Chapter Sixteen #4
“I’ll pass that on to Ivan. You’re right. He’d hunt Caspian down and blame him, then, the truth would be out. The dude held a grudge over Ethan’s mother for fifty years. He hated Wyler for cheating on his wife. IMAGINE what he’ll do over this.”
Yeah, he didn’t have to imagine.
There was no doubt what would go down.
It was why Chris was beginning to plan ‘accidentally’ sending her to be cremated in place of another body.
He’d take the professional hit to keep Caspian safe. That would be a lawsuit he’d willingly pay out on.
“Doc, thank you.”
Chris just nodded and followed him out. Caspian was standing there where the two skeletons were now that they’d been fully placed in the box with reverence.
“Did you figure out who they are?” he asked.
Tony was red-eyed, and that couldn’t be a good thing.
Before Chris could answer, Tony shared their identities with him.
“Yes, we finally got ID. This is the man who was my father,” he said.
“This is Charlie LaRue, Elizabeth’s Dad,” he said.
“And that’s her mother. He dug them up to hurt her.
He dug up her parents, and she knew it,” he said, knowing what Chris had told them.
“He tried to break my sister from another mister. I hate him.”
Oh, Hell’s bells!
Caspian blinked.
“Oh, God.”
Yeah, that’s what they all thought.
“He’s a horrible human being,” he stated. “To do that to her is awful. Poor Mom.”
Yeah, Chris was aware.
“She’s going to need a hug,” Caspian said. “Here, Tony,” he said, offering the man one too. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know you were close with Elizabeth’s Dad.”
Tony took the hug and gave one back.
“I’m sorry for your loss, too, Caspian. I know how much you loved Rayna. She’ll get him.”
There was no doubt there.
“I know she’ll get her justice,” he stated, so much calmer now.
For Chris, his work here wasn’t done. Now, he was going to calm Tony down and talk him off the mourning ledge. Maybe they could heal each other by remembering Charlie and some of his antics.
Lately, it was all about the past.
“Elizabeth will get justice for them, too. Violating their graves…it won’t go unforgiven,” Chris stated.
Cas hoped she did.
As he headed out, Raphael was sick to his stomach.
“It’s really her parents?” he asked.
He nodded.
“Yes.”
He said one last thing.
“I hope she fucks his head with a bazooka,” he stated. “He’s a piece of shit.”
On that, they all agreed.
Hands.
Down.
* * * The Blackhawks * * *
Corbin’s Place
Middle
Of The Night
When his phone rang, he grabbed it off the nightstand. Picking it up, he saw Gene’s number coming in, and that meant one thing.
They were done sleeping. He wouldn’t call in the middle of the night unless there was work to be done.
“Yo,” he said, sleepily.
He heard his voice.
“I’m checking on you and Alex and also giving you some work. We have things to research.”
Yeah, he’d called that.
They were back on duty, and honestly, they didn’t mind. Working from home was an unusual thing in their line of work. Granted, being able to be with their partner was worth it.
The man turned the light on, and Alex rolled over to face him.
“What’s up?” he asked, putting it on speaker.
Gene explained.
“We’re close,” he admitted. “We had a scene and found something that needs research. Can you help us?”
He was more than happy to assist.
“Sure. Fire away.”
Gene clued him in.
“We have a series of numbers. We need Alex to take a look at them and see if he can figure them out.”
Hearing that, immediately, the man was pulling on his glasses.
“He’s here and up. Give us what you have,” he said, handing his man, and partner, a notepad that had been on his nightstand in case this happened.
Gene was going blind looking at information, and he needed backup to cover for him.
It had been a long three days, and he’d slept maybe five hours throughout those days. Tomorrow, or actually in a few hours, he was heading out with The Hunters, and needed some sleep.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Hit us.”
That was all he had to hear. He rattled them off.
‘2280020.’
Alex needed to know some information before he did his deep dive into the sequence.
“Any spaces or was that just the series?” he asked.
Gene was staring at the paper on the clipboard. He’d been given the things taken from Rayna’s car, and on the back of the police report she was filling in, she’d scribbled something.
It piqued his interest.
For all he knew, it was absolutely nothing, but being thorough was paramount. Any little clue might give them this piece of shit.
“No. That’s exactly what was written down. Do your thing. Ethan said you’re the resident number-phile.”
He laughed.
“I have my moments,” he admitted. “I’ll do what I can to work through it as quickly as possible.”
Gene appreciated their help.
“Find us something. We’re in dire need of answers. Contact me directly. Elizabeth and I will be out and about all day, but I’ll keep my phone on vibrate.”
