Sacred Burial Grounds (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 2)) (36 page)

It made her glad that she wasn’t the one having to weed through that and piece together a profile. Instead of the killer becoming more evident, they had just been bogged down in new inconsistencies. It was maddening for her, and that meant it had to be driving
her husband completely insane. One of the things that made him such an amazing profiler was the ability to stick within the consistencies of a case, and to draw his co-workers a clear picture of the unsub. Now it was just a free for all.

When her husband walked in and sat beside her on the couch, his face was etched with tension around his mouth. Elizabeth knew what was going on in his mind. At that moment he was questioning his profile.

“What if I’m wrong?” he asked, softly. In all his years as an FBI profiler, this was the first time he ever doubted himself professionally. Ethan Blackhawk was the job and his assessments were spot on all the time.

Elizabeth just stared at the board. “I’m not sure, Ethan.” Elizabeth wanted to reassure him, but how could she? Right now she was completely lost herself
, and this wasn’t her area of expertise.

“Killer
s don’t usually deviate, unless they’re coming unhinged. But he’s killing women, and if he was going to lose it, then he’d likely still follow that path. Shooting at you makes more sense than shooting at me.”

“Maybe we have a copycat,” she added, staring at the board. On it were the three women, and not much more. Elizabeth pulled out her phone.

“Calling someone?” he asked leaning back, pulling his wife closer to his body.

“Oh yeah I am,” she called down to the lab and got Christina. “I know you’re busy getting ready for your interviews,” she looked at her watch, “but
the bodies seem to be adding up. I have no names and no more info to start working my end. I want a name from that driver’s license within the hour, or I’m coming down there. Do you really want me down there stomping around your lab playing with your machines?”

Blackhawk laughed. The poor tech staff w
ere going to be scrambling, or hurricane Elizabeth would be flattening them all.

“Good, get it done!
” She hung up her phone.

“Feel better?” he asked, kissing her on the forehead as they lay on the couch curled together.

“Hell yeah! I absolutely do,” she yawned, as she was being lulled by the scent of her husband’s cologne. “Just need a nap,” she whispered, but he didn’t answer her. For the first time in their marriage, he’d fallen asleep first. Elizabeth stared up at the board one last time. Maybe the killer was screwing with them. If that were the case this definitely was personal. Elizabeth hadn’t been honest with the tech lab; she did have a direction, and it lead right towards her husband’s family and past.

She just had a gut feeling.

Saturday morning

Christina rushed the printout up the stairs and to Elizabeth Blackhawk’s office. The interviews she had put her in charge of began in a matter of minutes, but she didn’t believe for one second that her boss didn’t mean everything she said about heading to the lab to raise some hell. Knowing the safest route, she went directly to Ethan Blackhawk’s office
. When she couldn’t find him there, she had no choice but to face the tigress in her den.

Lightly knocking, she entered only to find them both on the couch sound asleep. Elizabeth was housed protectively under his arm, her hand on his chest and her arm around his waist. They looked peaceful together, and she didn’t think they’d want to be disturbed. Hoping that dumping and running wouldn’t cause her boss to lose it, she placed the printout on Elizabeth’s lap carefully and backed away, making sure to not wake them. No one had been getting much sleep lately, and she didn’t think the bosses were getting any at all. The last thing she wanted to do was be the one that woke both of them from their silent slumber.

Now, one of her fundamental questions was answered. Ethan Blackhawk was just as sexy asleep as he was awake. Now she just had to pretend to not think about it in front of his wife. Closing the door halfway, afraid the lock would make too much noise, Christina escaped back down to the lab to hire some new lab techs. The staff was on burnout and they needed reinforcements soon, and all she could pray was she did a good enough job finding them. 

Callen Whitefox slept like a rock. Fortunately, his grandfather called him to make sure he was safe, or he wouldn’t have been up on time to head into FBI West. As he pulled in
to the lot and parked, he balanced the coffees that he’d just picked up. It was the least he could do, since his family was letting him stay with them. Just the word family knotted his stomach and made him feel warm. Since his mother had passed away, it had just been him and Timothy. The addition of Elizabeth and return of his brother warmed him. There was the memory of how she covered for him, to protect his relationship and that made him smile. His brother’s wife stole his heart and having a sister was pretty great.

When he had been honest with her that morning, there was that fear she’d see him differently, but she didn’t. Just that acceptance touched his heart.
She knew then he loved her. Whether it was the same love his brother had for her or not didn’t matter at this point to him. Elizabeth Blackhawk had part of his heart. There was a kindness and compassion deep within her, and an easy acceptance of the men around her. There weren’t many women who’d stand up to Timothy and love him the way the boys did. How she raced out the door of his house to save his brother spoke volumes as to the kind of woman she was deep down. Maybe today he’d find that he was completely over her.

Once inside the massive office
, he saw no one manning the desk. The place seemed a little deserted, and he figured everyone was out in the field or busy. Peeking his head into his brother’s office he found it vacant. Since neither Blackhawk was toiling away there, he knew where they would be found. Walking into her office and finding them there together, that wave of jealousy was still there, but also was the overwhelming love that he felt for them both.

This was h
is family.

Callen Wh
itefox couldn’t help but smile, as his brother was protective of his wife even in sleep. They looked so peaceful, that he almost didn’t want to wake them, and yet he knew he needed to do it. They had a busy day ahead of them. Whitefox walked over to his brother and tapped him on the arm. When his eyes popped open immediately, he pointed over at Elizabeth, signaling that she was still asleep.

Blackhawk focused on his brother standing above him, forcing that wave of confusion out of his mind. Without having to even look down his body, he could feel the comfortable weight of his wife sleeping against him. They both must have passed out from exhaustion. Two hours
of sleep a night would do that to a person. They were bound to crash at some time.

