Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (19 page)

Did Joey do that? He honestly couldn’t picture her being that silly, but then again, he wouldn’t mind hearing her laughter. It had been so long.

“You look beautiful,” he said, noticing the other girls were grinning and batting their eyelashes.

Jesus!

He didn't get girls at all.

“Oh, thanks,” Johanna offered.

Brody loved seeing her in college gear. She was so different not in her FBI clothes, that he couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Hey, I came to walk you to class. I think we’re in the same one,” he stated.

The pack of girls giggled even more.

Johanna blushed. “Oh, okay.”

He held out his hand. “Let me carry your backpack,” he offered.

She handed it over, right before he held out his arm.

“My lady?”

The girls swooned.

Johanna fought not to roll her eyes. Damn him for being suave. It made her belly curl with lust. She’d never seen this part of him before. He was a total enigma, and she had to admit that she was fascinated.

As they walked away, she whispered, keeping her voice low. “What are you doing, Brody?”

“Seducing my girl.”

That was all she had to hear. In fact, he was doing that and so much more, and she was helpless to fight it. Johanna Madden was falling for him, harder than ever. This had been her biggest fear, and it was coming true.

Damn it!

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

When he dropped her off, she was a spectacle. Of course Ethan Blackhawk was going to walk around the side of the Denali and open the door for her.

And of course he was going to kiss her like they’d been apart for weeks. In the middle of the college sidewalk, surrounded by kids, he pulled her mouth to his in one hell of a searing lip lock.

It was beyond steamy. It was like a summer day in the hottest part of hell.

It was scorching.

It drew everyone’s attention, and she didn't doubt that he’d done it to mark his territory. When they broke apart, she went to admonish him, but he didn't care. The smug masculine look on his handsome face said it all.

He was running this relationship.

Somehow, she’d lost control a long time ago right about when Callen joined their union. Now she was trapped in the Native American sexiness, unable to get out.

“I’ll get you later,” she mumbled under her breath as he slapped her on the tightly clad ass.

He laughed when she gave him the look. “I look forward to it. I sincerely hope that you’ll be wearing that outfit when you do,” he replied, watching her walk away. Ethan was aware that the college boys were checking her out, and that’s why he’d practically crawled into her body by way of her mouth.

Just before she disappeared into the building, she turned, icy blue eyes meeting blue-black ones. The wink said it all. She was ready for what waited inside.

He didn't have to worry.

Getting back into the Denali, he headed to the morgue. There was work to do.

Elizabeth stopped outside the classroom where she was directed to go. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach when she saw all the students beginning to pile in.

Great.

Here, she’d hoped they’d all sleep in. Obviously, they heard she was coming. Now she really wished Ethan was there doing this. Yeah, earlier, she said she could handle it, but now she was a tad bit nervous.

When someone tapped her on the shoulder, she nearly jumped.

Christ!

What was wrong with her?

“Are you Director Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk?” asked the man.

“Yes, I am. Are you Professor Levitz?”

He grinned warmly. “Yes, I am. You can call me Wayne. I’m pretty laid back. I like for my students and guest faculty to feel comfortable with me.”

She studied the man. He was around fifty, and athletically built. He was far from some old man sitting in his office withering away.

“Thank you. You can call me Elizabeth. I’m beyond laid back,” she stated, noticing a young man was plastered to the professor’s side. “And you are?”

“I’m David Lessman. I’m the teaching assistant for the professor. I’ve been dying for this day to arrive. I hear you’re one of the power players in the FBI.”

It was hard not to notice the young man was checking her out. His eyes were firmly locked on her chest. In fact, he was borderline ogling.

For some reason, it creeped her out.

That said a lot.

“Yes, well, don’t believe everything you hear,” she stated. “A lot of times, reputations are made in the media—not reality.”

He didn't say anything else.

“Are you ready for this ninety minute rollercoaster ride?” the professor asked, jerking his head toward the room.

“I’ve done bigger lectures. This is more my husband’s thing, but I’m no stranger to it. Don’t worry. I won’t let it turn into a free-for-all. I promise. Worse comes to worse, if they stampede, I’ll shoot them.”

She was joking, but obviously the professor wasn’t amused.

“You can’t bring a gun in there.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, well, the shiny gold badge says otherwise. I’m not here just giving a lecture. I’m on the job, and that means I carry.”

She lifted the side of her blazer to show the professor her sidearm. It was tucked right against her badge.

He looked nervous.

“I was kidding about shooting anyone. That hasn’t happened in…days.”

The TA started laughing, obviously getting the joke. When he got the dirty look from his professor, he shut up.

“Can I ask what you’ll be speaking about today?” Professor Levitz asked. “I normally have final say on what’s going on in my class, but Doctor Hallowell wouldn’t let me in on it this time.”

She reached into her briefcase and pulled out her papers. When she handed them over, Elizabeth waited for him to read them.

“Really?”

She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad reply.

“Doctor Hallowell warned me about you. He said you’re brash, a loose cannon, and trouble. From the look of this topic, I can see he was definitely wrong. This is perfect.”

