Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) (10 page)

“We’re in,” Callen stated, standing up. As he pulled the chain from the door handles, Ethan braced his hand on the metal.

They all took a deep breath, centering themselves. It was go time, and who knew what was waiting for them.

“Stick close, and keep an eye out for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If this is a trap, they’re going to go for maximum damage.”

Yeah, to their woman.

She was the real target.

Slowly, they opened the door and peered inside. Immediately, they were assaulted with the smell of death. It loomed inside the large building, waiting for them to come closer.

“Shit,” muttered Callen.

This was exactly what he didn't want to deal with, and here it was. The killers had been here, if they still weren’t hanging out inside.

“Well, at least this is a game we’re accustomed to playing,” Elizabeth stated, breathing from her mouth to block out the offensive smell.

It was something they were very familiar with, and it was here.

“We’ve got bodies,” Elizabeth said into her com, warning her two agents. “They are somewhere inside. From the stench, it’s not going to be pretty, so heads up.” She wanted her agents to be well aware of what they were walking into.

“Gotcha,” came Brody over the link.

As they headed in, Ethan took their back. He wasn’t going to watch what was coming at them, only because he feared what was sneaking up on them.

He was protecting their flank.

Callen was in the front, riot gun up, and ready for anything that crossed their path. Their woman was sandwiched between them for her safety and their sanity. If she knew they were playing bodyguard, she didn't complain.

Her hand was on Callen’s vest, and she was following him in with nothing but complete trust in them both. While they watched for anything that would pop up, she was able to focus on the situation around them.

It was an old building.

It looked like no one had used it for a long time.

Why here?

What did it all mean?

Her tinted glasses brightened the darkened space. There were windows, but they were intermittently scattered throughout the place. Since it was cloudy and stormy outside, it cast shadows across the floor and walls.

It was spooky.

The smell of death wasn’t helping the situation out at all.

“We have a section that’s closed off up ahead,” Callen stated, warning them. Up to that point, it was mostly empty metal shelving or some storage containers.

“We need to clear it,” Ethan stated. “They might be hiding among the debris.”

Elizabeth didn't say anything.

She was studying the scene and waiting for something to pop up to get them. She was a realist.

This was a bad situation, and they all knew it.

“We have it on this side too,” Johanna said over the com. “It looks like a makeshift room surrounded by some plastic. I don’t see an entrance over on our side. It has to be closer to you.”

She was right.

It was there.

Elizabeth saw it from their location.

There was a slit in the plastic, and that meant they had a way in.

“I’ll clear it,” Callen stated, moving toward it. He would take one for the team.

There was no way in hell that he was leading Elizabeth in there. That just screamed dangerous.

And stupid.

Despite him offering to do it, Elizabeth followed. “Ethan, can you clear the surrounding areas?” she asked.

He nodded, glancing over at the two people he was madly in love with. “Watch your asses. I don’t want to go home alone. Be careful.”

That said it all.

Ethan, while a man of few words, he’d picked the right ones to convey his panic.

They headed in.

Callen made sure to place his body in front of his wife’s. There was no way he was going to let her get hurt. He could fight with her and lose, or he could play shield.

He made his choice.

Elizabeth always joked around saying that she always had Native body armor, and in this case, it was true.

Inside the plastic, they stopped dead.

It was hard to shock them.

Honestly, they’d pretty much seen it all.

Until now…

What waited for them was the most horrific sight they had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. They sat in body soup once.

“Jesus in a manger,” muttered Elizabeth in horror.

Ethan’s voice came over the com. “What did you find?” he asked, still clearing the rest of the space. From the tone in her voice, it couldn’t be good.

“You won’t believe this,” Elizabeth said, staring up at the ‘masterpiece’ of mayhem the killers had left them.

“Try me,” he replied, working his way through the row and rows of empty shelving.

“Well…”

From the metal cage-like bars above, there were meat hooks, and hanging from them, were random body parts.

It was a human meat locker.

Legs.

Torsos with organs sickly hanging out.

Arms.

You name it, and it was there.

Elizabeth didn't miss the message they were sending them. Yeah, she got it.

First there were gifts with heads, and now ornament body parts hanging from the ceiling.

Merry Christmas to them. 

Someone was one sick animal, and they had one hell of a job ahead of them.

Callen didn't know what to say. There weren’t words to express his horror. He wanted to be sick at what he was seeing. Not because of the horrific nature, because that was bad, but because the killer chasing them was beyond insane.

This screamed crazy.

“It looks like a slaughter house,” he stated.

Ethan went quiet.

Finally, he spoke, “Are there any tables?” he asked. “Did they do the dismemberment there or was this all for show?”

They looked around, weaving in and out of the appendages and torsos. It was hard to ignore the smell, and the puddles of congealed blood on the floor as it sickly formed blotches.

