The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) (62 page)

What was meant to be would be, and they both firmly believed that
. Look how it lead them this far.

At the knock on her door, she looked up. The head of the town council stood there, with flowers.

“Jacob, come in,” she said, standing and offering him a seat.

“Sit, Sheriff
Blackhawk. I just came by to talk to you.” He handed her the flowers he’d brought for her.

Oh boy, here it came. First day bac
k and he was here to fire her. The flowers were to soften the blow. “Am I terminated?” she queried, sitting. If she was, their decision would be easier.

“Sheriff Blackhawk, why would we do that? You found a serial killer, got rid of a corrupt mayor, and cleaned up our town
.” He looked genuinely surprised. Elizabeth Blackhawk was an asset to them. When the council met, they voted unanimously to keep her on and promote her.

No need to tell him about the Dansforths then.
“Okay, then why do you look nervous?” she asked, putting her boots up on her desk. “Just spill it, Jacob,” she knew it had to be big, if the head of the town council was here.

“We heard about
your injury, and that you may have lost some of the ability in your right arm.”

“I can assure you,
two weeks out, and I’m able to use it and feel everything. It’s a good prognosis. Honestly, Salem is pretty darn quiet. In the year before the killer, I never drew my gun once.”

He nodded. “We had a proposition for you, and wanted to toss it at you and see what you think, and let you make the decision.”

“Okay, toss away.”

“Council wants you to take over as mayor.”

Elizabeth didn’t see that one coming. “But I’m Sheriff and why?”

He smiled and continued, “You are smart,
tough and you are a good leader. It has nothing to do with your arm, but everything to do with your brain.”

“Isn’t the election in a few months? What if I lose?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that, we will fill the sheriff position temporarily with one of your deputies or someone you choose and if you lose in general election, which I highly doubt then you can go back.”

Elizabeth
thought about it. She had just told her husband she didn’t want to be in law anymore and this was being offered up.

“You get to find your replacement, you have excellent st
aff, and we trust your judgment completely. We will sign on anyone you put through,” he offered, hopefully.

“I ne
ed to talk to my husband first.”

“Please do, and let us know,” he said
, standing. “Job well done, Sheriff Blackhawk,” he said, walking out.

Elizabeth
couldn’t help but laugh. Wait until she told her husband what just fell into their laps.

Blackhawk was in their home
office, working on his laptop when the phone rang. The display flashed Gabe’s number.

“Hey b
oss man, what do you need?” he asked, knowing the man just called last night to check on them both; this wasn’t going to be a social call.

“I have a proposition for you, Ethan.”

“I’m not going back on assignment for a couple weeks, Gabe. Lyzee and I need some down time and to figure out what we’re going to do next. We leave for our honeymoon soon, too.”

“You may want to hear what I have to say, and then think about it.”

“Okay, what do you have to say?”

“
There’s a new division opening up. It’s called FBI West. I need someone to head it. It’s desk work with very little field work. There may be some on occasion or when you want to go out together as partners.”

“Like your job?”

“Exactly, except it still answers to me. In fact, the position is one step below me, with a promotion and a big comfortable raise,” he tossed that out shamelessly trying to lure him in.

“Who
’s this job for, Gabe? Me or Lyzee?” Blackhawk could almost hear his heart pound; this was an option they were waiting for to pop up. A desk job for either of them would keep them together and out of danger. Plus a raise meant one of them could quit their job.

“I’m offering it to both of you
. It’s going to be a big office-too big for one director, so that makes it a two person job with two raises.”

“So we’d work together?”
Ethan paused, confused. “We can’t, we’re married, and you know the FBI has strict rules on spouses working together and even you can’t swing that. There’s no way that you wouldn’t bend that big of a rule.”

“Spouses aren’t recommended to work in the field together. Spouses in an office setting can with certain provisions, like
the size of office and the years in service under their belts. You both have over a decade each of service and are eligible,” he answered.

He knew for certain, and he double checked before he threw all his weight at the higher ups on filling this position. Since getting back to Quantico, he handled the Lily Sanderson issue, getting his agent and friend justice and found a way to keep them together
. It was their good Karma for a job well done and a wedding present of sorts. Not to mention he’d been trying to get Elizabeth back into the FBI for a full year. If he could lure his best agent back with a cushy job and money, so be it.

“So, if she comes back to the FBI, we both have a job out of the field?”

“Yes, running the office together as co-directors. That’s providing she can re-qualify on the gun range.”

“I need to talk to her about it
first. She should be home soon.” He couldn’t help but feel happy; this would solve their problem, and keep them together.

“Call me as soon as you decide.”

“I will,” he promised, hanging up, feeling a rush, along with a huge weight being lifted off his chest. He couldn’t wait to tell his wife.

Elizabeth practically ran into their house
. He was waiting for her in the kitchen, and he was smiling like a loon.

“Guess what?” he said, coming around the counter and kissing her.

“What?” Her husband certainly was chipper all the sudden.

