Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (43 page)

“Eventually, he got bored with trying to lure me with food. I think Ethan’s mother suspected something, so she began giving me treats to take home and hide there. With that little bit, I had no reason to come out.”

Elizabeth wished she could take the pain from Callen.

“When he figured it out, he’d just find me. Most of the time, my own mother would tell him where I was. He’d toss her a few packets of crack, and she’d be too busy getting high to worry about me. To this day, Elizabeth, I look at our kids and can’t image how she did it. My own flesh and blood, my mother, sold me to get high. I couldn’t do that to EJ or Cat. I’d die for them.”

Elizabeth held him close, rocking him to soothe
his nerves. In that moment, Callen was no longer a strong man, but instead a scared child. He needed the mothering that was void from his life for so many years.

“
The woman who gave me life didn't want me, Lyzee. She let some man rape me for her drug haze. What did I have to live for? Here I was, twelve years old, and I didn't want to live another six years until I could escape. I couldn’t tell anyone. If I told them, they’d know how disgusting I was. How ruined I’d become. I’d carry that on my soul until the day I died.”

She left kisses across his face
as she cradled him in her arms, protectively against her chest.

“For the first time in my life, I had something of value at risk.
I had just found out about Ethan and Timothy being my family. They just came into my life, and I couldn’t lose them too. Then,” he whispered, as he began to hyperventilate.

Elizabeth shoved Callen’s head between his knees. It forced him to breath
slower. When he was able to catch his breath, she pulled him back into her arms.

“It’s okay, Callen. You can finish. You’re safe here with me. It’s only the two of us,” she reassured.
“I’m your best friend, and I’ll protect you now.”

“That night was horrible. He abused me
, and I couldn’t do it anymore. My body was broken and so sore. I wanted it to end in the worst way. I stole a gun that I’d found at Timothy’s house, and instead of killing him, I took it to the woods. For weeks, I’d planned his death. I was going to do it too. There were three bullets. I intended to kill them and then myself. Only, I chickened out. Despite how vile my own mother was, I couldn’t do it. I felt pity for her. Instead, I was going to just end my existence. Since no one loved, cared, or wanted me, I chose to die.”

Her heart ached.

“Somehow, Timothy knew. He found me, bleeding, battered, and bruised, just as I was about to do it. I couldn’t live any longer, Lyzee. I had nothing. I was a child, and I was forced to fend for myself. If that was life, I would rather have death. I was just a child,” he whispered. “A helpless, hungry, hurt child.”

“It’s okay, Callen, my love. You’re safe now,” she vowed.

“Granddad took me home. He gave me a shower, put bandages all over my burns, and then he promised I’d be safe. Then, he went and visited Charlene. I don’t know what he said to her, but when he returned, he vowed I’d never have to go back. He was my father now, and I was safe.”

If Timothy was alive, Elizabeth would have kissed him. She understood the depth of Callen’s mourning now. Not only was Timothy his surrogate father, he was the one who saved him.

“Well, now that asshole is back. The second I saw Dean, I panicked. I’m sorry that I left you alone. I couldn’t breathe or think.”

Elizabeth wasn’t the least bit worried about her.
She understood that fight versus flight had kicked in and Callen was helpless. For now, she was concerned with his heart. He was all who mattered. “Shhhh, my love, it’s okay.”

“He wanted money, or he was going to tell everyone,” he whispered.
“He saw the Navigator, my beautiful wife, the wedding ring and decided I’d pay for the world not to know the truth.”

“Oh,
did he now?” All the rage filled her. The man had actually thought that fucking with the Blackhawks was a good idea? Well, he was going to have another thing coming. When she got back to the Black Mountain Reservation, she was going to hunt him down and publically neuter him. Already, she was planning his demise, and it involved a rusty spoon.

“
Through all this, he was right. I am defiled. How will you ever touch me again?” he asked, tears filling his eyes. “You and Ethan will never view me the same again,” he whispered shamefully. “I’ve lost everything which mattered to me. How do I go on?”

She took his face in her hands. “How will I touch you?” Elizabeth asked. “The same as I always d
id, with nothing but love. What happened to you doesn’t make me love you less, Callen. It makes me love you more.” She picked up his left hand. “Are we married in your heart? We once took a vow that even without the paper, we were husband and wife. At one point, we believed that our hearts would bind us together. Are you telling me it was a lie?”

He stared at the ring he wore, and the matching one on her finger. “
It’s not a lie, Elizabeth. You’re all I have to hold me above this. Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, clinging to her. “If you go, I’ll die. I’ll know that I’ve lost everything if you turn your back on me because of this stain on my life.”

“I won’t
ever leave,” she crooned in his ear. Gently, she held him against her body, reverently stroking his cheek.

When his breathing calmed, Elizabeth left kisses across his face. “Let’s get you into the bathtub, Callen. It’ll help you relax
, and then I’ll tuck you into bed. I’ll keep you safe tonight,” she vowed. “I won’t leave your side.”

He let her lead the way. After starting the tub, Elizabeth gently helped him out of his shirt. Dropping it to the floor, she helped him out of his boots.  Kneeling before him, she helped him get free of his jeans and boxer
s.

When he was completely naked,
Elizabeth helped him into the tub. As Callen sat, the warm water enveloped him. With a big sponge, she gently soaped it up to wash his shoulders and chest. The light ministrations of her fingers across his chest offered him peace. This was what he missed as a child-the gentle touch of someone who loved him. Here, his angel was soothing his emotional wounds.

