Page 104 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

“No, Wyler. I’m not ready to forgive you.

I’ll help your widow, but I need time to come to grips with the anger I’ve felt for a long time.

It’s going to take more than the words to say you’re sorry.

Actions speak louder than anything. While I’m deeply sorry you’re about to meet our maker, I am entitled to my feelings. I’ll consider what you’ve offered me.”

Wyler lowered his hand.

That was Lance’s right, and he didn’t begrudge him that.

“I understand, Lance. I hope we get there one day,” he admitted.

Before he was gone.

Wyler wanted peace so his soul could rest.

Now, it would be about time and space.

Wyler just hoped he had enough of both.

For everyone.

* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *

The Reservation

Afternoon

More Interviews

Elizabeth’s day was far from over, and what she needed was something to eat, some fruitful interviews, and a small miracle.

All of which she wasn’t sure she was going to get anytime soon. What she really wanted was to get this done and get the hell out of here.

Only the more she focused on that and less on the case, the further away it got.

When her phone chimed, she pulled it from her pocket, and saw that it was a number she didn’t recognize.

‘Hey, boss! It’s Ben. We just got the DNA back on the blood found on your arm, and in the cave. It was deer blood, not human. I hope I’m not bothering you, since you said this is how you rolled. Be safe! Lucifer.’

She actually laughed.

“I’m absolutely not calling him Lucifer,” she said, focused on her team.

“Ben?” Callen asked.

She nodded.

“The blood on me and the cave wasn’t human. It was a scare tactic. Someone’s trying to make it Halloween when it’s still summer,” she admitted, showing Takoda the text so he could feel like he was on the team.

When Ivan turned in the driver’s seat, he had news for her.

“Ethan is en route,” he said. “He’ll be rendezvousing with us shortly.”

She lifted a brow.

What was this?

“Uh, why?” she asked.

He was to the point.

“From what Raphael said, he was going to feed his wife, and show her where the totem pole was going.”

It took her a second.

Then, she remembered.

The memorial library he wanted to put in at the community center—the same one waiting for them right now as they were parked outside of it.

“Okay, that’s fine. Tell Raphael that his wife better get fries with him disregarding my orders for him to stay inside.”

Ivan laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

“Oh, what’s it like when someone disregards your orders?” he asked. “That’s so unfamiliar to me.”

She winked at him.

He had a point.

That was how she rolled.

“Okay, team. I’m going to go talk to Elkie,” she stated. “She wanted to see me, and I want to talk to her about her husband and sons. They’re at the top of my list,” she admitted. “After their show at the bar, they warrant some digging.”

Callen lifted a brow.

“They are?”

Elizabeth pulled out her tablet and showed him the people she had on it.

Joshua Stormchaser

Roland Stormchaser

Paditi Stormchaser

Lance Running Wolf

Eli Running Wolf

Callen whistled.

Gene too.

That was quite the list, and for good reason.

“Uh, you’re lucky that Rayna rode with Uriel. She’d be spitting mad if she saw you think her father is a killer.”

Elizabeth shrugged.

Yeah, well, when she does this job for twenty-plus years, she can be entitled to put who she wants on the list. Elizabeth was smart enough not to fuck around and find out.

PERIOD.

“We don’t know where her brother is. That’s why he’s on there, and we also know that Lance is not in bad shape. I’m sure he could run his ass through the woods just fine. Plus, he’s been warning her off of this case. That’s suspicious. Is it paternal concern only? We’ll find out.”

They listened to her.

“I’m not showing her this list for a reason.

I don’t distrust her, but that’s her blood relative.

I don’t like the ‘we haven’t seen him in two years’ bullshit.

We know that the DNA kept this wide open.

We also did searches on the Running Wolf’s.

We know that Rayna took off, but we don’t know a whole hell of a lot about her brother. ”

Callen got it.

“So it’s precautionary.”

She nodded.

“We searched everyone else so far, with the exception of the two chuckle heads you interviewed in their yard, Joseph Thunderfoot, and Oren Skye.”

They didn’t argue.

Callen knew she was right.

Gene agreed.

“I mean, it could be. At this point, it could be anyone since the DNA didn’t lock it down for us.”

On that, she agreed.

“Until we clear them, let’s keep this on the DL.

Which brings me to the next part. I’m going to be talking to Redbear.

Go clear it, CJ. I want to hit everyone up here that I can in one shot.

I don’t have time to be going back and forth here.

The last thing I want to do is be out at night playing in the shadows with the mad arrow shooters gunning for us. ”

They all agreed there.

