Chapter Sixteen #8
“Let’s see what kind of weapons I get for this little excursion,” she said, trying to keep it light.
Jagger dug everything out of the bag and laid it out on one of the morgue tables.
In front of everyone, she chose her gear.
She began loading them like a Hunter, not a Fed. She was not taking any chances, and she was going to have a gun just about everywhere.
This was, after all, war.
Deep down, she knew that only the lucky returned from it.
As she geared up, no one missed that she had two in harnesses under her arms, one at her back, and one under her pantleg. Every gun was unregistered, and part of the cache she’d gotten for The Hunters from a CIA intercept outside of the country.
If they were trackable, it wouldn’t come back to them.
With the last, she slid the magazine in, pulled the slide back, and then put the safety on before slipping it into the holster at her back.
She was ready to go.
Now, was one of the hard parts.
Goodbye.
Elizabeth went to each of her husbands and took that moment to give that little piece left of her to them.
Later, they’d need it.
“See ya, handsome,” she said, already focused on the job at hand. She kept it short and sweet because one more emotion carried on her overburdened shoulders, and she would crack.
Callen touched her cheek.
“Don’t get hurt. You take care of the woman we love, and bring her back to us,” he said, not wanting to let her go.
Callen had to have faith in the warrior she was, and the tenacious fighter she’d become over the years.
Yeah, well, that was the plan, only her soul was in tatters. Deep down, she knew that Devon had already won half of the battle.
She’d never be the same again.
Cupping his cheek, she shared a kiss with him. When she broke it, Elizabeth was to the point.
“Take care of our family for me while I’m away. Promise me you’ll hold it together.”
He nodded and rested his forehead against hers.
“Always, Angel. Always.”
That was all she had to hear.
Moving toward Ethan, he held out his hand for hers, and she reached for him.
Ethan squeezed her very chilly fingers in his.
“Come home to us. Don’t make me come looking for you. I’ll be bitchy,” he said, trying to make her laugh. “You know I’ll put you over my shoulder and carry you back here.”
Yeah, well, that was likely not going to happen. Elizabeth knew the truth. A lot had to be fixed in her before she could resume her life here.
“Just take care of our family,” she said. “That’s all I want you to do. I’ll be fine, EJ.”
And he didn’t believe that.
There was so much damage there that he knew it might change everything.
What would come would be work, and he’d do it to fix his family.
“Always,” he promised. “Forever, my love.”
She kissed him, and when she broke it, she stared into his eyes.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “All is forgiven.”
She saw the relief.
“Promise.”
Setting him free, she focused on Chris. He was standing there in his aqua scrubs, and she saw the weight of all of this weighing on him.
She was worried about his health.
Going into his body, he held her, and she buried her face in his neck.
“I love you,” she said. “Please stay healthy for me and help hold this circus together. I’m leaving you in charge. Get food, get sleep, and don’t forget to take your meds.”
Chris knew that this was goodbye. Deep down, he could feel it in his gut. His wife…for her, this was a turning point in all of their lives. She’d carried them for a long time, and now, she was telling them she couldn’t do it anymore.
They’d have to step up. If they knew her, they knew that she was preparing herself for time away.
And she deserved it.
“I’ll hold us all together,” he whispered, making sure she was the only one who could hear him. “You come back when you’re whole again. I know you’ll find you. If you need me, my one and only, call for me.”
She took his face in her hands, and there were tears in her eyes.
Yeah, he’d been right.
Come back to me, he mouthed.
I’ll try.
She slowly let his hand go, and backed up. She could only hope that they would be okay without her.
And she’d be okay without them.
With just a nod, she took the black jacket from Jagger, and they headed to the body elevator.
“Pick up in the back, Rogue,” Maura said into her com so they could get this show on the road.
The com crackled to life.
“Copy,” came his voice.
Gene stood beside Elizabeth and nodded at the men who were putting their trust in him to keep her safe. He linked his fingers with hers, showing them that he was on duty now.
They’d had her the last fifteen years, and now, it was his turn to protect the raven.
Then, the four of them got into the elevator and Elizabeth turned to face her husbands.
She put on shades and said one last thing to them.
“See ya later, alligators.”
As the doors closed, the hunt was on.
And Devon Slater was going to regret it.
While he believed she’d never break the law, he’d been mistaken.
For her family, she’d not only break it, but she’d burn the whole world down in the process.
Trust and believe.
The monster was coming for him.