Chapter Eight
Back In Damascus
Middle Of The Night
The Melee
This was unacceptable, and Ivan knew it. It had been a rough few weeks, and this was the last thing they needed. What he’d expected was a break, and what he got was anything but because the jackassery was continuing.
Ethan was supposed to be at the office working, and lo and behold, he WAS NOT.
Another Blackhawk had flown the coop, and this was happening far too often for his liking. Yes, he understood Elizabeth needing a break, and while it pissed him off, Ivan knew she could handle her shit.
Ethan?
No, he couldn’t. Not anywhere close to what he needed to do to survive. He was just as recognizable as his wife. Being out there made him a target.
Yeah, that terrified him and worked him into a frenzy. He was overly exhausted, still worked up about the whole Devon Slater situation, and he missed his wife and kids.
He didn’t need this on his plate.
Gene had reassured him that Elizabeth was safe, but no one could do that regarding Ethan.
And that was a problem.
Up to a couple hours ago, his plan was to get home, take a shower, and then sleep.
What was happening was none of that.
They had a missing Blackhawk, and from the look of it, he had a head start.
A.
BIG.
ONE.
What he also knew was that the man who had been on his duty wasn’t nearly incompetent, and he was also Ethan’s best friend.
Raphael was an Archangel, and he knew better than to let Ethan slip away.
Yes, they were all worried about Elizabeth, but Ivan trusted her out in the wild. She was sneaky, tricky, and could hold her own.
One shot to Ethan’s back, and he was paralyzed, but this time without a chance of walking again.
That was a risk they shouldn’t be taking.
PERIOD.
The Blackhawks were still in danger, and this gave him one big headache.
So now, he had to return the favor.
This was his circus, and these were his clowns, so he was going to ride their asses.
HARD.
As they tore the house apart, trying to find any sign of where he was, Ivan was freaking out.
Standing in the massive foyer of the mansion, he read Raphael the riot act because the man wasn’t giving up any information.
And that annoyed Ivan.
“This is your job. Your responsibility. What do you mean you let him disappear on your watch?” he asked the Archangel. “How the hell, Raph?”
The dressing down wasn’t done alone.
They were all there.
The full security staff, and the remaining Blackhawks were called there to be privy to this clusterfuck—in case they tried to pull the same stunt.
And Ivan didn’t care.
If his employees were going to help people disappear, they needed to be held accountable—because there was no way Raphael lost a Blackhawk.
After Michael, he was the most reliable at the job. He was, after all, an Archangel.
They were held at a higher standard for a reason.
As soon as he finished reading him to filth, Ivan was going to have a stroke over all of this.
First, Gene helped Elizabeth dump trackers and head out, and now, Raphael was doing it.
What the fuck?
This usurped his control and negated his job as their boss. Plus, it put lives in danger.
That, to him, was unacceptable.
As he was being raged at, Raphael kept it short, sweet, and to the point. He knew this was going to happen, but still, he had to help Ethan. Their family was on shaky ground, and this superseded rules.
Sue him.
He was helping his bestie and family over listening to Ivan bitch about rules and regulations.
They weren’t in the military anymore. There was gray area all around them, and this was one of those situations.
“He was in his office working, and then, he wasn’t,” Raphael stated. “When I went to get him to transport home, he was gone.”
That was his story and he was sticking to it.
For his bestie.
“Raph!” he said, still not buying it.
Only, the big Archangel stood there, willing to go ten toes down with Ivan on this. He knew where he was, and he also knew that the man wasn’t exactly an idiot. Ethan could handle his shit, and by now, like planned, he was with an Archangel and a Black Watch soldier.
If that wasn’t enough, he was with Elizabeth.
Technically, he was safer with those three than with just him.
“Where did he go, Raph? I know you’re well aware. Someone fucked with the security, and there are only two people who can do that. You and me. We’re the only two here who can do that.”
He shrugged, giving nothing away. This might be the end of his job, but honestly, he had to hope that the family would save his ass if Ivan went fire happy.
As he said nothing, Ivan stared into his eyes.
It appeared they were at a standstill.
The ball was in his court.
Ivan hated to do this, but the man was giving him no option. It was already difficult enough dealing with this pack of lunatics. Now, this one had broken ALL of the rules.
It usurped his authority, and that wasn’t cool.
“Well, then, you’re fired. Pack up. You’re out of here.”
From where he was standing, Chris actually gasped. Was he out of his mind?
Raphael was an Archangel.
They only had him, Uriel, and Muriel. Michael was gone, and that weakened them.
To fire one…
That was crazy work.
