The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) Read Online Free Page B

later.” 
    Elizabeth jumped into her Jeep, as the van pulled away. She had a lot in common with her dad. The number one thing was she didn’t buy into coincidence. When a burr stuck, it became a borderline obsession with her. It was what once made her an excellent FBI agent.
    Elizabeth LaRue had wicked tenacity just like her father, and now her interest was piqued.
     
     
     
                                 *   *   *
     
     
    Special Agent Ethan Blackhawk crouched, his body hunched below the safety of the SUV. He was wearing his bullet proof vest, emblazoned with the FBI lettering, and his gun was drawn.
    For two weeks he and his partner had been working on a tough case. They were hunting down a missing child and her abductor. Charla Walters had disappeared into the night with a trail of suspicion, leading them to the house in the woods and hopefully to the man responsible.
    His partner, Special Agent Lily Sanderson was sitting with her back to the SUV, as bullets ricocheted across the hood of their vehicle . With every audible metal on metal hit, she visibly flinched.
    “Well, what now?” Lily asked. He was lead investigator, and it was his call. “Did you call for backup?”
    “Yeah,” he ducked, as another shot rang out. “I don’t think that kid has a chance if we wait. He’s going to get desperate, and kill her, and then probably off himself too.”
    “ I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but for once I agree.”
    “Cover me?” he asked, crawling towards the back of the SUV. If he followed the trees, he might make it to the back of the house and the little girl.
    “Yeah, I got you,” Lily replied, waiting for the next shot to be fired, before she took her shot. “Make it fast and don’t do anything stupid.”
    Blackhawk rushed the tree line, hoping it would lead to a way inside. Once there, he would go in and with any luck not lose his life, or the little girl in the process. He was more than willing to risk his career and his own neck, but not the child’s life.
    There was one thing for sure. After this, he was taking a long vacation somewhere hot, and where the beer was plentiful.
    As he made it to the rear of the dwelling, he found the window unsecured. Slowly lifting it, he tried to make no sound at all. Though he doubted anyone would hear a thing over the rifle fire, and his partner’s returned shots.  Ethan listened for the next round and timed it to coincide. Pushing his body into the house, he rolled to his feet and pressed himself against the wall.
    Now he was one step closer.
    So far so good .
    Across the room sat a mirror on the mantle. It was giving him a direct visual into the room where the man was standing. Ethan only hoped he didn’t show in that reflection too. The little girl was crouched down in the corner, hands over her ears and tears streaming down her face. His only thought at that point was to save her life.
    As he watched the man reload and fire off a round at his partner outside, he stepped around the corner. Before Blackhawk could identify himself as the FBI, the creaky floor board gave away his position. The man spun, firing his last shot off just as Ethan pulled the trigger himself.
    The pain was excruciating as it knocked him to the floor. Shit, he took a shot to the center of the vest. Silence ensued and when the pain lessened, he pushed up onto his elbows. The man was lying on the floor in a growing puddle of blood. His attention was drawn to the little girl’s sobs as they were getting louder and more hysterical.
    “It’s okay Cha rla, I’m here to bring you home.” He tried to comfort her, as his partner peeked in through the shot out window.
    “Y ou okay, Blackhawk?” she called, assessing the scene. Her idiot partner managed to not get killed again. The man obviously had one hell of a guardian angel watching over him. The Cowboy was a lucky man.
    “It was a twenty two c aliber rifle,” he replied, lying back down on