ve heard you wrong. Did you just tell me I have to let you go? Go where? I’m confused.”

He wanted to weep.

Chris wanted to rage around the room. He could see the hurt in her eyes. There was betrayal there. He’d promised to stick, and he wasn’t. He was doing the same thing Livy and Gabe had done to her.

He was dumping this on his sister and walking away.

He couldn’t help it. Chris Leonard opted to keep his wife and daughter and bail on the woman who helped make him the man he was today.

This was the worst day of his life.

“This is my last case, Lyzee.”

He couldn’t believe he was saying this.

There was no way those horrible words were coming from his mouth. This was the last thing he wanted to do, but what choice did he have?

Her heart lurched in her chest. She was losing her brother. She could feel it.

“Can I ask why you’re leaving?” Elizabeth asked. She didn't know how she got the words out, but somehow…she did.

“Cyra hates that I’m away all the time. It’s ruining our marriage. It’s destroying it.”

What Elizabeth didn't understand was that she never saw this coming. In all her time with him, and they spent a lot of it together, she didn't see this heading her way.

Chris was part of her foundation.

Now he was leaving.

“I can’t be away like this.”

Elizabeth struggled to string words together in hopes of getting him to stay. She wasn’t ready to lose him yet.

She needed him in her life.

“We had you working out of the office. This came up, and I didn't have a choice. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He took her hand in his. “I love you, Elizabeth, but it’s my career or my marriage. I have to make a choice. I can’t have both. Some people, they can have it all, but I can’t. I wish it were different, but it isn’t. Cyra is ready to leave. I can’t live without my daughter. I need her.”

“I see.”

“I know I made a promise to you fifteen years ago. I told you I’d stick no matter what, but I can’t anymore. I don’t need the money, but I can’t lose my family. I can’t lose my little girl. My Bethe is my world.”

She wanted to tell him she was his family too, but she knew the truth. She wanted Chris to be happy, despite what it did to her. He’d always had her back, and this time, even if it broke her, she’d return the favor.

Elizabeth would make the sacrifice for the best friend she loved. She’d miss him, Tony would miss him, and nothing would be the same again.

She was smart enough to know it—to see it coming. This was the end of the road in so many ways.

“I’m sorry, Lyzee. I’m so damn sorry.”

It wasn’t missed by her that this was the second time today someone had said those words.

God!

She hated this case and how it was destroying her world. Everything was crumbling around her. She and Chris were a constant. They were the beginning of the journey, and now this was their end.

He was slipping away.

“I hope you don’t hate me for quitting.”

She knew what she needed to do, despite the hurt. Elizabeth took his face in her palms so they were staring eye to eye.

She saw the fear of the unknown there.

If anything, Elizabeth wanted to ease his pain.

“Christopher Orion Leonard, I will never hate you. You are part of my family. There’s a difference between walking away for love and quitting. I can’t blame you.”

“I’m going to miss you. I’m going to miss coffee in the morning, and you telling me off. I’m going to ache each time I look at the medical bag and cane you gave me. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m breaking up the team for my own selfish needs.”

Tears filled his eyes. When they slipped free, she wiped them away with the pads of her thumbs.

“It’s going to be okay, Christopher. I promise it’ll be okay. You’re doing what’s best for you and your family. I support your choice.”

He didn't.

God!

He hated this. It felt so wrong. Chris knew he was making a horrible choice. He saw it in her eyes, and a part of him wished she’d say it. At that moment, he wanted Elizabeth to talk him out of it.