Blackhawk told her all about the job, and the opportunity for them to stay in one place working together. “It’s a great opportunity,” he said, smiling. “You just have to return to the FBI
, and we have to move out west. I know you said you never wanted to come back to the FBI, but it’s out of the field.” Then he noticed Elizabeth didn’t look right. “Why do you have that look on your face?” He was concerned and rubbed his thumb over her lower lip.

She couldn’t believe it. “I just had a meeting with Jacob, the man that heads the council.”

“Did they terminate you?” he said, angrily. “If you want, I’ll go in there and kick all their asses around for upsetting you.”

She started laughing uncontrollably. There was no doubt in her mind he would.

“You okay?” Blackhawk wasn’t getting it.

“No, they offered me a
job and a promotion actually.”

“There isn’t a position above sheriff,” he said, confused. “You are the top of the food chain in Salem.”

“Well, there’s one position over my job.” Elizabeth laid her head on his shoulder, as he wrapped his good arm around her waist.

“The only other job is mayor,” he said, and then it dawned on him. “Oh.”
Now his wife had the opportunity to be the mayor of her hometown. That was a pretty big deal.

“Looks like it just got more confusing, Ethan.”

“Now that both the deals are on the table, we need to sit down and decide.”

Elizabeth
shook her head and whispered, “Let’s think about it after our honeymoon, Mr. Blackhawk. I have other things to think about, like which bikini to wear to the beach.”

Ethan
’s body tighten at the mere mention of the word bikini. “Deal, Mrs. Blackhawk. Suddenly, I seem to be busy too,” he replied, before kissing his wife.

~
Epilogue ~

Eight
Weeks Later

“Ethan, I’m home,” she called,
rushing into the brownstone, full of excitement. She set the code and locked the door. “Where are you?”

“
I’m making dinner in the kitchen. Where have you been, baby?”

“Out,” she grinned to herself.

Ethan Blackhawk walked around the corner and leaned against the wall. “Care to elaborate?” he asked. She had been acting odd all day, and then she disappeared for hours, kissing him goodbye and running out. Normally if she left the house, she’d invite him to join her, but not this time. When he called she didn’t answer her phone.

Just the change in behavior had him worried.

“Hmmm…. Maybe later
we can discuss it. I have a surprise for you after dinner.” She couldn’t help but stare at her husband, as a wave of heat flushed her body. His hair was down, and he was wearing a tank top and shorts, and must have been running on the treadmill in their office. She wanted to jump him and get him naked, except she didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

Damn it, he looked delicious!

“A surprise?”
Ethan watched her walk past him and casually sit on the arm of their couch. Not even a kiss? Something was wrong. He hoped she wasn’t having second thoughts or an affair. Wasn’t that a sign of an extramarital affair, when one partner disappeared for hours at a time, didn’t answer their phone, and lost all desire for sex? Okay, so they just had sex that morning and last night, so maybe two out of three.

  Since leaving Salem
and taking the jobs with the FBI, they had some down time while the office was put together out west. She had been re-qualifying to get her badge back and did so with ease, as her arm was almost back to one hundred percent, just like his.

Then they did what married couples did.

They took a week to sleep in and have sex.

A
week to hang out and have sex.

A
week to honeymoon and have sex.

Now they were taking the last few
days to pack up the things they needed for their new life.

In the long run, they dec
ided to keep her childhood home as retreat of sorts to go and hide out when they took their vacation. The brownstone was being sold, and he had insisted. There were good memories there of him proposing, but there were demons there too. It just wasn’t the man he was anymore, and he wanted a clean slate with his new wife. Besides, he found them the perfect house in suburbia for a brood of children. Kissing all of this goodbye would be worth it, but now he was worried.

It wasn’t like his wife to not be all over him
. When he stayed in his tank top and shorts after his run, he was sure he could lure her in for some pre-dinner sex, and she just walked right by him. Something was up, when she passed up on sex. Elizabeth Blackhawk was voracious when it came to climbing all over him. Even after being shot, she still insisted they have sex.

“When’s dinner, Ethan?”

“Now, if you’re ready,” he answered, unable to push past the dread. It had been filling him all day while she was gone. He knew she took the FBI job because of him, all because she knew he wouldn’t be happier anywhere else. It was such a part of his identity, that he needed it. All he hoped was one day she wouldn’t regret it, giving up her quiet life for the unknown that waited for them. 

As he stood in the kitchen, leaning on the counter all he could hope was she wouldn’t resent him. From the start she swore she wouldn’t return to the FBI
, and now she did it for him. Maybe that in combination with rushing into marriage was too much for her.

Elizabeth saw him looking so lost, and it broke her heart. Since she had to fight her brother to save their lives, he’d been over
protective and hovering over her nonstop. She knew he’d always stand guard over her, but she wanted to give him something to know how she really felt about him and make him relax. Lately, he continually asked her if she was happy, if she was still okay with being married, and the choice to return to the FBI. He was slowly slipping back into the man he was before her. Elizabeth needed to shake him up, and get his attention.