Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) (55 page)

He had a taste for the flesh and it was a spiritual and beautiful thing. It was something so masterful and perfect that it deserved to be respected.

Not mocked.

She had made fun of it with her crazy foods and her
make believe facts about eating flesh being bad for you.

Look at him
.

H
e was healthy and a virile male. Flirting with the taboo hadn’t made him weak, but instead it made him strong and a warrior.

This was the right path to be on, and he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

It was love at first bite.

In a sense
, that was true. Falling in love with the flesh was quite the experience. In fact, it was better than anything in the world. There was a rush that came only with consuming the forbidden fruit.

He couldn’t live without it.

Now, if he could only rid the world of people like her, he would. She made food a mockery, and he needed to put a stop to it. Every day, when he was faced with her idiocy, he became more and more angry.

Then
, it occurred to him.

He could
end it.

Since she was expected to be pushing her tasteless slop at the Spring Fling, why not make her booth the most popular? Why not go all out? 
He could easily switch it when she disappeared. It would be poetic justice. She was so worried about killing creatures for food, and now she would take their place.

His belly grumbled, and he took it as a sign.

Yeah, he was going to have a surplus of meat now, and he was doing Salem a favor.

He was eradicating
the idiots who had no clue.

It was time to bring back
the pleasure of food.

Once and for all…

                                *   *   *

When they arrived at the bed and breakfast, Chris was pretty excited. It wasn’t because he was going to be able to crawl all over his new wife, but because they were going to be able to relax and stop stressing all the things in their life that were making them nuts.

The wedding.

Their families.

The jobs that they loved.

Tonight, they were going to be a couple and not stress the outside world.

That in itself was the most amazing
gift of all.

As they checked in
to the B&B, Chris enjoyed being able to say the word wife to anyone who would listen to him. No other word in his vocabulary had ever slipped from his lips with such glee. No longer was he alone. Now, there was a partner through the journey. As the woman handed them their keys and pointed to the stairs, they were impressed with the surroundings.

“This place is really nice,” Cyra offered.

“Yeah, if anything, Ethan Blackhawk is a classy kind of guy. He always looks at the fine details.”

She agreed. “I’m glad
that you have them in your life. I can see they matter.”

“Oh, they do, but not as much as my wife.”

“You’re having fun with that word, aren’t you?”

“
Yes I am, wife.”

She began laughing. “Are you going to say it over and over?” Cyra questioned.

“Wife. Wife. Wife.”

That was her answer.

Before they reached the door, he stopped in the hallway. “I’m going to ask Elizabeth if I can work out of the office and not take as many traveling assignments.”

She stared at him. “Why?”

He ran his fingers across her cheek. “I don’t want to be away from my wife.”

She grinned. “I’d like that, Christopher.”

Yeah, so would he. “Here we are,” he stated, pointing at the door. “Are you ready?” he said, sweeping her off her feet.

Cyra giggled and left kisses across hi
s cheek. “Yeah, I am, husband.”

That was music to his ears.

While he leaned over, she opened the door with the key. Using the toe of his dress shoe, he pushed open the door. Inside, it was a pretty romantic place.

“Wow!” exclaimed Cyra. “This is some post
wedding love nest.”

Chris had to agree, as he carried her in. Placing her on her feet, he walked towards the table in the center of the room. On it was a giant basket. As they pulled off the cellophane, Chris knew who it was from before even looking at the card.
The things in the basket were a dead giveaway.

“This is
definitely from Elizabeth.”

She stared at it and wondered how he knew.

Reaching in, he pulled out a box of edible undies. On them, was a note.

Tasty britches aren’t just for tormenting

your co-workers.

Have fun!

xo

Cyra took them from him and started laughing. “Are you going to explain this, Christopher?”

He grinned wickedly. “How about I show you and we go from there?”

“This is my kind of show and tell.”

Yeah, didn't he know it?

                                *   *   *

Two
Hours Later

It didn't take long to prep her and take what he wanted. Unfortunately, she was a little fattier than he liked. So, he ended up losing a lot of the good meat. Taking women was leaving a bad taste in his mouth, and his belly. He was seriously contemplating only taking men.

Oh well, his point was made, and that was all that mattered.

No more shitty vegan food for them.

Yeah, her reign of food terror was
finished. By the time the chili cook off was over, everyone would be singing of the praises of her chili.

True, it would be his recipe.

While he wanted them to all know the truth, he knew that wasn’t a possibility. Instead, he would have to revel in being the only one who knew what they had really eaten.

His delicious food.

Sitting down, next to the piles of bones, he took a moment to scribble out a quick recipe.

Onions.

Garlic.

Chili powder.