“No. It’s strictly hooks with body parts,” Elizabeth replied. “What does that mean to you, oh great profiler?”

Something didn't sit right with him.

“How much blood?”

Callen glanced around. “Not much. It’s mostly under the parts.”

Yeah, that wasn’t good.

Ethan was on alert.

“Bad news is that if there’s not a bloodbath going on in there, then the victims weren’t killed here.”

They knew what that meant.

This wasn’t the crime scene.

They had a storage area where the bodies were hung up for maximum shock. The killers wanted them to be in that enclosed area for a reason.

Ethan’s mind spun as he tried to figure out what the killers were trying to tell him.

This seemed like…

Oh, shit!

It really was a trap.

Before Ethan could tell them to run, he heard his wife’s voice over the com.

“There’s a blinking light in one of the torsos,” she stated.

Then it registered to him why they left the coordinates and the enclosed area.

“BOMB!”

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

New York

Marshal’s Office

When the information came back, Dakota Rakin was excited. They definitely had Bonnie and Clyde in their sights. At that moment, Director Ethan Blackhawk was on the ground working his mojo.

Oh, Dak had heard of him before.

He was the go to guy when it came to profiling, and if he was on the ground working it, they had something substantial.

He wasn’t called in on hearsay.

According to the higher-ups, his time was valuable.

Hell!

Dakota was on the trail.

This man meant something. The Marshals used him when hunting fugitives all the time. Granted, he’d never had the chance to work with him, but he knew all about him.

He was the best.

The rumor mill had him dedicated to his job, and he respected that in a person. After all, he, too, was all about being on his game.

He lived for work just like Ethan Blackhawk.

Yet, that wasn’t always the case.

After Elizabeth LaRue broke his heart, he’d focused on work and nothing else. He was heading his division for one reason—he let work consume him to forget what he’d let slip through his fingers.

Now, he had to plan out his options.

Technically, this was his case, and he could push the issue. If the FBI was already on the ground, especially Ethan Blackhawk, he couldn’t swipe it away. The only way he was going to be able to get in on this was to charm the director.

Be his buddy.

Make nice.

He thought back to what his brother said. Elizabeth LaRue was Blackhawk’s partner. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could charm his way back into her.

That had once been his favorite place to find solace. The months they spent together were hotter than hell. Yes, they used each other to forget and get through the day, but he thought there was so much more underneath that.

Only, he’d been very wrong.

She didn't love him like he loved her.

Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.

Possibly, now was it. Could fate be giving him a second shot in the happiness arena? Could their paths reconnect once more?

Hell yeah!

He grinned like a maniac. Well, it looked like there was only one sure fire way to find out.

He and his partner were heading in.

“Well?” Delaney Moore asked. “What do you want to do?”

He glanced at his watch. “Get all the files on everything we have, and get ready.”

“Are we really heading there?”

He nodded.

She wanted to remind him that it was the holiday, but honestly, she didn't think he’d care. If they lost Bonnie and Clyde again, it would be another year until they resurfaced.

That meant watching her partner obsess.

“You think the Feebs are going to play nice if we roll into town?”

Oh, he had no doubt that they were going to put down their foot on this one, but he had one ace up his sleeve. He’d slept with Blackhawk’s partner.

If she was there, he could get her to let him in.

And he wasn’t just talking the case.

It was time for a reunion.

Fate was funny.

First, she ran into his brother, and now he was going to run into her.

Repeatedly.

He smiled, “I know how to get them to let us help. Just get ready. We’ll land in the morning, meet up with them, and go from there. How hard can it be to catch the FBI off guard?”

She stared at him.

“Dak, whenever you get that look on your face, something bad happens. You need to rethink whatever is going on up there.”

He laughed.

She was probably right, but this time, he didn't care. There was more on the line than just Bonnie and Clyde. He wanted another shot at Elizabeth LaRue.

This time, he’d make it count.

“For the record, I do my best work when I’m under the gun, against the wall, or stressed out. You know that, Delaney. We’ll go in, charm them, and get involved in the case. It’s almost Christmas, and we don’t have much time.”

She shook her head. “Jurisdiction.”

He cut her off.

“I know, but we’re both from Federal agencies. I have a feeling that Ethan Blackhawk will want to solve this one, and we have some decent research to get him to our side.”

Still, she wasn’t really convinced.

This had the potential of blowing up, and she knew it. This wasn’t really their area. The FBI handled the serial killers, and the Marshals handled the ones who were on the run.

Their boss was going to shit a brick.

Delaney Moore couldn’t help but think something bad was coming.

She just hoped they both walked away and in one piece.

Chapter Three

Warehouse

Post-Explosion

When the dust and flying flesh cleared and the sound stopped reverberating in their ears, Callen and Elizabeth were able to focus. A contained explosion, albeit minor, was a bitch on the eardrums.

