Yes, he could buy his safety and from the looks of the strangers moving around him, he had.
But he’d never be free.
He was no better than the rest of them. It was only a matter of time before he figured that out.
When he did…
It would be too late.
As he stood in his big mansion, he hoped that he was shaking in his boots. The next two victims would be perfect.
They would set the stage for what was coming. By the end of the week, Lucian, and the rest of the law in town would know what it felt like to lose everything.
They’d know what it felt like to weep bitter tears.
Cry rivers of pain.
They would see that by letting people get off, or not doing your job, you created one hell of a mess.
This was that mess.
Ravenswood was about to come clean, and he was going to make sure everyone knew the truth.
Everyone saw what happened when justice was so blind, that it let the guilty walk out the back door without an ounce of punishment—while the innocent suffered in the wake.
Blood was coming.
There was going to be more.
If he had his way, there would be weeping in the streets. Tomorrow, he’d start tracking the next victim.
Earl Thorpe was going to find an ugly end coming his way. He was going to suffer like Dale Plunkett, Arron Abrahms, and the rest.
No one was safe.
No one was protected.
In the end, it would be justice that would prevail, and the bloody hand of vengeance would make it right.
It was how it had to be.
Ravenswood was a crooked town.
And he was going to prove it—once and for all.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Twenty Minutes
Later
Normally, Bishop would be joking around, making light of the situation. She had to when a case was this grizzly. When you had a killing like this, you couldn’t let it bring you down.
You had to stay focused.
She and Roxy had a way of making it tolerable. From the outside, it looked like they didn’t care. The truth be told, they did care.
A lot.
So, as she crouched by her friend at the gate, they were going over the last moments of the man who was now on the tarp on the ground.
He was a mess.
Holy shit!
Someone went nuts up in here.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my life,” Bishop stated, pulling on the latex gloves her best friend had handed her.
“I wish I could say the same,” Roxy offered. “When I did this job in Miami, there were bodies like this all the time. I wish this were the first or fiftieth time I’d see something this horrible. I’ve gotten good at meat puzzles.”
She patted her friend on the shoulder in sympathy. Roxy liked the challenge, and that’s why she job-hopped all over the states. It was only a matter of time before she ran again.
Bishop was waiting for it.
“So, what can you tell me?”
“That someone worked him over with lots of different implements of torture. I’ll have the CSI’s pull trace, but it’s going to be slow moving unless you have an idea on how to commandeer more money and a bigger lab.”
Oh, she did.
The FBI was going to be useful. She’d already gotten the call from some woman named Elizabeth Blackhawk. She’d googled her, just to make sure, and she was, indeed, who she said she was.
It seemed that Nathaniel Carter wasn’t yanking her chain. Now she only had to figure out who Avalon was, and how she knew everything about the victim, her, and Lucian.
Surely, he didn’t tell her.
Could she actually be telling the truth and a psychic? Was that a possibility?
Then again, they could be lovers. Maybe Lucian had decided to settle down, and Avalon was his new bedmate.
Yeah, her blood pressure spiked through the freaking roof. Apparently, he liked redheads, just not her.
“You okay? You just went seven shades of angry,” Roxy stated.
“I’m fine. I have good news and bad news—which do you want first?”
“I hate this game, Bish. It’s never really good news. It’s always your version of good, which is just shy of shitty. I’ve got two bodies, a backed up lab, and a mess brewing. My grandfather is going to ride our asses. Don’t let the gray hair fool you. He’s been mayor for far too long to let this slide.”
She was aware.
Silas may love them both, but he also loved the fact that he’d been mayor for over thirty freaking years. Ravenswood didn’t believe in term limits, and he was the reason. The man ran the place with an iron freaking fist.
Plus, everyone loved Silas.
EVERYONE.
He was a God among men there and for a reason. The man took care of business. He was tough, family came first, and no one screwed with Silas Reed. There were whispers that he had…connections.
And not legal ones.
Oh, the irony.
“Well, it’s not really bad,” she offered. “I have a mess too. Inside, we have the FBI, and they’re helping Lucian Monroe.”
The woman looked up at her friend.
“Lucian Monroe? THE Lucian Monroe from ten years ago?” Roxy asked.
“Yeah, the one and the same.”
“Uh oh.”
She could say that again.
Ten years ago, when he’d been hurt, she’d stayed by his side because she’d fallen for him. When his fiancée showed up, dropped the ring, and called him a monster, Bishop wanted to kick her ass.
She’d believed that she’d have a chance with him. After the bitch bailed, Bishop believed that it was her open door to the man.
Yeah, she’d been dead wrong.
Lucian hated her freaking guts.
“Is this a good idea?” she asked. “Don’t you two have some sordid history?” Roxy asked.
Yeah, they had something.
She’d been obsessed, and he’d been full of rage and couldn’t see that she didn’t pity him. Bishop felt connected, and she didn’t know why.
She always went with her gut, and that’s why she tried to talk to him for two years after he cussed her out, tossed her from his private hospital room, and called her every name in the book.
