Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (34 page)

He grinned. “Sex is sex, Elizabeth. I never thought I’d see you uptight about it. If I recall, my brother said you were pretty wild in the sack.”

Ethan was up and out of his seat, offended that the man was even going there. He’d tolerate a lot, but this was crossing a line.

She tried to stop him, but he simply brushed the hand off his arm. Apparently, he was at his max.

“Excuse me. Maybe we haven’t been introduced, but we’re her partners and husbands. It’s like you don’t even see us sitting here.”

“Chill out, Director. We go way back, and I know Elizabeth didn't take offense to that. It was a different time and place.”

Callen also stood, mimicking the same position.

Elizabeth couldn’t believe that they were this close to the edge. There’d been plenty of men who insulted her, and they’d managed to keep in control. Just look at the head frat asshole. They didn't go all caveman then.

What the hell?

“I won’t chill out. She’s ours, and we won’t sit here and listen to some stranger talk about her like that. If you bring it up again, you’ll have a bigger problem than the college shutting down.”

Callen grinned ferally.

The man raised both hands in surrender. “Suit yourself.” He glanced over at Elizabeth. “I’m sorry if I offended you or the men in your life.”

Ethan and Callen sat.

She still didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to slap all three of them for being testosterone laden idiots, but she couldn’t do it. The men in her life sacrificed a great deal to be with her, and they deserved some leeway.

“Maybe we should discuss the case, and save this for later,” Nick said, leaning back in his chair.

Oh, there was going to be a discussion. That was for damn sure.

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” she said, staring back and forth at Ethan and Callen.

“I happened to have found something,” Nick stated. “I think you’ll be interested. My guys were out asking questions…you know—to help the FBI out—and they turned up something interesting.”

She was all ears.

“It seems that three of the girls, who went missing and turned up dead, had meetings with their advisors.”

That intrigued her. “How did they come up with that?” she asked.

“We contacted the president’s office, and his administrative assistant sent over their information,” he offered, sliding it across the desk to them.

Elizabeth scanned each of the papers, and there, like Nick had said, were the details. They’d all had the same advisor. It was another potential link.

“Who was it?” Ethan asked.

She handed him the paper, but shared the information with Callen. “It was Professor Wayne Levitz.”

Ethan read over her shoulder. “So, they had advisor meetings that day, and later that night they went missing? That’s a red flag,” he stated.

Elizabeth grinned. “Great job, Nick!”

He brushed it off. “If the president’s office wasn’t so helpful, we wouldn’t have gotten it. It’s nice when everyone can get along and play nice.”

No one missed who that was directed at in the room, and it wasn’t Elizabeth. Who knew that for once, she wouldn’t be the one who stirred the local law pot?

“Want me to do the interview?” Nick asked. “If you’re busy, I can swing it.”

She shook her head. “No, I think we’ll take care of it. I already have him on my list of interviews, but it’s the weekend. I may have to call him in.”

He was okay with that.

“Is there any way you can put your men on something else?” she asked, knowing that they’d earned a chance to help them. They were doing their jobs and not causing a shit mess. That alone was worth letting them help out.

“Sure thing, Elizabeth, what do you need?”

“We know that Page Pinel wasn’t out partying, but she had food and a drink in her stomach contents. We think she was meeting someone. We want to make sure nothing slips by. Can you put some of your men on tracking her down? It would free up my agents from the research and keep them focused on the job at hand.”

Nick scribbled down some notes. “I can do that. I have some great deputies. A few even went to the university. They know their way around like the back of their hand.”

She was grateful.

“I’ll get back to you as soon as we dig something up.”

Elizabeth stood and shook his hand. It was a sign that the men beside her needed to follow suit. They didn't always get a cooperative set of cops. They needed to behave.

Ethan and Callen did the same before following her out. When they were standing in front of the building, she went to open her mouth to tear them a new one.

Only, Ethan got the first word in.

“Stop. That was completely unacceptable. He crossed a line. There is no reason anyone should be discussing how
‘wild you are in the sack’
.”

Callen agreed.

“If we were on a plane and the flight attendant who I had sex with, started talking about my performance, what would you have done?”

“Depressurized the plane and tossed her ass out into the fluffy white clouds.”

Blackhawk was a little shocked. He thought for sure she was going to say something different or put up one hell of a fight.

“That was across the line.”

“I happen to agree.”

Now they really stared at her.

“Are you pregnant?” Callen asked.

Elizabeth looked horrified. “Why would you ask that? Don’t put that out into the universe!”

“This is the calmest you’ve been since you were carrying Charlie. I just thought maybe we’d gotten you knocked up again, and this baby was doing the same thing.”

“Shut up,” she said laughing. “I’m not pregnant, and if I get pregnant, someone is going to get their ass kicked,” she stated. “Despite your machismo in there, I’m letting it slide.”

They both stared at her.

“Why?”

“You both sacrifice a lot to be married to me. Sometimes, I’m difficult, and you swallow it for the team all the time. I can be moody, and I was so myopically focused on getting back into shape, and neither of you complained. Here’s your one pass at being cavemen. Don’t get used to it.”

They laughed. “Okay.”

