Page 13 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

“As a heads-up, Angel, it’s only a matter of time before the council asks to see us. They’ll notice the presence on the rez, and want a face-to-face meeting to discuss everything.”

Oh, she was aware.

The legacy of Timothy only got them so far.

They’d only tolerate so much before they were cranky about it. She was going to have to do the dance with them at some point.

“Do you want me to call them, and talk to them about the situation?” Callen asked. “Going to them is going to make them far more considerate of the situation than letting them find two Secret Service dudes hiding in a van on the side of the road.”

She laughed.

Yeah, he had a point on that one.

It was good to see that Callen was already thinking like the FBI liaison.

Good for him.

And her.

“Of course, they won’t blend in,” she stated. “And yes, contact them. See if the Chief Redbear will give us a little leeway on this one. We’re going to need to do the dance for a while in order to get back in their good graces.”

He would.

It appeared he was back to being on duty.

While the Native council loved the Blackhawks, thanks to the philanthropic donations and assistance the tribe were given, it was always shaky ground for a couple of reasons.

They were also Feds, and that was a touchy history for the tribe.

Timothy had promised his son would take over as Shaman one day, and to that date, no one had picked up the role. That also made them cranky.

Once they found out Ethan wasn’t interested, that would piss them off.

Honestly though, no one knew if Wyler was interested or not. He kept that close to the vest.

MATE chimed, alerting her.

“Yes?” she asked.

They system shared.

“Your administrative assistant is clear. I went deep, and she has no connection to you or any cases that you’ve worked.”

Well, thank God.

“Awesome, MATE. I appreciate it.”

The system only chimed, and yeah, Elizabeth missed her AI personal assistant. She kept it light and fun.

Well, this was on her.

When they were parked, that’s when it began.

As they all got out of their vehicles, there were stares as their menagerie of people headed for the elevator. When they got in, she had security back off.

“Give me some time to break them in before you go Marine gung-ho on them. We’ll be safe. Again, it’s a locked, and secure building.”

Ivan backed off, and that last part was the ONLY reason why he did.

They’d have to go through security at the front, or him at this elevator.

Honestly, Ivan was well aware that she could hold her own—for the most part—and he had to work on some things to get them situated there.

Like coverage and his own family. Supposedly, the team had handled that too.

“If you need me, just text me. I can be upstairs with backup pretty damn fast,” he said, moving toward her.

She stared at him.

“If you hug me goodbye, I’m slapping the taste out of your mouth, Toady.”

He actually laughed.

“Give me your wrist,” he said, and when she did, he pulled off her watch, put a dot on the back of it, and smiled ferally at her.

“If you take that watch off to slip away, I’m not going to get mean to you,” he said. “I’m taking it out on your favorite one in the group.”

Gene gasped.

“What did I do?”

That amused her to no end.

The husbands, not so much.

“Point made, Toady. I’ll not slip away. A girl does that a few times, and a security guy never lets her forget it.”

He just stared at her.

Tough room.

As the doors to the elevator closed, she took a deep breath and got ready for this. Riding up, each man put his hand on her.

“You have this,” Gene admitted.

Oh, she was aware.

The scariest part of all of this was that she did have it. The problem was Wyler.

Not work.

To reassure her, Gene kissed her on the cheek.

“I have your back. I promise.”

Yeah, that was the truth.

He was her newest ride or die.

Both Callen and Chris squeezed her hands, reassuringly as their wife was going to not only have to reassimilate, but run it like she goddamn stole it.

It began…

NOW.

As the door to the elevator opened, she was the first one out. Walking in, she crossed the FBI emblem on the floor—the one they’d put there when the building was completed.

It was now official.

She.

Was.

Back.

May God have mercy on this side of the country’s souls. It was about to be a rough one—like picked up, ridden hard in the car, and dumped at the bus stop.

The Elizabeth that was here before was a whole other animal.

A feral one.

Right now, she couldn’t handle much more than the normal, daily FBI stuff. Until she got her bearings, and dealt with Wyler, it was a shitshow in the making.

Once in the waiting area, a petite woman was standing there. She had a tablet in her hand, and a Bluetooth earpiece in her ear.

The welcome wagon awaited.

As soon as she saw them, she moved toward them with her hand out in greeting.

“Deputy Director Blackhawk, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Vivian Hill, your personal assistant and secretary. I’m glad to see you arrived safely.”