Yeah, they had history.
A bleak and short lived one.
“You don’t look so good.”
She wasn’t feeling so good. “I’m fine. I have to ask him some questions. They’re hiding something, and I need to get to the bottom of this. I can feel the BS meter going off in my head.”
Roxy stared into her friends eyes. “Bish, be careful. When Lucian is involved, nothing good is going to come of it. The man is cursed.”
She didn’t believe that.
Bishop knew the truth.
He needed help. Like that Avalon chic had said, he had a gift, and it was calling to hers. It was crazy, but she couldn’t deny it was there. She’d learned a long time ago not to discredit anything in life.
It was a huge universe.
People had gifts.
“Want me to talk to him?” Roxy asked. “I can do your job. Make a list of questions. You can do mine.”
She held out the man’s ear.
Bishop stared at her in horror. “You’re insane. There is something seriously jacked up with you.”
She was well aware.
Her friend made her laugh.
Bishop saw movement heading their way. “Heads up. Here comes the FBI, and they brought someone else I’ve yet to meet. It’s like they keep coming out of the freaking woodwork.”
The two women stood up.
“Oh, Jesus H. Christ,” muttered Roxy.
“What?” Bishop asked, glancing over.
“I’ve just met the man of my freaking wet dreams. Who the hell is he, and can I get into those pants?”
Bishop glanced over at the three men coming their wa
y. There was Nathaniel Carter, Lucas Mars, and some redheaded commando.
“Seriously? The blonde?”
“No.”
“The brunette?”
“No way.”
“The redhead?” she asked. “The one with the tats?” Bishop added.
“Oh, yeah. My panties are never going to be the same. I think I found my next sexy plaything.”
Bishop had to fight not to laugh.
“Well, then you’re going to like this, Roxy. That’s the FBI, and you’re going to get to hang out with the man of your fantasies.”
Roxy faced her best friend and kissed her square on the mouth, uncaring what anyone thought.
“I seriously love you.”
Bishop slapped her. “Knock it off! People talk about us as it is.”
“I’ll give you my liver if you make him spend time with me just so I can check out that ass of his. I bet I can bounce four quarters and my lips off it from here.”
She found that funny. “I’ll see what I can do. Don’t leave fingerprints.”
“Fuck it. I’ll wear gloves. Hell! I’ll wear freaking latex if soldier boy swings that way.”
Bishop didn’t doubt it, and that’s what made it funny as hell. The redheaded man didn’t have a clue. He was about to be run down.
Hard.
By Roxanne Faust, ME and man-eater.
Chapter Six
The second he saw her, he couldn’t look away. He’d been up in the tree, playing lookout, but he had to come down. Jagger was hoping to get a closer look.
The brunette at the gate was gorgeous. As she knelt over the body, he watched her. She moved so gracefully, that he had to wonder if she was that fluid in bed.
He was dying to find out.
Only she was going to be hands off, and he knew it. When he saw his boss, it was the perfect moment to get closer.
He couldn’t help himself. When Nate didn’t send him back up to do recon, he figured it was his lucky day.
Or worst nightmare.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten personal with a woman. Yeah, he could.
It had been about five months when he’d been on leave and shacked up with that woman in Maryland. It had been a hell of a week, but he’d left and never looked back.
This one…he wanted to stare at for hours. He wanted to leave fingerprints on every inch of her body.
There was something sexy about how she was wearing scrubs and a lab coat. He wanted to play doctor in the worst way. Maybe, he’d develop a cough and need a physical…
He could pay her for her services.
His body reacted to the thought, and he didn’t think twice about it. He was a man, and he had needs. It wasn’t easy to live in a house where everyone was shacking up. He was the only one living the life of a monk. It sucked. Jagger slept with ear buds in, and it wasn’t because he liked listening to music.
“Who’s the broad?” he asked.
Luke looked over at him as soon as the meltdown stopped. “Do you hear Maura flipping out over your com? She’s going to kick your ass as soon as you get inside that house.”
He grinned. “Yeah, that’s why I didn’t ask who the doctor was. I like making Maura angry. It’s my hobby.”
“Asshole,” came over the com.
It made him grin even more.
“You love me, sweet cheeks.”
There was more cursing from the major, and Luke actually laughed. He didn’t need to protect his wife. She would break Jagger in her own sadistic way—and when he didn’t expect it.
“That’s the coroner. She’s got her hands full.”
Jagger wouldn’t mind getting his hands full with the coroner. She was something else. The kicker was that she really wasn’t his type. He liked brash blondes and more the porn star type. This woman was more like a librarian digging in bodies. Don’t get him wrong, she had an amazing body, all curves, and breasts.
Why that made him hard, he’d never know.
“If she needs help, I’m her man.”
Nate heard the tone. “Don’t burn the town down, Jagger. I don’t want to clean up a mess.”
He laughed. “I can’t promise to the former, but the latter won’t be an issue. I handle my own messes.”
