Page 74 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

On The Reservation

The Blackhawk Cabin

Nine P.M.

While sitting in the living room of the cabin, they heard the sound of tires on gravel, and the high-beam light danced across the wall. It appeared that the other half of the team had returned, back from their job.

And Elizabeth was grateful.

Having them back, safe and sound, was the only option for her, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been stressing them being on the crime scene while she hid out.

Playing chicken wasn’t something she liked, or found great satisfaction in doing.

It made her feel guilty that she couldn’t pull her weight. While she knew she needed the down time, it was good that they’d come home safely.

When they walked in, immediately, they dropped their gear, which included taking off their shoes, and placing their body armor by them.

“Beautiful, we’re back,” Callen called, as they headed in, grateful to be home.

The walk back to the vehicles had been terrifying. With each step, the woods seemed alive, and haunted. There was no doubt to the three of them that the killers were watching them.

How did they know?

The sounds of that horrible whistle tracked them, and with each distance they put between them and the campground, the whistle was there with them.

It was no easy task moving a herd of techs, surrounding them with armed agents—just in case.

When they’d reached the cars, the techs went their way, off to pull a long night of processing with Tony and Jaxon in charge.

As for the agents, they went to their new temporary homes to get some rest. Between apartments and hotel rooms, everyone was settled in.

Except them.

Now, they were too.

“Hey,” she said, seeing them as they entered the living area.

All three men headed their way, and gave her a kiss. Ethan and Callen stole steamy lip locks, but Gene just planted one on the top of her head.

“Hey, Kitten,” he said, hopping over the back of the couch to land next to her.

Ethan sighed.

“I think she stole my new husband,” he stated. “I don’t know what to think about that.”

Chris snorted.

The funniest part to him was his marriage license to her was the legal one, and he knew how that felt.

Twice.

“How about I get you guys some stew?” Chris asked, getting up so that he could feed the men he loved.

Callen sighed.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a…”

He came to a dead stop, and everyone looked over at him.

“What?” his brother asked.

Callen shook his head.

“There’s a little too much eating of weird things on this reservation. I didn’t want to put more of that energy out there. I could just eat a bowl of stew.”

That amused her.

All the men were glad she looked better. Honestly, they’d been worried about her.

“Were you a good girl while we were out playing crazy games in the woods?” Gene asked, as she rested her head on his shoulder, and ironically, when Ethan sat, he did the same thing.

And Gene liked it.

There was so much love to go around in their family, and being part of their world was an absolute blessing and treasure.

He was a lucky man.

“For the record, I’m never a good girl. I didn’t get the men in this family by being a saint.”

She had a point.

Only, now, she was curious.

“Did everything go okay? You didn’t lose anyone in the woods, right?” she asked.

Oh, she definitely wanted to control freak this, and they all knew it. Her restraint was admirable.

After the update, they’d let Elizabeth do what she did best.

Run it.

As Chris came back in, he had a tray with three steaming bowls of stew on it, and handed each man one before he sat down.

“They are all safe,” Ethan offered. “Thank God some of us had some experience working for the FBI to handle it,” he teased.

It made her laugh.

Yeah, his wife was feeling better. Whatever had transpired had given her a bit more peace. The shadows that had been in her eyes were gone.

“I know you guys can handle a scene. I’m more worried about Tony leading Benjamin into the trees to do something stupid.”

Well, that they got.

“Tony wanted to stay there all night. His wife nearly kicked his ass as she pointed back toward the path to go to the cars. Thankfully, Jaxon keeps him on a very short leash.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

Tony was a wildcard on a good day. On a day with cannibals and bone whistles, who knew what the hell he’d do?

Doctor Anthony Magnus was book smart.

NOT common-sense smart.

They’d all learned that over the years with the trouble he’d gotten himself into.

“We got everything we needed, and hauled ass out of there. The walk back was the worst part,” Gene admitted. “There were over one hundred skulls. This has been going on a while.”

Yowza.

That was a nightmare for them and the reservation. At some point, she was going to have to notify the chief and the council as to them having the skulls.

Already, she knew what they’d say.

They’d want them back, ASAP.

There wasn’t a lot of time for them to see if they could get anything forensically before she had older Native men riding ass about returning the victims.

Tomorrow, word would likely be out once Rayna found out. Unless she could get the woman to not tell her father.