“I’m going to get some interviews done. When Ethan gets here, hold him. I’ll have lunch with him, and you guys. Then, we’ll regroup.”

That worked for them.

“When this is over, I want a beach day where I’m in the most scandalous bikini known to mankind.”

Callen cheered.

EVERYONE ELSE…the horror—especially Takoda. He stared with the look of disgust on his face.

“You’re my mom. Wear a tarp. I need you to cover this situation up,” he said, waving his hand in front of her chest.

She snorted and kissed Takoda on the forehead. Her son was funny.

“Get used to it. One day, you’ll be busting Oliver’s ass over Coraline. Unless you plan on not being attracted to your wife,” she said.

He gasped.

“The lies!”

Yeah, he was his father’s son.

Getting out, Gryphen was ALL OVER HER. Like she could barely move her arm he was so close to the back of her. So instead of being annoyed, she opted to make a point by busting ass.

“Someone’s happy to see me,” she teased.

Only, he was well aware of her jackassery and didn’t bat an eye.

“That’s my nine-millimeter. Nice try, ball buster. You’re snarky like Ian, but missing the right parts. That’s not the kind of rise you’ll get out of me.”

The snort said it all.

Well, at least they all had their humor still. They’d need it to get through all of this.

When she noticed the Chief of Police lollygagging behind her, she whistled and gave her a look.

It said, be less distracted by the sexy man and more focused on the job.

Knowing she was busted, Rayna caught up with her, and she was grinning. Someone was getting all giddy around Uriel.

“Thanks for letting me ride with Caspian instead,” she offered.

Oh, it was no problem. Half the fun of playing Cupid was being able to see it unfold around her.

It did her heart good since Uriel was grinning too.

Only, it was time to work, and that had to take precedence on this one.

“Okay, security. Watch the door and for Ethan. You can’t come traipsing around in here.”

They backed off.

Why?

No one was shooting an arrow through a thick wood wall. In theory, she should be safe—unless she got into a fist fight with a Native.

And Gene was there to stop that shit.

They hoped.

Then again, he was her partner in crime so…

“Be careful. Call if you need us,” Ivan said. “We’ll detain Ethan.”

She wished.

What wouldn’t she do to get her hands on ANY of her husbands? It felt like forever since she’d had sex, and since that was yesterday, that told her all she needed to know.

She was NOT having a good time.

The battery was low.

“Kinky,” she joked, making Ivan snort.

Heading into the community center, Elizabeth kept Takoda close as Callen was off to do his Native duties as liaison. Gene was right behind her, making sure no one snuck up on them.

To do what?

She had no idea.

Maybe sage her so that the spirit of this city stopped haunting her.

When they entered the food pantry, Elkie was helping another older woman get some food. As she did, Elizabeth watched her.

The woman was…spry for her age.

What was also bothering her about her sons, and how they might be involved in this, was the proximity that the bar was to Thomas Adsila’s home.

One of the boys could have snuck out earlier, got there by moving through the trees to hide in his closet, while the other closed up and caught up.

They knew Thomas was most definitely drunk from the lab reports, so he likely wasn’t hauling ass home.

She also didn’t like that Elkie’s husband recently died. So far, everyone had told her that The Hollow passed this down from generation to generation.

It also answered why the three sets of remains had gnawing that matched the two pairs of teeth marks, but years apart.

Was The Hollow training his replacement all of these years? Was that possibly her biggest clue?

Unfortunately, she needed to feel it out. Oh, and by not making a perfectly nice older woman suspicious.

Or offended.

Normally, she wouldn’t care, but there were circumstances here.

Like her husband’s grew up here. While she prided herself on rattling the boat, here was not the time or place.

PERIOD.

When the woman turned around, Elizabeth waved at her.

“Hey, Elkie,” she said, playing it cool. “I hear you needed to see me.”

The woman headed her way, and immediately pulled her down to give her a big kiss.

“I did want to see you. Thank you for coming,” she said. “Who is this handsome man?” she asked, looking at Takoda, who was next to Gene.

“This is my eldest son, Takoda,” she said. “He’s a Marine, and keeping me company today.”

He held out his hand, and shook hers.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.”

The woman beamed.

“You look like Callen. He has to be your daddy,” she said. “He was a wild child at your age. Good for you for being a Marine. We tried to get my sons to sign up, but they never wanted to leave the reservation. My Joshua made them homebodies.”

Elizabeth was curious.

And her lowkey investigation began with that segue into the topic of her kids.

“Do they live near you?” she asked.