Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2)

by Kelley, Morgan

  That made the pot as sweet as it could get.

  The man would see case files, and that made every greedy little reporter’s heart thump. To get them early too?

  Yeah, she’d locked this one down.

  “Deal.”

  He held out his hand.

  “I’m putting my trust in you because your daddy was a damn good man, Bishop. Everyone respected him. He built this community along with Silas, and that means something. I hope you plan on keeping on that path.”

  Oh, she would.

  “You can trust me, York. I love Ravenswood. I’ll do whatever I can to protect it. This is my home and my father’s legacy.”

  She knew he was recording their conversation. She could see the little red light through the pocket of his shirt. Now she’d have no choice but to follow through.

  He had her dead to rights on this.

  If she reneged, she’d look like a dick. Bishop didn’t doubt that he’d have this conversation plastered all over the news.

  Shit!

  They shook hands.

  “Want some lunch?” he offered. “I was going to head out and grab something. Your daddy and I used to eat together all the time.”

  She appreciated the offer, but it was too damn early for food. Bishop had to stare at the latest victim. That had killed her appetite.

  “Maybe when this is over, you and I can get together and do that, York. Right now, I have a shitload of legwork to do. I do appreciate your help on this. Thank you for giving me a little wiggle room.”

  He grinned. “Oh, I can’t give you much. In fact, I know that Wendy is on her way over. The woman at the front desk is her cousin. The second you walked in here, you were made.”

  Double shit.

  This was EXACTLY what Silas told her to avoid. This was going to put a damper on her day.

  A huge one.

  “That’s your heads up. You might want to take the back door to avoid her.”

  She knew he was throwing her a bone—or at least he hoped he was.

  “I owe you one,” she said, tossing the paper coffee cup. “In fact, I’ll ignore that you recorded me without my consent.”

  He laughed.

  “You are your daddy’s daughter. Wherever he is, you know he’s proud.”

  Wasn’t that the damn truth?

  Bishop wanted to believe her father was smiling down on her and impressed. Yeah, impressed that he was murdered and no one in the damn town had figured out who killed him.

  Her laundry list of shit ‘to do’ just got longer.

  Save Lucian.

  Find a killer.

  Figure out who shot the sheriff.

  Bishop needed a vacation.

  As she navigated the back halls, Bishop called into the office to update her secretary where she’d be. Silas had been worried about her at the beginning, and he’d made it a standing rule. If you were out alone, you called in.

  As she headed out the back door, the sun was the first thing that blinded her.

  Next was the flash of Wendy’s fake, snow-blind white teeth.

  Well, shit.

  York set her ass up.

  She was going to hurt him the next time he saw her. Then again, maybe Wendy just knew she’d try to get out of there with minimal contact with the reporters.

  “Sheriff Killion, can you confirm that Lucian Monroe, recluse, damaged man, and potential harm to our city, is involved in this case?”

  Yep.

  Silas had been right.

  Wendy wanted to provoke her.

  In one sentence, she’d made her blood boil. The blonde, in her overpriced heels, fancy suit, and coifed hair, made her want to tear into her ass.

  Bishop wouldn’t let her win.

  Not again.

  Instead, she ignored her.

  It was for the best.

  It was for her own sanity and Wendy’s safety. Patience were a virtue, and Bishop was going to dig deep. If she was a religious person, now would be a good time to start praying.

  “Can you tell us, the citizenry of Ravenswood, if we’re in danger? How is Lucian connected? Is he behind this? Is it a dirty mob deal? What’s going on, Sheriff Killion?”

  The cameras were rolling.

  Bishop bit her tongue to keep from saying anything.

  “No comment, Wendy.”

  “You have to have a comment. You and Lucian are buddy, buddy, right?”

  The woman knew that wasn’t true.

  When she’d found out that Bishop had tried to reach the man for two years, it had been a free for all. At one point, she even went to Wendy for help.

  Big mistake.

  It gave the viper what she craved—humiliation of others. It wasn’t happening again.

  “You’re protecting him. Is this a cover-up? Are you protecting him because he used to be valuable? Is the city courting him to come back and practice law? Or is he truly washed up?”

  She stopped.

  Bishop hated that anyone was disparaging him. Lucian had nearly died doing something for this city.

  He was valuable.

  He wasn’t washed up.

  Lucian was a human being, and he deserved respect.

  Bishop turned to face her.

  “You know what, Wendy? He still is valuable. Maybe not to you, since you dumped him after he was hurt, but Lucian Monroe served this community. He put away countless criminals, worked hard to keep them off the street, and earned his reputation as a tough prosecutor. I’m not protecting him, covering anything up, or hiding a single solitary thing from the citizens of Ravenswood. I’m trying to solve this mess so Lucian’s legacy can remain intact like it deserves.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes.

  Bishop knew that she didn’t like when anyone brought up that she’d been engaged to him. That was a part of her past that she liked everyone to forget.

  God forbid the gorgeous Wendy was engaged to someone who was less than ‘perfect’. It would ruin her ratings.

