They had to be extra careful.
Avalon’s identity couldn’t be discovered.
“I’m scared. Jesus, I’m so scared,” he whispered, fearing the worst. It was scary enough that they might lose the new pregnancy, but to lose her…
It would end him.
“She’s going to be okay, Nate. Think positive. She’s tougher than she looks.”
Avalon kept mumbling, and he kept praying she’d live.
As they raced into the ER bay, Nate was out of the vehicle and heading for the sliding door. Maura was right behind them, and he already had his badge out, and Avalon’s fake one ready.
As far as anyone was concerned, she was a Fed. It would get her preferential treatment.
“I have a federal agent who needs help!” he shouted.
The doctors and nurses rushed her way. They had a gurney, and helped place her body on it.
“She’s pregnant,” he heard himself say. “She’s also blind. Please help her.”
It was an out of body experience as they began wheeling her away. Nate tried to go with her, but they wouldn’t let him.
Tears filled his eyes.
He took a seat and Maura sat beside him.
Nate did the only thing he could do.
He prayed.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Luke and Jagger sat in the sheriff’s office, going over the files. They were working backward. At that moment, the focus was solely on Lawrence Stall.
They had a whiteboard up, and they were deconstructing the case.
“What do we have?” Luke asked.
Jagger wasn’t good with this part, but he knew that Nate had to be with Avalon. He was sick over the thought of what could be happening to her.
She was loved.
She was theirs.
After watching over Avalon for years, he felt protective toward her. How could he not? She was part of their family.
“He was originally arrested for a drive by shooting. The sheriff’s department arrested him in his apartment, and they found the gun that matched the bullets from the scene.”
They marked that down.
“Who arrested him?”
“Miles Killion was the one who brought him in. They had the help of the US Marshalls. He was a fugitive.”
They wrote that down.
Nothing was going unnoted.
Nothing.
“What happened?”
“The night of the shooting, Lawrence Stall drove down the street, peppering it with bullets. The person he was aiming for later told the police that he’d hired him to do a job, and then when it didn’t happen, he didn’t pay.”
“What was the job?”
Jagger flipped through the file. “It’s not noted.”
Well, they tried.
“What happened at trial?”
Jagger opened Lucian’s file, and began reading the notes the man had made. “They had a strong case.”
Luke knew what had gone wrong.
“Earl Thorpe tanked it. If what Lucian said is right, he didn’t hire the hit on him.”
“So who did?”
“It had to be Stall. He wasn’t hired by anyone. He simply wanted to get rid of the man.”
“Was he out on bail?” Jagger asked. “I mean, he did a drive by, so you’d think he’d be locked up, right?”
Luke checked the file. “He had Dale Plunkett as his attorney. That man is a snake. He got him released after arguing he wasn’t a flight risk.”
They pulled up the arrest records on Bishop’s computer. “He was out on bail. In fact, he was at the courthouse that day the vehicle blew.”
Of course he was.
He’d want to watch it happen. He was a firebug out to take down the only person who could send him to prison. Then he bribed Earl to let the case tank.
No one thought anything of it, since they believed Lucian was the powerhouse behind it all.
“So we have Arron Abrahms as the judge, Lucian and Earl Thorpe as the council for the city, Dale as the scumbag, and Miles as the arresting officer.”
“Yes.”
“Wendy found out the truth, and someone killed her because she knew it.”
“Right.”
Jagger shook his head. “What are we missing? Who the hell killed Lawrence Stall? Everyone else who was involved in this case is dead—except Lucian, and we know he was with either us or Bishop.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“This part sucks.”
Yeah, it really did.
It was frustrating as hell too.
“What’s this?” Jagger asked, sliding Lucian’s file toward Luke.
“It looks like a case number.”
“Pull it up.”
Jagger typed it into Bishop’s computer, and a picture pulled up with details.
“Who’s Lisa Sawyer?” he asked.
Luke stared at the picture.
He didn’t have a clue.
What the hell was going on?
Who was this girl?
“We need to go back through that file, run that name through some internet searches, and go from there. Lucian tagged it for a reason. I don’t want to leave any stones unturned.”
Jagger was afraid of that.
It was going to be one hell of a long night.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Bishop got him tucked into bed, and she was more than happy to rest beside him. As he snoozed away, she couldn’t help but stare at him.
He was going to be her husband.
Hot damn!
This was her dream come true.
Bishop couldn’t help but picture him standing at the end of the aisle as she walked toward him.
It was going to be amazing.
As she was lost in her daydream, her cell began vibrating. Grabbing it, she answered.
“Sheriff Killion.”
It was Roxy.
“Lawrence Stall’s autopsy is done. We have some DNA from the killer. It looks like he left a trail.”
That was the best news yet.
“Are you coming in?”
