Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) (45 page)

“Give me the numbers, Chris,” Ethan stated.

Elizabeth couldn’t speak.

All she could think about was the man she loved flayed open on a table with people digging in his chest.

It was too much to handle.

As he opened his mouth to speak, she shook her head. She was going to be sick. Racing for the ladies’ room, they all watched her go.

“Chris, please. He’s my brother. I need to know if I have to call my father.”

“Mortality is about fifty percent. It’s going to come down to how much blood was lost, how badly the artery was damaged, and how good the surgeon is.”

Ethan had to hope his brother was tough. They came from a long line of badass genes. Their grandfather was over eighty when he died. Their father had taken a shot point blank to the chest and lived.

Callen could do this.

He had faith.

“I’ll go talk to some of the medical staff. They’ll talk to me, since I’m a doctor. I’ll flash my ME badge and get everything they have.”

Yeah, Blackhawk knew why.

They would think he was there to claim the body for the team.

It made him sick, but wasn’t that why he called Chris in?

It was a voice from behind him that pulled him from this nightmare of a daydream.

“Where is she?” Tony asked, looking around.

“She’s in the ladies’ room,” Chris stated. “Can you check on her?”

He nodded. “I’ll take care of her, and you take care of Callen,” Tony stated. “We’ll all get through this.”

Ethan prayed they were right.

Chris patted him on the shoulder. “I suggest you call your dad. He should know regardless of the outcome. He’s a parent, and you know how you’d feel if it was one of your children.”

He knew he was right.

“Please check on my brother and my wife,” he stated, walking away to make the call.

“What can I do?” Dakota asked. “I feel horrible. I was standing right there. I tried to save him.”

Chris didn't doubt it.

“Just pray. Right now, this is out of our hands. We have to just wait.”

No one liked that answer

But it was all they could do.

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

She tossed her cookies.

Nothing in her stomach stayed down. Maybe it was because of the pregnancy or because Callen was on the cusp of life and death.

All she knew was she couldn’t do this without him. There was no way she could have this baby without him there. If he died, she’d be forced to give life to his legacy.

It would haunt her.

Yes, she had Ethan but if Callen left them, there’d be one hell of a hole in her heart.

She wouldn’t recover.

How could she?

After puking, nearly turning her stomach inside out, she dropped to the floor and rested her head on her knees. Elizabeth remained there until she heard the door open.

Without looking up, she knew who it was.

The sneakers gave him away.

“Tony,” she said softly.

He didn't hesitate. Dropping down beside her, he placed his arm around her back. Immediately, she put her head on his shoulder.

Here was a man she considered brother. She wanted to be surprised that he was there, but she knew better. Family, while not forged in blood, was still strong.

“I know what he’s going through,” he said.

Elizabeth looked over. “I’m scared. I’ve only felt like this once before. When Ethan was taken, I was afraid, but I knew we’d get him back. Callen was gray. I’ve seen victims who look like that every day. All of them have been on the table in Chris’s morgue.”

“You should be afraid, honey.”

That surprised her.

“I didn't mean it like that. If you weren’t scared, you wouldn’t be human. We consider you badass Elizabeth Blackhawk, but you’re still a living, breathing, and feeling person.”

“He didn't look good.”

“Did he look as bad as I did?”

“Yes.”

“So, see how this worked out? I have a badass scar that my girl digs, and so will Callen.”

She began to hyperventilate.

Tony shoved her head between her knees. This woman was forged in steel, but if you wanted to take her down, this was one of the only two ways to do it.

Ethan.

Callen.

They were her kryptonite.

“Breathe in for me. If you pass out, the doctors are going to check you out. You won’t like that, now will you?”

She slowed her breathing down. “No.”

“I survived, and Callen will too. That’s a fixable injury. He was given medical treatment pretty fast. From the look of the Marshal out there, he appears to have applied pressure, just like you did.”

“It’s my fault.”

He tucked hair behind her ear. “How is this your fault, Lyzee? You didn't pull the trigger.”

“I knew he was targeted. Had I been there…”

“Had you been there, they would have shot you instead, and that would have been far worse. You’re carrying a baby, and you can’t lose that much blood. Your child would have died.”

“I let him go on his own. I might have seen or heard something.”

Tony lifted her chin. “You have to push through this. Yes, it sucks. Yes, it’s bad, but Callen will pull through.”

The tears came.

Tony held her in his arms. “It’s okay, Lyzee. Let it out. You’ll feel better.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

She didn't trust many. In life, she’d been burned, and she’d hurt others too. Yet this man was part of her circle. Tony, and Chris, for that matter, would never lie to her.