He took the coffee his brother handed to him with complete gratitude. The clock on the wall said almost ten
in the morning, and they’d only been asleep a little over an hour. He didn’t want to do it, but he had to get out in the field. They needed the missing person reports, waiting for them at the sheriff’s office. 

“Baby,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her on her lips. “We have to wake up, or I do. You can go back to sleep if you need more down time.”

“I smell coffee,” she muttered, not opening her eyes. “Whoever got me coffee gets a big wet kiss,” she muttered, “and I’ll even marry them if it’s the largest coffee sold in the entire western hemisphere.”

“I’m suddenly glad I thought to bring coffee,” Callen said laughing, as her eyes slowly opened. “Oh, and look here. It’s a very large coffee too…” 

“If you marry anyone else, I’ll have to toss your ass in jail, Lyzee,” he quipped back. “One husband per woman and those are the rules.”

“Is it wrong that at this point I’d
see jail time as vacation time? I can make that orange jumpsuit look sexy.”

Both men laughed at that visual and didn’t doubt she could.

“Well look at this, boys,” she drawled, sitting up and extricating herself from her husband’s arm and rolling her shoulder. It was stiff from the past injury and sleeping on it. “The lab fairy came while I was a sleep, and she left me the name of the woman in the hole.” Elizabeth took the coffee her brother-in-law held out to her. “I guess meaningless threats do still work on our staff even when they’re just as exhausted as we are,” she stood, stretching and then leaned down to kiss her husband on the cheek. “Thanks for playing pillow. You were the best I ever had,” she winked, salaciously. “I can’t wait to use you more later.

Blackhawk winked. There was nothing more ama
zing than the way his wife woke even after very little sleep. She was always ready with a joke.  

“Callen, you are a Godsend
!” Elizabeth went to walk by him and stopped. “Aw screw it, coffee is that damn important,” she said, pulling his face down to kiss him on the lips, leaving a big wet kiss. “For coffee, I’ll break the kissy-face office rule.” 

Blackhawk
had the privilege of observing the look on his brother’s face. He was pretty sure that Callen Whitefox had also been steamrolled by his wife; she seemed to do that to people, men in general. He looked panicked by the kiss and that made it even funnier. Good, as long as his brother believed he’d be dead if he crossed the line, he had nothing to worry about.

Callen Whitefox froze as
Elizabeth planted a wet one on his mouth. First there was panic, then lust, and when he noticed his brother laughing, he tried to relax. Apparently, the kiss wasn’t going to get him killed. Thank God. Now he prayed his face wouldn’t give him away.

Elizabeth felt much better. A nap had helped her recharge. “Cowboy?” she said, looking down at her paper.

“Yeah baby?”

Whitefox took a seat on the couch and couldn’t ignore it any longer. “Okay, I wanted to say this last time it came up, and now I have to do it. Really, isn’t he more the Indian,
and you the cowboy?” he asked as he drank his coffee, and pointed at her boots. 

Blackhawk laughed
. He’d made the comparison to that in his mind many times, and he always found it funny and ironic.

“I’m the level headed
, calm one that keeps the town safe,” she answered, “the sheriff of this rodeo so to speak. But come to think of it,” she grinned. “Now that you’re in the picture, Callen, the two of you can be cowboy and Indian. Fight amongst yourselves on who gets to be whom,” she sipped her coffee and winked at both men.  “One of you can borrow my hat, but since I’m the only one in the room who hasn’t been arrested… I get to play the law.”

Ethan was ready for her. Many times she’d caught him off guard, and he’
d choke on his coffee. Not today, he was aware of her game.

Whitefox was completely charmed by her, and
he couldn’t help but laugh at her teasing them. Some people would be worried about pointing out the obvious, but she definitely wasn’t.

“Anyway, boys,” she said
continuing, “What are your plans for today?”

“
Callen and I need to swing by the sheriff’s office and get the missing person reports. Meanwhile, you’ll be constructing the white board.”

It wasn’t lost on her that he
was emphasizing that she was staying in the office. “I’ll be staying inside FBI West, until I run out of work to do here. Since you want me to stay here, I suggest you get me some viable data. Don’t forget our deal, Ethan.”

Ethan
was relieved. She was going to keep their bargain and not fight with him over it, even after the killer took a shot at him. “I’ll vest up,” he answered.

“And?”

He thought back to the deal, he was taking his brother with him and the other part was breakfast. “I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow.” It was stated with absolute certainty. Tomorrow he’d beat her out of bed, even if he had to sleep in the kitchen on the counter.

Elizabeth dropped her booted feet on the corner of her desk. “Since I’ve yet to eat today
, lunch technically is breakfast, so you’re on food duty, Cowboy. Feed your growing child. Besides, if you think back to yesterday, I do believe I fed you.”

He grinned
with nothing but love for his wife.

“Callen, heads up. He doesn’t share his milkshakes, so you’re out of luck.”

“Damn it.” Whitefox laughed and winked at her.

“I’m glad you’re smiling, Callen. We’ll be discussing you poaching my wife’s milkshake later.”

“You had to tell him, didn’t you, Lyzee. It could have been our dirty little food secret. I never would have told.”

Elizabeth snorted and shook her head.

Blackhawk punched his brother in the arm and then laughed.

“
Ethan, if you bring me some healthy girly lunch I’ll kick your ass.” Then she pointed at her brother-in-law. “If you let him do it, then you’ll get your ass handed to you just because you knew it was coming and didn’t have the common sense to intervene. Clear boys?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said, grinning.

Blackhawk walked over and kissed her on the lips, slow and long. When he broke away it pleased him that she didn’t protest, and she looked nearly as distracted as he felt. “Be back for lunch, Lyzee,” he spoke softly, as he lovingly rubbed his hand over their child.