Chapter One #2
“How about we stop wasting time discussing this, and you give me an update on the situation there?” she asked.
He sighed.
But in the end, Ivan did the job.
“Your team is being monitored, and the family is safe. Duke was transported to work this morning, and his kids are also with yours. Access to the island is cut off to anyone at this point, and all of the dogs are there to help patrol.”
She listened.
“Corbin and Alex are on standby, ready to move when you find The Grave Robber. They will be mobilized the second you ask for them. Right now, they’re handling cleanup for a team that isn’t on lockdown.”
She was aware.
Alex checked in with her daily, since he was worried about her.
Well, the feeling was mutual.
That was for damn sure.
She was worried about his personal life just as much as his work one.
“Hey, can we cancel all of this, and maybe go on vacation?” he joked, wishing that was a possibility.
Yeah, she wanted a nice long one where no one made her carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Instead, she stayed focused.
“I wish. What’s next?”
Ivan kept updating her.
“Wyler was transported to his chemo, and he and Ethan made it back safely. Wyler has met up with the kids in the Sound. Chris and Callen are locked down, and the only time Chris left home was when he went to go visit the ME who got hurt on your last case.”
Yeah, that sounded about right.
“How is Doctor Redmond?” she asked, curiously. “Is he getting better?”
Ivan shared.
“He’s doing well. He’s healing up, and he’s ready to become Chris’ backup ME. For that husband, this is the ONLY bright side of this situation. He’s got a Doctor Leonard two-point-oh. He’s going to be insufferable in the morgue now.”
Uriel laughed.
“You know a person is loco when they nearly die on a case, and they keep coming back for more. He took that job offer way too fast to be entirely sane. Well, it’s that, or Chris is using witchcraft.”
She snorted.
“I mean, his mother is a witch, so…”
Ivan just shook his head.
“The bottom line is that my side is locked down. What about yours?”
She went there, knowing where this was leading. Ivan was transparent like the ghost of her patience.
“We aren’t that far behind him. He dropped the bodies, but it’s pretty fresh. By my calculations, he should just be hitting DC.”
Well, that was good.
Right?
She continued.
“Only, I’m getting frustrated, Ivan. He’s playing with me by knowing my response time.
If I can’t keep up with him, I won’t beat him to the punch, it’s only a matter of time before I’m pulled from this.
Then, he’s won. He’ll be unstoppable, and I’m the only thing keeping him from really making a name for himself. ”
He was aware.
Ivan gave her the bad news.
“It’s all over the media. He’s not only dumping bodies for you, and leaving clues, but he’s giving it to the media. They are all talking about him and you.”
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
She had to get ahead of this before it became a nightmare for her. Someone she loved could die, and that was more than she could take. What she wanted was a beer, silence, and a vacation.
In.
That.
Order.
“I’m aware. I’m landing soon, and I’ll be able to pick up his trail again after this stop.”
Ivan was curious.
“Where are you?” he asked.
She laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
Oh, there it was. Mr. Predictability just went there right on schedule.
“Don’t worry about it. That’s classified,” she said, knowing he wasn’t going to leave well enough alone. This was, after all, Ivan.
He stared at her.
“What?” she asked. “It’s classified. That’s why our trackers are off, and I’m on a plane with no manifesto or landing schedule. I’m the deputy director, Toady. I do have other work to do,” she said, lying her ass off.
Okay, she was handling The Hunters for Gabe, so it wasn’t a big lie now.
This was work-related, but nothing in her world, as of late, was that classified. The Hunters were at the top of the list, and Ivan was well aware of that situation.
At her words, he let it slide.
Why?
She was with two Archangels, and between them, they likely had on more firepower than a platoon of soldiers. They weren’t taking chances, and he knew it.
Raphael wouldn’t let Ethan down, and Uriel was hyper attached to Elizabeth as a mother figure. They were up her ass at all times.
“I’ll let that go, UNTIL you do something shady. Don’t drop your security. That nut could be tracking you.”
If he was, he deserved to catch her. If Ivan couldn’t pinpoint her location, she doubted The Grave Robber could.
But then again, she’d just been delivered a jar with a woman’s uterus and a pretty little love letter at the last crime scene.
So, who knew?
Apparently, money could buy you all kinds of shit.
Lucky her.
“I have to go, Ivan. I’m about to land, and you hate it when I cut you off without blowing you kisses. MWAH!”
He actually laughed.
“You’re ridiculous,” he said.
Only, she didn’t get to sign off. She heard him, and she knew that she just wanted to see him once. Elizabeth missed her life, and mostly, she missed the men in it.
