Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) (81 page)

And now needed to see what their lives were going to hold once they returned home and back to FBI West.

Blackhawk stepped out in time to watch Desdemona hugging her brother and sisters. Her life was moving forward and now it was time for them to follow suit.

“We wrap this up and go home
,” he said, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder in support.

“Hell yeah, Cowboy
! This was an ugly one that I am personally glad to be done with, once and for all,” Elizabeth said, as Callen lowered her to her feet. Her chest hurt like a bitch, and she was bleeding for her family. “I say we fly this cuckoo nest and head home.”

Both men
agreed, more than willing to follow her.

Elizabeth
took her place between them as they walked back to the Escalade, taking their hands in hers, connecting them together.

Let the tech team stare
.

Let the world fall apart.

They were off duty for a while now and nothing else mattered, but healing Callen’s heart.

The three did the smartest thing in days.

They got the hell out of Dodge
and didn’t look back
.
 

~ Epilogue ~

Yet another assignment was in the bag, and Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk were more than happy to be home. After the flight landed at the airport, the first thing they decided
on was heading to the house to find their son. At that moment, family came first.

It had been only a week away, but if felt much longer.
Time away from family was hell, and now they’d take the rest of the night off and spend some quality reconnecting and regrouping.

Wyler was thrilled to see them and after hearing about Elizabeth’s dream, he insisted on going to his father’s home and grabbing the chest for Ethan. He believed it was a sign from the spirit world
and from his dad.

Then there was Callen.

When the plane touched down, he wanted to be alone. Lost deep in thought most of the flight home, Callen was still rattled over the angry barbs Desdemona had spewed in her final parting shot. All they could do was let him go, hoping when he met them at home later, he’d be ready to talk about it and work through it with them.

Desdemona Adare
was done with the FBI and in more ways than one. Maybe it was because her father had murdered her mother, or that she as a teenager had sex with her own brother, unknowingly. Her family lay in tatters around her, and she needed to focus on her life now, picking up the pieces. Coming back here meant facing demons that she wasn’t going to be strong enough to carry on her own. Elizabeth knew it was a good thing that she proclaimed her dislike and hate for the three of them. It meant that she could move on, and so could they.

Love didn’t always last forever, and sometimes when it ended
, the people around were hit with the shrapnel in the blowback. It was life, and they needed time to heal their wounds, much like Desdemona Adare.

Some wounds were mental and some were physical. A big vicious bruise had formed in the center of her chest from where the bullet hit dead center. There was no doubt in her mind that Desdemona meant every word she said, and
enjoyed taking the shot, but she wasn’t going to dwell.

It wasn’t like she was the only person in the world
who would like to shoot at her.

She
would have to take a number on that one.

Feeding hatred only accomplished one thing. It made it grow, and before long it would swallow everything, including the person who created it. So, for now, Elizabeth was forgiving and
releasing it all. Shit happened and Elizabeth hoped that whatever Desdemona Adare sought, she would find it in her life. For now they’d figured she’d never come back. If Desdemona did, she was crazier than her killer brother, Vincent Delray.

Then again, the fruit loop gene had been known to pass from sibling
to sibling and father to child, so one never knew.

For now
, there were far more important issues to dwell on, and that was Callen. Both Blackhawks were worried about their partner, and when the phone rang, Wyler’s name coming up on their ID, they knew it wasn’t going to be good news. He’d gone to his father’s house earlier, and should have returned by now.

“You both need to get to the burial grounds. Callen’s
there and isn't doing well. I tried to talk him into coming home, but he’s getting drunk and won’t listen to me.”

It was all it too
k for both Blackhawks to grab their son and run for the car.

When one of them ached, they all ached.

When one of them bled, they all bled.

Blood w
as thicker than water for Ethan, and for his wife it was all about love.

Family came first over exhaustion, suffering and anything else in the world.
If you didn’t have family, you were forced to wander life aimlessly and alone. No one new that better than both Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk. Now it was time to claim their wounded soul and bring him home.

For the rest of his life and theirs.

Whitefox sat alone on his grandfather’s grave, drinking heavily from the bottle in his hand. In the back of his mind he knew he wasn’t to blame for any of what happened, but Desdemona’s parting words rattled his heart, brain, and soul. When she looked into his eyes and told him he ruined her life and was unlovable, it broke him. Driving a knife into his already battered heart just to watch him bleed, she’d gotten what she wanted.

Only one thing mattered now. Getting shit faced and being with the man he missed desperately.

“I need you
, Granddad! You visited Elizabeth in a dream and now I need you to do the same. I need someone right now to tell me if I’m ruining everyone’s life!” he shouted into the burial grounds, almost waiting for an answer, but getting none.

“Please!”

Now, he wanted the man back who always offered him the best advice, and led him when he felt lost. Timothy would tell him what he should do, and tell him the truth.