“I can’t. I’m the only one here to watch Lucian. I don’t want to leave him alone.”
“I have a problem.”
She glanced over at her fiancé. “What?”
“I did something stupid, and I have to fix it.”
“What? Are you okay, Roxy?”
“I brought Jagger home with me, I slept with him in my bed, and I think he sees a future for us.”
That was the best news Bishop had ever heard.
“And?”
“I need to turn in my resignation.”
“What?” said, scaring the shit out of the sleeping man.
He sat up and looked around.
“Sorry, babe,” she said, focusing back on the call and the insanity her best friend was spouting. “Roxy, you can’t leave! This is so jacked up. We’re a team!”
“I have to get away for a while. There’s a stand by coroner who’ll cover for me, but right now, I need to get away and think.”
“Roxy, this is so wrong.”
“I have feelings for him, and I just can’t. He blindsided me, and I need to go. I don’t want to love him, Bish. I can’t do this. It’s freaking me out.”
Lucian touched her arm. “Go. She needs you. I’ll be fine here. It’s Graymoor. I’m safe.”
She was torn.
This was Lucian.
It was Roxy.
She loved them both.
Finally, she gave in as he insisted.
“Stay right there, Roxy, I’m on my way in. We’re going to talk about how crazy this is.”
“You can’t talk me out of it, Bish. I need to do this. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m giving you my resignation, and you can tell Silas.”
Great.
She loved that mess being dumped in her lap.
“Your grandfather is going to shit a brick, Roxy. The second you run, Silas is going to make everyone’s life
hell until you come back. You know how he is with you. He makes overprotective look like a pleasure cruise.”
“I need to get away, Bish. I can’t function. The panic attacks are back. I’m scared shitless of the man.”
Her heart broke for the woman. “I’m coming. Hang in there. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“You don’t have to, Bish. Stay with your man. I’ll be okay. I just needed to tell you that I love you, and I’m sorry that I have to leave.”
There was no way she was letting this happen.
Hell no!
“Yeah, you’re my bestest bitch. You know I’m coming. Sit your ass there, and don’t leave. I’m on my way.”
“I booked a flight for the morning.”
That said it all.
Well, then Bishop needed to work fast.
“I’m sorry, Bish. I love you.”
Roxy hung up.
This was a mess.
“Go. I’m in the house. Nothing is getting me here. I’ll go back to sleep, you handle her, and stay safe.”
“How am I supposed to get there? My truck is dust.”
He kissed her. “There’s a truck in the garage.”
Yeah, there was.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay here by yourself?”
He laughed. “My ears are still ringing, but I’ll be fine. The housekeeper will be here at six in the morning, so don’t shoot her if you see someone in the house.”
She took a deep breath. “I love you, Lucian. Be safe, and if you need me, you call.”
He kissed her. “I’ll always need you, but Roxy needs you right now. I get that. I can share my wife-to-be with her best friend. I want you to be happy.”
She tucked him in.
“Stay out of trouble, don’t hit your head, and I’ll see you in a little while. I have to talk Roxy out of running, and that’s never easy.”
He didn’t doubt that in the least.
Bishop hurried and got dressed so she could head out.
Racing down the stairs, she realized that she’d forgotten her sidearm.
Shit!
She’d have to pull her clutch piece from her desk at work. She didn’t have time to go back. Roxy was notorious for hiding, and she had to intervene.
Once in the garage, she saw the keys hanging on a board by the door. Finding the ones for the badass black truck, she hopped in. It roared to life, and she headed out.
At the gate, there weren’t too many reporters.
She saw them move out of the way, and she even waived at them. As she hit the road, she hauled ass, noticing they were following.
Well, at least they’d leave Lucian alone.
There was that.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Nate was sick.
He was pacing back and forth, and he wanted to jump the nurses’ station to rush back and find his fiancée.
Maura was on the phone, coordinating everything. He was so grateful for his team, and their ability to carry on without him babysitting.
He was a mess.
As the door opened, swinging out, he saw a doctor heading his way.
“Nathaniel Carter?”
He stood. “Yes?”
“Are you Avalon’s husband?”
They’d fibbed about that one to make sure she’d have insurance tied to the Federal Government.
“Yes! Is she okay?”
“She has an ectopic pregnancy.”
Nate didn’t know what the hell that was. He looked at Maura, who immediately looked worried.
This had to be a bad thing.
Maura didn’t do fear. She ate it for breakfast and made it her bitch on a daily basis. For her to look panicked, it made him want to hyperventilate.
“We have her sedated, but the pregnancy didn’t drop to her uterus. The egg was fertilized in her tube, and it’s ruptured. If we don’t go in, she could die. We’re going to try and save the tube, so she can try to have more kids.”
That was all he had to hear.
“And the pregnancy?” Maura asked, when Nate simply sat down.