“EJ?” she asked, as Ivan was focused on someone to his left.
“Let me talk to my wife,” he said, verifying she’d nailed that one.
Handing him his tablet, Ivan gave the man a few moments with his wife. Maybe he could talk some sanity into her before it was too late.
He was more worried now than an hour ago because Ivan had seen her.
She looked like hell, and hopefully, Ethan would give her the motivation to keep going. There was no doubt that Elizabeth was on a crusade to beat The Grave Robber.
Only, crusades never ended well.
EVER.
When he came on the screen, Ethan was in his tribal wear, telling her all she needed to know.
Life was going on without her back in Damascus, and that hurt her heart.
God.
She missed normalcy so damn much.
Damn The Grave Robber right to that fiery pit of Hell for making her play these games.
“Hey,” she said. “You’d better have protection all over you if you’re on the reservation.”
He reassured her.
“I was. I’m at the mansion now.”
Then, Ethan stared at Raphael and Uriel, clueing them in to what he wanted.
“Gentlemen, can I speak to my wife alone?” he asked. “Privately?”
That worked.
Both men nodded and got up. The whole time, Ethan didn’t miss the hand that went to Elizabeth’s shoulder. Uriel was trying to offer her support.
Yeah, that worried him.
It also worried him that she looked like Hell warmed over. Elizabeth was haunted, and he knew this wasn’t going to end well.
Yes, she’d defeat this, but at what cost to her soul, and their lives?
Yeah, he was terrified.
Mostly for her.
When security was gone, he stared into her icy-blue eyes and shared his concerns.
“I’m thinking about you, and I’m really worried, Elizabeth.”
She wished she could touch his face or just hold his hand. It felt like ages since she was near the men she loved, even if it had only been less than a day. “I’m good, EJ.”
But she wasn’t.
Not.
Even.
Close.
It was becoming so easy of a lie to hand out, and she wasn’t sure when that would end either.
Liar liar, her pants were a four-alarm blaze at this point.
“Where are you?” he asked, not sure if she’d tell him or not. Ethan knew that Ivan had been furiously trying to track her, and MATE was not helping.
Apparently, Elizabeth had threatened to kill switch her again, and delete her memory if she gave them anything, and MATE believed her.
“I’m landing in NOLA. I have intel for The Hunters. I’m killing two birds with one stone,” she said, not holding back.
He wasn’t shocked.
His wife was running an agency, now that Axelle had all but checked out, and her replacement hadn’t been brought up to speed quite yet.
“Ready to drop?” he asked.
She laughed, but this time, she didn’t lie. Ethan would see right through it. You didn’t bullshit the profiler. Old Eagle Eyes could see just fine.
“Yeah, I am ready. This is taking a toll.”
He was to the point.
“I should be with you.”
Honestly, she was aware, so she went there, knowing that honesty was the best policy. Ethan was far too astute to fall for sugarcoating that shit.
“I know, but you have duties,” she said. “You took on an obligation to the people of your tribe, and you have to uphold it.”
Well, shit.
That was to the point.
And right.
Only, on top of her looking like hell, and chasing a crazy, this worried him too. He’d just been telling Gene that he felt like Elizabeth was slipping through his fingers, and that scared the shit out of him.
He should be by her side, but his side quest to be Shaman was monopolizing him.
“For that, Lyzee, my love, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged.
What was she going to say?
He’d made a choice, and she’d respect it. Hopefully, one day, if she made one, they’d do the same.
“Don’t stress it. Just keep profiling when I send you things. At some point, this nut is going to stop playing chase and take me on.”
Ethan was to the point.
“Are you going to ask them for help?” he inquired, pretty sure she knew who he was talking about.
Elizabeth hesitated.
Then, she was honest.
“No. They have enough on their plate, EJ. Von Donore is a problem, and like my problem, they have to handle that. Even if they cut the head off of this snake, there’s two more heads to BlackStone.”
He sighed.
“Lyzee.”
She stopped him.
“EJ, we’re all balancing a lot. One ball in the air that’s not expected, and everything comes crashing down. If I need them, I’ll call them. So far, he’s playing with me. Just make sure you, Callen, Chris, and Gene are safe where you are. If you’re around me, you’re in more danger.”
He let her have this.
For now.
“Okay, my love. I’m profiling. What is going on with Von Donore?” he asked.
“There is movement in the organization. We got word from the CIA that someone on a transport, owned by a shell company that BlackStone controls, landed in the UK. He’s finally making a move.”
Ethan was curious.
“And is clean-up done on the estate?” he asked.
She nodded.