Chapter Fifteen
Area Fifty-Two
Same Time
Thursday
Evening
N one of them were happy to hear that. Their plan hinged on being able to get to him the second he left the jet when he landed. Now, it was going to be a million times more difficult to find him in the US.
It was a big place.
If spooked, the man would go under, and they’d never find him. They’d be at his mercy. While NOLA didn’t have anything he could use now that they were shutting it down, it would only be a matter of time for him to go to another city.
And build his army.
Yeah, this was a problem.
Maura hated to be the bearer of bad news, but this was, sadly, her job.
“We might never be able to go back home unless we cut this snake into pieces, and feed it to the gators. He’ll hunt us forever.”
Jagger agreed.
“If he goes under, he’s going to find people to help him, and we’re dead ducks. We’ll be picked off on the streets one by one.”
Oh, boy.
Reaper wasn’t letting that happen.
Maura sacrificed and risked herself for her people, and he owed her.
“I can keep you safe,” he admitted, “but I’ll need help doing it,” Reaper added. “I can go sit on Chartres, but if we’re doubling down, I need to keep the place intact. That means another Spider. If he sent his numbers to blow it up, at some point, they are going to go missing, and that place is still standing.”
They knew what that meant.
“He might show up there, or we get one of his other assassins. We can interrogate them.”
Alyona said nothing.
Why?
The women he picked didn’t break easily. She knew it took a year to get her to succumb. The others took slightly less time.
“It’s a chance,” Dakota said. “If we can get something, I can hunt him. That was what I did as a US Marshall. It’s what created this team.”
Well, they might have to.
Maura wasn’t playing around with the safety of Chartres.
Her home was attached to that, and so was Elizabeth’s. They couldn’t lose all three.
“Do it. J, pay him for another Spider’s services. We’ll make it happen. If anyone shows up, Reaper, get them and take them alive.”
That he could do.
To send him cash, Jagger held out his phone, but before he could pay him, Reaper stopped him.
“Just for Wolf. I’m not gonna take money to help the Major. Wolf is his own entity.”
They got it.
Reaper was their friend.
When the money went through to him, he promptly texted his co-worker.
‘I have a job. One mil. Easy and in town. You in? It’s for the same people as the swamp job. It’s you and me setting up some webs.’
He hit send, and waited for an answer. It took only a few seconds.
‘I’m free. Send cash, and tell me where to meet you. I’m definitely down for it. I trust the payer.’
Showing them, he sent the money to Wolf so he could get paid. Trace Benoit was familiar with the neighborhood since he’d grown up in this area.
As soon as he was done, Maura hugged him.
“Go sit on Chartres. If Alexsandr is going to send more people there, and he will once he realizes his operatives haven’t checked in, get us at least one alive.”
He knew what they needed to do.
“We need to be inside. Can we go squat in your pad until this is over?” he asked.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Do it. We have MATE here. We don’t need the base there, but if we let it blow, Elizabeth will have our heads. That will draw too much attention.”
That was the truth.
Pulling his vest and jacket back on, he passed the bombs to Zayn by tossing them to him.
“What the fuck?” he asked, catching them but almost dropping one. “Are you insane?”
Yes, yes, he was.
“I’ll check in later. Have fun,” Reaper said, laughing all of the way out.
Because Dimitri was always paranoid, he went there.
“Can we trust them?” Dimitri asked. “He works for the CIA, and he knows a little too much about us. That doesn’t bode well for me.”
Maura reassured him.
“Lewis was one of my team before we were compromised. He’s the most loyal person I know—next to Jagger and Harvey, one of our old teammates.”
He still didn’t look convinced.
“Really, Dimitri. He is our friend. He won’t burn us, but now, we gotta get intel on Alexsandr, and figure out if he’s really on the ground. Get your asses ready for an adventure tour and a bank heist, but MATE, I need you to find the airstrip he landed at, if he’s here.”
MATE didn’t argue.
“Absolutely, Major. Will you be safe in the swamp? My main imperative is to make sure that you stay safe.”
She smiled.
“Oh, don’t worry about me, MATE. I’m all about the swamp. Ask Jagger.”
Her husband sighed.
It was about to get wild in that water.
That was for damn sure.