It was like the world around them shook, rattling them to their core.

On the ground, Elizabeth was trapped beneath Callen’s larger frame. As they heard the word ‘bomb’, he took her to the ground, diving on top of her to keep her safe.

It was heroic, and she appreciated the save.

Now, they were both splattered with remains, but at least they were alive.

This was a win for them.

Thankfully.

In all honesty, it could be far, far worse. One of them could be dead, when the rib cage of the victim blew, it could have sent the meat hook flying as a projectile.

They got off easy.

Lifting his head, he shook it to clear the ringing in his ears. The reverberations were worse than the wave of energy that took them to the floor. His head was pounding from the flash of explosion.

“Are you okay?” he asked, staring down into her eyes.

“Yeah, you?”

Callen nodded.

From outside the contained area, they could hear Ethan and the two agents shouting for them.

Callen yelled back.

When they entered the plastic, from the looks on their faces, it was even more horrifying than before. Not only were there body parts hanging all over, but gore was splattered all over the place.

“We’re okay,” Callen said, getting off Elizabeth. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he stated, knowing the hit was brutal, but he’d heard bomb and knew the options.

She was fine.

Ethan, on the other hand, was staring at her, almost waiting for her to acknowledge his look.

He was concerned about the baby.

“You didn't hit me too hard, Cal. My back and ass took most of the brunt when I hit the ground,” she reassured, hoping he’d keep his mouth shut. If he spilled the beans, Callen would be hurt.

This wasn’t an appropriate time to tell him he was going to be a father again.

In fact, this was the opposite of that moment.

Callen touched her shoulder, and she flinched. “Angel, I did hurt you! We need to get that looked at.”

“I’m good. It’s just sore. See?” she said as she rotated her arm. It took everything she had to not flinch. The last thing she needed was Chris Leonard pulling her gun because she was hurt.

Again, Ethan gave her the look, but he didn't say anything more. It appeared his magnanimous mood was still in place.

Thank God.

“Holy bat shit insane,” Johanna muttered snapping pictures of the remaining appendages hanging from the makeshift racks above them. There were body parts strewn all over the place. It looked like something from a horror movie. “I’ve never seen anything this psycho before. Someone cue the music.”

Yeah, they wholeheartedly agreed.

“This is a hot mess,” Brody stated. “We’re dealing with two times the crazy.”

It was hard to argue that, since both bosses were covered in bits of human remains.

“I’ll call the tech team. They’re going to have to pick the pieces off of you,” Johanna offered, as she pulled out her phone.

Yeah, that was going to suck.

She needed a detoxifying shower—in
BLEACH
, to get all of these victims off her. And her hair…

Jesus.

It may never come out.

There would be meaty bits stuck in there until she retired from the FBI.

Ethan looked around, checking out the various parts of people hanging from the ceiling. “Where was the bomb?” he asked.

Elizabeth laughed. “We’re not working with smart criminals, Ethan. They hid it in a torso. It was tucked in someone’s chest cavity. I saw the blinking light through the skin.”

He knew what she meant.

“The blast was absorbed by the body, and didn't do any harm to you both. We should be glad,” he stated.

He meant her and the baby, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

Elizabeth was staring at him.

No, make that glaring. If he said anything, hell would have no fury like Elizabeth scorned.

“The team is on the way,” Johanna stated.

Brody was staring up and finally realized something. “Uh, bosses?” he began.

They all looked over.

“What?” Ethan said, trying to avoid the meaty bits of person all over the floor. He wanted to pick them off his wife and brother, but he didn't have a choice. They had to stay until Chris said otherwise. It was going to suck for Tony as he had to put someone’s torso back together again.

They were evidence now too.

“You may not have noticed, since your wife nearly got blown to bits, but there are more appendages than needed for two people. We have spares.”

It was all he had to say.

They all looked up.

Indeed, he was right.

There were eight arms, eight legs, and three torsos—only because one had been blown to bits.

“We have a problem,” Ethan stated.

Yeah, a big one.

If two heads were left on their porch, where the hell were the other two?

Somewhere out there, two skulls were floating around.

That couldn’t be good.

They had multiple victims, and only the killers knew where they were. Crazy was driving the bus.

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

Tuesday Afternoon

When Chris pulled up, there was a commotion going on around the building. There were cars, police, and the media.

Well, shit
.

This wasn’t what they needed.

As Chris and his team pushed toward the yellow tapeline, trying to get through, they were momentarily held back.

“What do you mean authorized personnel only?” Chris stated, as the deputy refused him entry to his crime scene.

This had never happened before.

He was shocked.

Granted, he got that someone reported an explosion, but there were no other reported explosive devices. The coast should be clear.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but our coroner is on the way.”

If you wanted to drive Chris Leonard insane, let someone else touch his remains. It was the sure fire way to get your hands broken and your ass torn a new one.

