Sinner Reborn

by Morgan Kelley

  What Avalon didn't tell them was that she saw what was waiting for them at the end or the trail.

  Why ruin breakfast?

  She didn't want their pity. Instead, for once, she wanted to belong.

  “I lived with my grandmother, but from an early age I began having very vivid dreams. Only, they weren’t the normal dreams that children have. I would find myself in them, controlling them.”

  Luke was curious. “You can control your dreams?”

  Avalon put down her spoon. “Yes. I believe most cultures call it dream walking. I can enter into a dream and take a stroll.”

  They stared at her.

  “Google it,” she said. “It sounds bizarre, but Native Americans have been doing it for a long time. Every culture has some mention of it. While I’m really good at being Oracle, I’m even better at helping people in their dreams. That’s really what the government used me for. If they had someone they needed ‘convincing’, I’d give them a little push. If the president had a summit, and there was opposition, I’d take a stroll.”

  “That sounds…dishonest,” Luke stated.

  Avalon shrugged. “I didn't always make them change their mind. I’d slip in, find out what the main issue was, and then the president had leverage.”

  Maura cleared her throat. “Avalon, this is classified. They really shouldn’t know about it.”

  “Sorry.”

  Nate put his hand on her leg in reassurance. “It’s okay, Avalon. Luke and I aren’t going to say anything. We’re safe.”

  Maura stared at him.

  Nate took a stand. He glared back at her. No one was going to make Avalon feel bad about anything anymore. He was drawing the line in the sand.

  “Can we talk about how you became Oracle?” Luke asked. “Is that classified?”

  Maura knew she was outnumbered. “Have at it.”

  “Well, one night, I had this particularly bad dream. It was where the president was killed. I could see where the gunman was going to hide, I could see the way the president was to die, and I could smell his blood.”

  “And?” Nate asked.

  “I woke up and told my grandmother. Immediately, she told me to be quiet and not to say a word. In her mind, I was nothing but pure evil, and she didn't want me making her look bad.”

  “Thankfully, Avalon didn't listen,” Maura stated.

  “No, I didn't. I couldn’t let an innocent man be gunned down in cold blood. It wasn’t right. I was raised in church and taught that there was good and evil. This felt beyond wicked. It made my skin crawl.”

  “So, what did you do?” Luke asked.

  “I did the only thing I could. I called nine-one-one.”

  The men stared at her. That had to set off all kinds of alarms. People would be frantic.

  “Oh, they thought I was crazy, but they must have reported it to the Secret Service because two hours later, they were on my grandmother’s porch. They instructed her to tell everyone I was going off to college early, and to forget about me.”

  “And they did?” Nate asked, appalled that they’d do anything like that. Family didn't turn its back on each other.

  Well, not in his world.

  If someone came and took him or Callie away, his parents would have lost it. They would have fought tooth and nail to get them back.

  Again, he hurt for the woman beside him.

  Avalon shrugged. “I think she was grateful to be rid of me. Having me around was a burden to her. When my mother dumped me there, she didn't really want me. I was nothing more than an obligation.”

  Maura reached across and patted her hand. “You’ve done so much good, Avalon, that you can’t let it hurt you.”

  That was easy for Maura to say.

  She had love.

  She had Luke.

  She had a future past next week.

  Avalon didn't.

  So, she didn't acknowledge Maura’s words. Instead, Avalon continued, “Simply put, I scared the family, and I was the black sheep.” She laughed. “Actually, I was the black sheep with ten eyes and three heads. When I became the Secret Service’s problem, my family was relieved.”

  Nate took her icy hand in his. He didn't care if Maura didn't want him to get close. How the hell was he supposed to not feel when she was hurting like this? He couldn’t turn his back on her.

  “What did they do when they took you?” Luke asked.

  “At fifteen, I was interrogated—like a common criminal.”

  Luke was disgusted. “Did you get a lawyer or someone to represent you? You were just a child!”

  Maura patted his leg in reassurance. Of course this would bother him. They stood for justice. What happened to Avalon was nothing short of illegal, and a violation of her civil liberties.

  It was horrible.

  She agreed, but it wasn’t her place to argue it.

  She was a soldier.

  “No. They interrogated me for hours. They asked me a million questions, and when they deemed me safe, they took me for a ride. I didn't know it then, but I was about to meet the man I saved.”

  “They took you to the White House?”

  She nodded. “I met with him, and he asked me some questions in private. They were about things going on in the world at that time. Some had to do with Russia, some with Cuba. I must have made him happy because I became a guest there. I also became a prisoner. I was codenamed Oracle, and treated like a weapon not a person. For a while, the Secret Service kept me quiet, but when one president moved out, and another one moved in, I was transferred. When I turned twenty, the First Lady didn't like me around her husband. She was afraid he’d get too ‘close’.”

  They all knew what she meant.

  Nate was glad they moved her. He was feeling territorial, and the last thing he wanted was someone touching Avalon. Well, someone other than him.

  “So you lost your freedom.”

