Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) (81 page)

Christopher Leonard was lucky indeed…

Tuesday morning early dawn

After they had brought Ethan in and cleaned him up, the extent of his injuries was more evident. The dirt caking his chest had been removed and revealed the vicious gashes to his chest and body. It looked as if he’d been tortured, and both Elizabeth and Callen were sick over it. Across his beautiful body was a crudely carved pentagram. There was going to be scaring that he would carry for the rest of his life. Whenever they looked at it, there would be a reminder of what they had lived through.

Physical s
cars would heal and, they both knew that rough moments were on the horizon. There were going to be lasting emotional effects from the day’s events.

The doctors gave
Ethan an IV full of antibiotics to fight any type of infection, and placed him in a room for the night. The man had one hell of a concussion, was dehydrated, and beat up. His wounds were tended, and his body was at peace.

For now.

Both Elizabeth and Callen remained by his side. Immediately, they called Wyler to reassure him that Ethan was safe. Wisely, they left out most of the details to protect the older man’s heart. There’d be time enough to explain what Ethan had lived through as they nursed him back to physical and mental health.

Now
, it was a matter of simply waiting for him to wake up. Neither was willing to sleep, knowing what he’d had to go through. The last thing they wanted was for him to wake without them right there to support him.

As soon as they’d received the team’s reports via email, they were sickened even more.
Cyra described the crime scene, and the description of where he was held for his day of captivity. There were pictures included.

They both saw the tape and rope.

Then there was the blood on the bathroom floor, where Parrish had ruthlessly tortured him. They didn't need Ethan to tell them anything.

Callen and Elizabeth had seen it all themselves.

What they felt for him was overwhelming. The man had fought the odds and won. By sheer will, he had survived and used his training, and yet... there was this fear of what was to come.

When dawn finally broke, Ethan dragged himself from the depths of sleep. Where it would
have normally been a slow easy waking, he gasped, startled, and off balance.

“Shhhhhh, we’re here, my darling,” she whispered, standing from the chair beside his bed.

Callen also stood. “We’re right here, Ethan.”

He
stared around the darkened room. “God! Lights please!” he blurted, causing Callen to rush to give him what he requested.

Ethan sat in the bed shaking, until he could see more clearly
.

Immediately, Elizabeth
was at his side and gently stroking his battered face. “I’m right here, handsome,” she cooed soothingly.

Callen
placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder in support.

“
Shit,” he whispered, unable to speak more. “I can’t handle the dark,” he admitted softly.

How could they blame him? He’d been buried alive.

Despite fighting it, his eyes filled with tears and they began to fall. He simply couldn’t hold up anymore, and was breaking under the memory of it all.

Elizabeth
climbed into the bed beside him and curled protectively around his frame. Immediately, he clung to her as his entire body quaked in fear and distress as the memories returned.

Callen wanted to offer
the man he loved comfort too. Mimicking Elizabeth’s actions, he too slid into the remaining space, protectively placing his body alongside his brother’s. “We’ve got you Ethan,” he said, holding his brother against him as Elizabeth soothingly left kisses all over his abused face.

“We’re never going to leave you,” she murmured lovingly into his
ear.

He
clung to them both and allowed the two people who he loved to comfort him. In that moment, Ethan could find some peace after a full day of complete and total hell.

“I love you, Ethan,” Callen
stated, meaning it with every single fiber of his body. For now, he would continue to be the strong one while his brother recovered.

“I love you, Cowboy,” she said, wiping his tears with her thumb
s.

“Pl
ease don’t leave,” he whispered as the fear and pain were present in his voice. “I can’t breathe,” he whispered, as the panic overtook him and threatened to crush him under its weight.

Callen and Elizabeth stared into
each other’s eyes, knowing it was going to be a long road back for their partner. They also knew they’d do anything to protect him, including covering for him at work.

The mission to save Ethan Blackhawk was far from over.

“We’re here for the long haul, bro,” Callen said, dropping a kiss on the top of Ethan’s head. “I promise that I’ve got you from here on out. You can lean on me.”

She stared into Ethan’s pain filled eyes. “Blackhawks stick together
until the very end. You’re not alone, love bug. We’re going to go home and you’re taking a couple weeks off. In fact, so am I.”

Callen squeezed his brother’s hand. “I’ll head in and take care of the office. For now, you just need to heal and not worry.”

Ethan nodded. That was exactly what he needed to hear. Because deep in his heart, he knew it was truth.

He wasn’t sure when he’d be strong again. This had been far too close of a call for him. For now, he had his
family back and he earned his second chance in life.

That was all he could focus on.

Ethan couldn’t hold up the world. In fact, he didn't think that he could carry himself right now.

Thank God, he was in
capable hands.

Later, when he was back on his feet, he would revel in the only thing that mattered.

Ethan Blackhawk
had faced down hell and the devil.

And he lived to tell about it.

~Epilogue ~

One week later

A week had pas
sed, since they’d nearly lost Ethan. To say it was difficult would be an understatement. They had opted to take the time from work as they tried to rebuild what had almost been destroyed.