The Marines were about to play, and that was never good for whoever they were tracking.
* * * H U N T E R – C R O F T * * *
Callen’s Jet
Close To Landing
Louisiana
She had everything under control.
Already, she’d talked to her boss, and Elizabeth had been given the green light to make sure Alexsandr Dominik didn’t make it out of the city.
All she needed was some hidey-holes.
As the system ran, trying to find them, her husband was trying to get her attention.
Honestly, she didn’t mind.
The man was sexy as sin.
He was in dress pants and a button-down black dress shirt, kind of his uniform in life.
And she wasn’t complaining.
Ethan was handsome, and she loved looking at him.
When she looked over, he was grinning at her. That look said one thing.
There were no puritanical thoughts going on in his head. That was for damn sure.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful, my wife,” he said.
It was seldom that he called her that. In fact, she was beginning to notice it was more frequent.
That coincided with Gene’s arrival.
Uh-oh.
Was he trying to convince her or himself that she was still in that role?
“Well, you’re not to shabby either, sexy husband. I like looking at you in all black. It reminds me of the beginning of our relationship.”
He smiled, and there were crinkles around his eyes.
“It feels like a very long time ago, but you are still the same woman.”
“Ehhh, I have more stress, some gray, and a bunch of holy hellions that I couldn’t love more.”
Him either.
Ethan was curious.
“Are we staying in town?” he asked, hoping they might get a day away to just hang out at the Hotel Monteleone.
When she broke the news to him, he sighed.
“No, we can’t.”
Well, that sucked.
“Are you sure?”
She focused on him. It was rare for Ethan to ask anything of her, and this sounded like he needed this.
“You need a night away with me?” she asked. “Are you asking or telling?”
He shrugged.
“I know you’re busy.”
She stopped that.
“I’m NEVER too busy for you, EJ. Ever. That’s not going to happen. We’ll stay the day after we fix this. You, me, and Hotel Monteleone.”
He grinned.
“I could use a day away with you without anyone reaching us.”
Well, if that’s what he wanted, she could do that.
“Deal,” she said.
Later, she’d figure out HOW she was making that happen.
He held out his hand, and she thought it was to shake on it. That was anything but his plan.
As soon as she was in his grasp, he pulled her into his lap, and trapped her.
“Well, hello, gorgeous wife. Have some time now for me?” he asked.
She snorted.
“I mean, if you want to get naked with me, who am I to complain?”
Oh, that was his plan.
The security team was further away in the front of the jet, and Callen’s had a bed with a door in the back.
“Know what will make you feel better?” he asked, teasing her earlobe with his teeth.
Already, she had chills.
“Debauchery?” she asked since that was always at the top of her to-do list.
He purred wantonly into her ear, making goosebumps crisscross her body.
“Yeah, always, my sexy wife.”
Well, it looked as if she had a distraction for the next bit of time.
“Elizabeth,” he whispered, again, as if her name was some magical word, a talisman.
He loved the way it sounded.
Elizabeth took the initiative to explore. As of late, their time alone was limited, so she was going to make the most of it.
Why not?
Finding his mouth with hers, she kissed him, and it was one he’d never forget.
As he was lost in the mating of mouths, he moaned.
Elizabeth drove the kiss, showing him that she understood he was struggling. She wasn’t sure how else to convey it.
When he was troubled, he was more needy and wanton in bed.
The good thing was that she couldn’t get enough, and her proof was the wetness between her legs.
Her husband was one of her favorite playgrounds to enjoy, and since they had time, she was going to do just that.
Her mouth went wild.
The whole time, Ethan held on, and what started as him initiating ended up her dominating.
She was like a storm, wild, wicked, and beautiful. He never wanted this to end. These moments were precious for him.
For his soul.
For his whole being.
He was at war with his heart, trying to talk himself out of loving Gene all over again, when he had a woman who was his everything.
With each kiss and taste of Elizabeth, he craved even more.
Finally, Ethan couldn’t wait any longer.
He picked her up, and carried her to the bed in the jet. Then, he closed the doors, so they’d be alone for some husband-and-wife fun.
That was always a good time.
“Now, have at me because when it’s my turn, I’m going to enjoy my wife—all of her.”
And there it was again.