She relaxed. “He’s paranoid. Do I look dangerous?”

Both men swept her body, and she didn't miss the look in their eyes. Score one for her. Mommy body wasn’t unappealing after all.

Good to know. When she wanted to stay in bed instead of run, she’d think back to the kiss from Ethan, and the approving stares of lecherous strangers.

She nearly laughed.

“No you don’t look dangerous,” David Lessman stated. “In fact, you don’t look like a Fed.”

Yeah, she got that a lot. By the time she was done tap dancing on their egos, they thought elsewise.

“I’m intrigued by your topic,” stated the professor. “Profilers are vital in the FBI. I once had the rare opportunity to go to a lecture held by the Feds. The speaker was an Ethan Blackhawk. His methodology was fascinating and truly amazing. It left me wondering if he was just well-trained or relying heavily on his instinct.”

“Both,” she replied. “In fact, this lecture is based on him. Not only is he my profiler, but he’s my husband. Thus the same last name,” she stated, tapping the badge on her hip.

He looked impressed.

And he should be.

“Excellent! I hope I can meet him one day. He’s really good at what he does.”

“Yeah, we take our jobs seriously. The family that solves crimes together, stays together.”

Little did this man realize that they would be having that meeting. He had four women disappear from his class, and the frat boys were part of it too. This could very well be ground zero where the men began their hunting.

“Professor, Director, we should begin,” stated the teaching assistant, pointing to the room. The flow of students had ended, and it was time.

“Are you ready, Director?” he asked.

“Yes, I am.”

They headed in to get started.

Once inside, Elizabeth could feel so many eyes on her. She was accustomed to being the center of attention, and maybe it was petty, but she was so damn glad she’d worked hard after giving birth. She wasn’t feeling nearly as insecure as she probably should have.

“Everyone, as we’ve mentioned, we have a guest lecturer today in class. I would like you to warmly welcome, Director Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk.”

The class began clapping.

Elizabeth stared out at a sea of at least one hundred faces. She was immediately able to pick out her two agents. They were side by side, and that was a damn good thing. She knew that Broderick Seaton was on the job, and Johanna was safe.

They weren’t the only people she’d noticed. Across the auditorium like room, she saw the frat boys. Elizabeth had made sure to study their faces, memorizing them. She wanted to keep her eyes on them at all times.

“Thank you all,” she stated, watching that section of the room. Ethan was pretty sure they were the center of it all, so she made sure to direct her attention that way, setting the stage.

As she put her briefcase down, she took off her jacket, knowing that the gun at her hip would draw attention. That and the shiny gold badge could always intimidate. As she stood in front of the desk, she saw the look on Arman Smithfield’s face.

He wasn’t happy.

In fact, he looked a little surprised.

Elizabeth noticed that there was an empty desk where the professor must have sat. Hopping up on it, she crossed her legs and stared out at the audience.

“Today we’re going to discuss serial killers,” she said, before continuing, “and how I use psychology to catch them, lock them behind bars, and throw away the key.”

The frat boys looked rattled.

Good.

It was time to begin…

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

Morgue

Thursday Morning

When Ethan Arrived, his team was doing what they needed to get the job done. One of the best things about them was that they were self-sufficient. He owed that to his head ME, Doctor Christopher Leonard. The man ran the place with an iron fist, and when it came to catching killers, that was probably a good thing.

When he walked in, Merry was processing trace they’d found on the victims’ clothing, and Chris was staring at his cell phone looking a little upset.

“Is everything okay?” Ethan asked, placing his coffee cup on the metal table.

“I just received a text from Cyra. It seems that Bethe slept through the night, and I missed it. I wanted to catch all her milestones, so I’m a little disappointed.”

Ethan patted him on the back. “I know how you feel. We missed CJ’s first word, when he crawled, and his first tooth. It’s hard when you work for the FBI.”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t want to miss all that.”

That made Ethan nervous. “Are you subtly telling me that you’re quitting, Christopher?”

Merry looked up, shocked at that.

“No! I just…I don’t know.” Chris didn't do it for the money. He had plenty. In fact, being loaded made it easy. The idea of being home with his daughter and wife was appealing, but then he knew he’d miss this too. At some point, his child would grow up, and he’d long for the FBI days.

It was one hell of a conundrum.

“If you want, we can maybe work something out,” Blackhawk offered.

“We can?”

Ethan genuinely liked the man. They were family. On their days off, when they actually had them, the families spent a lot of time together. There were BBQ’s at one of their homes, swimming, or just watching football games with beer. He hated that Chris was missing out on the things he was looking forward to with his first child.

“What do you mean?”

“We can keep you based out of FBI West instead of traveling. That way, you’ll at least get to be at home. I know how shitty it is to be on the road.”

That was why they didn't take field jobs every week.

“Really?” he asked, looking excited. “Won’t that suck for Doctor Legend?” he added.

“You’ve done your time on the road. He can pick up the slack until Bethe is a little bit older. Then you won’t miss as much.”

“Thank you!” Chris said, hugging the man.

All the techs stared. Someone had just manhandled Ethan Blackhawk, and it was shocking.