Page 12 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

Because his wife needed him too, Callen didn’t mind taking back that role. When in Damascus, deal with the plethora of Native situations.

Oh, and there would be a bunch. They had jurisdiction over any crimes that involved drugs, guns, or homicide.

God.

He remembered those days.

“I can do that for you, Angel.”

Good.

That was handled.

“Ethan, there’s not a shrinky-dink division here. They use Callie and you when they need profiles, correct?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Yes, my love.”

Well, that was changing.

Here.

And.

Now.

While she had to hope they’d be back on the flights home later tonight, she had to plan for the worst-case scenario. That was her job as deputy director.

“I’d like to say we’ll be gone soon, but I have that feeling in the pit of my stomach that we won’t be. I have to follow my gut.”

Oh, they were definitely stuck here for the time being. They all could bet on that.

Wyler was NOT going back to DC.

He was a stubborn Native who was called home to the land. It happened to most of them at some point.

“I want you to get a self-sufficient division up and running. I may need to keep Axl with me to work cases, but I want you to start looking for backup profilers. You won’t be able to handle the load alone.

The last thing I need is my personal profiler burned out. That will be dangerous for my team.”

He could do that.

“Yes, Boss.”

As soon as he said it, Elizabeth laughed.

How could she not?

“Yeah, keep reminding me. I can’t drop this ball, or I’m going to be unemployed. If I’m not working, I’m tits out on a beach somewhere trying to make pocket money for snacks and caffeine from the husbands.”

Well, no one was saying no to that—except Gene, and only to bust her ass.

When Callen opened his mouth, she didn’t even look over at him.

“I’ll report you to HR. Test me, Callen James. Today is not the day, nor is it the week to try it.”

He laughed.

Well, it was good to see that his wife was still in there, buried under the red tape and angsty attitude. He’d get her to come out at one point.

She’d be good again.

“EJ, find the budget, and divide it in half. DC gets the lion’s share of funding for profilers—normally. I want to divide and conquer while we’re here, and add to a team here so you and Callie can take a breather.”

That he understood.

“On it.”

It looked as if his wife was digging in and running it like she stole it.

She focused on Chris.

“The original Autopsy One is being used. Do you want it back?” she asked. “Or do you want to make a new one? I’ll leave that up to you since you’re the Director of Forensic Medicine. It’s your call.”

Oh, well, since she offered.

Hell.

No.

“Autopsy One is my baby. She’s been my baby for years—even when you were gone. I’m stealing her back, and I’ll show them how it’s going to run here. They’re going to have to move. Not me.”

She laughed.

“Ah, making friends on day one. I knew I could count on you to be onboard with my angst.”

He shrugged.

“I created the protocols that the doctors use here. My job is easier. I just have to find MEs that I think deserve to be in that morgue. It runs well as it is.”

That it did.

Thank God for that. It was the one thing they didn’t have to revamp. Chris could hold it down until they were back on track.

“Tell me what you need in the budget once you figure it out. The two MEs who were working there have been moved, and I’m sure they aren’t happy.”

Oh, he bet.

Who would be?

Certainly, not him.

“Honestly, Bethe, I trained them both before we left FBI West. We took Zane, and the other two stayed. I’m going to let them work on different teams, so that everything runs as per protocols.”

She pointed at him.

“Do not celebrate too much regarding not having to deal with Zane. I already know you, and how you tend to think.”

He grinned.

And grinned.

And grinned.

“Oh, I’m having a big old party in my head, and you can’t stop me,” he challenged. “What are you going to do? Make me talk to him all day on a video call as he speculates on an autopsy?”

She actually laughed.

How could she not?

This was his ideal situation.

Chris was going to find new MEs to be his main team, so he could go back to supervising. He would be allowed to pick each one to make sure they thought like he did.

One thing buttered her biscuits and pissed her off.

Every single time they got ahead of the hiring situation, something came and kicked their feet out from under them.

Every.

Single.

Time.

It really never failed.

“Again, find two people to help you, and submit your budget. Axelle has given me a little leeway since we’re here, and that means we’re going to be taking a lot more cases out of this office. I have to restaff my team here.”

Callen was curious.

“Are you going to be able to run both office teams, all of FBI West, and anything else that pops up? That seems to be a lot.”

She laughed sardonically.

Why?

