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nearly killed himself falling, and how she flirted up a storm. “He was immune to my charm. Maybe I just make him nervous in a stalker kind of way,” she admitted.
    Elizabeth and Gabe were close. While she and Livy were partners, Elizabeth worked more cases on her own with the man. They’d sat in surveillance vans, old buildings, and piss filled alleys. That bond was why he picked her, and Livy, for his team. All that overtime together built a very strong bond.
    There was something between them, and it wasn’t sex. It was love.
    “I can talk to him if you’d like.”
    She gasped. “Don’t you dare!” Livy whispered. “I’ll kick your ass!”
    Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, okay. I won’t say anything if you tell me not to, but the offer is still on the table.”
    They both watched as the ME exited the building, pulling off his clean suit and gloves. When he looked up, they both knew who he was gazing at, and it wasn’t Livy.
    “Are you sure there isn’t something between the two of you? Look at how he’s staring at you,” she said.
    Elizabeth glanced over.
    Livy was right. Chris was watching her.
    When he smiled and waved, grinning like a school boy, Elizabeth saw what her partner was saying.
    Shit!
    She had a problem.
    “See?” Livy whispered. “He’s crazy about you. He watches you like some puppy after a bone. I think he loves you,” she sang so only she’d hear.
    Elizabeth punched her again, but this time harder.
    “Ouch!”
    “Don’t even go there. I don’t need some mushy eyed ME falling for me. You know I’m all about the job.”
    “Well, you’re the job, and he’s the job, so that means…”
    “Do you want me to hit you harder?” Elizabeth asked.
    Livy laughed. “Point taken. We should head in while the team finishes up with the trace. We can always swing by later to check out Stephanie’s place.”
    She was good with that.
    “Besides, Gabe wanted to see us as soon as we were done on the scene. He said something about this being a career making assignment, and he needed to debrief us.”
    She was good with that.
    Finally, they were talking about work. That was what she wanted to spend her time focused on from here on out.
    As they headed back to their ride, the media was already there, and they were snapping pictures left and right.
    “I really hate them,” stated Elizabeth. “They’re nothing more than a pain in my ass.”
    “More than killers?” Livy asked, getting into the Denali. “They aren’t bad if you just ignore them. You let them get to you, and that’s why they make you nuts.”
    Elizabeth actually had to think about it. Honestly, it was a tough call—raging maniacs who made her work hard or idiotic reporters who made her life hell.
    It was a close one.
    Livy started laughing. “That bad, huh?”
    “Yeah, it’s that damn bad.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
                      * * *   B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *
     
     
     
     
     
    FBI Building
    Washington DC
     
     
     
     
    Traffic was a bitch, but with some lights and sirens most of the morning commuters got the hell out of her way. Elizabeth missed the quiet of Salem. There was no hustle, bustle, or chaos. There was something to be said about the small town.
    Plus, she missed her dad. Charlie was the love of her life, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.
    Elizabeth was pulled back to focus by the honking of horns. Rush hour was one of her least favorite things, but it was the element of the beast. If you wanted to work in DC, you had to deal with the chaos. One day, if they were lucky, their office would be in Quantico. If Elizabeth ever moved up the ladder, there was always a chance she’d work out of there. That was where all the bigwigs hung out.
    She had hope.
    As she and Livy headed in through the basement with the body, Elizabeth knew what was next. At the elevator bay, she gave her ME a deadline. “You don’t have long, Chris. Gabe is going to want details,