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

Twice.

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

Campus

President’s Office

Late Afternoon

When they arrived at the school, they were immediately escorted into the inner sanctum of the president’s office. There, they were met by his administrative assistant, Pricilla Sanchez. She offered them a seat and promised that he would be right with them.

That was good, because Elizabeth wasn’t in the mood to sit around and wait. She wanted to get back to the apartment they were renting and relax.

It had already been a long day, and they needed to settle in and get the whiteboard set up for tomorrow after the autopsy.

When a man entered the room, he wasn’t smiling. Since he was about fifty, they assumed that he was Gabe’s friend.

“Elizabeth and Ethan, I presume?” he asked, holding out his hand in greeting.

“You’d be right,” she stated, following him back into his inner sanctum. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Hallowell. I’m glad we could help you out.”

He sat, tugging off his tie. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you both.”

Ethan pointed at the door. “Do you want that closed?” he offered.

The man shook his head. “No. Pricilla is very trustworthy. She’s well aware of the situation.”

Good to know.

“Gabe said you two were the best, and that’s what the board of trustees wants. I, personally, would bury this for the world to never see.”

“Why’s that, Doctor?” she asked.

“We’ve recently had a little episode, and we don’t need any more bad publicity. Already, enrollments dropped three percent. We need every student’s tuition to run this university.”

“Don’t BS us, Doctor. You need the donations to come in. We’re both familiar with college and know how it’s done.”

He went stiff. “Gabe said you were a ball buster.”

“Yeah, well, he didn't lie.”

“Why don’t you tell us what the scandal was?” Ethan prompted. “Then we can decide how much we have to tiptoe around this mess.”

“We had a teacher trading grades for sexual favors. One of the other students found out and took it to the school paper. Next thing we know, there’s a whole mess on our hands.”

They listened.

“Then we have someone taking women. The board of trustees is ready to fire everyone, including me.”

Elizabeth got it. “So, you called your buddy Gabe in the FBI, and he’s helping you out.”

“Gabe and I go way back, and we’re not so much friends as acquaintances. We went to school together.”

That didn't make sense to either of them. If this man was getting the Dragon Slayer’s help, they had to be friends or…

Ethan gave his wife a look. He could tell that she was thinking the same thing that he was.

None of this added up.

Gabe Rothschild, the head of the FBI, and man who golfed with the President of the United States, didn't hand out favors for acquaintances.

It didn't happen. 

“He promised that you’d do this with as little media as possible. I don’t need this blowing up and becoming a big issue.”

She had news for him. “Doctor, you have a serial killer. That’s not a big issue, that’s a HUGE one. We can’t promise to keep this hush-hush. If the media gets wind that we’re here, you could have even more attention. We’re two of their favorite topics.”

“Yes, I know, and that’s why you’re only here as a guest lecturer. We even have you on our website promoting it. Trust me…the media won’t care that you’re teaching a class.”

He was probably right.

“At first, I wanted Gabe to handle this.”

Elizabeth stared at him. “Yeah, he doesn’t leave his wife and kids for that long. His days in the field are pretty much over. I can’t recall the last time he did a job.”

“Oh, is he married? Isn’t that quaint?”

Okay, this was setting off the bells in her head. Something was definitely not right. Gabe, while private, had never mentioned this jackwagon to her, and now the man didn't even know he had kids?

Something was fishy.

It reeked.

“I can’t afford a scandal here. I want to keep the name of this school pristine. Gabe owed me a favor, and I claimed it.”

That proved it.

The man she worked under didn't handout favors easily, and the one he owed her was a huge one. Elizabeth couldn’t imagine what this guy had over him.

It had to be big.

Someone had the FBI director by the short and curlies. Frankly, it pissed her off.

Gabe should have known better than to try and keep her out of the loop on this. When shit went down, her instincts kicked in. This was exactly why they didn't trust him.

“So, I’m playing professor.”

He laughed. “I hope you can pull it off.”

When he stared at her beat up cowboy boots, and worn jeans she shook her head. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. I may slip and tell everyone the truth.” It looked like Ethan would be getting his bloodbath after all.

He stared at her. “And that would be?”

“That you’re a pompous ass and a borderline dickbag.”

It took everything Ethan had to not laugh. His wife was still the fiery woman he married, and here was proof.

Doctor Hallowell sputtered. “I don’t…”

She cut him off. “Listen. You may have Gabriel Rothschild in your back pocket for something, but you don’t own us. I’m here to get justice for the dead. Your pristine reputation doesn’t concern me. I’ll keep it quiet, but I’m not promising miracles. Where I go, death follows, and that draws vultures. So, buckle in, grab your granny panties, and hold on for one hell of a ride.”

He stared at her. “We’re screwed. This whole university is in serious trouble.”

She laughed. “Yeah, likely. You invited the devil to the party, and who knows what’s going to happen. Now, tell me about the class I’m going to be teachin’,” she drawled.

Ethan had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. The fun was about to begin. Elizabeth was going to torture this man.

It was open season.

“Is it on how to make moonshine and build wind chimes out of car parts? I reckon I can teach them a few things I learned in the backwoods. Hey! Won’t a few beer can sculptures class the joint up?”