  “If you don’t mind, I have a job to do. I can’t follow people around all day getting in their way. That’s monopolized by you.”

  She headed for her truck.

  Bishop prayed for control.

  Wendy stayed at her side, peppering the walk with more and more questions.

  They ranged from the absurd to absolute lunacy. The woman was trying to get her goat, and Bishop wasn’t going to fall for it. Silas’s words kept playing over and over in her head.

  She refused to give the woman the satisfaction of an answer.

  “We’re done, guys. She’s useless to us.”

  Bishop wanted to thank the powers that be. Wendy was bored. That was the key to avoiding her. If she couldn’t get anything from you, she’d walk away.

  Bishop was proud of herself.

  She’d fought the Wendy beast and lived to tell about it—her job intact.

  “She can have Lucian Monroe. He’s a washed up has been anyway. Yesterday’s trash isn’t news.”

  And that’s when it happened.

  Bishop recalled those exact same words being used the day he was in that hospital bed. She’d called him washed up, a has been, and not worth her time. Bishop vividly recalled Wendy coming into his room, seeing her holding Lucian’s hand, and the tirade she went into in protest.

  It had been an act.

  She saw that now. Wendy wanted to make a grand exit from the relationship, blaming Lucian for it, not her. She was a total bitch.

  Enough was enough.

  “Hey, Wendy?” she said, unlocking her shiny truck.

  The woman approached. “What?”

  Bishop lowered her voice. “If you ever call him washed up again, I’m going to make you sorry.”

  She heard the click of the camera going back on.

  Fine.

  She didn’t care.

  Lucian’s dignity mattered to her.

  “Oh, yeah? I’m just pointing out the facts. He’s hiding in his house, he’s a scarred mess, and he’s
washed up.”

  Bishop opened her door fast, bumping it into Wendy. In the stilts she called heels, Wendy toppled.

  Bishop pretended to reach for her, purposely missing her. Wendy fell to the ground, right into a puddle of nasty water.

  It was hard not to laugh.

  “Oops. My bad. Have a good day, Wendy.”

  With that, she hopped into her truck as the media hounds helped their evil queen. She pulled away, and Bishop knew heads were going to roll.

  Silas was going to kick her ass.

  Still…that was payback. Lucian wasn’t washed up. Bishop saw his potential. Now it was about making him see it too.

  If that was even possible.

  * * * O R A C L E * * *

  Graymoor

  Yes, he was hiding.

  After the confrontation with Bishop, he didn’t know what the hell to do. Lucian could still feel her lips against his cheek, and he didn’t know what to think.

  He’d missed that contact.

  He’d wondered the last ten years if anyone would ever touch him again. It wasn’t as if he could blame the opposite sex for running from him.

  Hell!

  He was running from him—only it was damn hard since he was trapped in this shell. It was funny. His insides didn’t match his outsides. Lucian felt as if he could still make a difference, but he knew the outside would hold him back.

  His face was going to be his obstacle.

  As he sat in his office, he flipped through the news. He was trying to get some work done, but divorce documents didn’t have his attention.

  He had to admit, he was curious.

  This case was plaguing him. He could feel the low hum of voices in his head, and it was making it hard to think.

  It was clear that Avalon, wherever she was in the house, was controlling them. She was keeping them off his back. She’d helped him with controlling his aura, and that pushed the pain back. He was grateful.

  Still…

  He needed a distraction.

  As he flipped to his least favorite channel, he saw her. Bishop Killion was heading out of the newspaper, her face set in determination, and her eyes lit with anger.

  He saw it there.

  Lucian was familiar with it.

  That anger lived in him.

  As he watched the beautiful woman cross the parking lot, he heard the dreaded voice. Wendy’s whining was crystal clear, and now he understood why Bishop looked so irritated.

  He would be too.

  One of the best things about Graymoor was that his ex-fiancée couldn’t get to him. That was his only blessing the last ten years.

  Lucian watched the footage, and he realized that Wendy was trying to start a fight. She’d been like that when they dated, and when he proposed, but he’d always won.

  Why?

  Because he was Lucian Monroe.

  Winning was in his blood.

  Now he realized she was only letting him win. Wendy had been using him, in all fairness, he’d done the same. He didn’t feel an iota of emotion toward her.

  Now Bishop?

  Yeah, he felt everything,

  As she had most of her team shut off their cameras, he relaxed. Then he heard what she said.

  Wendy was being Wendy.

  It was true.

  He was washed up.

  It was then that he saw the flash of fury as Bishop came to his defense. It was horrifying and healing all at once.

  When she went to get into her truck, he watched as the other news station that had been tailing Wendy, caught the end of their ‘talk’.

  He laughed.

  For the first time, in a very long time, it broke free from his chest. It sounded so unfamiliar, but felt so right.

  The look on Wendy’s face as Bishop ‘accidentally’ knocked her over was priceless.

  It was cathartic.

  Bishop had defended him.

  Was she telling the truth earlier? When she said all those things to him, were they said in honesty?