Elizabeth left kisses across his face, proving that she wasn’t ever going to
despise him. The entire time he stayed in the bathtub, she remained by his side. There was no way she was leaving him.

As the water cooled, she pulled the plug. “Wyler keeps some provisions here for when he has to work on
totems. I’ll make you something to eat, and then tuck you into bed,” she offered.

Just the thought of her catering to him eased some of the pain which was living in him.
Gentleness beat it back until he could breathe once more.

Elizabeth helped him
dry off. Then, she assisted him into his boxers before taking his hand. “Come on, my love.”

All the cold and fear
that he’d been feeling was slowly receding. Elizabeth was pushing the evil away and filling the darkness with nothing but love.

Pulling some soup from the cabinet, she heated it up. When it was done, she poured it into a mug and handed it to him.
“Let’s go to the couch,” she offered.

When Callen sat beside her, she pulled the blanket off the back and used it to keep him warm.

There was peace in that moment. Callen’s biggest fears were set free as Elizabeth didn't turn from him. Instead, she gave him a safe place to hide. Like Timothy had once done, she’d saved his life.

“Do you want some more soup or some tea?” she asked, running her fingers through his damp hair.

“No, thank you.”

The horrors began ebbing away. While what happened to him haunted
his soul, Callen saw that he wasn’t going to lose the ones he loved. There was safety in that moment.

She took the empty mug from his hand.

“Lyzee, you should eat,” he said, as she pulled him down to rest his head in her lap.

“I’ll be fine, Callen James. Just let me take care of you,” she said,
playing with his hair.

He let her do just that. While lying there,
calm overtook him, and he had no doubt that it was all from her. The woman holding him had done what she promised. Elizabeth was shouldering the burden for Callen since he was too weak to do it alone. When his eyelids slowly lowered, he slipped into sleep. All he could hope was that evil would leave him alone.

Then again, he had his warrior to fight for him, so everything would be alright.

             
                  *     *     *

Wednesday Night

Ethan was worried about his wife and brother. She’d flown out almost four hours ago, and all he’d received was a text message telling him she’d touched down. His gut was knotted up as he
stressed about the people he loved.

Instead of sleeping, he was pacing the small cabin back and forth like a caged tiger, dying to be free.

When his phone rang, he raced to it. Seeing his wife’s number, he grabbed it. “Are you okay?” Ethan blurted.

Elizabeth whispered into the phone. “Yes, we’re at
Timothy’s cabin. Callen’s finally asleep,” she added.

“Is he okay?”

Elizabeth shared the entire story, from the abuse, the number of burns, and what he tried to do that night before granddad stopped him.

Ethan’s temper spiked. The second he heard what had been done to his brother, he wanted blood.
He may not be able to extract it from Charlene Whitefox, but he could from Dean Quinlan. “Is he going to be okay?” he asked, hoping Callen would be strong enough to bounce back from this.

“I think so. He’s more worried that we’d turn from him,” she stated. “He’s trying to process it. The victim has finally broken free from it, and now he needs time to heal.”

“Maybe Doctor Gaines could help him.”

Elizabeth hoped, but she wasn’t sure. “Right now, we need to keep this between us. Callen’s fragile. His emotions are right there at the surface. I don’t want him to break more and feel betrayed.”

He agreed. “When are you coming back?” he asked, glancing at his watch.

“I’m going to try and get Callen to come back with me tomorrow morning. I might make it back before you head to the morgue. If he doesn’t want to, I’ll send him home, and then catch a flight as soon as I can.”

“Just make sure my brother is okay. I can run it here without you for a couple days.”

“I have a feeling he’s going to want to go back. Callen’s not the same broken soul that he was back then. He’s been reinforced by Blackhawk blood. We’ve got his back, and I think he’ll figure that out after some sleep.”

If that were the case, Ethan had something he had to do. “
We’ll take care of him,” he promised.

“I love you, Ethan. He’s
really going to need us,” she whispered.

He didn't doubt it. “I love you too, baby. I’ll call you in the morning. Try and get some sleep,” he suggested.

“You too,” she replied.

“Oh, I will.”

He hung up the phone. “I’ll sleep after I take a little trip out to see Dean Quinlan. I have something I need to discuss with him.”

                                *     *     *

In the stillness of the night, Tony laid in the bed with Jaxon lying across his body. She was curled against him in exhaustion. A few minutes earlier, he woke Jaxon up to show her how amazing it felt to have a boyfriend.

It was funny.

Before her, he honestly believed that he was living. Now, Tony knew the truth.

That was
merely existing.

Everything about
Jaxon made him happy. The scent of her hair, the way she curled into him, and the way her body fit against his. Never in his life had he believed that he’d find a woman who was ten years younger than him and understood his life.

In fact, he
never thought he’d find a woman…period.

Here, fate changed his mind.

Tony couldn’t be happier and the mile wide grin on his face had to prove it.

“Why are you awake?” she mumbled into his neck. “It’s the middle of the night. Please tell me you’re not in the mood for sex again.”

He grinned even more. “Not bad for an older man, huh?” he asked. When his hands wandered lower, past the bedding to stroke delicate flesh, she giggled.

“You’re a perverted old man,”
Jax muttered. “You can’t possibly,” she began, only to have him roll, pinning her beneath him. When he slipped into her, ready to have her again, she stared up at him.

Tony grinned wickedly.

“Are you popping sex aids when I’m not looking?” she asked, as he began moving. Gone was the exhaustion and in its place was the delicious feel of his body.