Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) (25 page)

When her arms circled his neck
, he picked her up off the ground so her toes were barely able to reach. It was amazing to hold her against him.

Cyra was enjoying the complete and total bliss of the lip lock. Lordy, the man could kiss. She could do this all day. Part of her wanted to abduct him and drag him back to the hotel with her to roll around
in bed naked.

Yet, she knew better.

Slowly breaking away, she stared into his eyes. The sky had nothing on the color. They made her want to sink into their welcoming depths.

“Dinner tonight?” he confirmed.

She nodded, still suspended off the ground. Her body was strategically placed against his, and Cyra was well aware of what was going through his head.

He was raw with need
and that excited her to no end.

Lowering her to the ground, he really didn't want to let go. “I have to get back inside or Elizabeth is going to bust my ass unmercifully.”

Running her hands down his arms, she took a step back. “Think about me, Christopher,” she added, opening the Denali door and jumping inside.

How could he forget about her after that kiss?

Was that even possible?

“Be safe, Cyra. If you need me, just call,” he offered. “I’ll come running.”

She blew him a kiss as she backed up. Cyra had so many butterflies in her gut. Deep down, she was positive that she wasn’t falling in love with the man.

It was too late.

Cyra was already there.

Tuesday evening

Hours later, Chris toiled over the photographs as he analyzed everything in the pictures. He knew just by looking at them that Scarlet Red wasn’t practicing anything but straight Wicca. Present were all the elements. He found the wand, pentacle and empty chalice. All that was really missing was the athame, and Cyra and Agent Rickard had found that under the mattress.

Writing up his report
, Chris knew it was pretty comprehensive and shed a light on any question the Blackhawks could possibly have for him. In the back of his mind, there was that little niggling fear that the information that he was giving was going to lead to uncomfortable questions.

It knotted his gut.

If they called him on it, he would need to be prepared for the inevitable outcome. For now, he was more worried about the fallout, once the truth came out. How did you damage control a secret this big? Taking a deep breath, he sent the report to his bosses and stood to stretch.

Excitement began to fill him as he glanced at his watch. Now
, he could call it a day and get the hell out of there. He’d seen some places outside the hotel that he would like to take Cyra for dinner. He wondered if she liked sushi.

Then again, d
id it matter? He’d eat grass if that’s what she wanted. At that point, it was all about just being near her.

Heading for the door, his hand
had just touched the light switch when his phone started going off.

“Shit,” he muttered
as he glanced down at the screen. It was Christina, and they needed him in the lab. Resting his head on the wall, he let out a sigh. “I have the worst luck on the face of the earth,” he stated to the empty room.

Then again,
Chris had no one else to blame but himself. This was entirely his fault.

He should have just gone home with her after the Christmas party
instead of being a gentleman.

Now he was paying for his stupidity.

Big time!

             
                  *   *   *

He waited for her outside
of her apartment. Tonight was the full moon, and he was certain that she would be heading to the celebration.

If anyth
ing, they were all predictable. Witches would frolic naked in the moonlight for just about any reason known to man. Knowing their schedule was making it easy. He’d grab her now and stash her for later.

If he were to disappear, it would ruin everything
. For now, he was moving closer to his goal. Before anyone could stop him, Elizabeth Blackhawk would be the one who was being sacrificed on his altar. Only she wouldn’t get an inverted pentacle on her lovely skin.

No, she’d get a dagger through the heart.

That would only happen after he terrorized and completely enjoyed everything about her. She was going to be his ultimate conquest in his journey for power. There would be so much pain for her.

He ha
d studied her and knew his prey. It would take a lot to break her, but there was a way to do it.

It would just take planning
and timing.

He would begin working on that shortly.

Focusing on the woman, he watched her move towards the car. It worked out perfectly that she lived on the outskirts of town in the little cottage. It made watching her that much easier. He could come and go as he pleased, but most importantly, it would make the abduction simple.

He waited for her to start towards her car, when she saw the flat tire, her cursing filled the night.

Stifling his laughter, his eyes tracked her movement as she ventured right towards him. She was intending to walk to the circle. Wasn’t her dedication impressive?

Now, s
he was only a few feet away from his hiding spot and within his reach. As she was about to pass by him, he swung out and struck her in the face. When his fist made contact with her cheek, she fell to the ground, dazed. Before she knew what was happening, he got to work. The least of his concerns were her screams. No one would hear her.

“What? Wha
t are you doing?” she muttered as her hands were tied behind her back.

He didn't answer. The only sound from him was the ripping of duct tape from the roll to
cover her mouth.

When the job was finally finished, he bound her legs and dragged her by her hair to his car. Her muffled screams were intensified by the pain
that he was inflicting on her.

“You and I have a date with the
devil, witch,” he hissed.

His laughter filled the air as he dropped her body into the
trunk and slammed the lid closed.

Now it was time to stash his victim
and slip back into society as just one more average drone.

No one would be the wiser.

