Page 98 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

Check-in

FBI West

Thursday Noon

Elizabeth knew how important it was that she stayed visible while working out here. While she knew she wasn’t off fooling around, word would spread that she wasn’t in the office, and that would cause issues.

For her.

For Axelle.

For her career.

The last thing she needed was a bunch of angry Feds telling the world she was home sleeping in when they thought she was and not out on a case.

So, her priority now, while being here, was to show up at least once a day while working this case. Hopefully, she’d either solve this, or stay alive long enough to cold-case this one.

Her fingers were crossed either way.

When she dropped her gear in her office, Vivian handed her a cup of coffee when she walked by, and was ready for her.

“Ma’am, you’ve had calls.”

Elizabeth stopped her.

“Vivian, it’s Elizabeth. Ma’am makes me sound MUCH older than I am. I may feel ancient, but I still have a little giddy-up in my go.”

She giggled.

“You’re fun,” Vivian said. “I’m glad you’re nothing like we were told by Director Tebbe. He said you were difficult.”

Well, yeah.

He was transferred when she showed up there. Now, she was going to have to replace him with someone else, and it was going to look like she just wanted him gone.

That would be more bullshit to handle.

As for Vivian…

“I’m easy to work with if you just give me coffee and keep me laughing,” she said as they walked toward the elevator to head to the morgue.

She nodded at people who walked by her, and she saw the side-eye glances at her attire.

She was in jeans, a blazer, and her boots. If they thought she was going to try to chase a killer in heels and a suit…

That wasn’t how she rolled.

“What are my messages?” she asked.

Vivian wanted to know how she wanted them.

“Would you like me to weed through and only give you the important ones, or…?”

She stopped her.

“If they aren’t from one of my children, or someone incredibly important, they can wait. Give me what’s waiting for me that’s a priority. The rest, give to Ian. He should be here somewhere.”

She nodded.

“He’s getting your office ready. I think he was re-alphabetizing the files.”

She snorted as she waited for the elevator.

“Don’t mind him. That’s his kink,” she admitted.

She lowered his voice.

“He’s kind of cute.”

Elizabeth shut that off at the pass.

“I don’t know what you heard, but let me make this clear for you. He’s not into the ladies. The big bodyguard with the beard that came in with us? That’s his fiancé.”

She sighed.

“Damn. What’s a girl have to do to find a smart man who is into the ladies?” she asked.

Elizabeth laughed.

“Look at the library. That’s the best place,” she admitted.

Vivian had tried that.

“Well, anyway, Elizabeth, Axelle called. She was looking for you. Your phone was going to voicemail.”

Yeah, because being distracted in the field was a problem.

“I’ll check it later. Next?” she asked, enjoying having someone screen her calls.

It saved her time.

As they got into the elevator, she continued.

“The president called.”

She laughed.

“Yeah, I saw he tried to get a hold of me. He can go in the circular file called the garbage can.”

Why?

He gave her Takoda.

To GUARD her.

They were going to have a discussion that involved her throwing hands when she got him in the room alone. He knew better.

“Next?”

Vivian was curious.

“You really want me to toss it?”

She nodded.

“Yep. He can kick rocks. I’ll call him later.”

Vivian shook her head.

“I thought he’d be a priority.”

Elizabeth explained.

“He was my first partner at the FBI two decades ago. Then, he was my boss. I wouldn’t suggest anyone else tell him to kick rocks. You can tell him ‘respectfully, Mr. President, Elizabeth said kick rocks’. That won’t get you on a watchlist anytime soon.”

If she said so.

“Anyone else?” Elizabeth asked.

“Duke stopped by my desk to find you. Apparently, he was looking for you. You weren’t at the place you are staying.”

Yeah, they headed out early.

“If you see him, tell him I’ll find him. I was busy this morning.”

Oh, and last night with the mad whistler going off in the woods, and this morning at Rayna’s.

As the elevator opened, she knew it was time to work. She’d have to catch up to everyone else later.

“Can I order you lunch, Director?”

She shook her head.

“No, I’m heading back out after I get updated, but if you find any cookies lying around…”

She smiled.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Elizabeth stepped out of the elevator, and was ready to get shit done.

Hopefully, they’d get out of there in less than a week, but with a brand-new team running forensics?

She doubted it.

With all that she had.

* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *

Morgue Basement

Same Time

Coffee Vending Machine

She was dragging ass, so Rayna needed a coffee to keep her going.

As they were waiting for Elizabeth to drop her things upstairs, and check-in, she was perusing the choices to put some pep in her step.