Ethan was in his glory. The drawl was out, and Elizabeth was on her game.

He ignored her sarcasm. “It’s a basic criminal psych class. It’s required for the major. Are you sure you can handle it?”

She leaned forward. “I don’t know. Where did the professor who’s teaching it graduate from?”

He rattled off a name and it was a local state school.

“Well shit, Sherlock. I went to Cornell and have a Masters in criminal psych and linguistics. I hope I can meet your low expectations.”

He opened his mouth, but Ethan stepped in. “She’s telling the truth. Before you go there, rethink it. How about you tell us more about the victims? How many of the missing women were in that class?” he asked, keeping his wife from skinning the man alive with just a look.

“All four. As I stated, it’s a required course. If you want to get a degree in criminal justice, you have to take it.”

“Is it big?”

He nodded.

“Great.”

“Are you two all the FBI has to offer?” he asked, getting red around the collar.

Literally.

There was a flush moving up his throat. Elizabeth had that effect on people.

“We have agents already planted in the classes. Someone on your board of trustees handled that. You have nothing to worry about,” Elizabeth stated. “We’re damn good at what we do, and I trust my people.”

And she did.

He somehow doubted that he shouldn’t be worried. This was his worst nightmare. “You’re not what I expected.”

“Yeah, Gabe must hate your guts,” she stated, heading toward the door. “Tell the professor that I’ll be ready. I have the perfect bedtime story for the class. It’s Little Fed Riding Hood. The lead investigator saves granny and kicks the shit out of the bad guy.”

He stared after them, sputtering.

When his office door slammed shut, he picked up the phone and made a call.

He’d been screwed over by the top Fed.

This isn’t what he asked for.

At all.

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

It didn't take long for them to get the call. It wasn’t like they were shocked. They were halfway to the apartment when her phone went crazy. Picking it up, she placed it on speaker.

Elizabeth wasn’t playing this game.

“What the hell did you do?” Gabe raged.

She stayed calm.

It wasn’t easy.

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked. “I met with the ME, talked to the president of the university, and answered your call. I think I’m three for three.”

Ethan knew this could get them fired, and he was hoping she knew what she was doing. They were running on gut instinct here, and that could bite them in the ass at any second.

“You pissed him off! He said you were rude and called him names. I know that sounds exactly like you, so I’m not going to question his integrity on this one.”

She laughed. “Yeah, guilty as charged, but at least I didn't stick my boot up his ass. I wanted to, but I managed to keep it under control.”

“Why?” he asked, feeling his blood pressure going up. “I thought I said low key!”

She glanced over at her husband. They were in this together. Taking his hand in hers, she stuck to the script. “You have to think I’m some dumb fuck to try and pull the wool over our eyes again. First, you bone us on Oracle, and now you ask for our help and lie right to my face. We used to be family, Gabe. We had each other’s backs. What the hell is wrong with you?”

There was silence.

“I don’t…”

“Save it,” she stated. “I’ll do the damn job, but then we’re done. You’re strictly my boss and nothing more. If you’re going to lie to us, then screw you, Gabriel. You’ve dicked us over one too many times, and Ethan and I have had it. Do you hear me? We’ve had plenty of this BS. This is beyond the job’s requirements. You sent us in without all the information, and that’s not cool.”

With that, she hung up.

“We’re so screwed,” Ethan said. “I hope Callen keeps his job. We’re both going to be unemployed as we try to pay for our house.”

“Trust me,” she stated. “In five, four, three…”

The phone rang.

“Hello?” she said, calmly.

“He’s got me by the balls, okay?”

Elizabeth pointed to a parking lot and pulled out her tablet. “This isn’t something you discuss over the phone, Gabe. I want a face to face with you.”

She immediately pinged him and waited for him to accept her video call. When his face appeared on the screen, he looked exhausted.

He looked beat down.

Her heart broke for him.

“Gabriel Rothschild, are we family or not?”

“You’re all I have left, Lyzee. Other than Livy and the kids, you’re all I have. I can’t trust anyone else anymore. I come to work every day wondering who’s going to betray me next. You’re like my sister. I love you.”

She took that as his apology.

“I didn't want to do this,” stated Gabe. “He’s blackmailing me.”

Ethan’s mouth actually dropped open. “He’s got a huge set to try and screw with the head of the FBI.”

“What happened, Gabe? If you want our help, you have to let us in. It’s okay. Ethan and I can fix this, but you have to tell us everything. We can’t maneuver through this blind. That’s going to screw it up.”

“When we were in college, I cheated in one lousy class. I was under so much pressure, and I felt like the world was collapsing in on me. I took the easy way out, and Hallowell was the teaching assistant. He caught me. I needed a good grade to graduate with honors, so I let a buddy take my exam for me.”

They stared at him.

“Seriously?” she asked. “You’re the smartest man I know. Why the hell would you do that?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I had a moment of weakness, and I’ve carried it my entire life. It’s the one thing I’ve done in my life that I’m not proud of, and here it is, biting me in the ass. You know me. I live by the rules.”