Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (68 page)

“So, why the FBI?”

She was at ease now as she pondered the question. Ethan had been doing this long enough and knew how to study his subject.

“I woke up one day and needed a change. I was approached by someone in the FBI and given the opportunity to use my grave digging skills for something good.”

Well, that explains it. The FBI recruited her to hide her in their ranks. They gave her a shield, and he didn't mean a gold shiny one.
She’d been set up from the start and didn't even know it.

“I think digging up remains has to be very hard,” Callen said.

“Yeah, it’s really difficult for me when they have flesh. When they’re just bones, I can see the wounds, the tale they tell, and the history. Once someone gives them a face, like a forensic artist, I lose my objectivity.”

Ethan understood. Not everyone was cut out to play with the dead. Some needed that distance to stay objective.

Jaxon Armstrong was one of them.

He had news for her. This was the wrong place to be. The
ir dead were generally fleshy first, and then turned into bones in order to solve the crime.

“How
do you like it so far?” Ethan asked, sipping his own soda.

Jaxon took
in the man before her. He was icy and emotionless. She could tell that he was perfect to run the FBI division under him with an iron fist. While he might not say much, letting Elizabeth be the speaker of the group, she saw the error in believing he was powerless.

The dark eyes seemed to stare right through her, and the lack of any sign of him being happy or angry was off settling.

“I hate it.”

He smiled. “Thank you for the truth, Doctor. Had you lied, I would have lost respect for you.”

She let out the breath she was holding. “You’re scary.”

Callen laughed.
When Ethan gave him a look, he finally spoke, “What? She said it, I didn't.”

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, the door opened and Elizabeth strolled in.

“Am I missing all the fun?”

Jaxon took that back. This boss was far scarier. The way she stared through her, it made her feel like she was going in front of the Spanish Inquisition.

“We waited for you to arrive,” Ethan admitted.

“Howdy, Doctor. Are you having a good time with my partners?” she asked, sitting in Ethan’s lap.

“Yes,” she squeaked.

“Good. What were y’all talking about?”

“How I hate this job.”

She started laughing. “Well, I’m glad to see I jumped in at the right time. If you don’t mind, I do have a few questions for you,” Elizabeth said, stealing a sip of Ethan’s soda.

“Sure.”

“What’s your intent with my friend?”

She stared at her. “He’s my boyfriend.” It was all she could come up with at that moment. It was like this woman froze up her brain and made it hard to think. She was pretty sure it was the icy blue eyes.

Elizabeth analyzed the woman before her, and the simple answer. Okay, she could work with this.
“Don’t break his heart, or I’ll hunt you down and make you suffer.”

Jaxon
swallowed.

“
Now, why don’t you tell me about Michael O’Banion, and how the daughter of a mob boss is working on my FBI team?”

The soda can she was
holding slipped from her fingers. “Shit!”

Callen grabbed some paper towels
to wipe up the spill.

“
Damn it. You’re right to the point.”

She tipped her head. “I’m technically your boss. I make it my job to know my team. If you’re all going to be with me in the field, I want to know what I’m up against.”

Jaxon wanted the cushions to come alive and swallow her whole. “You obviously know who he is.”

“
Oh, I’ve been in the FBI for a long time. I’ve run into him and his goons a time or two.”

Well, she might as well spill her guts.
“He was a bastard, and I don’t care that he’s gone. He ruined my childhood, killed my mother, and hurt more people than I could even count. As far as I’m concerned, he can rot in hell with the rest of his cronies. When he died, I never even went to his funeral.”

She hoped it would speak volumes. There was no love lost between her and the deceased sperm donor.

“Well put, Doctor Armstrong. Now, let’s hop back to my friend. What are your intentions?”

She couldn’t get her footing. The woman
before her was shaking her up like a can of soda. Any second, she felt like she’d explode all over the place.

“You’re very blunt.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that a few times in my life.”

“I happen to care about
Tony. For the first time in my life, I’m Jaxon Armstrong, not Michael O’Banion’s kid. When I’m with him, I feel amazing. You don’t have anything to worry about, Director. They day I hurt him, I’ll leave on my own. You won’t have to run me out of town. Tony matters to me, and I want to be with him.”

She saw the truth in the woman’s eyes. Immediately, she softened.
“Elizabeth. You can call me by my name. Tony’s like a brother to me. He’s family.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth. If it matters, I think I’m in love with him.”

She grinned, getting up to get her own soda. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Elizabeth
would hold onto the hope that this woman despised her father. Hopefully, if it ever did get out, Jaxon wouldn’t give a rat’s ass if he were alive.

“So, is he why you do this
job? It’s obvious that you don’t like the dead. Puking today at the crime scene gave that away. Why do you torture yourself with looking at countless victims?”

She shrugged.

“Not good enough. I’ve stood in pits with bodies. I know the impact that has. Now, try again.”

“My father was a killer. I’m bringing justice to those who were dumped without regard. Yeah, sitting in a pit sucks. Looking at dead children, genocide, and all the atrocities
eats away at a piece of me. Each day I get up, I do it again and again, trying to wipe the slate clean. While they were covered in dirt, I sat in a mansion being treated like a princess. I had wealth and anything blood money could buy. Now, I find all I want is to wash my hands of the stains my fucked up family left behind.”