He didn't care what the man said.

“Do you see this badge? It says FBI. That means I get to go anywhere I damn well please on a crime scene. Under it is my name. See all those pretty letters behind it? That means I’m the ME on site. Not whoever you pulled in.”

The cop crossed his arms. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned as the man lifted the tape.

Chris didn't give a shit. What was the man going to do? Arrest him?

“Let’s go,” Chris said, pulling rank. The second he, Tony, and Merry were under the police tape, the cop tried to restrain them.

Only, it didn't go well.

Of course they resisted.

Before long, it turned into three Feds being held at gun point by a twitchy deputy.

“I said freeze! You’re under arrest.”

Chris didn't move. He didn't trust that this young cop wouldn’t pull the trigger. After all, his damn finger was on it. Chris had been around cops long enough to know that Elizabeth and Ethan never touched the trigger until they intended to fire.

This was bad.

He tried to reason with him.

“Deputy Becker, you need to put that gun away. You’re pointing it the wrong people. We’re here to help.”

The man ignored him. “Hands behind your back. You ignored a direct order and crossed into a crime scene.”

As if on cue, the media started snapping pictures.

Great.

This was going to be on the news.

It must have alerted the people inside because Callen and Ethan were out the door and staring in disbelief as Chris was being handcuffed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ethan asked, pulling his badge.

“He crossed the police tape. We have a coroner on the way, and he wouldn’t stand down.”

Ethan shook his head. “Are you out of your damn mind? He works for the FBI. Set him free, and get your ass out of here.”

Callen fought laughing.

It was funny.

Well, in a sick FBI kind of way.

When the deputy ignored him, spinning Chris to walk him away, he didn't realize that the man had a bad leg. The shove would have been minor, had he not been wobbly.

Chris toppled.

Before the deputy could grab him, a handcuffed Chris landed on the ground, hitting his head.

Ethan rushed toward him, and the deputy actually pulled his gun.

Was he insane?

Callen had about enough. When the deputy turned away, he took him down. The hit was like a big man trying to inflict some bodily damage.

As the deputy fell, the sheriff ran over.

Now, someone else was getting cuffed, and the media was getting to watch it.

As they peppered questions, Ethan ignored them. He, instead, set Chris free. “You have to be insane,” he stated to the deputy on the ground. Carefully, he held Chris upright as Tony tried to stop the blood from the gash on his forehead.

The sheriff opened his mouth and then closed it when the Fed glared at him.

“Yeah, good idea. You don’t want to even go there. Who the hell trained him?” Ethan asked, pointing at the cuffed man on the ground.

“He’s normally calm,” Sheriff O’Neil stated. “Yakov, what were you thinking?” he asked.

“You said no one crossed, and if they tried, they were to be arrested.”

Ethan shook his head. This wasn’t the sheriff’s fault. The deputy was as green as grass. This was just something you ran into in small towns.

God help the man if Elizabeth came out.

“When the FBI comes a knocking, you get your ass out of their way, son.”

The man stared from his prone position on the ground. “The sheriff said no one crossed. I did my job.”

“Chris, do you want to press charges?” Ethan asked as Callen jerked the deputy up.

“No. I’m okay. Just get him out of here. I need to get stitches.”

Tony raised his hand. “I can do them.”

Chris stared at him.

“It’s me, or Elizabeth, and you know she’ll love every freaking second of that.”

That was enough to change his mind.

Tony had a very valid point.

As they headed toward the building, the men noticed Callen was out of his Kevlar and his arms and sleeves were splattered with something.

“Are you covered in remains?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, and now so is the deputy. Merry is going to have to pick him clean too.”

“Merry Christmas to me,” she said, laughing.

“We had a little body explosion,” Callen explained as they led them to where Elizabeth was standing. She looked just as bad, but she was too busy staring at the plastic.

“It’s about time you got…” she began, but then stopped when she saw Chris’s head.

“Who the hell broke my damn ME?”

“The deputy,” they all said together.

She sighed. “Good help is hard to find. Are you okay, Chris?” she asked. Immediately, she went into mothering mode. Pulling the towel back, she saw the gash. “You need to get that taken care of, and soon.”

“Tony will stitch it up.”

She grinned. “Can I help?”

Tony laughed. “See?”

“No freaking way! You’re covered in biohazard. I don’t want some disease when it leaches into a cut.”

Callen’s eyes went big. He never even thought about that before now.

“What the hell? We gotta get her changed. I don’t need my girl getting something communicable. That’s just wrong.”

She laughed. “I’m good. I do need the team to set up the showers out back. We’ll hose off and they can collect all the pieces. It’ll take Merry forever to pick them off one by one.”

“Bless you,” she stated.

Johanna went to handle the task while the rest of them dealt with the situation at hand.