It was as if he was trying desperately to stake claim when she was already his.
Instead of dwelling, Elizabeth moaned, and as she ended up on her back, pressed into the mattress as she stared up at Ethan.
He.
Was.
Hers.
“I need you, Elizabeth,” Ethan whispered, as he was doing a private battle all of his own.
That was all he had to say.
She wanted him more than she wanted to breathe. Elizabeth was crazy about this man, and she needed him. With all of the stress, he was her mental hiatus.
He would take the troubles away.
And God knew she had plenty.
The world was heavy.
“Yes,” she answered, tugging off his shirt to bare his body to her. It was when she traced the raven on his chest with her fingers that his heart stopped.
In the feathers was her name.
After he married her, and fell so deeply in love, he had them tattooed in so small that only up close would they be seen.
It was her tattoo.
And it was Gene’s before her.
Thus, the turmoil in his soul.
“I love this,” she admitted, staring up at him. “Nothing will ever change that, EJ. Trust me.”
God.
He hoped so.
Before he could speak, she continued.
“I do love a bad boy.”
Well, at least, there was that.
His youth was definitely ‘bad’ . There were still things she never knew about him when he was with Gene, and those things haunted him.
He kept them secret because they were so very precious and private.
Gene had set him free from being so scared of desire and need, and when he left, that all went away.
Until her.
“Show me what you can do,” she said. “Be bad for me. It’s my thing.”
Her admission drove him wild.
The need grew as did the lust. His wife always knew how to get him crazy.
Thankfully, Ethan felt at peace with her. He hoped that never ended either.
It was a gorgeous, beautiful thing when you found your other half, and he’d been lucky.
With all he had, Ethan knew he had to fight the desire he felt around Gene. That moth was going to get burned on the flame.
Him being around…
God.
It brought him back to life, not to say he wasn’t with his wife and Chris. Gene was the locked door, and the man was kicking it in.
He was in trouble.
So much trouble.
His mouth found hers again, and they began sharing that heat between them. Their tongues tangled, the heat went up in the jet, and before they both knew it, clothes were all over the place.
They were completely naked.
And that was the only way to fly.
“My EJ,” she said to him, and he knew that was exactly who he would always be.
This woman made him crazy with how much she cherished him.
It was a gift when he’d lost a man who had felt the same.
The love he felt with her was something he never expected, but knew he couldn’t live without.
He had to fight and fight hard.
Ethan plundered, his hands wandering across her flesh. There was no place he didn’t touch, and she was perfection beneath his fingertips.
Slowly, he moved down her body, leaving hot, greedy, open-mouthed kisses across her flesh, claiming what was his.
HIS.
WIFE.
Her body responded as always, and her hands found his dark hair, burying themselves in it.
It was getting longer, and he was going to grow it out.
Why?
Tala.
That secret part of him that his spouses didn’t even know about, wanted out.
Tala craved being free, and that was because Gene was there.
To enjoy the treasure on his brother’s jet, Ethan began his trip south toward the prize. He tormented her, nipping her breasts until she was begging him for more, and the whole time, he wanted pussy.
Hers.
As she writhed in pleasure, his touch drove her wild.
Oh, and it did one thing.
It made Ethan just as wild. For some reason, he felt the need to lock her to him, possessing her. There was no doubt it was because he feared losing her.
He left kisses across her belly button, and toward the vee of her legs. The whole time, she shook in anticipation.
When he touched her, running his finger through that wetness, her body reacted, and his wife opened more for him. The pretty clitty, as his brother called it, glittered in the lights of the jet.
Oh, and he wanted his mouth on it in the worst way.
Yeah, this was the best way to spend your time on a jet. Had someone told him fourteen years ago that she’d be his, and they’d be where they were in life…
He’d laugh.
Now, he was just grateful.
“I love you,” he whispered as the goosebumps crisscrossed her flesh. “Don’t forget it.”
How could she?
“EJ!” she moaned as he stroked her clit with his sexy, elegantly long fingers, and she knew what was next. He was going to make her cum, by tormenting her clit piercing.
And he did.
Because he was so hungry, he drove her up, quickly, proving that he knew her body like the back of his hand.
And she was his.
Forever.
God!
