Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2)

by Kelley, Morgan

  She tapped the navigational screen, syncing up her smartphone. “Send it by text.”

  Bishop was nearly at the courthouse.

  “Here it comes.”

  As she stopped at the light, she checked out the little girl. There was that wave of awareness that overcame her.

  “Oh, shit!”

  “What?” Luke asked.

  “Get to Lucian’s house! Now!”

  “Bishop! What’s wrong?” he asked, as they grabbed their things. The woman sounded frantic. That couldn’t be good.

  “When I went to the ‘Ravenswood Chronicle’, in York Spencer’s office, there was that girl’s picture. I’m betting he was going to adopt her. You said foster, right?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  That made sense.

  “Can you get into those files?” she asked. “I need into the sealed records.”

  “I’ll get into them. It’s going to take some time.”

  “It makes sense,” Bishop said, doing a U-turn and flooring it through the dead streets. “Who worked for the paper? Wendy. York was able to keep tabs on her. We found the hairs on the victims, and we thought Wendy was passing them on, but she was near York every single day! It was trace transfer.”

  They made it to their car.

  “He was taking out everyone who let him down. He blamed the entire justice system for her death.”

  “But Lucian was nearly killed. He didn’t fail her,” Jagger said. “Lawrence Stall took him out before he could win the case. The deck was stacked against him.”

  “It’s not going to matter. He’s taking everyone out. Wendy knew that Earl was behind it, and she probably told him that she had a big, fat, juicy story. That’s how he got his list.”

  This was so sick, but to a madman, it would make sense.

  “As I was leaving Lucian’s, I saw York there. I figured he was covering today’s bomb, but he was waiting to get to Lucian!”

  She wanted to be sick.

  She’d left him.

  Screw friendship!

  Roxy would have to wait. Lucian was in danger, and she couldn’t let him die.

  She had to save him.

  She’d promised.

  Bishop needed to save the man she loved.

  * * * O R A C L E * * *

  When he finally came too, he was tied to a chair. His wrists were bound to the arms, his feet were tied to the legs, and he was gagged.

  At first, he didn’t get it.

  At first, he was confused.

  “Oh, hello, counselor. I see we finally get to have this little discussion.” He walked over, and pulled the gag from Lucian’s mouth. “This has been a long time coming.”

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Remember me? Ten years ago, you took on a case. You recall Lawrence Stall, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He struggled to get free.

  York pistol-whipped him.

  Lucian saw stars.

  “Stop moving and listen! You need to listen to me!” he raged.

  Lucian did what he asked. The only thing he could think of was how grateful he was that Bishop was gone.

  If he was going to die by this madman’s hands, at least she would live. The woman he loved wouldn’t be hurt. This was his last gift to her.

  “I’m listening,” he said, trying to calm the man down.

  “You sat across from me in that office. You told me that you were going to get Lisa Sawyer justice. You didn’t. She was my little girl. My wife and I found her. No one wanted her. She was some castaway kid, but we loved her. She was our heart, and you let her killer go free.”

  Okay, the man was nuts.

  Clearly, he was a few bricks short of a wall.

  “York, I was nearly killed by Earl and Lawrence Stall. They took me out. When Earl lost the case, I was in a hospital bed. I lost my eye and nearly died.”

  He paced back and forth.

  “If they didn’t stop me, I would have gotten Lisa justice. I told you I would and I meant it. You know what I was like in that courtroom. I fought for it. I would have won.”

  He tried anything to get the man to see the truth. He didn’t have long, but he wanted to see if he could save himself too. He didn’t want to die. Lucian wanted his happily ever after with Bishop.

  “You could have done it after you survived! You could have reopened the case!”

  “It’s open now, York. She’s not forgotten.”

  “I had to pull the plug on my little girl. My wife died that day. She left our marriage, she drinks, and she gave up. We couldn’t have babies. We prayed for a gift, and she was it.”

  He got it.

  He’d prayed for a gift too, and now it was coming to an end. He wasn’t going to see Bishop ever again.

  His heart broke.

  “I tried, York. Look what they did to me.”

  He stared at the man. “Wendy tried to hide it. She came to me and she told me of this great story. She didn’t know my wife and I were the ones who wanted Lisa. She had information, she had proof, and she was going to blow it wide open.”

  “Did you kill them all, York?”