He could do that.
“Gotcha.”
The man hung up.
As soon as he did, Alex got comfortable and grabbed his laptop from the nightstand beside them.
It was time to do his thing.
The whole time, Corbin was watching him, curiously.
“So, you’re good with numbers?” he asked.
Alex nodded.
“That’s why the FBI recruited me. I can do math pretty fast, and I’m good with sequences.”
He grinned.
“Oh, well, that’s sexy. Want to balance my checkbook?” he teased.
Alex winked at him.
“I mean, I could be convinced. Not the only numbers I’m good at, but okay.”
Corbin leaned over and kissed him. He could smell his scent on Alex, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it.
A lot.
As he made love to his mouth, Alex held onto him. The whole time, Corbin was thinking about one thing.
So, he went there the second he broke the kiss.
Truthfully, he didn’t know when this would be over, or when they could get married. Since Alex bought the rings, he figured the ball was in the man’s court. He’d said he wanted to propose, so Corbin was controlling what he could.
“Let’s get a place together,” he stated, his lips so close to Alex’s that he could feel his breath on them.
Looking up at him, Alex was confused.
“I mean, we’re living together now. You want a different place?”
Corbin was to the point.
“That was by necessity. Live with me by choice. I want a life with you, Alex.”
The man knew that what they had was new, and there were still bumps in the road to figure out who they were, and if this would last.
Yes, he bought rings, but he’d not been planning on proposing tomorrow. Truthfully, he loved the dating process, since it was something he’d never had before.
He liked being wooed.
Oh, and he liked learning how to romance Corbin right back.
At his hesitation, Corbin knew the man was still twitchy, and he understood that.
“Say, yes,” he said.
Alex ran his hand across Corbin’s cheek, and there wasn’t an ounce of him that didn’t like the idea of waking up beside Corbin every day, as he enjoyed their journey.
Yeah, this was what he wanted.
“Yes,” he said, going with impulsiveness for a change in his life. Alex wanted a family, a circle, and not to be on the outside looking in. This crazy man was what opened his heart, so he was going to hold on and see where it went.
Corbin grinned.
“Really?” he asked. “I figured you’d hesitate.”
Alex shrugged.
“I like a challenge,” he stated. “You, Corbin, intrigue me,” he added. “I love where this is headed, and one day, I want that family with you. I like kids.”
The man grinned.
He loved kids.
At his age, he assumed that train had left the station, but he’d give anything to have a family to come home to—a son to play ball with, or a daughter to spoil rotten.
He wanted to be like John.
A damn.
Good.
Father.
“It’s the sex, isn’t it?” he teased.
That made Alex laugh.
“Among things. Mostly, it’s that goofy-ass grin that swept me off my feet.
After we get married, we’ll figure the rest out.
For now, let’s enjoy dating and learning everything there is to know.
I want to learn how to be a good partner, and you’re teaching me how to do that.
I need to see what a family is like so we can make ours. ”
Corbin’s heart skipped in his chest.
Yeah, this was going to be a nice ride to the finish line. He was grateful that for the first time in his life, there was nothing there ready to jump out and derail them.
Only, he was wrong.
He just didn’t know it.
Trouble always came when you least expected it.
And trouble was heading their way.
Unfortunately.
* * * The Blackhawks * * *
Deputy Director’s
Office
That Morning
Eight A.M.
Pulling up to FBI West, the four Hunters were ready to go. Their flight landed twenty minutes early, and there had been a car waiting for them.
Flying first class on a jet had its advantages. Like the non-stop flight that caught the tailwind and made record time.
Plus, avoiding any paper trail was also a good thing. The Blackhawks had moved mountains to get them there without anyone being the wiser, and they were grateful. It meant being able to transport the arsenal of weapons they would need for this job.
Only, now, it was time to get down to business.
With Rogue working in tandem with Remmy back in NOLA, they were able to narrow that list of four suspects down for the Blackhawks.
There were two that stood out, and two were now on the hunting list.
Hopefully, Elizabeth and Gene would be ready to go. Working during the daylight was NOT ONE of their favorite things to do, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Everything was good until they parked the blacked-out SUV in the parking lot.
The manchild lost his shit when they were about to get out. It was clear that he had believed they’d only been busting his ass on the jet.
Surprise.
They hadn’t been.
“I told you that I’m not fucking going in there,” Zayn stated. “I’m a freaking mercenary. I’ve killed FBI agents before. They likely know it too. Had I known you weren’t kidding on the flight, I would have jumped from the fucking jet!”
Maura sighed.