Page 20 of Sticks and Stones (FBI Romance/Thriller #65)

Gene had nothing left to say to the man, and anything else out of his mouth would cause problems for him, and the FBI.

It was time to abort the mission when it came to being logical. Instead, Gene took the files and started walking out of the man’s office.

Greyson followed, mostly to make sure Gene didn’t turn around, run at the captain, and shove his boot in his ass.

He.

Was.

Pissed.

As they reached the main area of the police station, where they could talk without every homicide cop hearing them, Greyson needed to know.

“Are you going to be able to stay calm?” he asked.

He sighed.

“Yeah, but I don’t like any of this. I can’t protect Corbin like I want to, and Oliver Guy has issues.”

Yeah, well, Greyson could see that.

“One-night stand, huh?” he asked.

He laughed sardonically.

“Who would have thought that a hookup in an entirely different state was going to haunt my every move here in Philadelphia ?”

Greyson patted him on the back.

“That’s how it always works out,” he stated. “If I had a dollar for each woman who bailed and then made my life uncomfortable…”

Yeah, Gene got it.

“Well, at least we managed to get the files. I’m going to call Ethan to check-in on Corbin and give him a heads-up. We’re going to need a profile as we work this.”

Gene was curious.

“Are you going to be good with me partnering up with you?” he asked. “You tend to be prickly when you’re not working with Ethan.”

He laughed.

And didn’t deny it.

“I’m good. I’m testy when people say, ‘mixed race’ and ‘half-breed’ about Ethan, or bring up my sex life indiscriminately. That’s when I’m prickly,” he admitted.

Yeah, he could see that.

When Gene pulled out his phone, after they reached the vehicle, he dialed his partner.

“Hey, Babe,” Ethan said, when he answered the phone call.

Gene wanted to check-in.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “And is Corbin hanging in there?”

Blackhawk was glad to hear his voice, but he could tell he was stressed out.

How did he know?

Well, he knew Gene damn well.

“We’re good. Why do you sound like you want to punch someone in the face?” he asked.

Greyson laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

Oh, well, he’d never say Ethan couldn’t pick up clues just with his ears. He’d nailed that one.

Clearly.

Gene sighed.

“I just facedown Captain Pain In My Ass,” he said. “So, you know how it goes with him.”

Oh, he knew.

Still, Ethan was amused.

Oh, he trusted his man, and he knew that Gene wasn’t going to leave him for his one-night stand. It entertained him that he had to deal with him as much as they did.

“Bad, huh?” he asked, humor in his voice.

Oh, he could say that.

“Har-har, EJ. He’s lecherous and annoying. Remember when we got on that flight and your ex, the flight attendant, was up your ass?”

He shuddered.

“Yeah, how could I forget?” he asked. “It was horrifying.”

“Well, same boat, different ocean,” he stated. “He was leering, and being his normal obvious self.”

Why wasn’t Ethan shocked?

“Anyway, we got the files. We’re going to Corbin’s place after we visit the alley behind Bull’s . I want to see it before the place opens up in a few hours. The last thing I want to do is be seen there, especially if we’re going to have to go back in there.”

He understood that.

“Okay, Gene. Just watch your back,” he said, wishing he could be there to make sure he was safe.

Oh, he would.

Ethan could bet on that.

“We’ll get Corbin clothing, and we’ll start going over the files when we get back.”

Ethan knew he’d have to be patient as he waited for the files.

But he wasn’t.

“Can you have Greyson send me pictures of the victims and their information. I can start piecing them together while I’m sitting here. It’s quiet for now.”

He was curious.

“Is Corbin still sleeping?” he asked.

Ethan sighed.

“Yeah, but it’s not a good sleep. He’s restless. I fully expect him to be awake and stressed again. I heard him, and he was panicking in his sleep. I don’t want to scare him by waking him.”

Gene hated that Ethan was being grounded in their condo to babysit. He liked him riding shotgun with him—no offense to Greyson.

He just wasn’t Ethan.

Only, someone had to watch over Corbin. Now, he’d do the fair thing.

“We can switch off to give you a break,” he offered.

Ethan stopped him.

“You are irritated over what happened to Corbin, so it’s best I handle this, and you handle that. You’re a testy bitch, and he can read the room, Gene. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

He snorted.

So did Greyson.

“I love your pet names for me,” he joked. “They make me all warm and fuzzy. Next time, say it during sex,” he teased.

Ethan was amused.

Greyson had a little fun with it.

“You should have seen the homicide captain get all giddy when he thought you’d dropped off the face of the Earth. He was about ready to propose.”