Gabe
had flown in to take over for Ethan, while Elizabeth and Callen were taking a couple of weeks off. Originally, they had planned to have Callen run FBI West in Ethan’s absence, but that ended up not being possible.

He needed
them both at home by his side.

Nights
were the worst for him. Ethan would wake up from horrible dreams where he was buried alive. His screams would pull them both from sleep, and they would find him covered in sweat and emotionally falling apart.  

Both Elizabeth and Callen
would promptly move to give him comfort by surrounding his body with theirs. They would sooth and offer him peace, until he drifted back to sleep.

Their goal was to heal him
and nothing else mattered.

Everything had changed in their partnership.

Roles were reversed.

Elizabeth
even softened considerably and found herself doting on her husband whenever he needed her. The brashness was buried deep, as the mothering instinct took over. Rarely was she not at his side and watching over him.

Callen had stepped in and was holding them up. He’d taken on his brother’s role
of paying the bills, managing the house and offering his strength to keep them all focused. It was the least that he could do for the man who once gave him so much.

Without Callen, Elizabeth would be lost. The man was taking his place as the backbone of their union. When she would find herself in a bathroom weeping, Callen would help put her back together. If she couldn’t face one more moment of the pain, he reassured her and would find a way to offer her peace. To say he was carrying all of them would be an understatement.

Callen had become the rock that they had come to depend on every day.

Since they were all battered, t
here had been no sex. For now, it was on the back burner. They were well aware that Ethan was too emotionally wounded to even consider engaging in it. Together, they decided to wait until he came to them and wanted to participate. For now, the ball was in his court. Where Elizabeth firmly believed that sex healed just about everything, they’d been unable to test that theory.

Ethan’s heart was all that mattered at this point.

That morning, w
hen they had left the house to go grocery shopping, Ethan was adamant that Callen stick by her side. Elizabeth would have rather left him the company, but she wasn’t willing to argue with him over it. If this was what he wanted, so be it.

Wyler was busy at the studio
that day, and Ethan would be left alone with the three children. At first, that worried them but as they saw his smile slowly returning when he was with the children, they relaxed. Whenever he was with the littlest members of their family, he found some deep well of peace.

So, off they went, believing that he knew what was best for
his own emotional wellbeing. Once out, they began discussing the hair issue that had been plaguing the three of them. It was the big pink elephant in the room.

Whitefox had noticed his brother’s
pain while Elizabeth braided his hair that morning. The look in his eyes said it all. He was mourning the loss of his wife’s touch through what had once been something she loved so very much.

The butchering of his raven black hair
was just one more deeply inflicted wound. So, like any good family, they stepped up and decided to take one for the team.

Yes,
Callen was scared shitless, but for his brother he would do anything. He went first, and had all of his hair cut off until he had a very similar haircut to his big brother.

It was going to take time to adjust, since he’d not cut his hair this short in…ever.

While he watched Elizabeth sitting beside him, his stomach was churning. Both Ethan and Callen loved her hair. In fact, Callen desperately tried to talk her out of cutting it.

He really wanted to take this one for the team alone. Deep down
, he feared how Ethan would take the shock. Would it be too much for his already battered mind to take?

Of course, Elizabeth
wouldn’t have it. Once she was aware that it was hurting one of the men who she loved, it had to go. This was about standing together and being strong.

They were the musketeers.

Besides, it was hair. It would grow back.

When
the stylist had finished with her, Callen didn't know what to say. It was as if she were a completely different person. He had to admit that his body reacted to it almost immediately. There was no doubt in his mind that when he finally got her out to the car, he planned on kissing her like a starving man. Yes, her hair was completely gone, but what was left was intoxicating.

Elizabeth
looked like some sexy forest fairy. The flirty pixie cut was sensual and bad ass all at the same time.

The drive home had been a long one
, especially after he stole that first kiss. It had been very hard to stop mauling her, and it took every ounce of his sheer willpower. Now at each stop light, he found himself staring at Elizabeth. He hadn’t expected this reaction from her haircut. Now, his biggest dilemma was going to be keeping his hands to himself.

God, he really wanted her. This abstinence
thing might just be the death of him yet.

There was a little part of him that still loved her hair long, but
now he was pretty sure that he found his new favorite side of Elizabeth. He hoped this version stayed for a very long time.

Onc
e in the garage, they headed in carrying the groceries. They could hear Ethan in the living room talking and playing with the kids.

“We’re home,” she called, trying not to giggle at their surprise. Man, she hoped he liked her hair and didn't have a big ol’ freak
out.

“That took you a long time,” stated Ethan, getting up from the floor.
“I was starting to worry about you both.”

“We had another stop to make,” Callen added, standing out of sight. He too was smiling.

“I’ll help put the groceries away,” Ethan said as he walked into the kitchen. “I missed you …” he began, and then stopped dead. “What happened?” he asked incredulously, staring from his brother to his wife.