Ethan wanted to rush this, and then slide into her body. His erection was weeping, and he craved being buried in that wetness.
Elizabeth was open for him, begging for more, and right there for the taking.
Continuing to dine on her with his mouth, he realized one thing.
She tasted better every time he went down on his wife.
This was perfection.
In the back of his mind, he could hear Tala screaming to be set free. He was hearing him beg Ethan to share him with her.
She’d understand.
She’d use him and make him feel everything Gene had.
But she wasn’t Gene.
The harder he tried to fight it, the more he realized he was fucked.
And not in a good way.
Because she was getting wilder, he worked her clit harder, knowing she was feeling it to her toes.
That was the plan.
To make her moan.
To make her come.
To make her his forever no matter if the truth was out.
When he nipped her, Elizabeth shattered apart, his name on her lips as that orgasm overtook her.
Oh, and it was lovely.
She was beautiful with her dark tresses haloed out around her head, and her pale flesh flushed with that passion.
Moving off of her body, Ethan stared down at her, lying there, and he was struggling.
Tala was still begging.
While he loved his life, he didn’t know how long he could hold back that tsunami of kinkery and desire. It was the most he’d ever felt in his life.
Forcing it back down, he focused on Elizabeth.
He wanted her in the worst way. She was the only way to save himself.
When she opened her eyes, Elizabeth stared up at him, and she checked him out.
He was on his knees, above her, and his magnificent erection was just there for the taking. The cock piercing was prominent, and she loved playing with it against her tongue.
It was time.
She wanted to feel Ethan against her flesh, and hear his breathy gasps of pleasure too.
Reaching for him, his head dropped back as she stroked him. Her hand rubbed roughly against the ring, making his thighs quake.
The whole time, Ethan got lost in that touch.
Yeah, he was in his happy place.
“More, My wife. More! I’ve missed spending time alone with you,” he admitted, and that just made her stroke harder.
All Ethan wanted was her.
He’d die without his wife, and he knew it. That was the conundrum.
They had a saying.
The heart loved who it loves.
And he was trapped in that saying.
As Elizabeth moved closer, she took him in her mouth, sliding him deep into the warmth.
“Oh God,” he muttered.
Ethan’s whole body reacted as she deep throated him and toyed with his ring all at the same time.
How could it not?
When he looked down, she was blowing him, working him in and out of her mouth, and he was pretty sure that he might just die from this blowjob.
Elizabeth was giving him everything she had.
And God knew he was well aware on how to give head. He was a pro too.
His heart was racing, and when she looked up at him as she blew him, Ethan had to struggle to hold on. Just that morning, he’d woken up from a dream.
He’d been having sex with Gene, and it had been a memory that they’d shared. Tala was out, and Gene was working him hard.
He’d woken so damn horny, that he’d fucked Elizabeth, Chris, and had Callen not been his half-brother, his ass would have been his too. Yeah, Tala brought out the kinkery in him.
He had to hold on.
For now.
Jesus.
He nearly came as his wife did something with her mouth that sent chills down his body. When he looked down, her eyes …
There was nothing like that icy blue that looked chilly, but was actually warm, inviting, and perfect.
He loved them so much.
This woman undid him all of the time.
In all of the years they were together, he’d never considered cheating, and now, he was tempted with Gene in their home.
But he fought it.
Why?
He made a promise.
What they had together was magical.
As she continued to blow him, he slowed her down, his hand slipping into the long length of her hair. It felt like silk and smelled like his shampoo.
Someone had used his that morning when she showered.
Yeah, he was so goddamn giddy.
This was his babe.
As Elizabeth continued to worship his erection, Ethan held on for as long as he could. When his balls ached, he had to stop her.
“I need you to stop,” he whispered. “I’m about to cum, and while I can go a few rounds, I want to be in you. I need to fill my wife.”
He needed to claim her.
Elizabeth understood. He’d molested the hell out of her that morning, and he’d cum three times. He had to be running on empty, so she gave him a break.
“Are you asking me to take it easy, EJ?”
He actually laughed.
He knew that she was sadistic.
“Yes. I’m an old man,” he joked, knowing that wasn’t even close. He could fuck a lot when he needed too, despite his back. Ethan was thinking about Tala, and how Gene would dominate him in public.