Time would tell.

“Was it creepy in the cave?” she asked.

Both Callen and Gene laughed, and it wasn’t a funny, ha-ha kind of a laugh. It was more sardonic, and proved it hadn’t been a good time.

“Well, it was quite the walk there, and once inside, we found some horrible things,” Gene admitted.

They’d debated on telling her, but Ethan had insisted—unless they had a good reason not to. Her being rattled wasn’t enough to hold that information back.

So, they told her.

“There was a message on the wall. We swabbed it, and have the techs running it. We don’t know whose blood it is,” Callen admitted.

She was curious.

“What was the message?” she asked, not sure if it was the one she’s already seen on the drive.

Ethan took out his phone and passed it to her to read over it, and she did.

Yeah, that warning had been bothering her when she first read it, and it still was.

Without a word, she handed it back.

At first.

No one knew if she was rattled or thinking.

One of her superpowers was an excellent poker face.

“Have I ever told you guys how much I love coming here and finding bodies in the ground? It’s like a tradition,” she said, sarcastically.

Oh, they were aware.

“I’ve actually seen it, so I’m a little calmer about it, but make no mistake, I don’t like it at all.”

None of them did.

Well, at least she took it better than they thought she would.

When someone cleared their throat, they all looked up. Standing in the room was Wyler, and they were a little surprised that he’d showed up.

When he opened his mouth, Callen raised his hand to stop him.

“It’s been a shitastic few days, Wyler. My suggestion is not to start a fight tonight. We all just want to eat and decompress. We’ve seen some shit, and had to survive an abduction.”

He understood.

“I’m not going to start a fight,” he admitted.

“In fact, I want to apologize for the hell I’ve put you all through not only this last week, and for my whole life.

I shouldn’t have just dumped my responsibility on you guys.

It was wrong, and it was selfish. Even if I’m dying, I had no right to make you carry my burden for me. ”

Ethan put down his spoon.

“Do you understand why we are upset?” he asked, saying the first words to his father in over a week.

Why?

Well, had he handled this mess, it would have been a lot more brutal than locking the man in a treehouse until he calmed down.

Ethan was pissed.

Why?

Oh, maybe because once more, Wyler was dumping and running on his responsibility.

He stood there.

“I am. It was shitty to dump raising TJ on you without having a face-to-face conversation with you first, Ethan. I assumed that as the oldest, you’d do the job for me when I’m gone.”

He stopped him.

“It’s not about doing the job, Wyler. I would gladly raise that little boy as my own. I love TJ very much, and already consider him mine, but you have a history of running with it gets difficult.”

He was aware.

Callen started.

“You don’t skip out on telling your children that your cancer is back, while you’re running away,” Callen said.

“That hurt, and honestly, Wyler, I’m tired of cleaning up after you.

I’ve picked you up at the bar, I’ve held your hair when you puked, and I’ve saved you from more than my share of bed piranhas. ”

Wyler was aware.

“And for that, Callen James, I am sorry. I’m sorry that I’ve not been the parent you needed, and instead, made you all have to take that role. I’m sorry that I was going to force you guys to tell my grandchildren about it, and how I didn’t think about your feelings too.”

Chris knew the man felt bad about it.

Wyler was going to make mistakes, but the bottom line was they didn’t know how long they had with him. He knew his mates, and they wouldn’t ride his ass.

For long.

By morning, both Ethan and Callen would forgive him.

“We have lives, Wyler,” Callen said. “Like your son and his fiancé got married in Philadelphia.”

He glanced over at Ethan and Gene.

“Congratulations.”

Ethan just nodded.

In that moment, he knew who the harder son to get to forgive him was.

Oh, Ethan was definitely the one.

“I’m going to go back to DC and get treatment. I’m hoping that you’ll help me get into some trials, and someone will go with me if Caryn hates my guts for putting her through this.”

Elizabeth waited.

This had to be about them forgiving him too. She couldn’t force that on Ethan or Callen. The man had broken them both throughout their childhoods.

That wasn’t her wound to ignore.

“I’ll go with you,” Callen said.

Ethan said nothing.

Oh, he was angry.

At first, Wyler thought it would be Elizabeth who was the hardest one to get to forgive him, but now, he was seeing that was NOT the fact.

Ethan was pissed.

“Can I speak to you in private, Ethan?”

He sat there, saying nothing.