Oh, Ethan wasn’t shocked.

“Yeah, well, that’s not happening. I might not start a fight, but I finish one,” Blackhawk stated. “And there’s few things I’m willing to lose my badge over. Gene is at the top of the list.”

Now that was how to give Gene that warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of his belly.

“It’s hot when he fights. He’s vicious,” Gene admitted. “I get off watching it.”

Ethan snorted.

“That’s weird, but hey, if that’s your kink,” he offered, and then got them focused. “Just be safe, and get me those pictures,” he stated, as Greyson was already snapping them and uploading them into an email for him.

Since scanning the documents was out of the question, this would have to do. They didn’t have time to head back to the office to use the equipment to do that.

“I’m sending it to your personal email,” Greyson said. “That way there’s less of a paper trail.”

They knew why he was being magnanimous when he usually liked lots of rules.

Corbin.

It looked like even Greyson wanted to help the man out, and by help him out, he meant not spread the information around about this case, or his assault.

Thank.

Freaking.

God.

“I’ll check-in with you in a bit,” Gene said. “At least all is calm on the Javier Hughes front,” he joked. “I don’t have to be worried about being shot at now.”

Yeah, Ethan was grateful for that.

“Don’t get my car shot up,” he stated. “And I put a BOLO out on Corbin’s vehicle. We’ll get an update if it shows up.”

They wanted his gun and badge more than his vehicle. Yes, it would give them evidence to use to find who hurt him, but that wasn’t as important as the man’s gun.

They didn’t need that loose out on the streets being used in crimes. That would haunt Corbin the rest of his time on the force until it was found.

“I love you, EJ.”

The man knew he did.

“Love you too, Gene. Take care of what’s mine,” he said, hanging up.

When he did, Greyson couldn’t help himself.

“Look at you all cozy and in an almost marriage where you have to check-in with your woman whenever you do something with a friend.”

He snorted.

How could he not?

It amused him.

Gene didn’t mince words.

“I double dog dare you to call Ethan a woman in front of him. He’ll kick your ass. He might be playing that gentler role for Corbin, but let me remind you that half of the paperwork you end up doing is because of him. Ask him about the bar fights.”

Damn.

He had a point.

“Okay, let’s hit the alley before that shit-hole dive opens up.”

That worked for him.

Gene wanted to get back to the condo and Ethan.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling brewing in his belly, and he didn’t like it.

Not.

One.

Bit.

But then again, this was Philadelphia , and he almost always had that feeling.

* * * Blackhawk & Cantrell * * *

George Washington

Hospital

Emergency Room

A Little Before Noon

Getting to her father at the hospital had been fun—as in an ice rink of joy and pleasure.

Thankfully, Elizabeth had gotten a Jeep, so they had one four-wheel drive vehicle to their names because it was a bad day to be in a front-wheel-drive sports coupe.

Chris was pretty sure that he was going to have to take that same route sooner rather than later. Driving in the winter in his car was more stressful than not.

Some cars were meant for summer only, and his was definitely on that list.

The whole time, as they drove, Elizabeth said nothing to him. The entire trip, she stared out the window in absolute silence.

Chris knew why.

She was stressed.

And he couldn’t blame her.

“We’re almost there,” he said, seeing the sign up ahead for the hospital.

That’s when she made the first statement since finding out Charlie was in the hospital.

“We have to send him home,” she said. “Maybe helping me is too much. What if this is my fault? I stress him out,” she said, her hands in her lap on her dress.

Chris hated that she was blaming herself over this.

Yes, they just came off a string of tough cases, but Charlie wasn’t exactly an old man.

He was in his fifties.

The man was probably in better shape than he was, and had more endurance.

On top of that, Chris did NOT want to be the one who got between Charlie and his daughter.

He’d kill anyone who stood in his way of his baby girl.

“Maybe it’s just a fluke, or genetic,” he said. “You know how he eats bacon like it’s going out of style,” he added. “I’d worry more about how cranky he’s going to be when you and Sam put him on a diet.”

“But a heart attack,” she said. “His heart…”

Chris calmed her down. What she needed was a doctor, not her significant other.

So, he was to the point.

“Sweetness, I’ve seen athletes have heart attacks and they are in top physical shape.”

Elizabeth listened.

“I’ve autopsied so many people that I can look at their hearts and know how close they came. Let’s find out what kind of heart attack it was if it was one. Then, we’ll go from there. There’s no point in getting freaked out if this isn’t that bad.”

God.

He was right.

She was just irrational when it came to her father. With her mother gone, she just worried about losing him, and being an orphan in the world.