What wouldn’t he give to have Elizabeth watch that and join in?
And there it was.
His secret kink that could NEVER come out. His spouses wouldn’t understand how down and dirty he liked to go. Like ‘in the gutter with an audience’ dirty.
Elizabeth moved to kneel in the middle of the bed, placing herself right against him. Then, she teased his neck and his ear as she ran her fingers down the muscles of his back.
He shook.
Her mouth found his, and she kissed him senseless. The whole time, Ethan’s brain shut down to enjoy the pleasure. All he could think of was her touching him.
Jesus.
She felt so damn good.
Together, they tumbled back onto bed, and she could feel him pressed to her body as he caged her to the bed.
He was like steel. Ethan was rock-hard like that morning when he’d accosted them all in bed.
His erection throbbed against her, and she knew that she needed to feel him.
Between her legs.
“I want to ride my husband,” she whispered. “Let me ride you, my love.”
Oh, well, he wasn’t saying no to that. He loved watching her beautiful breasts bouncing above him.
Sign.
Him.
Up.
They rolled, and she kissed him like their lives depended on it, and he did the same. When they were in the perfect position, she slid him into her body.
Holy shit!
It felt so good.
Ethan actually moaned, breaking the kiss.
Elizabeth was on top as she stared down at him. His eyes were blurry with pleasure, as he took in her body above him.
Yeah, now, his brain was numb with need.
Elizabeth wanted this man, so she took a ride. As she bounced, his hands went to her hips, and he watched her. The whole time, he was struggling.
Something was on his mind.
And she knew who.
Gene.
She’d love him through this storm, trusting him, and knowing that they were the foundation.
There were no Blackhawks without Elizabeth and Ethan.
As she slid down his erection one more time, she broke apart.
The orgasm was amazing, and made her wobbly above him. If not for his hands on her hips, she would have fallen.
Instead, he held on as Elizabeth came apart above him. He had to pull out of her, so he didn’t cum. Gently, he rolled, placing her beneath him.
Then, he waited.
When she opened her eyes, that sexy flush across her body called to him, and there was no possible way that he could wait.
So…
He struck.
Ethan was going to die if he didn’t have her. He wasn’t thinking about anything but cumming in his wife. So, he buried his rock-hard erection in that delicious wet heat.
She gasped at the invasion.
Then, it was his turn.
It was a little rougher than her ride, and nothing like that morning, but from the moans of pleasure, it was clear they were both enjoying it.
He worked his way in and out of her body.
It was hard.
It was fast.
Ethan kept her pinned beneath him, his hands holding hers above her head as his hips did all of the work. He was focused on her eyes, and the windows to her soul. Only, he didn’t know, she was doing the same.
They were mouth-to-mouth, and the heat was building. All around her, she was overwhelmed with the feelings and scent of his bodywash.
It tickled her senses.
As he picked up speed, she moaned in pleasure, enjoying this interlude before she had to face the shitstorm in NOLA.
As he took his wife, Ethan was on the edge. His body was begging for release, but he knew he wanted to give her one more thing to think about.
He shoved her off the edge again, and she tumbled.
Above her, he stopped moving, as he enjoyed the way her body tried to pull him over the edge.
Oh, he was close.
So.
Damn.
Close.
The only thing saving him was that morning’s romp in their bed. He’d gotten off a lot today.
When she floated up through the pleasure, he kissed her.
His mouth devoured, stole, and took as much as he could from that kiss, and she went with him for the ride.
Elizabeth held on, her arms still pinned above her head as he began moving again, this time pressed together.
His hips pumped into her, and his mouth destroyed her control.
They stayed like that, making the climb together.
At the top, he knew they were both going over together. There was that tightening of his balls, and he knew he was done. He needed to fill his wife with his cum in the worst way.
Next, he’d fill her ass.
“Come on, EJ. Fuck me,” she begged, and that was all it took. Her breathy whimper of pleasure took him over.
As the fall began, her legs were wrapped around his hips, keeping him buried deep in her body as he exploded in her.
Oh, and exploded was a mild word.
That heat left him, filling his wife, and there was no better feeling in the whole world.
Hot.
Damn.
There was nothing better than the moments after having sex.
That was for damn sure.