  “YES! I’d do it all again too! She called Lawrence and had him try to kill you. She hated your sidepiece of ass. She was convinced you were cheating on her before you were hurt.”

  Well, he wasn’t, but that didn’t matter.

  “I’m going to make you pay, and then justice is served. The judge who threw the case out is gone. The crooked attorney who let it go for money is dead. The snake who got that animal off is dead. Wendy paid for wanting to sensationalize this for her own benefit. Even the cop, who I begged to help me afterwards, is dead.”

  “You killed Miles too?”

  “I went to him two years ago. He said he’d look into it. I went back to see what he’d found, and he’d said there was nothing he could do! Of course not! He had his kids. He didn’t lose them to a lunatic shooting up the streets.”

  Lucian knew time was running out.

  Help wasn’t coming.

  He was dead.

  “I’m sorry, York. I’m really sorry that you feel like I’ve let you down.”

  “Oh, you will be sorry when I’m done with you. I’m going to make the pain so ungodly that you’ll beg to die. When she finds you, Lucian, she’ll never forget what I’ve done.”

  And then he laughed.

  It was finally time.

  * * * O R A C L E * * *

  She got there as fast as she could, and she hauled ass to the front door. Inside, she could hear the screaming coming from upstairs, and she couldn’t let this happen.

  Lucian couldn’t die.

  She’d nearly lost him once and had to wait for ten years to get him back. Then she’d nearly lost him again to a second bomb, and she couldn’t see him die.

  They were going together or they were both living.

  Racing up the stairs, she saw the scrawled writing on the wall. Bishop really wished that she had her gun.

  Only she didn’t.

  There was only one thing to do.

  She had to talk the man down.

  Stepping into the doorway, she knew when Lucian saw her. He was staring down the barrel of the gun.

  York was going to put a bullet in his heart.

  She had to stop him.

  Lucian shook his head. “Bishop,” he whispered, in panic. That one word caused York to spin around.

  “I’m not armed, York. You have my gun. Let’s talk about this,” she said, moving into the room with her arms up.

  York looked panicked.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Bishop was moving toward Lucian. If she could put her body between them, they might have a fighting chance. York might still be rational. Anything, at this point, was possible.

  She might buy them time. Luke and Jagger were coming. She had to hope they’d get there in time. She was putting her faith in the FBI.

  “I’m sorry about Lisa. I
didn’t know.”

  His eyes filled with tears.

  Bishop continued, “She was a beautiful girl, and I’m sorry everyone let you down. You could have come to me, York. I would have helped you. You know me. I would have reopened this case, and we could have done this together. All of this wasn’t necessary.”

  He wiped at his eyes.

  Lucian glared at her.

  What the hell was his fiancée doing? Did she have a death wish? She had to know that York was insane, and he was going to kill them both now.

  “I miss her so much, Bishop.”

  “I know, York. I know.”

  “They didn’t care. It was their job to put Lawrence Stall in jail, and they didn’t get the job done.”

  “York, Lucian cared. He’s always cared. He doesn’t deserve to die over this. He’s been working on the case the last couple of days. Had you come to us, we would have helped you.”

  He wiped his eyes.

  When he did, Bishop put herself between him and Lucian. This was her job.

  Protect.

  Serve.

  Love that man until her last breath.

  “I hate them all.”

  “I know, York. I know how that feels.”

  “I’m sorry I killed your daddy. I was really angry. He was a good cop. He shouldn’t be remembered for this final fuck up.”

  She fought not to react.

  If anything, it was about dealing with the now, and handling the rest that later. Her father had taught her that. She had to stay focused.

  “I forgive you.”

  When he looked up, his face said it all.

  She was rationalizing with him. Bishop might just save their asses yet.

  “Thank you for that. I don’t know if I can forgive any of them. I know I should, but I can’t. They all should suffer, but you’re right. Lucian doesn’t deserve to die. That was my mistake.”

  She relaxed and lowered her arms.

  “See, if you die, he’ll suffer like I did. If you die, he’s going to have to live everyday knowing that he’s lost his life by proxy.”

  York pulled the trigger.

  The bullet hit her right in the torso.

  The pain was incredible. It tore through her, dropping Bishop to her knees. Then she fell backward. It was like everything moved in slow motion. She could feel herself tumbling until she hit the floor with a thud.

  Lucian screamed.

  It was like a howl of a wild animal, seeing it’s mate gunned down.

