Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (39 page)

Elizabeth pointed at him. “Zip it. Don’t interrupt my ME, or I’ll kick your ass.”

He closed his mouth.

“After you get all that, then you’ll need to get one more sample for the testing. Since he touched her, he’s not going to mind giving us a container of semen.”

It took everything for Elizabeth not to laugh. The look on the cop’s face was priceless.

“Can he do that?” he asked Ethan. “Can he really make me jerk off in a cup?”

Blackhawk was amused. It was obvious that Chris Leonard went to school at the Elizabeth Blackhawk university of spiteful behavior.

He’d learned from the best.

“Well, you touched his body, so yeah, he can consider you as part of the evidence. You might not want to ever touch a dead body again. ME’s tend to get nasty.”

“But semen?”

“I need your DNA, and that’s the most painful way I can think to get it, since my tech will be standing there. Waiting. Watching.”

Merry wiggled her fingers in a little wave. “Yes, I will.”

The man stared openmouthed.

“Off you go,” Chris ordered.

Elizabeth stopped Merry from leading him away, so she could add to the man’s torment. “Tomorrow, I will find you. We need to have a little interview. The only reason you’re escaping me is because when Merry’s done with you, the only thing not violated will be your prostate.”

He looked horrified.

Merry winked at her as she led him to one of the vans.

“Well, that was fun,” stated Chris. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a girl to take care of.”

Callen struggled not to break out in laughter. “I can’t believe he just ordered a cop to cum in a cup.”

Both Blackhawks looked over at him.

“What? We’re at college. I thought alliteration would show off my brainy side. Admit it. You’re really attracted to me right now.”

She snorted, giving her partner and husband a fist bump. “Yeah, I really am.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Suck up.”

Callen winked at his brother. “Any chance I can get.”

“Let’s get to work,” Elizabeth said, following after her ME.

Ethan Blackhawk stared up at the building. “While you take care of it down here, I’m going to head up and check in on our agents.”

She agreed. “Tell them to lay low. I don’t like how our victim turned up in Johanna’s back yard. It makes me edgy. I’m suspicious by nature.”

When Ethan walked off, Sheriff Rakin materialized at her side. “There’s a pissed off college student in the back of my car,” he stated. “He’s touting things about his civil rights being violated. You may want to handle that.”

She glanced back over at Callen. “You’re calmer than I am. I may grab his dick and tie it in one hell of knot. Can you see what the hell he was doing here?”

“Sure thing, angel,” he stated, kissing her on the forehead. “You know how the men in your life get pissy when you come in contact with other male appendages.”

“Callen! No kissy-face on a scene!”

He laughed, walking away.

“Delete anything on his phone or that camera!”

He saluted as he disappeared into the crowd.

“You really weren’t kidding, were you? At first, I thought you were yanking my chain about being with both men, Elizabeth, but I can see that it’s the truth.”

“Yes, it is. I rarely joke around about my relationship. I take that, and my job, very serious.”

“You said you had four kids. Who’s the daddy?”

She glanced over. “That’s a little personal, isn’t it? You wouldn’t ask a stranger that, so why would you go there with someone you haven’t seen in years? History only goes so far, Nick.”

Sheriff Rakin shrugged. “It’s because we do have history. We go way back, Elizabeth. I could have been your brother-in-law,” he stated, “had you accepted Dak’s proposal.”

Elizabeth stood over Chris as he took care of the body. She scanned the crowd, making sure her people were safe. “Two are Ethan’s and two are Callen’s. I have two girls and two boys.”

“That’s sweet,” he said.

“I think so.”

Chris began cursing from the ground. “She’s got tears to her flesh and there’s grass in them. He didn't carry her, he pulled her across the grass.”

“So, you’re even more pissed? What do you want now? You already have him jerking off into a cup in a morgue. I’m thinking the man will never get it up again after this.”

He laughed. “I hate that you can calm me down,” he stated. “I’ll just have to do a more comprehensive exam. You’re not going to have the results by morning. I’m going to need a full day to do this one. I have to move slowly, so don’t bother asking me until Sunday.”

She stared at him. “You realize I’m in the middle of an investigation, right? Slow isn’t a speed we move at when a killer is on the move.”

He grinned. “Are you? I didn’t notice. Stop being a bitch and give me a little leeway on this. I need to get some sleep, and she needs to cool down. She’s been in a drain, and it was warm.”

Elizabeth didn't let it go. “Roll her. I want to see what she’s missing.”

He gave her a look.

“Seriously?” he asked. “Hasn’t she picked up enough trace? If I flip her to her back, I’ll get more shit in the wounds.”

She stared at him. “Chris. I need this for the investigation. We can do it one of two ways. You can roll her, and I’ll stop riding those expensive britches of yours, or I can hold out my hand and get a pair of gloves,” she began, doing just that. Like magic, a pair appeared from a nearby tech, “and I’ll roll her myself. She’s already compromised, so you know I’ll do it.”

“Traitor,” he growled at his tech. “Fine.”

“I thought you’d see it my way. Roll her, and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Deal.”

Motioning toward a tech, he had help gently flipping her over. The second he did, he knew it was a big mistake. Her torso was hacked up, she was about to make his boss sick.