  As he sat there, pondering the question, there was a light knock to his door.

  “Come in.”

  Avalon blinked a few times, adjusting to using his vision to guide her before she moved into his office and toward him.

  “Do you need my help?” he asked.

  “No, but I think you need mine. I could hear your mind calling mine from across the house.”

  Had it been?

  Did he need help?

  At this point, Lucian wasn’t sure. His whole life was upside down, and he was confused as hell about the killer, why he was being targeted, and Bishop Killion.

  Especially her.

  “Can I get you something, Avalon?”

  “Maura is on the phone, coordinating something with Jagger, so I thought I’d come sit with you for a while. It felt like you needed it.”

  The funny thing is, he did.

  He had been feeling down.

  Now he was simply confused.

  “She hurt you, didn’t she?” Avalon asked.

  “Who?”

  Avalon focused on the man, reaching into his mind to find the deepest, darkest secrets.

  “Wendy.”

  “Yes, she did. I suppose I deserved it. When I started dating her, it wasn’t because I thought she’d make a good wife. I thought she’d help advance my career.”

  That was the first time he’d ever said it out loud, and it felt damn good.

  Avalon listened.

  “Along the way, I got twisted up in her games, her lies, and the media spotlight.” Yeah, and in the process he fell in love with another woman.

  Bishop.

  It had always been Bishop.

  “You’re free from her now and have been for the last ten years,” Avalon offered.

  Was he?

  Could a man really be free of his past?

  Wendy was gunning for him, and in the process, going after Bishop. That bothered him most.

  “Can I ask you something personal?” Lucian asked.

  “Sure. If I can have some coffee. I really like it, but I don’t get to have it all the time. It’s very addictive.”

  He glanced over at the pot sitting on his desk. He’d forgotten to offer her some. That’s how twisted up he was. He was being a horrible host.

  “You absolutely can.”

  He poured her a cup, and she took it from him with no incidents. Lucian was about to say something, but she beat him to it.

  “Yes, I’m using your eyes.”

  He didn’t mind. Being around Avalon was cathartic. She had a calming presence about her.

  Avalon took a sip of the coffee. She really loved the stuff. There had to be a way to get more. It seemed to calm the jittery feelings that she was experiencing.

  Pregnancy was hard.

  She was already feeling the strain and under the weather because of it. She wasn’t sure how she’d do this later in pregnancy. It was a big energy drain.

  “Go ahead and ask what’s on your mind, Lucian.”

  “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

  “I absolutely do. I’m a victim of it myself. I met my fiancé in a dream. For years, I dreamed of him, and then one day, he was there. I fell for Nathaniel a long time ago. I was just waiting for life to catch up.”

  “Did you tell him when you met him? How long have you been together?”

  “We’ve only been together for about six months. I told him that I loved him right after the first time we had sex. I was a virgin.”

  Lucian squirmed in his seat at the use of the word ‘virgin’. It was awkward to have a woman say it to him.

  It freaked him out.

  “I’m not sure he’s going to like you having this conversation. I know I wouldn’t.”

  She laughed. “You’ll find I’m often without a filter. I tend to say whatever comes to mind. As to my state before Nathaniel, I was a prisoner. I didn’t want to help the government. I simply had no choice. When he came into my life, he saved me.”


  She told him about her father, how her mother had gotten pregnant by her cousin, and the outcome.

  “He nearly died to save me. Nathaniel was willing to sacrifice anything to make sure I lived. That’s love. It’s the deepest, purest form of it. That’s how we both knew.”

  He thought about what Bishop had said. Then he thought about what he’d seen on the TV with her and Wendy. She was risking her job to protect him.

  Was it the same?”

  “It is,” Avalon stated.

  He stared at her. “That’s a little creepy.”

  “Yeah, so I’m told. Here’s a little secret, Lucian. The team doesn’t know the half of what I can do. In fact, neither do I.”

  He believed that.

  “Anyway, back to Nathaniel and love at first sight. I was glad I told him. In life, we don’t have guarantees. I think you know that, Lucian.”

  Oh, he was well aware.

  “How did he take it?”

  She sipped her coffee. “Well, he was freaked out at first. I’m younger than he is, and I think that sometimes makes him nervous. He’s not old by any means, but there’s at least fifteen years between us.”

  Lucian got it.

  “It didn’t last long. I think after about two days, he figured it out. I had faith that he would.”

  Lucian thought about it.

  “You should tell her the truth. It will set you free.”

  He played dumb.

  “Tell who, what?”

  Avalon’s laughter filled the room.

  If he wanted to play it that way, she’d allow him that luxury. Avalon knew what was coming. Everything was there. It was like one giant chessboard, and she was moving the pieces across the board.

  Right now, the bishop was protecting the king. At some point, he’d have to take over.

  “You really should tell Bishop how you feel—how she makes you feel. Once you do, you’ll begin to heal. It’s the first step.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Liar.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “I can tell that she scares you, but not because she’s interested in you. She scares you because you don’t want to get hurt anymore. You really believe there’s nothing redeemable in you.”