             
                  *   *   *

Back at the hotel room, the three were attempting to read through all the reports that were finally in from the field team. Elizabeth was going over Chris’s breakdown of the victim’s altar and making notes for the white board as she lounged on the bed.

Callen
had taken sentry beside her on the floor. He picked that spot so she could play with his hair. It was free from the tie and behind him on the bed. Every now and then, Elizabeth would run her fingers through it, and it was giving him goose bumps. The familiarity was helping him ease the knot in his gut at what he believed was still coming.

Ethan lounged not far away from Elizabeth
and was diligently working on all the paperwork to keep FBI West up and running. Gabe didn't want to hear that they were out in the field. They were in charge for a reason, and that meant carrying the brunt of the load. Ethan had to admit that he was having a hard time concentrating, since Elizabeth’s toes weren’t far away. One of his big turn ons in life were the girlie colors that she always picked for their entertainment. It was that hidden femininity that made him crazy.

They
had yet to catch her painting them. Somehow, she managed to pull it off, and it only added to the allure. Today, they were autumn colors with little pumpkin decals on them. Every now and then he’d run his pen down the arch of her foot, just to hear her giggle.

As he was
about to suggest that they all get naked, his tablet beeped. There was an incoming video conference call and that meant one thing.

Their home life was calling
!

Elizabeth was up so fast that both men had to laugh. Their woman loved her kids
, and whenever she could see them, it brightened her mood.

Hitting the connect button, the three lay on their stomachs
and stared at the tablet as they waited for Wyler to come on the screen.

“Hey Dad!” Elizabeth called enthusiastically.

The older replica of her husband smiled and gave her the famous Blackhawk grin. “How’s my favorite child?”

Both men
began laughing at his comment.

“Yeah, we’re well aware
of who you love best and why,” Callen stated. “You do realize that she wasn’t the ONLY one involved in giving you grandchildren, right? We did help out.”

Ethan laughed. “I’ve
personally seen Callen’s performance. Based on that alone, trust me when I say, he deserves to be your least favorite.

That earned him a punch as the men playfully fought.

Elizabeth laughed at their antics. “As you can see, Dad, it’s the same old here, even two hours away. Your boys are proving why girls are far superior.”

Wyler laughed. “
I miss you three.”

She missed him too. The man had seamlessly entered her life and took on the role as surrogate father
, and she couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“
Want to see the kids? I think that I managed to get them settled down for a few seconds.” He turned the tablet and showed them his masterpiece. Each one was dressed like a pumpkin for Halloween.

“Ohhhhhh
!” Elizabeth wanted to reach through the tablet and kiss on each one of her babies. “They are so damn cute!”

Wyler laughed. “Well, Halloween is coming up. I plan on taking them trick or treating.”

Blackhawk believed that his father had lost his mind. “Dad, they don’t eat candy. Maybe CJ can handle a lollipop or M&M’s but really, do you want to give the kids pixie sticks full of sugar?”

He shook his head. “Son, do I look like an idiot? I’m going to take them around to show off the finest Blackhawk and Whitefox children ever born.
I don’t care about the candy.”

“Hey!” both men objected
, as they finally got the implication.

Elizabeth snickered. “Good one, Dad,” she fist bumped the screen
and earned one back. “Hey, where’s Bly? Is she making dinner?”

Their housekeeper was generally
hovering around. Wherever Wyler went, the woman was sure to follow. The man had earned a Native woman tail.

The look on his face put them all on alert.

“What happened?” Ethan asked, going absolutely serious. The control freak in him was prepared to have to fix some sort of situation that was obviously brewing.

Wyler sighed. “I have
some bad news regarding her.”

Now
, all three of them were sitting up and waiting for him to drop some big scary bomb. In their minds, of course they went with the worst case scenario. They were cops, and that generally lead to more morbid thoughts.

“Today the kids were napping
, and I was,” he paused, trying to figure out how to even bring it up.

“Go on, Dad,” Callen urged.

“I was having another slice of pie.”

The phrase alone almost invoked laughter, and it would have been outrageous giggles if the man didn't look serious. That was their euphemism for Wyler having sex with Bly.
Somehow, it didn't seem appropriate to laugh at that exact moment.

“Okay,” Elizabeth
said cautiously, waiting for it. She hoped that the woman didn't fall out of bed and break a hip.

“Bly brought up the topic of marriage.”

“Uh oh,” they all said together.

Each of them knew
where this was heading. Wyler had been married at one time to Ethan’s mother. After he cheated on her with Callen’s, he ended up divorced. Three decades ago, he swore that he would never get married again, and he was sticking to it.

He’d had his one shot at his true love
and knew that he had squandered it. Since then, he had vowed to remain a bachelor.

“I told her
it’s not ever going to happen.”

The three of them didn't make a move. This was one of those things that needed no outward celebration.
As much as they were happy the man had found companionship, they weren’t all convinced that they wanted Bly to be their new
‘mommy’
.

“Needless to say, she got up
and threw a bunch of carved figurines around the room, and informed me that I was a bastard. I’m not shocked, since I’ve heard that all before from other women I’ve slept with.”