  Avalon nodded. “I didn't get to go to college. I didn't get to meet people. Instead, I was given handlers, I was asked random questions and expected to perform from inside the cage. Then one day, I met Bravo Ghost One. She was the first person I genuinely liked. Do you remember the first thing you asked me?” Avalon inquired, staring blindly across the table.

  “Yes, I do. I asked if you’d like some gum.”

  “It was so ordinary. While no one else would even talk to me, you did. You’re the only person who’s ever treated me like I’m human. Well, you and Elizabeth Blackhawk. Only, I freak her out. It’s kind of fun,” she admitted.

  Maura could feel the emotion welling up. She remembered that day. Everyone moved around the woman, barely noticing her there. She stood in a corner like she wasn’t human. It pissed Maura off when the Secret Service men pulled her along like she was nothing more than a rag doll. From that day on, Maura promised to be respectful of the woman before her.

  “Anyway, you made me feel like I wasn’t just some nameless, faceless tool. You made me feel like I deserved to feel and have emotions. So thank you for that, Maura.”

  The Marine’s eyes filled with tears. “You do deserve it, Avalon. You’re a person, not a tool.”

  She heard the sadness. “It’s okay,” she reassured. “If I had to do it all over again, I would. I saved someone. My life had value to someone, even if no one thought it did at the beginning.”

  Nate stared across the table at Maura. He didn't care. He couldn’t pretend that Avalon’s words didn't matter. She wasn’t some animal in a cage. She was a feeling, breathing human, and she deserved compassion.

  She deserved friends.

  “You’ll get free one day,” he said, turning her face toward his with gentle fingertips. “I know you will.”

  She didn't respond. Avalon knew that freedom was coming, but the cost was going to be high. She’d be free, but only when she was dead.

  Maura let out a sigh.

  The two Feds and the one Marine knew the truth. The government wouldn’t ever let her go. They couldn’t.

 
She was valuable.

  She was married to her country.

  The entire table went silent as they finished eating.

  “I’m sorry if I made you all uncomfortable,” Avalon said.

  Nate held her chilly hand in his. “I told you to stop saying sorry, Avalon. You’ve done nothing wrong. We’re just a little shocked at how difficult it’s been for you. You’re with friends now, and I promise it’ll get better.”

  “It will,” Luke offered.

  Maura was going to add her reassurance, when she saw the vehicles pull up. “Shit!”

  That had their attention.

  They turned and looked out the grimy diner windows. By the Hummer, there were two big, black Escalades, and even worse, there were four large men heading their way.

  “We have to get her out of here,” Nate said.

  Maura went into action. “Take her out the rear door. I want you to hide back there for as long as it takes for Luke to get you to the vehicle.” She glanced over at her fiancé. “Can you handle the two standing guard out there?” she asked.

  He nodded, popping the snap on his gun holster.

  “They’re mercenaries. I can recognize the way they carry themselves. They’re going to be wearing vests. If you have to shoot, aim for the groin or the head—not the chest.”

  “What are you going to do?” Nate asked.

  “I’m going out the front door to handle the two heading this way. They won’t come in. They’re going to wait for us to leave. They won’t want anyone to recognize them.”

  Luke objected. “That sounds dangerous.”

  Maura shrugged. “I’ve dealt with them before. We’ve tangled a few times, right, Avalon?”

  She nodded.

  Standing, Nate threw cash down before pulling Avalon against his body.

  “You have to get her out of here no matter what, Nate. Even if you have to leave us, you get her to safety. We’ll catch up later when we get free of this mess.”

  She scribbled the address on a napkin.

  “There are burner phones in the Hummer. You need to call Elizabeth if you have any issue or if you don’t hear from me in an hour. She’ll deploy Jagger to come get Avalon.”

  They agreed.

  Maura watched the three sneak out the back door. The entire time, she focused on the men outside. Two were hanging back, and two were in the middle of the parking lot. Luke was going to have to handle the two guarding their escape vehicle. Checking out her two obstacles, she did recognized them.

  Oh, they’d met before.

  They’d been Marines.

  “Leo and Wes, we’re going to do the dance.”

  With that, she started for the front door. She only hoped that the two men didn't fail.

  If they did, this mission was over before it even started, and failure pissed her off.

  Outside, Luke and Nate shielded Avalon.

  “What’s the game plan?” Luke asked.

  “You’re going to sneak up on them, and we’re going to knock them out. If we’re going to get away, without someone getting shot, we need to slow them down. The minute a fight starts, someone is going to call the cops. We need to keep them down until we get out of here.”

  “Agreed.”

  Nate gave Luke his instructions and time to get into position.

  “Avalon, honey, I need you to trust me. Do you think you can do that?” he asked.

  “Yes, I can do that, Nathaniel.”

  “Okay, give me your hand. We’re bait, and Luke is going to save our asses. They want you, so the second they see that you’re here, they’re going to make a move for you. That’s when they won’t be focused, and Luke can take them out.”

  Avalon did what he asked as he led her around the side of the building. Immediately, they were seen. The first man headed right toward them.

  So far, the plan was working.

  “Stop!” the man ordered, pulling out his gun.

  Nate pushed Avalon behind him.

