Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) (41 page)

Chris sent her back to work and rubbed his temples to relieve some of the tension.

When he heard her voice, he glanced up.

“Are you okay, Christopher?” Cyra inquired. She was worried about him and didn't know what to do to help him.

“Yeah,
I am sweetheart. It’s all just work related shit.”

She knew it had to be bad. Chris rarely threw out any type of pro
fanity. “Do you need my help?”

He handed her the clip board. “Yeah, you can be my secretary.”

“Certainly Mr. Leonard,” she purred, as she teased him. Again, his face flushed, but this time not for the same reason.

“Cyra!” he hissed, lowering his voice.

“You told me to play secretary. It’s not my fault I always wanted to fool around with my very sexy scientist boss.”

There weren’t words for what his body was feeling at that moment
, and it must have shown on his face. “That intrigues me more than I can vocalize.”

Cyra winked at him and giggled.
God, she loved riling up her adorable doctor.

Glancing down at her watch, she was well aware that i
t was before ‘
Mystical Memorabilia’
officially opened. They knew it was a long shot, but they needed to get this day started, and fast. The killer was escalating and that didn't buy them much time.

There was a light
on from the back room, and Elizabeth prayed someone was inside. Banging on the glass with the palm of her hand, she waited. Relief filled her as Aries LaFay rushed from the back to see what was happening.

Once he saw them, his face changed as he unlocked the door. “You’re here early
and I doubt it has anything to do with wanting to buy trinkets.”

Behind him was his wife
, and she was dressed in normal clothing and no make-up. They must have been getting ready for the day’s performance. 

“You're the all-seeing witches.
Why don’t you both tell me why the FBI is banging on your door this early in the day? Go ahead and take a stab at it.”

Both tensed at the hostility
emanating from the woman.

“Did you by any chance get me that list of willing coven members? It’s really important now, since
the killer has left us another victim.”

“Please,
join us in the back room. The energy surrounding you is making me feel off balance,” Artemis said, walking barefoot to their private area.

They did as
she asked and once again took the offered seats. This time, the men sat side by side, and Elizabeth perched in a chair. It was time to play a little Wiccan hardball, and she was up to bat.

“What has happened?” Ares inquired
as he placed his wife at his side protectively.

“Another woman was slaughtered on an altar last night. The killer is escalating
, and I need to know if you can identify her.”

They both
looked frazzled, but agreed.

Ethan pulled up the file on his tablet. Already
, Christina was uploading images for them. Since they didn't have the woman’s identification, the witches were going to be getting the gruesome crime photos. Working with Elizabeth as long as he had, Ethan knew that she would want them to be as horrified as they were over the killing. Now, she was on alert and watching them with her cool, calculating, cop stare.

They took the offered tablet and gasped in horror.

“Was this all necessary?” Ares asked as he motioned to the horrific imagery.

Elizabeth gauged their responses. The man
was angry and the woman looked sick to her stomach.

“Yes
, it was.”

He handed it back
to her. “The woman’s name is Harmony Wilcox.”

Ethan took the tablet and began texting Cyra the information. The
faster they moved on this, the more likely they would be to get a lead. They were going to need a deep search for this one.

“The coven doesn’t feel comfortable coming to the shop,” Artemis stated
softly. Her stomach continued to churn at what she had been forced to view.

Elizabeth didn't think they got
how dire the situation was at that point. “You had a circle Sunday night and a woman is taken. You had one two nights ago and the same deal. Did you have one last night?”

“Yes.”

“Do you see the pattern here? When you have a circle, you lose a coven member. I need to speak to your believers and get them to see what’s happening.”

Artemis leaned into her husband and whispered into
his ear. They conferred on something and finally looked back over at her. “We will allow you to come with us to our sacred space, but you can’t know the location.”

Hey,
at this point, anything was better than nothing. “Great. When do we go?”

Ares shook his head. “
I’m sorry but there is no
‘
we’ in the invitation. You are invited, but your partners must remain behind. We don’t allow men that aren’t part of our family to enter our circle. The location is secret for a reason.”

Neither Ethan nor Callen
liked where this was heading. In fact, if anything it was pissing them off.

Elizabeth pondered it
over. “Okay, it’s a deal. What do I have to do?”

Both men in her life s
tared at her. They were shocked and angry that she didn't even stop to ask their opinion on the matter. Then again, it was very Elizabeth-like to jump in with both feet.

“Since we lost another member, we will call the coven and
schedule a circle for tonight. I will have to tell them you will be joining us, and they may not all come, so be warned.”

“Okay, so w
hat does one wear to one of these little parties?”

Ares moved from his wife’s side. “You must wear something that will not offend the elements or the Goddess. Nyx is particular
with our dress.”

Elizabeth had no clue who this
Nyx was, and why she should be critiquing her clothing. But alas, when in crazy town, do as the crazies did.

He pulled a white gauzy ceremonial robe down from the closet and handed it
to her. “It is one of her spare robes, and it is very appropriate for tonight,” Aries added, motioning to his wife.

