Chapter Nine #6
“What more could we want, Callen? You’ve helped us with medical care, a civic center, and all the services we desired.
This isn’t something you can buy for us.
We know the Sacred Burial Grounds are just that.
Putting someone there, who is not of us, is against the rules.
While Tom would break the rules for Timothy, I will not.
That’s not how I plan on running our reservation, so thank you, but again, no. ”
Callen went there.
“Catherine was buried there. Tom let her be placed there,” he offered.
He stopped him.
“She was married to Wyler at the time. Again, as his wife, that entitled her to be there. She also birthed our present Shaman.”
Oh, that was interesting, but someone didn’t know the truth.
Catherine wasn’t married to Wyler at that time.
Now, though, Ethan was seeing how his grandfather pulled that off.
Clearly, he lied.
His mother divorced his father when she found out about Callen’s birth. That had been her breaking point through all the booze and bullshit.
When Callen went to say something, Ethan carefully shook his head, so his brother got it.
That was a point they needed not go to. There was no doubt he’d make them dig her up and move her.
Lance was spiteful, and he didn’t like Wyler to begin with, so why add to it?
“She was a Blackhawk. So, she was entitled to be buried there. Your wife is also a Blackhawk through marriage and allowed burial here. Your personal security detail doesn’t have to guard you in death. There is no need. There are plenty of other places this Marine can be put. I’m sorry.”
Getting up, he moved away, heading inside the building, that IRONICALLY, they’d given him. It was funny how rules were bendable when it benefited them, but not when it didn’t.
Still, Ethan didn’t argue.
What he needed to do was think this through. He might be able to convince the other council members and go from there.
“That was shitty,” Demeter said. “Let me talk to him,” he stated.
And that was when they heard laughter.
“He’s a stubborn man,” Rayna RunningWolf admitted, as she headed their way.
Yeah, they were aware.
Hugging her, Ethan and Callen figured this was going to happen regardless. They knew the chances were low, but they wouldn’t give up.
“We’ll just have to keep Jet with us and then have him put in the box with us, when our ashes are buried,” Callen stated. “Or we get that totem put in.”
Rayna was in her uniform.
“Want me to talk to him?” she asked. “He’s spicy because he tried to hook me up with some Native’s cousin’s brother, and I laughed at him. He doesn’t get that I’m happy with Caspian. Give him some time to calm down about that.”
Callen shrugged.
“I mean, you can try, but he’s not thrilled with us either. No offense, Rayna, but your daddy is racist as fuck.”
She snorted.
“You just realized this, Callen? Because I could have told you that thirty-six years ago, when I was born and he started telling me that I had to marry a Native man. When you say, ‘you can’t marry anyone but someone from our race’, that tends to be the flashing neon light. You know how that generation is.”
Oh, they did.
Only, Timothy’s racism had been a way to clear the way for Elizabeth to get saddled with this bullshit.
“How’s Cas?” she asked. “I haven’t heard from him in a day. Is he okay?”
Ethan nodded,
“He’s good. He’s heading back with Elizabeth. I’m sure he’ll be calling you sooner rather than later.”
Well, that tickled her pink. She missed her man, and she wanted to climb all over her very sexy Marine.
“Hopefully, everything is good.”
Yeah, it wasn’t, but there were people milling around. Whenever they showed up here, the Natives liked to watch them. It wasn’t like they could blame them.
They were a traveling circus most days.
“Ehhh,” he stated. “Oh, since we have you here, how about you take a vacation, and come hang out where it’s safe,” Ethan offered, still trying to talk her into protective custody.
Elizabeth tried.
Caspian tried.
Ivan tried.
Now, he’d try.
In light of what happened to Vivian, they wanted to cover their bases.
She laughed.
“What is it with you guys? I’m good. Who is coming at me? No one knows I’m banging a hot Marine, but you guys, and that hot Marine,” she stated.
Well, that was true.
“Still, we’d like to make sure you’re safe.”
She patted Ethan’s arm.
“Shaman, I’m good. I have a duty here, like you do. It’s not like someone is going to pop up here, find me from Google, and hurt me. I’ve got this,” she stated.
Ethan sighed.
“The RunningWolf family is stubborn.”
She winked at him.
“I know. In him, it’s annoying. In me, it’s a job requirement,” she stated.
When her radio went on, and it was one of her deputies, she sighed.
“A woman’s work is never done. See ya, and wouldn’t want to be ya,” she said, fist-bumping them, as she headed toward her police cruiser.
They watched her pull out.
When Ivan’s com chirped, he had his earpiece in. As he listened, they were watching him.
“Copy. I’ll tell them,” he stated.
Then, he did just that.
“That was Raph. They are landing soon, and she’s not handling this well. He’s worried about her mental status. He said she’s taking Vivian’s death hard and is ready to blow.”
Ethan went there.
“Tell him we’re heading to the airstrip. We’ll get to her when she lands.”
Ivan lifted a brow.
And Ethan wasn’t having it.
“We’re safe. No one is tracking us here, and he won’t be able to track us to her. She needs us, and frankly, I need my wife,” he admitted. “It’s been a week.”
That it had been.
As Ethan said it, Ivan rationalized it, and there was safety in numbers, after all.
“Fine,” he said, tapping his com. “Raph, we’re heading there. Be ready,” he said. “Stay onboard until we get there.”
Then, he pointed.
“Let’s roll out,” he stated. “And this better not bite us in the ass,” he stated. “I’m not in the mood to dodge literal bullets,” he added.
Ethan reassured him.
They were deep into the reservation.
Who was tracking them there?
“We’re safe, Ivan.”
Oh, but in fact, they were not safe.
No one was.
* * * The Blackhawks * * *
Somewhere
His hidey-Hole
Monday
Late Afternoon
He’d just made it back from delivering his little gift to Elizabeth, and all he could hope was that she liked his token of affection.
As in she died because of it.
His hope was they’d get put on her desk, and when she got back here, because she absolutely would head ‘home’, the flowers would take her down.
Oh, he’d hear about it soon enough, and when he did, he’d celebrate.
That would be money well spent.
Honestly, he knew she likely wasn’t back yet, since he’d heard the second she found his little presents to her.
So, his next best-case scenario was that one of the men she loved intercepted the roses.
And read the note—after he took a smell. After all, who could resist smelling the roses? That was what life was all about, too.
Ahhhh, he almost wished he could see their faces as their nervous systems shut down, and they died.
If he got lucky, it would be ALL of them, but hey, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and one would be enough.
For his enemy, after clipping his wings, she should brace herself as the hits were going to keep coming.
After studying her, he knew that the best way to take her down was a consistent barrage of pain.
At some point, she’d shut down, and the game would be his. What she never took into account was the sadism bred deep within him by his father.
Oh, he hated women.
That’s why they hurt them, together.
His mother had made a monster, and then his father had returned the favor.
When his phone rang, he wasn’t expecting good news, but he got it.
They had been seen on the reservation, talking to the chief and a woman. His little helper got him more information, and that was also the best money he’d ever spent.
To be fair, he’d warned them about those country roads and going home.
If Elizabeth didn’t warn them that he’d know about them…
That was on her.
Buying information was easy.
Under the guise of being a reporter, the Native fool believed he was giving him tabloid nonsense, and not the keys to the kingdom.
Too bad.
Well, this was fascinating.
The Blackhawks were outside of their precious building, and now, he might just have a chance at snagging one.
Or decimating them.
His day was looking up.
Being trapped here meant they were also trapped.
With HIM.
How unlucky for them.