A dash of cocoa powder for richness.

One dead Vegan.

And a whole lot of love.

Now, that was one meal he could serve
up with pride. Once the citizens of Salem tasted his delicious concoction, they would be hooked. Maybe, he could take over her business and really dazzle the town.

Oh well, he could dream.

Getting back to work, he shoveled the bones and the scraps into a sack as he cleaned up his area. First, he would take care of business and get rid of the evidence, and then he would start cooking. Time was of the essence, since his chili needed time to absorb the flavors.

It was going to be one hell of a Spring Fling after all.

Well, if he had anything to say about it.

             
                  *   *   *

Sunday Morning

It was a long night, and definitely not in a bad way. When Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen arrived at home,
they were feeling a little bit frisky.

O
kay, make that a lot.

The men in her life had wanted to give her a little something for her spectacular fantasy gift earlier. So, they made sure to take their time, worship
ing every inch of her to give her more pleasure than she ever believed that she could handle.

Yeah, it was pretty freaking amazing.

What woman didn't want two outrageously sexy men making love to her?

It was well worth being a little tired and sore in the morning. In fact, she’d take the stiffness any day
, for some sexy Native debauchery.

Grabbing the first shirt on the bedroom floor, she shrugged into it and headed downstairs. If the men were up, that meant
that they had taken care of the coffee situation.

Nothing said love more than someone else makin
g your first cup of hot coffee, especially while you were growing them a child.

Once in the great room, she could see them in the kitchen, and it appeared that they were both working. As she approached, Ethan handed her a cup of coffee and patted her on the ass as she walked past him.

It was too early to reprimand him, and honestly, she didn't mind. It was done so lovingly, that he could do it all the time. Sitting on a stool, she stared at the papers in front of her.

It took a second for it to all register.

This wasn’t the newspaper.

It was photocopies of a paper.

Then, she saw it!

“O
H.MY.GOD,” she muttered, picking up the top one. The headline said it all.

The sheriff’s daughter, the Spring Fling Queen, was brought in for questioning
in a brawling incident.

The men couldn’t hold it in anymore. The laughter ensued and filled their kitchen.

Elizabeth glanced up, and the look on her face must have been funny, because they were laughing even harder.

“Which one of you did this?” she asked, lifting a brow.

Neither man would rat the other out.

Of course not.

What had she expected?

Frick and Frack were like two peas in a pod and always had each other’s back, especially when busting her ass.

She began rifling through the rest of the papers. They showed her sitting in the back seat of
the classic car, waiving to the townspeople.

Then
, in the next one, her being pulled off a girl in the crowd.

The last one was of her being put in a deputy vehicle
, thankfully without handcuffs.

“Someone’s g
oing to be damn sorry that he hunted these down,” she warned.

Callen and Ethan gave each other a first bump.

Blackhawk was the one who gathered his composure first. “All I’m going to say is this. Next time, you tell us you were never in trouble, and the good one, these are coming out for the world to see.”

“Ethan Jackson Blackhawk. You’re going to blackmail me? I’m your pregnant wife and mother of your children.”

Callen snickered and began chanting like a child, “Lyzee was a felon. Lyzee was a felon.”

She stared at him
, appalled. “I was never arrested. I was taken to my father and lectured. There is a big difference,” she said, pointing at him. “You two actually went before a judge and were sentenced.”

They ignored her.

“Here we were under the impression that you were sweet and innocent. I do believe this proves otherwise,” stated Callen.

The smile on Ethan’s face was breathtaking, and had she known that it would have chased away some of his pain, she would have made this all appear herself. For either man in her life, she would take a little embarrassment and humiliation.

But that didn't mean she wouldn’t get even.

“Our Miss Kitty was a law breaker,” stated Ethan. “That is so damn hot. Wait until I tell our kids when they grow up
, that they didn't get their felonious mischief from only us. Their momma was a very naughty girl.”

Oh, that was crossing a line.

“Okay, boys. This means war.”

It only made them laugh more.

She pushed the papers away and drank her coffee.

Callen continued, despite the warning,
“I’m sending them to dad. Let’s see if he still say’s you’re the good one now. You vaulted a car door, rushed a crowd, and smacked down a bystander, all in heels and a gown.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “I beat up two women who were putting their hands on my boyfriend
at the time. There is a big difference. You don’t poach men from relationships. That’s crossing a line.”

Ethan crossed to
Elizabeth and kissed her on her scowling mouth. “I think it’s kind of sexy, and you looked pretty in your gown.”

Callen snorted. “Like a princess. You
look all pure.”

“Like
freshly fallen snow.”

“
More like a vestal virgin,” he added, as they took turns digging the hole.