  “She’s coming with me!”

  He didn't get to say anything else. Instead, the mercenary crumbled to the ground when Luke coldcocked him with the butt of his Glock.

  “One down,” he said, pulling him out of sight.

  “Strip him,” Nate said.

  Immediately, Luke took the man’s gun, a knife, and his wallet. They might find something of use on the assailant.

  “Done,” Luke said.

  Nate gave his partner a fist bump. Then the celebration was over. They still had to get Avalon to the Hummer, and that meant one final, mean looking ex-soldier.

  “Ready?” Nate asked.

  “Yes.”

  This time, instead of leading her, Nate swept Avalon up in his arms. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck as if she didn't want to see what was happening.

  That was ironic.

  As they approached the Hummer, the man turned, and Luke wasn’t messing around. He punched the man in the face to stun him, and then slammed his head off the side of the vehicle.

  “I hate you because you made me put a dent in my ride,” he said, grabbing the man’s gun and wallet.

  “They obviously didn't think we’d come right at them,” Nate said. “These two went down pretty easy, even though they had weapons on them.”

  Luke agreed as he took all the man’s things and tossed them into the hummer. “I’m glad we caught them off guard.”

  “We better get ready to go,” Nate stated.

  They loaded up, Luke getting behind the wheel. That’s when he saw Maura exiting the dinner. It appeared that she was going to buy them time to escape.

  “Oh, shit!” He couldn’t let her face down two men alone. Everything in him screamed foul at the mere thought.

  “We gotta go!” Nate stated. His priority was getting Avalon out of there.

  Luke turned. “You’re on your own, old man,” he said. “I’m not leaving my Marine to handle those goons. Take Avalon. We’ll meet up at the next stop.”

  Nate jumped into the driver’s seat.

  “Be safe!” he said, buckling in behind the wheel. With that, he started out of the parking lot.

  The squeal of tires had everyone’s attention, including the two goons who were getting ready to attack Maura. When they saw the Hummer leaving, they turned to race to their rides, only Luke was right there.

  Their escape route was blocked off.

  “Going somewhere?” Maura asked, getting their attention.

  “Major Gaines, so we meet again. Are you still getting screwed over by the US Government? You’re wasting your talents with that dead end. You’re working for the wrong team.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding the fact she had two blades in her hands. The men wouldn’t pull their guns unless they had to. She’d studied her prey.

  The big one cracked his knuckles. “This is going to hurt you more than it’s going to hurt us.”

  She laughed. “I hate rat bastards who sell their skills to the highest bidder. This is going to hurt your boss more than anyone.”

  With that, the men rushed her.

  Luke was mortified that both men went after his girl. As he pulled his gun, he saw the glint of silver in her hand. Maura went in low, sliding under the two men, taking one out by cutting his Achilles tendon.

  He hit the ground hard, wailing like a baby as he grabbed his leg. The biggest one was down for the count.

  Luke was on the second man, tackling him to the ground. He took a shot to the face before Maura got the guy in the temple with her fist.

  “We gotta book it!” she ordered, pulling him up from the ground. There were sirens in the distance.

  “We don’t have a ride!”

  She started laughing as she raced toward one of their escalades. “We’ll use it for a few miles and then dump it!”

  Behind the wheel, she gunned it. They tore out of the parking lot and raced after the other two people on their team.

  �
�I don’t have words,” stated Luke as he rifled through the glove compartment for anything that might tell them who they were up against.

  She laughed. “What?”

  “You’re either crazy, or so gung-ho that you should be called crazy! You were going to take them both on! That’s insane!”

  Maura dropped her sunglasses on. “You haven’t seen anything yet, Lucas. Wait until you see me boost a ride for us.”

  He stared at her. “If we ever have kids, I hope they’re like me. You’re a very bad influence.”

  Yeah, he was preaching to the choir.

  CHAPTER Five

  M ary Louise Miller’s house was a simple dwelling. It was a two floor cottage, much like the house they were renting. When they arrived, hiding their vehicle in a cluster of trees, Quinn felt off. Something didn't sit right in his gut, only he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  Was it the house?

  Or was it the fact that he was about to break and enter with his pregnant FBI wife?

  Yeah, maybe it was both.

  While he repeatedly voiced his concern, Callie didn't seem to care. She was hell bent on getting inside that house. If there was one thing he’d learned about his wife, it was that she tended to be a tad bit reckless when she was excited.

  Yes, she was brave, but that didn't exactly make him relax. If there was trouble, Callie was going to be in the middle of it.

  You could bet on it.

  Already, Quinn could tell that this assignment was no different. They could clearly see the police tape marking the house a crime scene, but that didn't matter. They were going to slice it before getting inside.

  Well shit!

  He could lose his badge for something like this.

  Quinn knew he was out of his jurisdiction. He only hoped that if something bad went down, Elizabeth Blackhawk really had their backs.

  If not, they were screwed.

  “Don’t touch anything,” he whispered as he used his pocket knife to slice through the tape before jimmying the lock. “We’re both going to be in the system as law enforcement, so let’s try not to give them a reason to blame us for any of this.”