“It can’t be saved. Right now, it’s about saving her. At this point, we may need to give her a transfusion. Her belly is filling with blood, and that’s the most dangerous part.”
Nate didn’t know what to think.
He wanted to be sick.
How could he save her from the government, the crazies, killers, and their little baby be the one thing that stole her away.
“Do the surgery and save her,” Maura said, sitting beside Nate. “We’ll be here.”
“She’s young and heathy, so she should be fine.”
The doctor headed away.
Nate sat there.
“Honey, it’s going to be okay,” Maura said, going into sister mode. This was her brother-in-law of sorts, and she hated seeing him like this. Nate was tough. When it came to the woman he loved, he didn’t do well without her.
She recalled his funk when they faked her death.
“I can’t breathe,” he stated.
She totally got it. Maura was scared too.
“Avalon will be fine,” she reassured.
He pulled out his phone to start Googling it. Nate knew he shouldn’t, but he had to see the rate of survival. He needed to know if he was going to lose her.
“Don’t do that, Nate.”
He didn’t care.
Nate needed facts.
As he searched the internet, making himself insane, Maura did the only thing she could.
She called in backup.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
He waited for her to leave.
As soon as she did, he saw Lucian wasn’t in the vehicle. That made his life so much easier.
He was going to get inside, and do what he needed to do. The man had failed, and justice needed to be served.
As the rest of the media headed away, he simply strolled up to the box and entered the code.
Wendy had been useful. She bribed the housekeeper, and now he was going to make sure that he put that code to good use.
As he headed inside, the grounds were absolutely silent. Well, that wouldn’t be the case for long. His screams of pain and begging would be filling the air before the night was done.
He’d make sure of it.
It was time for Lucian Monroe to pay for this mess with his life.
As he approached the front door, he was ready to bust the glass if need be, but much to his surprise, it wasn’t locked.
That amused him.
He was such a cocky bastard.
That was going to be his downfall.
All those years ago, he sat across from the man, and he’d promised to win that case, burying Lawrence Stall. That didn’t happen.
He’d failed.
Well, he was going to fail again.
Now.
As he entered the grand house, he was disgusted. The man likely never had to work for anything. That’s why he didn’t understand why letting Lawrence Stall go free was a horrible thing. People bled from his mistake.
Who?
His little girl had paid with her life.
She never had a chance.
Now thanks to Wendy, who told him right where to find Lucian’s bedroom, he was going to get his revenge.
This man was the last one.
In the hallway, outside the master suite, he pulled out his marker and left the note.
‘Seven of Seven. It’s done. In memory of L.S.’
He stared at it for a few seconds, wiped his eyes, and got ready. “I love you, princess. You were my little girl. I promised you that I’d make them pay, and I’m almost done. When he’s gone, I’ll join you. Daddy’s coming home.”
Quietly, he headed into the room. It was washed in darkness, silent, and very peaceful. Of course it was grand, much like the rest of the house.
Well, here was where he’d die.
Moving closer to the bed, he saw the last victim. Lucian was in bed—sound asleep.
<
br /> There was a gun beside him on the nightstand, and that amused him. Was that supposed to stop him?
It wouldn’t.
He could shoot him in the heart, and it wouldn’t end that pain. Nothing would ever end it.
Well, nothing but his spilled blood.
Picking up the gun, he tapped the man on the shoulder. When Lucian rolled, groggy from sleep, he enjoyed the look on his face.
When that one eye opened, the shock and fear said it all. In that moment, he’d figured it out.
“Hello, Lucian. You’re dead.”
And then he pistol-whipped him, knocking him out.
It was time to begin.
It was time to take his life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Luke needed some help.
He and Jagger were getting nowhere fast.
They’d found Lisa Sawyer, but they couldn’t tie her to anyone involved in the case. She looked like a sweet girl, and they needed someone in town to talk them through it.
Picking up the phone, he called the sheriff. She answered on the second ring.
“Sheriff.”
“Hey! We have something, but we don’t know what we have,” he began.
“Okay, what?”
“Do you remember the media reports when the Lawrence Stall case was going on?” he asked.
“I recall a little of it. I was a newbie just starting out. My dad would talk about it over dinner. He and Lucian were working hard on putting Lawrence Stall away.”
“There was a little girl tied to it.”
She listened.
“When Lawrence did his drive by, she was shot. She didn’t die. The bullet didn’t kill her instantly. Instead, she was brain dead and on life support.”
“Okay.”
“We can’t tie her to anyone. She was a foster kid, and we can’t get into the files.”
“You think she’s the reason this person went off the rails?” she asked. “A parent maybe?”
“Yes. Who else would want revenge more?”
He had a point.
“I don’t recall her name. Lucian might.”
“He’s not answering his cell. Can you take a look at her? Maybe something will pop.”
Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) Page 43