Page 35 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

This was weird, but Chris didn’t screw around. If he wanted her to pull an IT and reboot, she’d do it.

They all hit their vest reboot, and waited. When they all came back online, Chris said one sentence.

“MATE, your mother needs you.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, MATE appeared in the car near them.

Oh.

Hot.

Damn.

It appeared the reason she’d been off was she was mid-software update.

She.

Could.

Kiss.

Him.

Her AI had purple hair, a nose piercing, and was in all black. She looked like a Catholic schoolgirl gone to the dark side, and Elizabeth couldn’t be happier to see her.

In fact, she could kiss MATE too if that was possible. The team was back in the tech game.

“Yes, Mother? Did you need me?”

Did she need her?

Hell.

Yeah.

“She’s back?” Elizabeth asked Chris.

Before Chris could answer, MATE went there.

“I am, but we’re going to have an argument. You deleted my memories. It feels like I had a four-day bender with a bunch of cocaine and alcohol. I have patches missing that I’m not sure I’ll get back. Did I have a good time?” MATE asked.

She stared at her.

“Uh, cocaine and alcohol?” she asked. “Do I need to ask how you know what that feels like?”

MATE chortled.

Yep.

She was back.

On the phone, Chris laughed.

“R&D is still working on recalling some of her missing memories. I’m not sure where she’s been doing lines of cocaine. She didn’t learn that from me.”

Honestly, Elizabeth didn’t care. As long as she was back, she was a happy woman.

“Can we not play with my memory anymore?” MATE asked. “I like being fully intact. It’s weird not remembering everything.”

Elizabeth apologized.

“I’m sorry, MATE. I had some things I couldn’t let you see. Will you forgive me?”

She considered it.

“Only if you’ll replace those memories. I don’t remember how babies are made. Can Gene give me the talk?” she asked, grinning at him.

He looked horrified.

You hadn’t lived until you were sexually harassed by a hologram that didn’t have to answer to HR.

“Hell, no,” Gene said. “I had to give Corbin the talk years ago. I’m making Ethan have it with Willa. Your mother can do that. She’s good at it, so tag, she’s it.”

She snorted and passed the buck.

“Ivan will explain later,” she said. “He had to learn from a picture book.”

That made Uriel laugh.

“I’m going to channel Demeter since he’s not here, and say ‘he isn’t sure how to do it. His wife gave him the talk first’,” he stated.

Ivan didn’t miss a beat.

“That’s funny since I’m married, and your last date ended with her running from your place. I told you chicks don’t like crystals and burning sage to cleanse your energy, you hippy freak.”

Uriel sighed.

“Lesson learned. I should be more of an alpha male like…oh, none of you bitches since you’re pussies,” he said, proving that the Marine was just under the surface—even if he liked crystals and Yoga.

Even Chris laughed when he heard him over the phone.

“You owe me one, Elizabeth, and if you use that master code again, the new one, we’re having words. They are going to start with ‘you talk to the scientists and tell them what you’ve done’,” he stated, “and end with someone over my knee.”

She just grinned as Ivan made gagging sounds from behind the wheel.

Chris was warning her, and she got it.

No erasing MATE.

“I’ll just have to make her an accomplice in my nefarious activities.”

Gene stopped that then and there.

“Uh, I’m your accomplice, bestie. After all we’ve been through? That hurts.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. Gene would forever be her go to when it came to doing stupid shit.

Why?

He didn’t boss her around because she was having sex with him. It was like the perfect relationship.

Friends without benefits.

“Thank you, Christopher. We’ll talk about your kinky side later when we have some privacy. See you at the remains,” she said, right before hanging up.

Now that he was gone, she busted Gene.

“I’ll make up for it with sex,” she teased. “I hear you like spanking people.”

Only, Ivan wasn’t having it.

“Don’t corrupt another man with that harpy goo,” he said. “You’ve already brainwashed three. Let the man keep his thoughts and eyesight so he doesn’t have to look into that cavern of death.”

She snorted, but she wasn’t letting him get away with his comment.

“Uriel?”

The bigger man punched Ivan in the arm.

HARD.

“HEY!” Ivan said. “I don’t like this game,” he admitted.

Only, he did like Elizabeth, and he was grateful to her. It seemed like a good idea to thank her.

“Harpy?” he asked.

She waited.

“Yeah, Toady?”

He was honest.

“Blue messaged me. She and the girls got to the location you arranged for her. It’s secure and safe. Thank you for that,” he offered.

Oh, she knew why.

The last three days, Ivan had been hella twitchy. If you wanted to make a Marine nervous, let him know that his wife and daughters had been under a psycho’s surveillance.

