True Love Lost (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 3)) (17 page)

Elizabeth was about to continue the conversation,
and ask the woman what the problem was with her. Had she offended her in some way, but the look on Callen’s face told her to back off. The glare he was giving her said one thing. Desdemona Adare was off limits to any of Elizabeth’s anger or questions. Her heart skipped in her chest at the hurt that slammed into her. This was the first time since meeting the man that he’d chosen sides, and it wasn’t with her. Usually he was very protective of her, standing up to Ethan when there was a conflict.

Elizabeth
took a deep steadying breath and let it out, keeping all the words she wanted to say locked deep within her. Her eyes never left his face, and she hid none of the emotion she was feeling. “Special Agent Whitefox, Doctor Adare, see you at the house,” she spoke softly, as she turned on her heel. If she didn’t move away from them right then, Elizabeth would say something sarcastic and over the top. Obviously Whitefox had decided that the woman he’d known for one day took priority over the woman he’d known for months and was part of the family.

Ouch
.

El
izabeth walked past her husband and didn’t say a word to him. At that point she couldn’t or her temper was going to erupt from her. Patience wasn’t exactly her forte to begin with, but the ME and her mystery issue with her was getting on her last damn nerve and now sucked in someone she loved.

“Elizabeth?” he asked
, as she barreled past him. When she dismissed him with just a wave of her hand and a shake of her head, he didn’t know what to think. Being the brave soul he was, he followed his wife to find out what had her all stirred up.

Desdemona turned and faced him. “I think I made her
furious,” she said softly. “No, I don’t think it. I know it.”

The worry deep in her eyes affected him. “It’ll all work out,” he said, brushing a hair from her cheek and letting his hand linger. It occurred to him that he was in a really bad position. Stuck between a
woman he loved and owned his heart, and a woman that pulled at the innate need to guard and protect. It was going to come to a head; there was no doubt about that. He only hoped he wasn’t going to have to pick sides. Five hours ago there was no doubt in his mind who he’d side with, and now he just betrayed his heart for God only knew what.

He was right. Today was a shitty day.
 

Elizabeth sat in the Denali, her eyes closed and her mind in a blur. As she thought back to all t
he conversations that they had, none of it would make the women dislike her this much. None stood out. Yes, she was tough on the tech staff, and some of them avoided her, but when it came to Doctor Leonard and Doctor Magnus, they all had a good working relationship. They worked well together and she prided herself on that. Elizabeth was tough, but she took care of her team and protected them. Now she was faced with what the hell she ever did to the woman who was managing to turn her brother-in-law against her.

She never thought this would happen. Callen was her best friend, next her husband. She loved him, and now she’d just had that handed back to her
for no damn good reason.

Maybe it was just unrealistic to believe that every one of her staff would have a good working relationship with her. It was just driving her insane that she didn’t understand why.

Then toss in the anger that Callen had immediately rushed to her side and offered her protection, especially after all they’d been through as a family. Part of her felt betrayed, and maybe it was completely irrational, but family stuck together, didn’t they? They were the Blackhawks and they were thick as thieves, and now suddenly… not so much.

Maybe it was just baby hormones.

Maybe coming back out in the field was a huge mistake.

Maybe it would be best if she avoided both the doctor and her family until she could sort this all out.

“Please let this be baby hormones,” she whispered to herself. It hurt to think she needed to avoid him.

Elizabeth wiped the tear that slid down her face and tried to talk herself out of the funk that was surrounding her. If they were going to get through this, she needed to find her balance and work it out before it became too big of a distraction.

When she saw her husband moving towards the Denali, she pulled out her phone and began typing an email to update Gabe. The last thing she needed was for him to see her crying on an assignment. He’d pull her and himself off and have her committed to the nut farm. Yeah, that just didn’t need to be happening. There was only so much she could brush off as baby hormones.

Blackhawk hopped up into the
vehicle. “Hey, you okay?” he asked, concerned for his wife. Something was going on, and he wanted to figure out what it was and help her through it.

“Yeah, Cowboy,” she said
, smiling at him. Using the nickname he earned in the FBI for being cavalier and wild in the field made her heart lighten just a bit. It reminded her that it didn’t matter what happened between her and the staff. Her husband would always have her back.

“You rushed off, are you feeling okay?
”

“I’m great.”

“Is the baby okay?”

Elizabeth leaned over and kissed him, gently on the lips. “
Baby Blackhawk is perfectly fine too, really,” she answered when she broke the light kiss.

No she definitely wasn’t okay.

“We should go.” Elizabeth fought to change the subject.

Now Ethan Blackhawk was on total alert. His wife
was sitting in the Denali, hiding and now she kissed him on a crime scene? That was to distract him and sidetrack him from the issue at hand. What was bothering her so much she’d lie to him, and right to his face? In nine months, he couldn’t remember one time when she ever lied to him, and that included the first day they’d met.

“Okay, are you updating Gabe?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d get out of the cold and warm up ‘
Baby Blackhawk’
. I don’t need him turning into a giant snowball,” she smiled gently.

“That probably isn't a good idea.”

“He’s happier inside, now he’s moving again,” she added.

