Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) (44 page)

“Can we have a list of couples who bought vacations? That way, you can be forthcoming, and maybe we can stop someone from dying.”

He hesitated.

“You offered your help,” she reminded him.

Filip thought about it. “What do you think, Juliet? It’s not invading people’s privacy, is it?”

“Do it. These weren’t only our customers, Filip, but our friends. We’re a family orientated business. We don’t want to look like we have anything to hide.”

“Okay, but can you not tell them you got it from us? I don’t want them to think we’re infringing on their privacy.”

She was good with that. “Deal.”

He began printing it out. Filip had just handed it to her, when Ethan touched her arm. She glanced up into his face, and it was quite apparent that something had happened.

Immediately, she thought one of her babies had been hurt.

“We have to go.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, as he led her to the door. “Please tell me, Ethan. I need to know.”

“There’s been a shooting.”

That’s all he had to say.

Elizabeth knew it wasn’t an issue with their kids. It was going to be Callen.

Oh, Christ!

She could feel it in her gut, and it was going to be bad.

“What happened?”

“The killer took a shot at him thirty minutes ago. They just stabilized him at the scene and are moving him.”

Those words terrified her.

Stabilize?

That meant it was bad.

Real freaking bad.

“He’s on the way to the hospital right now.”

She didn't move. She couldn’t. Elizabeth couldn’t think. Her brain went fuzzy, and she was scared shitless.

Her heart pounded.

“Baby, we have to go!”

At that moment, an ambulance with a Denali chasing it screamed past. Both had their lights flashing, as they tried to navigate the snowy street.

In the distance, she could see their destination. The hospital was only two blocks away.

There was no doubt in her mind who they were carrying.

Elizabeth didn't hesitate.

She ran.

Chapter Fourteen

Our Sister of Mercy Hospital

Saturday Mid-Morning

Life stood still.

It was the fastest she’d ever run in her entire life. As she approached the ER bay, where they were unloading Callen, she knew it was going to be life altering.

Dakota was there, and he was covered in blood.

This wasn’t going to be a simple shot to the vest where they busted ass somewhere down the road.

This was a dire situation.

Callen’s blood was everywhere.

When she rushed up, he was on the gurney, and they were wheeling him toward the door. Dakota tried to stop her, but she wasn’t letting that happen.

As she knocked him out of the way, she managed to get to Callen’s side.

He was pale.

Gray.

Lifeless
.

Oh, sweet Jesus, she was going to lose him.

She could hear them talking, but her brain wasn’t absorbing it. Elizabeth could only focus on the prone Native man.

She could only focus on her heart.

‘Please live,’
she whispered to herself. It was the only words playing over and over again in her head. She couldn’t lose him. What would she tell Cat and EJ?

What would she tell herself?

“Callen,” she called, even as the medics tried to push her out of the way. Grabbing his large hand, she memorized that moment. Elizabeth memorized how his hand felt in hers. There were the callouses from holding a gun. There were the long fingers she loved touching her.

Here was half her heart, and he was bleeding from his chest.

“Ma’am, you need to…”

“Shut up,” she hissed. “Just shut the fuck up. Please! He’s my husband.”

The man did what she asked.

Elizabeth could see where he’d been shot. Yes, he’d been wearing a vest. It was open beneath him. Only, he’d taken a shot to the right side of his chest.

Elizabeth struggled to recall every biology class she ever took, and what sensitive organs were in that area of his body.

It wasn’t the heart.

There was a lung.

Wasn’t there some major artery?

That would explain the blood.

Oh, Jesus!

There was a lot of blood.

From her peripheral, she could see Ethan, and he was racing alongside, holding his brother’s other hand. He was just as scared.

His guard was down, and his face said it all. He, too, knew that this was bad.

Ethan was unflappable under pressure, but not now.

He looked scared.

“Callen,” she said louder, knowing they didn't have much time. They were almost inside, and she needed to know he was going to be okay.

She had to see him react. It was the only way she’d get through the upcoming hours of hell that waited for them.

“Callen, my love! Come on!”

He must have heard her.

It wasn’t easy, but he turned his head.

His chocolatey brown eyes fluttered open, and he stared right into hers.

‘I love you so much,’
he mouthed.

And then he was out cold.

Her heart dropped. This couldn’t be happening. They knew the killers had tagged them, but they never saw this coming. Elizabeth had expected a frontal attack.

They’d switched it up, catching them off guard.

When they arrived at the emergency room doors, she had no choice but to let him go. It was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. His large hand was forcefully pulled from hers, and she was stopped at the door.

Callen kept going down the hall, toward some room where she couldn’t be with him.

“Fight for us!” she shouted. “Callen James, you fight for our kids! Don’t you give up!”

Immediately, her hand went to her stomach, and she turned. Ethan was standing there, his face etched with so many worry lines.

They were poised on the cusp of a razor’s edge.

Life hung in the balance.

Not only Callen’s, but theirs too.

“He’s going to be fine,” Ethan said, trying to keep Elizabeth calm. Her eyes were wide, fear filling them. It rattled him because he rarely saw anything shake her.

His warrior didn't fear much.

Yet, here was her big terror.

“He’s going to…”

Ethan didn't get to finish.

Instead, she raced toward him, Callen’s blood on her fingers from holding his hand. She crashed into him, and they both went to the floor, Ethan’s back against the wall.

In the middle of the hospital, braced in his arms, Elizabeth crumbled.

And she wept.

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

An Hour Later

When he returned to the house, she was waiting for him. She didn't look happy, and that pissed him off. This was his game, and he could play it anyway he saw fit.

Yes, she was his partner, but a woman had her place, and it wasn’t behind the wheel of something so big.