“Shit!” Elizabeth stated, turning fast. “Damn it!” It pissed her off that she’d had to look into the decaying holes that had once been the woman’s eyes. While dead eyes were gross, and she was getting over it, the missing orbs were just…ick.

“I’m sorry, Lyzee,” Chris stated, knowing that was Elizabeth’s big freak out.

She took a deep breath, trying not to let the panic overcome her. She had an audience, and Sheriff Rakin was watching her. “Is she covered?”

Chris stood between her and the body as the tech zipped her up. “Yeah, you’re good.”

When she turned, she was pissed—not at him—but at herself. No matter how hard she tried, that one little thing made her want to weep and hide.

“When I drop in for a visit on Sunday morning, you need to have something for me, Chris. It’s time to work your magic, so I can work mine.”

He hugged her. “No problem, boss lady. We’ll take care of this.”

Sheriff Rakin stared curiously. When he opened his mouth, she cut him off.

“I’m going to need to borrow a conference room at the station,” she stated. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“For what?”

“I want to make the interview of Roddy Penson official.”

“I’m sure he has nothing to do with this. He’s just a kid himself,” Nick stated. “He’s a campus cop and just doing his job. You can’t possibly think that he’s the killer.”

She stared at him.

“Can you?”

She wished she could be so naïve, but that wasn’t possible. In her job, she had to make sure everything was taken care of, and that meant all the loose ends.

And that’s exactly what Roddy was.

A really big one.

Upstairs in the dorm, he found Johanna’s room and softly knocked on the door. Fortunately for him, most of the students were down the other side of the hall, gawking at the body from the windows.

When the door opened a crack, he saw her brown eyes, and then she immediately opened.

“Director,” she stated.

When he entered, he saw she wasn’t alone. On her bed Broderick Seaton was sitting and using her laptop.

“Hey, boss,” he said, glancing up.

“You’re out and about early, or did you stay the night?” he asked. “Was this protection detail?”

He shook his head. “I was out for a run, trying to get away from the frat brothers, and I saw the mess. I snuck in to make sure Joey was safe.”

Blackhawk took a seat at her desk chair. “Did you see anything?” he asked, hoping Johanna might give them something.

“Sorry, sir. I was asleep.” She didn't tell him that she had been up late waiting for Brody.

“We have a problem down there. We likely found the third victim, Poppy Gauger. Try to lay low for today. Elizabeth doesn’t like how she turned up here. We aren’t sure if it’s a coincidence or something more.”

“There’s a party tonight. Do you want me to skip it?” Johanna asked.

He thought about it.

Something was making him increasingly nervous about the frat house, but he couldn’t tell if it was genuine or because he had an agent there.

“I think that might be a good idea.”

“Director?” she began, hoping he’d think her idea was a good one.

“Yes?”

“I was thinking about something,” she began, telling him about Brody having to lure another girl to his room, giving her a good deal of freedom.

“Okay, and?”

“While he’s with her, the frat boys will be downstairs at the party. I can get into the house through a trellis on the outside. Once there, I can dig around. We need evidence, and I might be able to get us something to use.”

He didn't like it for a myriad of reasons. “We can’t steal evidence, Agent. You know that.”

Brody came to her defense. “They’re drugging these women, and I know that Nels keeps a book as a record. It’s like a game. If she can get it…”

He stopped him. “If she can get it, we still can’t use it. You know that, Agent.”

Johanna knew that Ethan Blackhawk worked on rational thinking. If she wanted to convince him, it was going to mean she had to go with logic.

“If I can look around, we can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with. It’s likely that one of these men is the killer. It might be all of them for all we know. If I can take a peek, I could find something like the drugs.”

He thought about how he could get a court to accept anything she found. There was just no way they could swing it. With one of the students having a judge as a father, it would harm the case.

“I’m sorry, but no. It’s too risky, and you digging around will get you hurt. These men are drugging and raping women. No offense, but you’re someone they’d love to get their hands on.”

They didn't question him.

He was the boss.

“Now, stay in tonight. Brody, you’re going to have to show up at the party. If you go missing, you’re going to be flagged. I want you to be present and accounted for all day at the frat. Hear me?”

He nodded.

“That means leaving right now. I’ll get you past the sheriff’s men downstairs, but then I want you back doing your job.”

He didn't look happy to leave Johanna alone.

“I gave you an order.”

Brody stood, grabbing his cell off the shelf. “Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll head back and keep you updated.” Then he looked over at Johanna. “Please stay in here and be safe.”

She wanted to say so much to him, but here was their boss in front of her. There was no doubt in her mind that he was simply waiting for her to do something wrong. If they wanted to be partners, there was a time and a place for emotion.

This was clearly not it.

This was a test.

Ethan Blackhawk was notorious for being tough, and the last thing Johanna needed was to screw up again. They’d done that once with a case, and it still haunted them.

When she didn't move, Ethan pointed at the door, letting his agent know it was time.

Brody looked torn, but he didn't hesitate. He couldn’t. This meant too much to them. He’d just got her back, and he wouldn’t risk them working together.

With that, they headed out.

Johanna watched the door close behind them, and her heart thumped in her chest. Brody was going to be by himself at the frat house, and tonight, he wouldn’t have backup. She’d been in that position and knew how much it sucked.

She couldn’t let it happen.

So, despite her boss’s direct order, she opted to do something she never did before.

Break the rules.

       
         
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