Up to that moment, he’d been quiet because, in a way, they’d all helped Elizabeth get out of there. He supplied the jet and money, and Gene had bought her time.
Hell!
Ivan hadn’t really tried that hard to locate her. None of them did to give her some leeway after what had just gone down. To blame Raphael for doing the exact same thing…
That was wild.
Immediately, there was pushback, but not from Raphael. He’d begun pulling off his gear, willing to do the time for the crime.
“You can’t fire him!” Saint said, defending his husband. “That’s bullshit!”
Oh, he didn’t want to do this. Raphael was his friend, and he loved the man like a brother. Only, if he let them run roughshod, he’d have bigger issues. Demeter was a wildcard, and one inch, and mayhem prevailed.
So, Ivan overrode that, too.
“Yes, I can. It’s still my business, and this isn’t happening. We can’t make this a regular thing. Someone will get hurt, and I guess I’ll have to be the bad guy in this!”
That’s when Saint began pulling off his gear in solidarity with his husband. This was escalating, and if Elizabeth was here, Ivan wouldn’t have been allowed to do this.
Why?
She would have put her boot in Toady’s ass. No one got fired in this family.
NO.
ONE.
So, since Elizabeth wasn’t here, and Ethan wasn’t here, the next person in the chain of command handled it.
Gene stopped this.
“He’s not fired. Because if you fire him, I’m firing you,” he stated, laying down the law.
“We’re not losing another Archangel because your undies are in a bunch that he helped Ethan slip away.
End of discussion, Ivan. Saint…Winn…put your gear back on.
You’re not going anywhere. I have bad news for all of you.
No one escapes this looney bin. Once you’re in, you’re in.
We all go down with this ship. The S.S. Blackhawk can hit the iceberg and there are no rafts to abandon ship! ”
As soon as he said it, Ivan stared at him.
But Gene wasn’t done.
He pointed at Chris.
“Unfortunately for you, Ivan, Chris gave Elizabeth the company that pays the bill for security. When she’s not here, this goes to Chris for his decision, and I’m married to him.
So, to make this simple, I’m jumping in.
Now, this is my rodeo too. If you cut Raph, you’re cut, and you can head home, too.
Oh, and I mean DC home, not here. I don’t care how pissy you are, no one is getting fired because they disobeyed you. ”
When Demeter opened his mouth, Gene went there.
“Except you because I’m not in the goddamn mood for jackassery now. Two of my spouses aren’t here, and that makes me a cranky bitch, so shut it. I will fire you just to prove a point if you stir the shit pot right now!”
Wisely, he did.
From beside him, Chris agreed. He’d been just about to step in when the man did, and he was glad he opted to handle it. They were NOT losing an Archangel, but more importantly, they were NOT losing family.
They’d lost Jet, and that was bad enough.
“Ivan, calm down. It would be weird if Raphael didn’t help Ethan. Clearly, he has, and he’s smart enough to know what the man can and can’t handle. We all trust Raphael with our lives, and now we trust him with this.”
Then, Chris focused on the Archangel.
“Son, is he safe?” he asked.
Slowly, he nodded.
Then, Chris shrugged.
“Well, then, I’m good,” he said. “It’s three in the morning, and I’m tired. Let’s call it a night, and everyone go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and who the fuck knows what’s going to happen.”
Truer words had never been said.
Only, like normal, Ivan wasn’t having it.
“Are you all insane?” he asked.
No one said a word.
“You guys can’t just slip away. You can’t play these games. It risks more than just one life. What is my whole purpose here if I’m told not to secure the people in this family when my whole job is to secure the people in this family!”
They knew he was stressed.
Hell!
They all were.
It had been a long week before Elizabeth even took off, as they waited on pins and needles to see if Devon killed someone close to them.
And he had.
They still had Jet’s funeral, and they had so much on their plates, and were now down two spouses.
This was a tough week because while they’d handled Devon Slater, it left a bad taste in ALL of their mouths. The fallout had been spectacularly nightmarish.
Only, someone needed to be the voice of reason here.
“Elizabeth needed a break. I got her a jet and money to get out of here,” Chris said, owning it.
Gene shrugged.
“I stalled to get her in the air and get her out of here,” he stated. “She needed her family to have her back, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Callen just laughed.
“I didn’t do anything, but I would have. She didn’t ask me for help, but I would have smuggled her out on Demeter’s back if need be.”
The big man grinned.
“I do love Mom. I would have done it too. Don’t be a bitch, Ivan.”
The other man pointed at him, but Gene stopped him.
“Ivan, DON’T.”