Because her back was to the wall, and she was being held hostage. Axelle didn’t just let her come here out of the kindness of her heart.

It meant taking on more responsibility.

It was make-or-break time.

“I don’t have a choice, Callen, unfortunately. I’m boned really good, at this point, but I’m accustomed to that. We’re going to see if my ADHD superpowers will keep me afloat,” she admitted.

Honestly, it was all going to come down to relying on the team to handle it.

That was the only choice she had.

“Callen, if you hold down your job here, and Ethan does his thing, Gene and I will be okay. It’ll mostly be my paperwork and meetings as Deputy Director that will need monitoring.”

She swiped right on the screen, and Ian Patterson’s face was there.

That’s when she told them what she’d managed to pull off.

“I reached out to Ian, and he’s willing to help me manage this office. He’s the official office manager. He’ll be my right-hand man when it comes to everyday FBI agenda so I can work in the field.”

They knew she needed to work cases, or she’d be bored on day one.

“Like I said, Gene will be my official partner because we have very similar investigative skills. We just have to be mindful.”

They all looked confused.

“Of what?” Chris asked.

She was to the point.

“What flew in DC, might not fly here. We’re going to be scrutinized all over again. The media will be in its glory, and there will be other federal employees who aren’t thrilled with us being here.”

They all knew what she was doing.

Elizabeth was protecting her family. They were going to have to prove all over again that there wasn’t nepotism at the core of their group, but instead a team that could manage it all.

“MATE, who is my secretarial assistant?” she asked, needing an update.

The system chimed, and a woman’s face and her information were on her tablet, along with everyone else’s.

“A Miss Vivian Hill.”

Elizabeth wanted to make sure that they didn’t get bit in the ass anytime soon.

Been there.

Done that.

“Can you cross-check Vivian with any case I’ve ever worked in my entire time at the FBI? I want to make sure we’re safe. Check to ensure she hasn’t had a friend or family member tracked down by ANY of us.”

MATE chimed, and answered her.

“I can do that, Director. How deep of a search do you request?”

Oh, that was easy.

“Go as deep as you can, and as quickly as you can,” she suggested.

MATE acknowledged it.

“Very well, Director.”

Now, Elizabeth was curious.

“What happened to the person running the office?” she asked. “I know they were bumped, but bumped to where?”

Just.

In.

Case.

The last thing they needed was bitter Bettys shitting on her parade here.

MATE shared.

“The director who was in charge of this office was moved to the San Diego office upon his request to be moved out of there. Apparently, he didn’t want to stay the second he heard the Blackhawks were coming back.”

Ethan laughed.

“I mean, he wasn’t my biggest fan, so I’m not shocked,” he admitted. “It’s probably for the best since he wanted to be in DC running the place.”

Oh, and they knew why.

Ethan had run roughshod over this office, and when he’d been picked to be deputy director, some people thought it was because of Gabe.

Not Ethan’s skill.

But his ethnicity.

“Okay, so that looks like we’re pretty clear, minus the agents that work here. I’ll go through their files another time to see who I can pull over to work any violent crimes that come our way.”

Ivan alerted her.

“I know you don’t need to know this, but we’ll be arriving in one minute.”

It was time.

Elizabeth got ready to return to the scene of the crime. The crime being their abandonment of FBI West to go home to DC where they would make a name for themselves.

This should be fun.

As they pulled into the garage where there was a parking space for her there, they all got ready to make an appearance.

It was like going to school the first day at a new location. People would talk, there would be whispers, and now, they were on their own.

DC meant the president.

Here meant…Elizabeth.

She was the most powerful Fed this side of the country, and with that came the stress that would make or break her.

“We’ve got this,” she said, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince them. Everyone needed to be onboard.

EVERYONE.

As soon as the vehicle was parked, she focused on Ivan.

“I need you to update me on the kids,” she said. “Please make sure they are safe.”

He was to the point.

“They will be. We have Secret Service not far away. They just got into position to make sure Coraline and Oliver are okay.”

That helped a little.

And any bit counted.

While she wasn’t a fan of the Secret Service, thanks to a history of issues with them, she was a fan of them helping keep Coraline and Oliver safe.

They would make sure the first daughter and first grandson were protected.

Or asses would be chewed.

Oh, and badges lost.

“Good. Give them whatever they need. I’m not going to start shit with them as long as they do their job.”

Callen hated to bother her with something.