“Now, let’s focus on work. Ethan, can you call Chris? I want to know if they got the corpses shaved yet. I’m curious to see if all the victims have that same injection site.”

He made the call as Elizabeth sent out texts to her agents, checking in.

“Callen, can you contact Doctor Hallowell? I want an interview with Professor Levitz, and soon. He might be able to sway the man to head in to work this the weekend. I know he doesn’t have a class today, so he’s probably unavailable.”

He could do that.

“I have this feeling it can’t wait until Monday morning.”

Callen got busy.

When they got their tasks done, they recapped.

“Chris said that they found similar markings on the two floaters. They were a little more degraded, but their hair kept it protected in the tarps.”

Elizabeth mulled it over. “So, our frat boy used the term ‘shooting up’ when that’s what was happening. Could he be grasping at straws, or is there something there?”

Ethan thought about it. “He could be, but then again, why would one woman want to be that train? If it were you, wouldn’t you have to be drugged?”

She laughed. “I’d have to be dead. Before you two, I was a one-man-at-a-time kind of girl.”

Well, that was good to know.

“This is something for the whiteboard.”

It certainly was, and already, Ethan was adding it to the profile building in his head. She was likely going to want it sooner, rather than later.

He knew his partner and wife.

“Callen, what did Hallowell say?”

“He’s going to handle it, but again, he wants you to tread lightly and not make this into a media circus.”

She laughed. “Damn. There goes my Saturday night plan. I wanted some confetti and a small car packed with scary clowns.”

The men found that amusing.

“Where to next?” Ethan asked.

She grinned. “I happen to have a date with someone tall, white, and who smells great.”

There was no doubt who she was talking about. It was none other than the love of her life…

Her whiteboard.

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

Friday Afternoon

When Brody finally returned to the house, he found the brothers moving things up and down the stairs and back into the basement. He had to admit, he was curious as hell, and he wasn’t going to not offer to help.

If he could see what they were doing, then he’d be able to feed the Blackhawks anything he found.

As he approached, Nels stopped him at the top of the stairs by forcefully grabbing his arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

Brody feigned shock. “Dude, I was going to help, nothing more. Can you get your hands off my person?”

Nels didn't move.

“I said,” he began, yanking his arm free, “get off me!”

When Arman came up the stairs, the men were standing toe to toe.

“What’s going on here?”

“He was trying to get downstairs.”

“You’re paranoid. I was just going to offer to help out,” he stated, staring down the larger brother. “I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like you have a babe down there, right?”

Arman patted Nels on the shoulder, sending him downstairs. When he was gone, he smiled at Brody. “Sorry about that. He gets sucked into the protection thing, and I think he really believes he’s my bodyguard.”

Brody didn't comment.

“You’ve been out all day,” Arman said, leading him to the couch.

“Yeah, I had class, and then I wanted to scope out the babe. I’m back now.”

Arman grabbed the beer on the table and took a swig. “Are you hanging out here tonight with us? We’re going to start prepping for tomorrow’s party. It may be our last one, since the FBI is threatening to shut us down.”

“Man! That sucks!” Brody stated. “I don’t want to live in the dorm. I like it here!”

Arman agreed.

“Maybe you can hang with us, unless you have something else to do,” he stated, alluding to the girl.

“I’m free tonight,” he said, lying his ass off. He’d planned on spending it with Joey, and now that looked like it wasn’t going to be happening. He was getting that feeling that they were starting to doubt him. He needed to up his game.

“Any luck with her?”

“I got into her dorm room, but she’s cold as ice. We fooled around, but then she put on the breaks. I have to admit, I’m having a hard time breaking her.”

Arman laughed. “I told you so. Maybe you should give up. I mean, there’s going to be a party here tomorrow, and you can pick someone else. If you want down into Heaven, you need to get the job done, and fast. If we get shut down, you’re going to miss out on the fuck fest.”

Brody’s back was to the wall. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll pick someone else.”

He could save Johanna, but it would mean making one hell of a sacrifice. Now he was faced with another woman, and that was going to be a bitch. There was no way he was having sex with a college girl. It wasn’t happening for so many reasons, but most importantly, because he loved Johanna and couldn’t betray her.

“That’s probably wise.” He yelled to his other brothers, and when Sutton came running, he instructed him to get the folder.

“Giving up?” he asked, as he pulled out the photographs.

“Yeah,” Brody said, trying not to grimace. The last three girls were attractive, but they didn't do it for him.

Not at all.

“Her,” he said, handing them the picture of a girl he’d seen at the sorority dorm. All he could do was hope Joey wouldn’t hate his guts for doing this. By pushing her out, he was trying to keep her safe. Now, she wouldn’t be marked by these piranhas.

Then again, this other girl would be.

Shit!

“Good choice! Her name is Harli,” stated Arman. “She gets pretty shitfaced drunk when she’s here. You should have no problem getting laid.”

Brody wanted to puke. “Great.”

“Are you hanging out here tonight?” Sutton asked, excitedly.

“Yeah.”

“Do you play poker?” he inquired. “We’ve got an opening for one more. Garrick has to head to the library, and Hervey has a date.”