“Okay,” he watched as the tech vans loaded up, and everyone started for their perspective vehicles. “You know that you can tell me anything, and I’ll keep it between us
.” Ethan Blackhawk threw it out there, because he had a suspicion that it had something to do with his brother and the new ME.

Elizabeth looked over at him and punched him in the arm.

“Ouch! What did I do?”

“
That was for questioning that I tell you everything. I already do, Ethan.” Her husband was a very smart man, and she knew he’d keep pushing until he figured it out, or she came out and told him. But right now, she just wasn’t ready to deal with it. She was cold, tired, hurt, and hormonal. What she really needed now was to just get out of the winter gear, get warm and forget about the day.

“Okay
baby,” he answered, watching her face. Her eyes gave her away, and he wasn’t done with this yet.

“Thank you.”
Tomorrow would be a better day, it had to be, or at least Elizabeth could hope it would be.

While she finished her email to Gabriel Rothschild, her husband made the decision to just watch and wait. Eventually it would play itself out and his wife would let him know.

Blackhawk started the Denali and followed the directions on the GPS; he looked back in the rear view mirror and noticed his brother was helping Doctor Adare into their vehicle. The sheriff was behind them.

Now it was t
ime to get in out of the cold, and regroup until their next move tomorrow. He’d start working in his baseline profile, and focus on the assignment.

Even though all he was focusing on now was what was bothering his wife. There was this tiny nagging voice in the back of his head that was telling him that this was going to blow up and be a disaster.

A smart man would listen and avoid being put into the emotional crosshairs of what was coming.

Yeah
it was a good thing he never claimed to be a smart man.

Whitefox started the Denali and
glanced over at the woman beside him. She looked worn out, freaked out and completely out of sorts.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked, softly.

“I’m just off balance around her. That’s all,” she said it simply. It was the truth, Elizabeth made her a nervous wreck, and then toss in the nut job stalking her, and the man sitting beside her, everything was just making her a mess.

“Yeah, I can tell.”

“I’ll be okay; don’t worry about it, Callen.” Last thing she wanted was to drag him into her emotional mess. “You don’t need to get involved,” she said, softly.

Yeah, except he saw the look
of betrayal on his Elizabeth’s face, and he was already buried up to his neck. He just hurt the woman he loved, in an attempt to guard the one he felt like he needed to protect. What was bothering him now was not only how hurt Elizabeth looked walking away, but also why he just risked damaging his family for a complete stranger.

He must be out of his damn mind.

Now it was a little too late to not get involved. Callen just went all in on a very risky gamble.

~ Chapter five ~

Monday Night

When Elizabeth and Ethan pulled up to the house the FBI had rented, they were
actually surprised. Most times agents out in the field had to stay in deplorable conditions due to budgetary constraints. But this time, Gabriel Rothschild had pleasantly surprised them. The house was actually very nice.

“This can’t be it,” said
Blackhawk, laughing. “It has to be haunted or there are possessed demons residing here.”

“Ethan!”

“Seriously baby. He’s got to be screwing with us. The house looks normal, and you and I both know how sadistic Gabe Rothschild can be when he sends agents out.”

Elizabeth laughed. “He isn't putting his pregnant family in a roach coach
!” She knew he’d come through, especially since Elizabeth had no problem telling his wife what he did to her out in the field. Livy, his wife, was her best girlfriend in the entire world, and she would ride his ass for a month if she got whiff that he put her in a roach coach. When she found out that he allowed her out in the field pregnant last time, he was in the doghouse. He knew better than to put her someplace shitty. All it would take is one call and the man would be sleeping on the couch for a week. They both knew it. Girlfriend code reigned in their world.

“Come on, let’s check it out,” Blackhawk said, smiling.

“Okay,” she grabbed the keys to the place from the envelope the sheriff gave her husband, and watched him carry in their suitcase. Once inside, there were even more pleasant surprises waiting. There was a fireplace, and the house was perfect. It wasn’t as big as their home, but it was still big enough for the four of them to survive under the same roof.

Possibly, if Desdemona yanked the stick out of her ass and stopped making her insane.

Blackhawk carried the luggage upstairs, and picked the first room, no point exploring. A bedroom was a bedroom, and as long as he could bed down with his wife, he was happy anywhere. When he came downstairs, Elizabeth was making a fire in the fireplace. “Look at you with those crazy survival skills.” He tried to make her laugh. “Who would have thought when an outsider gets impregnated by a Native they get tribal instinct by baby proxy.”

Elizabeth couldn’t help it,
her husband cheered her up and she started laughing. “I wish. Your dad gave me a flint and taught me how the last time we were over his house.” Wyler Blackhawk was hard core Native American, and at one time saved her life when a killer was hunting her in the woods. He wanted to make sure his daughter-in-law could survive out in the wild if she ever needed to again. “I was informed no daughter-in-law of his should be wandering around in the world without a way to make fire.”

“Isn't that handy,” he said laughing.

“I tried to explain that I married a caveman who could make fire if need be, but he wasn’t buying that and insisted I needed to hone my Native American survival skills.”

“
More skill by proxy,” he added grinning.