When you loved, you told the truth.

“I can’t have this baby without him. I can’t look into our child’s eyes and know he’s gone.”

Tony kissed her on the forehead, much like a big brother. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. If you don’t calm down, you might lose this child, and that would kill Callen.”

That was all he had to say. Immediately, there was a metamorphosis.

It worked.

He knew it would.

She wasn’t that far gone. Elizabeth was all about her men, children, and people she loved. She’d suck this up and handle it.

“We’ll get through this.”

She knew he couldn’t be sure of that, but she needed the calm and rational words of someone who could be objective.

It was all she had in that moment.

“Now, think about being a Fed. What do you want your team to do?”

Elizabeth clung to him. The scent was so familiar it gave her peace. She trusted him, and he was right. Glancing up, she stared into his aqua eyes.

It was time to take control.

For Callen.

“I need the two agents to find the location that the shot came from. There’s a house that’s abandoned across the street. It’s likely from there. To make that shot, using a rifle, they’d have to be up high.”

He listened. “And?”

“Have Madden and Seaton go there. If they’re playing with me, they’re going to want to keep me in this game. I’m willing to bet that I was left a message.”

“I’ll contact them and have the agents head out.”

“Merry will need to go too. I want all three of them in Kevlar. I know it won’t help, but you never know. If he’s using ‘cop killers’, we may all be sitting ducks.”

Tony knew they were safe. “He’s not after us. You and Callen are his target. He won’t finish until he’s got you both out of the game.”

She was aware.

Elizabeth didn't doubt that she was next on his list.

Only, Bonnie and Clyde were in for a shock. She wasn’t going down.

Not until she put a bullet in their fucking brains.

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

Saturday Noon

They all knew what happened.

Word travelled fast.

It pained them all because Callen Whitefox was a really great boss. He always smiled, was pleasant, and never raised his voice. If anything, he was a prankster, and their hearts were wounded.

The two agents felt horrible for their boss.

Johanna knew the terror of watching someone you love hurt. It sucked.

So, when the call came in, they suited up, and they got ready. Taking Merry out in the field, to a dangerous location, didn't sit well with them.

This recognizance mission was dangerous.

If the killers had a nest, high above the ground, they’d see them coming. So, they were going to have to be tricky.

On the drive there, both agents lectured the head tech in the back seat. They told her what she needed to do, what she couldn’t do, and what would happen if she ignored them.

She simply listened.

They were all on edge over this, and she couldn’t blame them. Even though she’d gone through the same training as they had, Merry got it.

They were doing this for the boss lady.

So, she was all in. There was no one she respected more in the FBI. It wasn’t easy to be a woman in a top job, and Elizabeth Blackhawk didn't let it go to her head.

She had coffee with her team.

She joked around and genuinely learned everything about them.

Elizabeth wasn’t only their boss—she was their friend.

As the Denali rolled to a stop, they all hopped out. The house was on the opposite side of the trees. They were going to head in on foot and go from there. It would be their best shot at sneaking into the house. When they mapped it out, there weren’t that many options.

This was it.

Both Feds had their guns out. Merry? She simply carried her tech box.

As they navigated the trees, they could see the house not far away.

“We’re going to clear the area, and then you come out, okay?” Broderick Seaton stated.

She nodded.

The two agents were off.

From the cover of the trees, Merry watched them break off and each take a different route. Johanna covered the front, and Broderick the back. When they met again at the side, they motioned to her.

Merry hustled out of the woods.

On the porch, they checked the doorknob. It wasn’t locked.

That was either a bad sign or sheer luck.

They weren’t quite sure.

Entering the building, they found everything to look pretty normal. There weren’t any signs of the killers squatting there. The house was completely empty of any life.

There was still the upstairs.

Heading up the stairs, guns drawn, they paused when the steps creaked.

It was loud—like gunshots going off around them.

They waited.

There were no sounds from upstairs, so they proceeded. At the top of the steps, they each took a different direction and began clearing the rooms. When they finished, Broderick was in the hall.

“Joey?” he called.

“In here. I think I know where our suspect took the shot,” she said.

“How?” he asked, heading her way. Once inside the room, he knew.

On the wall, there was a message scrawled in blood.

 
 
‘One down. You’re next. Be ready, doll.’

“Well, that pretty much says it all,” stated Merry. “The boss lady isn't going to like this. She’s going to flip out.”

They knew she was right.

Elizabeth Blackhawk was not one to challenge. If you poked the momma bear with a stick, she was bound to charge.

This killer had crossed a line, and he was screwed.

No.

He was dead.

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