Chapter One #2
When she glanced over, she saw two Marines flanking her, and she knew one was behind her. Running was the only thing that gave her peace, and running in the haunted house wasn’t the same thing.
So, she was on the rez, logging miles in the open air where she could think.
How many miles did it take to forget you lived in a haunted house and were miserable there?
Ten miles to be exact.
When she punished her body, that meant the Marines suffered too. Ivan called it morning calisthenics, but she didn’t doubt that all of the Marines were quietly creating Voodoo dolls of her in their downtime.
That wouldn’t shock her at all.
Because she did this almost every morning, the Marines had to switch out. None of them wanted to run unless they were being chased.
And she understood that.
She ran to escape the demons herself.
Her trapped running partners that morning were Raphael, Uriel, and Ivan. Her head of security wouldn’t let her run without at least two archangels, and one toady.
Lucky her.
She had to give them credit. While they preferred sparring, they had kept up with her.
Mostly.
As they reached the home stretch, she liked to annoy them as much as possible.
So, she sped up.
It was just enough to make Ivan cranky, Uriel breathe heavier, and Raphael curse her under his breath.
Sue her.
It made her giggly.
Oh, don’t get her wrong. She was running on nothing, but it made her a little happier when Ivan had to double her pace because he had shorter legs.
Yeah, she was a bitch like that.
Uriel, whose real name was Caspian, lagged a bit, and she knew that was because he was just bulky and bigger. Raphael, whose real name was Winn, was leaner, and he was faster, so he got into his place, to make sure he kept the pace beside her.
You know…
In case she was abducted by aliens, Natives, or that wonkadoodle belief that there was a wendigo wandering around on the reservation.
Honestly, she thought they put that to bed.
Apparently, not.
You heard some weird shit running down wooded roads on a Native reservation.
“You got this, Marine?” she said to Raphael.
Yeah, he wasn’t amused. Winn Sawyer was normally on Ethan duty, and he didn’t run.
He walked.
Okay, he ran after his husband, but that was entirely a different thing.
So this sucked for him, and she knew it. Ten miles was torture, and he wasn’t a boot camp marine anymore.
He was a dad, and getting older—unfortunately, like the rest of them.
“When I puke on you, don’t be shocked,” he muttered, but stayed to pace.
It just proved that the Marine Corps broke the best of them and made them do questionable things. She liked to think that about working for Gabe and the US government too.
From behind her, she heard grumbling.
“I hate her,” Ivan muttered. “I hope she gets chafing from her britches.”
That made her laugh.
That was the most Ivan thing he could say.
Behind him, Uriel wasn’t as cranky, but he wasn’t exactly happy.
“I could be in bed getting cardio,” he admitted. “This is NOT the cardio I’d be getting—for the damn record.”
That made her laugh even more.
God.
She loved her Marines.
They were funny and kept her sane—most of the time.
“We’re almost there,” she admitted. “You’ve got this,” she added, as she was dripping sweat, but the demons were left in the dust four miles ago.
All three men hoped so.
They switched out each day that she ran because unlike her, they didn’t find any joy in this nonsense. The last time any of them had to run, other than with her, was more than likely carrying a pack in training.
Marines liked to creep.
And do dirty deeds in the cover of darkness.
This was neither.
Oh, don’t get it wrong. Marines could run long distances, but that wasn’t what these Marines preferred.
Give them some trees and hide-and-seek, and they were in their glory.
Bet.
On.
It.
As they saw the cabin ahead, the vehicle that had been behind them, driven by Saint, pulled alongside of them. He rolled down the window.
“Nice ass!” he shouted, making Elizabeth blow him a kiss.
That amused him.
“I meant the Marine next to you, nut. I’m not checking out that ass. You’re ridiculous.”
That made her laugh because she had been well aware who he had been talking to, but she liked to be entertaining.
Sue.
Her.
“Damn. I’m losing my ability to get gay Marines to hit on me,” she joked, as they ran to the porch and checked their time. “I need to reevaluate my life.”
Oh, that was the damn truth, too.
They started when the sun wasn’t quite up, and now, they were back after seven thirty.
That was a good way to start her day. It wasn’t her favorite way, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Now could they be?
When the cabin door opened, out came Gene, and he was holding a cup of coffee in his hand. He had to have been tracking her on the tablet, or Muriel had clued him in that they were done with the run.
As she approached, he handed her a steaming mug.