“Generally, we do this barefoot, but we’re used to walking on rougher terrain like that. What size shoe do you wear?” Artemis asked, staring at her beat up cowboy boots. “They will not be appropriate.
You’ve walked through a great deal of death in them.”

Elizabeth loved her boots
, but she’d play the game if it meant saving a life. “I’m a size nine.”

She stood, going to her collection and handing her a pair of sandals. “
You may not bring your weapon either.”

Okay,
now that she didn't like at all. Elizabeth would play dress up, lose her boots, and do what it took to save another person’s life, but not carrying a weapon was crossing a line.

“It is a symbol of death. Have you taken lives with it?” she asked, staring at the sidearm.

“Quite a few,” she answered, and it was the absolute truth and she didn't regret it. Anyone who she killed was on the wrong side of justice.

“If you wish to join us
, then that is our other condition,” stated Ares.

Elizabeth found it ironic that a man who was named after a
war deity was bitching about her sidearm. “Okay,” she finally stated. It didn't really matter in the long run, since she had a contingency back up plan to set into play.

Standing
from his spot, Ethan walked out. He was fighting hard to stay in control.

Callen gave her a very telling look as he went to join his brother.

“Be here at eight tonight, and we will leave for the circle,” Artemis stated.

Elizabeth took the garb and headed out
to catch up with the men. There was no doubt that she was going to get an earful, and she planned on letting them vent first. When they were finished, she was going to school them and teach them a lesson for even questioning her.

Outside
the shop, they closed around her as they tried to not make too much of a scene. What they wished to convey was how unhappy they were over the events.

“You should have cleared that with your partners first. You
would never let one of us go in alone without a colossal shit fit,” Ethan finally blurted out angrily.

Callen pil
ed on next, “You know better, Elizabeth. We have a serious situation here and you’re being careless with your life.”

“You may not care, but we do!” Ethan added
in frustration.

She didn't say a word.

“I can’t believe you did this without asking us our opinion at least.
We’re supposed to be a unit and a family, or is that only when it’s convenient to you?”

She stared up at them
and lifted a brow. Oh, when she told them her plan, they would be eating crow.

“I’m disappointed in you,” Ethan stated.

Callen agreed. “I’m hurt by your disregard for our feelings.”

Okay, she’d had about enough.
“Are you both done berating me in public?” she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

They only stared at her angrily.

“How long have you known me, boys?” she asked, staring back and forth between them.

“Years,” Ethan said. What he wanted to state was his whole life. His heart knew she was meant to be loved by him from the second he was conceived.

“Same here,” Callen added, hoping that he would still have many more years ahead.

“When have I ever given up my gun without a
backup plan?” she asked.

They looked back and forth at each other.

“Let me answer that for you. It’s never. So, that should have been your first clue that I had something up my sleeve. The next question is when would I risk my life and leave my children motherless? Since I grew up that way, do you really believe that I would condemn CJ, Cat and EJ to that same fate by being reckless?”

Neither
man spoke. They knew that if anything, her babies came first.

“Exactly. The witches said
that you couldn’t accompany us. They never said that you couldn’t have night gear and track us through the woods with guns, now did they?”

The serious faces began to change.

“I’ll be miked and with an earpiece. You’ll hear it all and be able to see us the entire time. While both of you have been known to miss your target, you’ll do in a pinch,” she teased.

Ethan began to relax.
“We’re going to be your backup?”

She smiled. “I didn't become one of the
bosses by sleeping with some sexy Native man.”

He grinned
at that, knowing that she could be skewering them big time over the shit they had just pulled. Instead, she had opted to keep a cooler head through it all, and he was grateful. “Well, technically you did.”

Okay, he was right. If they didn't get married, Gabe wouldn’t have offered them the job. “
Okay, so you have a point. I rode you to the top, Cowboy.”

Now he laughed
at the visual and her lecherous grin.

“I have three children and two husbands. I’m not playing games with some witches and a Satan worshipper right before Halloween. I’m crazy but not certifiable.”

They led her to the Denali.

“You’re my tail. I mean, how hard
can it be for two men that have tracking in their DNA, to follow some white clad people through the woods with night gear?”

Callen chimed in
with a comment, “I’m technically better at tracking so I should carry the night gear.”

His brother began laughing. “Yeah, as kids you were. You used to stalk lots of women. This is right up your alley.”

That brought laughter from Elizabeth.

“Hey! That’s not true!”

Ethan helped her up into the vehicle. “I used to lure them in and you scooped them up.”

She was practically weeping
at their little game. If anything, the mood had calmed and everything was right in the world once more.

Callen buckled his seatbelt. “Name one
instance where that happened!” he objected.

Ethan hopped in and pointed at his wife
. He didn't need to say anything else, since it spoke for itself.

She seriously was going to pee herself
if this continued.

“Okay, that’s one. Name another.”

Ethan turned around and started the engine. “Cal, none of the others matter. You bagged the mother of all conquests because of me.”