“Where were you?” she accused.

“I took care of a problem. The FBI was getting too nosey, so I had to slow them down. It was one shot, and I know they’ll be busy now.”

She stared at him. “What did you do?” Bonnie hissed again, still waiting for an answer.

“I shot him.”

Those words said it all.

He was coming apart at the seams. Normally, Clyde was in control, but this proved he was losing it. Their well-laid plans were just shot to shit in a moment of rash decision making.

“We were supposed to grab them. We were going to make them our couple.”

“So? We pick a new couple. This was far more gratifying.”

She stared at him. Maybe a frontal approach was a bad idea. He was a brick wall, and she couldn’t convince him with arguing.

He didn't work that way.

“We had a plan, and we should have stuck to it. That’s what you always tell me, and it’s genius.”

He calmed down.

“I still have a plan, Doll. We’re going to move on from them. They aren’t worth it. I have another couple in mind, and you’ll be just as happy.”

She tried to stay calm.

With Clyde, you couldn’t freak out.

He didn't handle it well.

“Okay.”

“We cover our tracks, and we move on. I know who I want next.”

She knew it was beyond salvaging. They only had so much time, and this house wasn’t safe. It was only a matter of hours before they needed to get out.

“What’s your plan?” she asked, trying to stay focused. One of them had to be in control. She was beginning to doubt that letting him handle this was going to be wise.

Clyde was losing it.

She could see it in his eyes.

Crazy was in charge…and not the good kind.

He strolled around the kitchen, taking in the mess they’d made. They still had to dismember the bodies, and leave them as a gesture to the cops.

“This is going to rattle her. You did your research. You know that when she lost the one man, she nearly caved. She said so herself in an interview.”

Bonnie recalled reading about it.

“Okay, and?”

“I took out the other. She’s not going to be able to bounce back from this. You’ll see.”

She hoped he was right.

This had the potential to bury them both.

“Now, let’s get to work, and we’ll handle it.”

She simply nodded, still feeling sick over all of this. She had really wanted to torture the Fed. Bonnie wanted to hurt her. She was some pretty bitch to add to her collection.

The notch in her belt was just stolen away.

It sucked.

“You’re right,” she said, trying not to freak out.

Her mouth may have said it, but her brain didn't buy it for a second.

This was bad.

Very, very bad.

Clyde had just signed their death warrant.

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

Hospital

Waiting Room

She paced like a caged tiger.

Ethan tried to get anything out of the medical staff, but no one would speak to them. Even though they were Feds, they didn't care. He had no pull.

He needed to do something, and fast.

So, he did.

Making a call, Ethan called a friend. He told him everything, knowing that the man could help them at the hospital.

It didn't take long for him to get there.

When Chris Leonard arrived, he was concerned. He hobbled in, using the cane Elizabeth had given him.

As soon as she saw him, her gut dropped.

“Is he…?”

Chris hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head. “No, Lyzee. I’m here to get the details and tell you what I can. Ethan asked me to come.”

She sniffled, relaxing in his arms. It helped to have people they loved near.

“Oh, Chris! He’s really bad. I’m going to lose him. I can feel it.”

He pushed her back far enough to stare into her eyes. “You can’t think like that. When I was hurt, you told Cyra to hang in there. You ordered her to believe, didn't you?”

She nodded wearily.

“Then take your own damn advice,” he said, giving her a shake. “If you give up, then no one is fighting for him. Do you hear me? Callen needs you!”

Elizabeth wiped her nose with her arm. “Okay. I can do this. You’re right. I just had a momentary lapse. Callen is strong. He’s healthy. He wouldn’t give up without a fight, and I won’t either.”

Chris knew everyone was watching them. They were all strapped with sidearms and badges. He didn't care. Gently, he left a kiss in the center of her forehead. “That’s our girl. You’ve got this, honey. Hang in there.”

She closed her eyes.

She’d begged Callen to do the same as he was wheeled away, and now, she had to pull her own weight too.

“Please find out what happened to him.”

Chris looked around. “Where’s the Marshal who was with him?”

She pointed.

As of that moment, Dakota had wisely given her room. He must have sensed that she was a ticking time bomb, just waiting for someone to light her fuse.

Chris motioned toward him.

When the man arrived, he looked like he’d survived a warzone. He was splattered with blood.

Chris checked him out.

From his appearance, he was able to infer a few things. There was a lot of blood. The chest had major arteries, and it looked like the shooter got one.

“Where was he hit?” he asked Dakota.

The man looked worried.

“Show me on my body. Show me where the bullet entered.”

Dakota pointed to a spot on his chest. “It went through the vest. We were both wearing Kevlar, and he just hit the ground. When his hands went to his chest, I thought
‘oh, good—he’s wearing a vest’
,” he said.

Chris listened.

“But then Callen pulled his hand back, and there was blood. I tried to stop it and called for help, but there was so much blood.”

Chris was building a picture in his head. “It was his subclavian artery,” he stated.

Elizabeth stared at him. “Is that bad? An artery is bad, isn't it?” she asked.

Chris glanced over at her. “It’s fixable.”

She knew him. She knew the man before her for so many years. They hunted killers and met on the field of death. They’d stood in bowel, guts, and gore together. She watched him stare at countless bodies with a look of pity on his face, and right in that moment, he had that same expression.

This was bad.

Real bad.

Ethan spoke up, “Chris, if you don’t just give it to us straight, we’re going to Google it. You know that’s never good. It’s going to freak us out.”

He was aware.

“The subclavian artery is a major one. That’s why chest wounds bleed even if it’s not near that heart. If he was hit there, they’re going to have to work fast to repair it. If they can’t, they’ll take a minor artery from elsewhere to patch it back up.”