“Here you go, Kitten,” he said, parking his ass on the porch on the one rocker. “You look like you could use this.”
Oh, she could.
She took it and toed off her running shoes to put her feet up on the rail.
“Thanks, handsome. I needed this,” she admitted.
This was her reward after ten miles and countless calories. He’d put the good cream in it, and she was going to enjoy it.
A two-hour run was no one’s idea of fun.
Around Elizabeth, the Marines looked like they’d been run through the wringer, and he was pretty sure she’d run them ragged. Someone was running from something.
HER.
“The coffee is inside, guys,” Gene said. “Take a break.”
Ivan didn’t move, but Uriel and Raphael did. One of them ran on coffee, and the other yoga, and you didn’t have to tell them twice to take a break.
Or a shower.
When they were gone, she sipped her coffee and enjoyed her day off.
They’d closed a case the day before yesterday, and today was her last day off. She was still going in, simply because moving here made her lose downtime since she had to do more work now, but that was life.
Again, Ethan’s sanity was worth it.
“Were you chasing or running?” Gene asked, knowing that she’d know what he’d meant by that.
She just laughed.
“A little of both, I guess.”
Well, that wasn’t exactly shocking.
Gene knew she’d been busy a lot lately, working after hours, and going into the office for quite a few classified meetings behind closed doors.
He’d offered to join her, but she’d turned him down more times than not.
Which was weird.
Gene just hoped she was going to be okay. You’d have to be blind not to see that she wasn’t the same person here as she had been in DC.
She felt isolated.
Stretched thin.
And there was no doubt in his mind as to why she was doing it too.
Ethan.
For that, he’d vow his allegiance to her for the rest of his life.
“If there’s anything I can do to help you out, just let me know,” he said. “Are we still going back to DC this weekend?” he asked.
Oh, she appreciated that, and nodded.
“Unfortunately, I have that award thing at the Conference Center. Gabe won’t let me out of it, since he’s stacking it with meetings the following day. We’re killing a bunch of birds with a handful of gravel.”
Ivan just laughed as he sat there with his eyes closed as he recouped.
“You’re criminally insane,” he admitted.
Add that to the list of Elizabethisms.
There were quite a few.
Oh, she was well aware. Only, Ivan knew what was going on, and that she was planning a party and wedding.
For.
Gene.
Well, Gene and Ethan, to be exact.
“Yeah, but I do it so well,” she admitted. “No one can make it look this easy, but being insane takes time and practice. I’ve had years to perfect it.”
And she had.
As they sat there, enjoying the moment, she sipped her coffee, and was curious.
“Where’s everyone?” she asked.
Gene clued her in.
“Ethan is in the tipi with Wyler, and they are about to embark on a journey,” he said. “Chris was sleeping in, and you know that because you left us notes not to wake his ass no matter what.”
Yeah, she had.
It was rare she got bossy, but when it came to Chris’ health and well-being, she was the freaking bossiest boss that ever did boss.
He’d been working a lot, making sure that he was keeping Autopsy One going in DC and here. He’d worked yesterday, and she wanted him rested.
Well.
Rested.
First, because they could be called out at any time for a case, and secondly, because he needed to take it easier than he often did.
Chris and Gene were the oldest of all five of them, but Chris had HIV, and that made it more difficult for him to rest and feel good.
She wasn’t letting him run himself into the ground.
PERIOD.
“So Callen is showering, and he was truly devastated that he missed your run. You should make him do it tomorrow,” he said, as Ivan snickered. “I think he’d love it.”
Oh, it was clear who wanted to torment the Native man in the most sadistic way possible.
Gene had come into his power with the family, after he and Ethan had that makeshift wedding.
Now, he didn’t shy away from busting balls, and fitting right in.
“I thought you were running with me?” she asked. “Did you change your mind?”
He laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
“Oh, Kitten, I don’t run unless I’m being chased, or Ethan is in front of me.
I’m not an idiot. This bear reserves his strength for the truly important moments—and those aren’t bacon cheeseburgers.
I’d rather join Uriel in granola than you in running.
Count me out. I’m built for short bursts of power, not marathons.
Bears don’t run fast for long periods of time. ”
Yeah, well, priorities.
She loved a good burger. If she had to run so she could eat them, so be it. That was a cross she’d have to bear to be able to keep her body fit, this size, and filled with the food she loved. When you didn’t get to eat all day, you wanted the things you liked. She wasn’t a snacker or grazer.
She was a power meat-eater.