The whole time, Ethan just held her, catching his breath. His wife’s scent was on his body, and it was getting the juices flowing.
When he rolled to his side, and went up on his elbow, he stared into her eyes.
“I love you.”
She focused on him.
Deep down, she wanted to just ask him if he was still in love with his ex. They had a polyandrous relationship. If Ethan was, she couldn’t let him go as a spouse, but she could let him have Gene.
After all, he’d done that twice.
With Callen.
With Chris.
It was the least she could do if that was what his heart needed. Only, he had to say the words to her. She wasn’t opening their marriage if he couldn’t be honest.
“I love you too,” she responded. “You okay?”
The Ethan stare was back, and in it, she saw absolutely nothing. That was his armor, and he brought it out when he was hiding something.
That was one more piece that she knew was leading to a picture they were trying to put together.
Callen saw it.
Chris saw it.
Now, they had to wait for Ethan to see it.
When her phone rang, buying him time to answer that question, Ethan grabbed it and handed it to her. While she was on the phone, he would straighten up.
“Thanks,” she said.
He just smiled, and tried to put space between them. That was very telling.
“Hey, CJ,” she said, seeing the number.
“How’s the trip?” he asked. “I’m trying not to be jealous you took Ethan.”
She laughed.
“I needed to get him alone,” she admitted, keeping her voice low. She heard the TV go on in the seating area of the jet, and knew he was watching the news.
He had a trip with Gabe coming up.
“Why do you sound worried?” he asked.
Elizabeth began putting on her clothes that Ethan put on the bed.
Oh, there were so many reasons.
“First, I’m going to have to take out the trash, CJ, and I don’t know if it’s going to damage us.”
He knew who she meant.
“Tommy?”
She nodded.
“Secondly…”
Elizabeth hesitated.
“Angel, you can talk to me. Chris is entertaining Gene with the kids in the pool, and I’m alone.”
She needed to talk to someone, and normally, Ethan was that someone.
Well, not now.
“Ethan is madly in love with Gene still,” she admitted. “We just had sex, and it was off. He’s distracted.”
Callen understood.
“This morning was an aberration,” he stated. “He woke up wild, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. That’s not normally his style. He’s running from something.”
“I know. On top of that, I can see it when he stares at Gene. I don’t know what he’s going to do yet. It’s the variable, and I hate missing pieces.”
He was aware.
“Angel, I love my brother, but if he cheats on any of us…”
She couldn’t even go there yet.
“I’ll fight that battle when I get to it. We have to let him make this choice.”
“And if he comes to you and tells you that he’s still sexually attracted to the man?”
“Then, I let him have the man, CJ. You know that. When I went to him and told him I was in love with you, he didn’t tell me no.”
Callen didn’t like this.
He didn’t deal with change well.
For the record, they’d said no to Chris being in a relationship with her, and that didn’t last long.
It had been the universe only making them stronger, so he knew his wife was right.
But still…
They had perfection.
The four of them were happy.
Now, with Gene…
“Can he hear me?” Callen asked.
She reassured him.
“No, he’s not in the room. We had sex, and now, he’s watching the news.”
Good.
“Do I have any say in this?”
She had to protect Ethan. Even if he came to her and said he wasn’t in love with her anymore, she’d protect his heart. She was loyal to a fault.
“No. Ethan’s not in a sexual relationship with you. He sleeps with me and Chris. Mostly me. This has to be my decision and sacrifice to make for the better of the whole. I just wish he trusted me to come to me and share.”
Callen hated this.
But the queen had laid down the rules.
The knights had to listen.
“Elizabeth,” he began.
She shut that down.
“Again, CJ, he gave me you. Because when I was in love with you, and slipping, he let me have our love. I have to give him the same chance. Look at the miracle it made. We have an amazing family, and that’s all because he took a chance on me.”
That softened his heart.
“He did, and I’m grateful. Will you be okay if he wants to sleep with Gene?”
She shrugged.
“I guess that depends.”
“On?”
“On whether what we’ve built was real, or just an illusion. I have faith, and time will tell. He won’t be able to keep it from us for much longer. I see the cracks. At some point, he’s going to have to face the cold hard reality.”
Ethan Blackhawk was still in love with his ex.
And this might just break them.