“I can appreciate that.”

“Can we try to be friends?” she asked, not sure what her tenure would be like in the FBI, but obviously the woman before her had an emotional attachment to Tony.

It wasn’t like she could blame her.

He was pretty freaking awesome.

“I think that we can arrange that, Doctor,” she stated. “I have a few qualities in my friends I appreciate. They don’t lie. They try their best, and in their hearts, they mean what they say.”

She sipped her soda.

“So,
you won’t kick my ass?”

Callen laughed. “She’s madly in love with us, and we’re not free of that. Good luck.”

She pointed at him. “You’re lucky you’re sexy.”

Jaxon laughed. Yeah, she saw the dynamic.

“So, any more questions?”

She thought about it. “Yeah, just one…”

                                *     *     *

When he heard the knock on the door, he assumed that Elizabeth had somehow locked it on her way out. Poor Jaxon was trapped outside. He was a little giddy knowing she was coming back. He was going to make her dinner, spend some time on the couch, and maybe even make love to her in the bedroom.

Then, he was going to tell her what was on his mind.

He was madly in love with her.

The grin on his face said it all. Yeah, it was only a few days into their relationship, but honestly he didn't care. He was going with all the advice from his friends. In fact, he made a mental note to call his best buddy, Chris Leonard, and introduce them. It was akin to bringing her home to meet his family.

Yeah, this felt damn right.

Once at the door, he pulled it open without looking outside first.

It took a second for recognition to dawn before he realized his mistake. Tony was startled by who stood there, and the gun in his hand.

It couldn’t be.

Something was wrong.

Before he could make a sound there was an ear shattering pop.

Then came the pain.

Wave after wave of anguish swallowed him
.

Tony fell as the man took off into the dark. As his hands went to his chest, he
could feel the wetness. Then his senses were assaulted by the familiar scent of blood.

The light wavered as he held on. His only hope was that Elizabeth, Ethan, and Callen had heard the shot and would arrive. Then, there was fear.

So would Jaxon.

“Oh God,” he whispered as life ebbed from him. The puddle below him grew as time shortened.

Tony Magnus was taking a trip to the morgue.

Just not to work…

~ Chapter Nineteen ~

The sound made them jump.

While this was the Rez and surely there were hunters, none should be that close to the cabin and firing a gun. Plus, it wasn’t a rifle, but the distinctive pop of one of their handguns.

Jaxon jumped from her seat
before racing toward the door. Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen were right behind her. In fact, they raced past her, all three of their guns drawn.

As they approached the door, the men went through first
, making sure they would be safe. At their feet lay Tony, and despite the need to check on him, they knew Elizabeth would handle it.

“Tony!” Jaxon shouted, once she saw Elizabeth drop to her knees, sliding through the blood to get to the fallen man. “Oh my God!”

Elizabeth knew she didn't have much time. Pulling off her shirt, she stripped down to the tank top beneath, as Jaxon cradled his head in her lap.

“Tony,” she called, pressing
her shirt into his chest wound, grateful that it was to the right side of his body, not his left. Then again, she knew there were arteries there, and if one was hit, Tony Magnus was a goner.

Ethan r
eturned with a bathroom towel. Elizabeth promptly rolled it up and lifted her friend’s torso. The bullet had gone clean through. She could feel the hole in his shirt.

“
An ambulance is on the way, and Callen is calling for the team. This is now a crime scene.”

She patted
Tony on the face, trying to get his attention. When that didn't work she whistled. It was shrill and forced him to open his eyes.

When he did, she stared into his. “Hey! You’ve got to stay awake. I want you to look at me. Don’t look away.”

He tried. He was so tired that he could barely speak.

As she kept the pressure on his chest and back, he pulled her down with a bloody hand. In her ear, he whispered.

“Victim number one.”

She stared down at him. “Tony, come on. You have to stay here with me.”

Jaxon was hysterical. “Please, Tony! I need you. You can’t do this to me. I’ve lost everyone. Please don’t go too. I just got a boyfriend. You have to stay with me!”
              While his eyes remained closed, he held onto Jaxon’s hand.

“He’s going to be okay,” Elizabeth promised. She had her doubts, but she’d keep them to herself.

“He’s escalating,” stated Ethan, hoping the man on the floor didn't become the next victim.

“Yeah,
now he’s somehow got his hands on a gun.”

Suddenly, Jaxon began weeping. “
Oh God! I think it’s mine. When he took me in the cemetery, I had my gun. I don’t think I know where it is now.”

Oh, the things
Elizabeth felt like saying. How the bloody hell did a person misplace a gun? They weren’t toys or your favorite pen. A gun was something that could take a life.

This was
the case in point.

“The tech team is rolling,” stated Callen. “I can hear the ambulances
now.”

Tony
was listening, but everything they were saying sounded like he was far away from it all. He struggled to keep himself awake. God, he wished he could talk. When they found out who pulled the trigger, they wouldn’t believe him.