Last night she’d gotten very little sleep, but it had been worth it.

When she heard a ‘ppsst’ from somewhere down the hallway, it had her attention.

So much so that she headed toward it.

To investigate.

As she walked toward the sound, a hand reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a room.

Then, the door was closed.

And she knew who it would be before she even saw him. She could smell his cologne.

And it was intoxicating.

“Hey,” he said, catching her mouth with his in a kiss.

Since getting back there, he was thinking about his talk with her, and how he needed to put his feelers out to see if he stayed if she’d be interested in a more…long-term thing with him.

Only, he had no clue how to ask.

Or where to begin.

When Caspian broke the kiss, she was grinning.

“Sir, do you often abduct helpless damsels in morgue hallways?”

That made him laugh.

“It depends. It seems like I’ve found one I’m interested in abducting. I don’t know if she’s a damsel though.”

Well, she wanted to be abducted.

“That was a pretty spectacular kiss,” she admitted.

He shrugged.

“I do what I can do,” he said, tucking a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. It had come out of the braid running down her back.

She could see that.

“How does this usually work?” she asked.

For a brief second, he thought she was going to bring them up, and then was vastly disappointed when he realized she wasn’t referring to him.

“Does Elizabeth take a while? Take a lunch? Take a break?” she asked.

Well, crap.

“She’s usually a non-stop kind of person on a case, but she has to check in since she’s running this office now. I’m sure she’ll be down quickly. Ivan has us still mobilized, so that means she’s told him she’s going back out.”

Well, that worked for her.

For the time being, she wanted to stay busy.

Her father had been blowing up her phone, and none of it was good. Apparently, he was taking a little hissy fit about her reading him the riot act over Caspian.

The last one was hurtful, and she was angry.

‘He’ll leave at some point, and you’ll be dumped. Don’t do this, Rayna. Find a nice Native man and settle down. You deserve to be treated well.’

Who was she finding?

Someone who staggered home drunk and didn’t give two shits about her?

Then again, she knew Caspian was heading home to DC before long.

Was it wrong she wanted the case to stall?

For months?

Was that a possibility?

“Thanks,” she said. “I like to make sure my schedule is clear. I wouldn’t want to miss any dates or fancy balls that I should attend.”

He laughed.

“I’ve had to work the latter on those, and the former, come to think of it. This is my fancy outfit,” he joked, trying to keep it light.

He wanted to take her on a date.

Desperately.

When her pocket vibrated, she sighed.

“Did your phone just get a message?” he asked, kissing her on the neck. “You can answer it.”

She didn’t want to.

“It’ll be my father. He’s up in his feels about finding you in my cabin.”

Oh.

Well, that was definitely an issue.

If he was staying, he planned to find himself in her cabin, her bed, and her body.

IF she’d let him.

“Is he going to be a problem?” he asked.

She laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

“He’s always a problem,” she said. “I know he means well, most of the time.”

When she didn’t say more, he didn’t know if he should bring up the fact that he was staying.

It didn’t seem to fit the moment.

So, he opted not to.

“Parents tend to do that,” he admitted.

She rested her head on his shoulder, and loved being in his arms.

“Will you be staying over tonight?” she asked, out of the blue. “We can have dinner.”

He wanted to.

“I mean, it’s a far better option than bunking with Michael in an RV,” he joked.

Since he couldn’t see her face, he didn’t notice that wasn’t exactly the response she wanted.

What she craved was him saying yes, and that he never wanted to leave.

But she knew that would take time.

Time they didn’t have.

As she went to say something, there was a knock on the door, and she froze.

Caspian opened it.

There stood Elizabeth.

“I heard you in here. Set the cop free. I need her,” she said.

Caspian grinned.

“Oh, no. My secret place is discovered,” he joked, as he could feel how tense Rayna was.

And there was no need.

That made Elizabeth laugh.

“If you think I didn’t hook up in this closet with Ethan and Callen at least ten times a piece, you clearly don’t know me well, Cas.”

He winked at her.

Oh, he didn’t doubt that.

At.

All.

Elizabeth focused on the woman.

“Come on, Chief. It’s time for morgue-y fun.

Or as I like to call it ‘the time I drive my sexy ME insane with trying to ask him questions I know he can’t answer but when he flushes I get all giddy’,” she admitted.

“You can feel up my Archangel later. Then, you can tell me all about it,” she teased, winking at Rayna.

She laughed.

How could she not?

He could feel that she was tense, so he put his hand over Elizabeth’s eyes.

“Sorry, I can’t kiss the pretty lady while you watch, Mom. It’s weird.”