Granted
, he felt nothing towards Desdemona anymore. Not after what she said and done, but he still had that niggling piece of guilt that maybe she was right.

He ruined her life
and Elizabeth, his angel, was next.

Right now
, he felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. The anger and hate he felt from her over the way it all ended crushed him. Yes, most of it likely had to do with the woman just finding out the truth, but it still stung when she accused him of being the final killing blow to her heart.

He took another
long chug from the bottle and stared down at the label. He hated whiskey with a passion, but it was all he could find in granddad’s house. Now Callen was going to drink the entire bottle, puke his brains out and then sleep where ever he landed. Hopefully it wouldn’t be in the middle of the road, but then again, what would it matter?

To
whom would it even matter at this point?

“I don’t know what to do, Granddad. I’m crazy in love with Elizabeth, but what if one day she wakes up
, telling me I ruined her life or I bore her? I’m just a simple man,” he said again to the wind, and still there was no reply.

Of course there was no answer.

Because he was left behind.

“I don’t want to be expendable anymore. I just want to have a fucking place to belong!” Now Callen’s tears slid hotly down his face, as the mix of pain and whiskey took effect.

“I ruined Desdemona’s life, and I’m just a disaster. How long until I destroy Elizabeth and Ethan’s lives? Maybe I should just leave. Pack up and find somewhere to be alone. I couldn’t live with myself if one day they told me I ruined everything too.”

Elizabeth
and Ethan stood behind the man, sitting in the burial grounds. They’d been listening to the words and pain in his voice. She turned to stare at her husband and nodded. If someone had to fix this, it would be her. This was, after all, her job. Elizabeth had promised Timothy that she would keep them all safe and sometimes it took love to heal what love broke.

Blackhawk took the baby from her arms and kissed her softly on the lips. “Bring him home. I’ll take CJ
back there until you fix this.”

She patted his cheek. “I
’ll take care of him, Ethan.”

He had no doubt she would.

Whitefox chugged the whiskey and wiped his eyes
on the sleeve of his plaid shirt. “I don’t want to hurt her, but I hurt everyone, and then they leave me.”

Elizabeth knelt behind him
, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. His body physically tightened at her touch. “I won’t leave you, Callen. I love you too much to leave.”

The man said nothing.

“You haven’t ruined our lives, you’ve made them better. Ethan and I love you, Callen. I, really truly, love you.”

He drank again
to numb the pain.

“When I met Ethan I fell in love, and when I met you I fell in love too. I don’t see you as my husband’s brother. I see you as Callen Whitefox
, and I am madly in love with you. I was the victim of love at first sight too, Cal, and I’m scared. ”

The bottle paused
half way to his mouth.

“I’m afraid
that you’ll leave me one day, and I can’t make you stay. You could walk away at any second. I could wake up and have to face the realization that I wasn’t enough to make you want to stay.”

“
What if I ruin your life, Lyzee?”

Elizabeth moved to sit in front of him and took the bottle from his hand and took a sip. “
How can love ruin my life? It can only make it better. Before you, life was damn near perfect, and then you walked into FBI West, became my best friend and made me fall in love with you. Now I have absolute perfection.” She took his hand in hers. “In my dream, granddad told me that Desdemona had to happen in order to build the bridge to connect us. You didn’t ruin anything. You created us, Callen.”

“What if you decide one day you’re tired of me?” His eyes filled with tears, at the mere idea.
“I know I won’t ever leave you, but what if you stop loving me like everyone does?”

She hurt for the man.
“It’s never going to happen. When you love someone, then you trust them. From this moment on, I’m giving you complete trust. I believe you’ll stay. Not because we have a piece of paper, but because we love each other. I’m asking you to trust me, Callen James Whitefox. Believe in me.”

He stared into her eyes and saw nothing but truth.

“Granddad, give him a sign that he’s not making a mistake, and that he’s on the right path.”

Callen stopped moving and listened to the burial grounds, suddenly the wind picked up and the beads on the graves shook, the flowers danced and the wind chimes tinkled in the breeze. As quickly as it started
, it all came to a stop.

“When granddad first brought me here to meet Ethan’s mom, he told me that when the wind blows, that means the spirits are with us. I have no doubt that Timothy is here and will always be here.
He left me in charge to keep you and the family intact. I’m asking you to believe in me and trust that I won’t drop your heart, but hold it as the treasure it is inside here,” Elizabeth touched her heart. “It has a home alongside Ethan’s.”

Callen’s
eyes filled with tears.

Elizabeth leaned forward and pulled his lips to hers. The kiss shared everything that she felt for
him. Slowly, she could feel him letting go, and then he began kissing her back. What was between them wasn’t just lust or need. What they shared was something so much more important.

Love.

The wind suddenly picked up wickedly and the burial grounds came alive with sound and motion.

Elizabeth broke away laughing. “
I do believe that was granddad telling you to stop mauling me on his grave.”