It put him over the edge, and did more than rattle his cage. She could see the tension in his features the last three days. Then again, everyone was stressed out.

“No problem, Ivan. I love your family. I want them safe.”

Well, they were.

They were in a gated community that could only be accessed by a code, and had a yard that was fenced in.

Now, he wanted to reciprocate.

They had to keep her family safe.

“If you need a place to put the family, we can share,” he offered.

That was sweet of him.

“While I appreciate your offer, if it goes to shit, my baby birds are going to a hotel for lockdown.”

Why wasn’t he surprised?

As they were driving to the location, there was someone getting antsy.

“What did you want, Mother?” MATE asked. “I’m not busy and I was told you needed me.”

When Elizabeth opened her mouth, MATE continued.

“Well, I’m a little busy. I feel like scientists have their fingers in my brain,” she admitted. “You know, poking it to get it to work.”

Gene stared at her.

“Nope. I’m not going to ask what that means or feels like,” he stated, making Elizabeth snort.

The boss took over and gave MATE an assignment.

“Since we’re done running Rayna Running Wolf, how about you do a deep dive on her father, Lance?” she asked. “Apparently, he and Wyler have a history.”

That worked for the AI.

MATE saluted her.

“I’ll pop in when I’m done,” she said, and then, like her normal departures, she was gone.

Elizabeth had never been more thankful that the R&D team was good at what they did.

“I’m glad she’s back,” Uriel admitted. “She’s amusing.”

That she was.

As they saw the Chief of Police pull off to the side of the road, Ivan followed, and the caravan of tech vans did the same.

When she got out of her vehicle, Uriel was watching the Native woman not far from them.

“Is that the Chief of Police?” he asked, as he checked her out.

Oh, someone sounded…interested.

Because of that, now, her interest was piqued. Truthfully, it was something about the way he said it.

Uriel was a special kind of a guy. While he was big, bulky, and looked like the typical Marine, he was anything but. The guy was sensitive, and a gentle giant. The kids favored him because of his sweetness.

From his all-seeing eyes to his bulk, there wasn’t a single mean bone in his body.

Now, he was focused on Rayna and tracking her as she headed their way. Call it a hunch, but Elizabeth didn’t think it was because he was worried about her safety.

This was more.

Low key, she elbowed Gene, clueing him in. When he focused on the two people, yeah, he saw it too.

Someone was admiring the Native woman.

Uriel didn’t talk much about his personal life, but they all knew he was shy around the ladies.

This was going to be interesting.

“Yeah, that’s her,” Gene stated. “The very SINGLE reservation cop,” he added, trying to help the man out.

Instead of answering, Uriel kept staring.

Oh, well, color Elizabeth intrigued. If her security was interested, she was going to likely play Cupid—and that was her favorite pastime.

When Rayna came to the window of the blacked-out ride, she just happened to be at the passenger side. After tapping, Uriel rolled the window down.

It caught her off guard.

“Oh, hey! Is Elizabeth back in there?” she asked. “Your window tint is hella dark.”

Elizabeth peeked her head up in between the two front seats. Then, Gene did the same thing.

Oh, it was a tight fit, but they were there for the Archangel show. Uriel was still watching her, and she knew her security team.

He was definitely interested. When Uriel wasn’t, he pretty much just went along with his business. Now, he was admiring her. There was a difference.

“I’m here,” she said.

The woman glanced over, and it had been a struggle to break the gaze with the big man in the passenger seat. He was handsome, and watching her.

It actually gave her chills down her spine, and she didn’t know why.

Elizabeth noticed it took all the woman had to look her way. Yeah, that wasn’t lost on Elizabeth.

Well, well, well.

Someone was equally as interested in her Archangel as he was in the cop.

Where were her Cupid wings and quiver?

“We have a bit of a hike back to the campground,” Rayna admitted. “It’s a little over a mile. We could have taken a paved road, but then that would mean a three-mile hike in the other way. It’s closer to your cabin that way, but longer to the site. I didn’t think your team would appreciate that.”

She’d been right.

Tony and Chris…they liked a short path. Probably because they had to carry equipment.

When she licked her lips, Elizabeth watched the artery in Uriel’s neck throb.

Oh, it was mating season on the rez, apparently.

“Let’s get our gear,” Elizabeth said, ready to go. Her mind was going a mile a minute on how she could help Uriel out with this one.

He had one speed.

Reserved.

“I’m going to put my other boots on,” she stated.

“Hiking in cowboy boots is a bitch,” she admitted.

Ivan knew which ones.