She shook her hand.

Elizabeth wasn’t worried about this woman. She wouldn’t have to deal with her more than the usual. Ian on the other hand would.

He’d be running roughshod over her for funsies. He liked to bust balls if they weren’t efficient.

“Thank you, Vivian, and please, it’s Elizabeth.”

The woman smiled.

“Welcome back to the scene of the crime, Elizabeth,” she teased lightheartedly.

Wasn’t that the truth?

Only, before Elizabeth could comment, Vivian greeted each of them.

“Gentlemen, can I show you to your personal spaces here at FBI West?” she asked. “I’ve been alerted to your positions and what would work best in this situation. I hope I’ve managed to get you exactly what you require in order to do your job here.”

Well, why not?

They were down for a tour.

Granted, they’d all been here with the exception of Gene.

“Lead away,” Elizabeth said, willing to let the woman guide them. She would never forget this place, since it was what she and Ethan created.

It was like coming home.

If home was any other place than DC.

And made your palms itchy just thinking about it.

As they walked, she took them down the hallway to one of the offices.

“Doctor Leonard, the Director of the FBI wanted you near your team. This is your office,” she said, handing him a card to unlock the door.

He tapped it, and was going to get the chip programmed into his watch—his smart watch.

It would make it easier.

On this side of the country, it was best to do just that. This was going to be a struggle for all of them.

As they went inside, they found a desk, a round table with five chairs, and a view of the mountains.

This would work.

“We can do autopsy updates here,” Chris said, knowing once he had two MEs on staff, his job would go back to being supervisory.

Vivian explained.

“MATE was installed yesterday. Do you need a tutorial on how to utilize her?” she asked, pleasantly.

He would have laughed but no one knew MATE was created by him for his wife. The company that contracted out with the FBI wasn’t Leonard Industries.

It was a shell company to keep his identity quiet, so no one called foul.

In all honesty, the FBI didn’t pay for MATE. It was a gift to help them handle criminals, so Elizabeth stayed safe. He doubted the bureaucrats would give a damn.

“No, I’m very familiar with MATE, and by all means, call me Christopher. I’m not formal if you don’t work under me.”

Vivian just nodded.

“As you wish, Christopher. The Director of the FBI wanted you close to the Deputy Director. I hope this is sufficient.”

It actually was.

“I’m quite pleased,” he offered.

Elizabeth’s office, if it was the same one Ethan utilized years ago, was less than twenty feet from his. Any closer, and they’d share a wall.

Vivian crossed something off of an electronic list, efficiently.

Ian was going to have a run for his money with this one. She was definitely good at her job.

“Then, shall we go to the offices down the hall? That’s where the Psych Division is now located. Granted, we don’t have anyone here who works in that division, but when the Director demands, we deliver.”

Oh, they did have a division now. Ethan was a walking, talking profile giver.

Only, now, he had a question. It was surreal to be in here, and seeing all the changes that the previous director had made to undo his and Elizabeth’s.

Ethan raised his hand.

“I’m going to be hiring for this division. There will be a team at some point. I hope it will have room for everyone. I’m aiming for at least two more profilers.”

Vivian nodded.

“Very well, Doctor Blackhawk. I think you’ll like the space and find it quite suitable.”

That worked for him.

When they reached the door to the space, he, too, was handed a card. As he tapped the screen, the door was unlocked.

Inside, there were rooms within rooms. To the left, there was an office door that had his name next to it, and there were two other doors with smaller rooms.

Ethan checked it out.

Oh, well, he didn’t have to worry.

This was perfect.

“Will this be sufficient, Doctor Blackhawk?” Vivian asked.

He nodded.

“Yes, it will. Oh, and call me Ethan.”

She smiled.

“Thank you, Ethan. This is a conference room that they retrofitted for your needs as the head of this newly created division here.”

Oh, he remembered. This used to be where he had meetings with his directors every Friday.

That was definitely an ideal space.

“Again, Vivian, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

She pointed toward the wall where there was a giant monitor mounted there.

“MATE was installed here too. She’s not online yet. I’m not sure how that happens, but I was told you guys would know.”

Oh, Elizabeth did.

“MATE,” she said, waking her up on her watch.

“Yes, Director?”

“Integrate into the tech in every office we’ll be in, and lock down using our personal passwords. You’ll find the specs in Vivian Hill’s tablet. Clone it, and get it done for us.”

The system chimed.