He had a point.
If he wanted to chase down a woman who played in the dead, more power to him. They weren’t Jagger’s parents, nor his guardians. The man was a Marine. They were sure he could maneuver through this sort of thing.
“Toss me a bone. Be my wingman. I’ve been on nonstop Oracle duty for almost half a year.”
Luke gave him a look. “Yeah, like you’re my wife’s?”
As they approached, he did something he never did before. “Please? I’ll owe you one.”
They stared at him as if he was the next coming of the devil himself. Neither man had ever heard Captain Jagger Armstrong utter the ‘P’ word—not even when he was asking them to pass food at the dinner table.
“Holy shit!”
Nate laughed. “I wish I had this recorded. Jagger said please. This is a first.”
He didn’t say anything else. They were going to bust his ass, so he let it go. If he wasn’t meant to chase the hottie down, so be it.
He’d survive.
What sucked was he’d be servicing his own needs as a party of one.
A Marine had to do what a Marine had to do.
“Sheriff,” Nate called. “Can we talk?”
She headed their way.
“Yeah, we can. It seems you check out. I spoke to Elizabeth Blackhawk. How you got her to make the call at three in the morning is beyond me, but whatever. You can help.”
“Help?”
“Oh, yeah, Director Carter. I was pretty clear when I told your boss that I’d play nice, but I never told her I’d let you run this show. Until I find out what the hell is going on here, and someone comes out and tells me the truth, I’m driving this one.”
Nate couldn’t argue.
He knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on. They were supposed to do this on the DL, and the sheriff could make their lives hell.
This was her game.
It was time to play nice.
“We’re here to back you up.”
“Great. I’m going to head in and talk to Lucian and the redhead he’s cozied up to. I know she’s not a Fed. Anyone want to tell me who she is?”
Here’s where it got tricky.
Nate wanted to point out that she was his fiancée, but that was suspicious too. So, they used the cover story.
“Her name is Avalon Miller, and she’s contracted with the FBI. You can ask Elizabeth Blackhawk about her. She’ll confirm it.”
That made her less cranky. Bishop was good at picking up lies. She’d had brothers who screwed with her on a daily basis. So far, she didn’t think the man was yanking her chain.
“Okay. I’ll go ask some questions.” Bishop stared at the man with the tattoos. “You! I need to borrow you.”
Nate lifted a brow.
“Can you help my coroner? We’re short staffed now that my men are keeping the media out of here.”
“You can’t just borrow our team,” Nate said.
“Yes, I can help,” Jagger offered. “I don’t mind. She can borrow me. It would be my pleasure.”
Jagger smiled.
The Feds stared at him.
This was scary and possibly a borderline possession. Both men wanted to throw holy water on Jagger. First the word please, and now he was smiling?
That was some terrifying shit.
Jagger didn’t hesitate to move toward her. Yes, he was going to get his ass ridden later. It was clear what part of his body he was thinking with, and it wasn’t the Marine brain part.
Still…
He didn’t care.
“He’s all yours.”
Jagger was grinning like the cat who was after the canary. He had that hunting look in his eye, and no one doubted that he was going to be detained later
.
The men almost wanted to warn the woman he was focused on, or hand her some pepper spray. There was a horny Marine in their midst, and he tended to get what he wanted.
“We’ll join you,” stated Luke, following the sheriff up the long drive. “We can talk about the case.”
“Why are you really here?” she asked. “I’m giving you one last shot at this, guys. Really. It’s insulting when you actually think I’m clueless. I’ve been working as a deputy for eight years, and sheriff for two. I’m pretty good at my job.”
Nate glanced over at his partner. They knew they were out of options.
“Avalon really is a psychic.”
Nate wasn’t sure if she was going to believe him or not.
“She’s really contracted out to handle these sort of cases. They need someone with her skills, not ours.”
“Okay, and?”
This was new, so Nate pressed on. “She gets visions, and we head toward them. We have a little agency that’s an offshoot of the FBI. We handle the woo-woo cases she pulls.”
Well, at least that made sense.
“You could have just told me that.”
He started laughing. “No offense, but that doesn’t usually go over well. When someone hears psychic, they think total bullshit.”
Bishop thought about it.
“Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t be well received. Now I’m going to talk to Avalon, if you don’t mind.”
“She’s not behind this.”
“I’m aware, but she might give me an insight. She said I was here to help Lucian, so she knows something. I’m going to get the information and run with it.”
“We’ll join you.”
“No. I’m doing this interview on my own. You lied to me, you yanked my chain, and I’m going to get my bearings and then we’ll talk. Be at my office at eight in the morning. We’ll discuss it then.”
“You can’t just…”
She shut him down. “Mr. Carter, I don’t know a single thing about you. I’m going to do my job, follow my gut, and go from there. I have a gift too, and I’m going to use it. Right now, it’s telling me that I need to talk to Avalon and then Lucian. Give me some space. If you really don’t have anything to hide, a few hours won’t hurt, now will it?”
Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) Page 12