  “And now I get to be with Lisa.”

  York put the gun beneath his chin and pulled the trigger, ending his pain. The second blast was just as loud as he fell to the floor beside Bishop.

  Lucian struggled to get free.

  “Baby! Oh, Jesus! Baby!”

  Her hands were over her stomach. “I love you, Lucian. I’ve always loved you. Don’t forget it.”

  He begged her to stay.

  “Put pressure on it,” he urged. “Jesus! Can you untie me? I can help you! Bishop! Don’t you leave me!”

  She knew the odds.

  A stomach wound?

  Yeah, she was already dead.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered, trying to keep her eyes open. She began coughing.

  Lucian tipped his chair over, so he could try to get to her. “Stay with me, Bishop. Oh, God! Stay with me. If you go, I’ll be that monster. If you leave, I’ll have nothing to keep me grounded. I need you, baby.”

  She kept coughing.

  “I had to save you. It’ll be okay,” she said, lifting her hand to touch his cheek.

  “I love you,” he said. “I’ll love you forever.”

  “I’ll wait for you,” she whispered, her hand falling from his cheek and to the floor.

  He heard the footsteps.

  “HURRY! Bishop’s been shot!”

  Luke and Jagger raced in, and they surveyed the damage. Immediately, Jagger called for an ambulance.

  Luke cut Lucian free.

  It sucked that they were too late.

  “She stood in front of me,” he said, kneeling beside her. “She saved me from him.”

  He pulled off his T-shirt and pushed it into her stomach wound.

  Luke rolled her to her side.

  “It’s not through and through,” he said.

  Jagger hung up. “Sit her upright. If the bullet is still in there, the pressure of her organs will slow the bleeding down. It’s the only thing that’ll save her.”

  Lucian pulled her into his arms.

  He held her against his body and prayed for more time with the woman he loved.

  “Bishop, stay with me, baby. God! I need you to stay with me. I can’t do this without you.”

  “Come on, Bishop,” Jagger said, patting her cheek. “You gotta fight. I didn’t pull you out of that river to watch you die. Listen to me. Fight.”

  She tried to keep her eyes open.

  For Lucian, she’d give it all she could.

  He rocked her, leaving kisses across her face and neck. “I’ll never love anyone but you. I’m sorry I wasted all those years, Bish. I’m sorry I wasted our time.”

  She stared ahead, and the edges of her vision were going gray. She was slipping in and out, missing half the things around her.

  There were sirens.

  Lucian’s sobs.

  Gravel crunching.

  Men talking.

  She could hear him pleading, but he sounded so far away. Before long, she wasn’t in his arms. Bishop could feel the cold press of table to her back.

  During it all, she held on for as long as she could.

  The last word she spoke, before she passed out was her mantra. She’d found her way back into his life to save him. It was good enough for her.

  She’d done her duty.

  She served Ravenswood.

  Bishop had carried on…

  “Lucian.”

  If she died, it was with him on her lips, and in the end, that was enough for her.

  Epilogue

  Sunday Night

  Time wasn’t their friend.

  As the clocked ticked, both men sat in a lounge, waiting to find out if they were going home alone. In death, everyone was the same. The living were forced to watch as the reaper took whoever he wanted—their time or not.

  Death didn’t play favorites, and the two men didn’t know if they were going to win or lose.

  Fate was driving this bus.

  Nathaniel Carter, a man who fought—even when he couldn’t fight any more—was waiting for the news.

  Lucian Monroe, a man who ran—even when he didn’t think he was strong enough—found that he had to be the one who held up.

  They both had to move on.

  It was when Nate looked up to see his sister heading his way, that he truly crumbled. He’d been in this situation before, only it was that woman who’d been on the cusp of death.

  “Callie,” he said, as she raced into his arms. “I can’t…” Nate didn’t even have the words. It meant so much that she’d flown across the country to get to his side.

  She got it.

  “Shhhhhh, darlin’, I’ve got this. Let me handle the situation. I’ll carry you.”

  She got him to sit. She knelt down to stare at the man beside her brother. “You’re Lucian. Maura told me that your fiancée was shot, and she’s in surgery too.”

  He nodded. Lucian didn’t need an introduction. The woman looked a lot like Nathaniel Carter. They had the same curls and icy blue eyes.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got you too.”

  He didn’t know what to say.

  Pulling her badge, she headed off to do battle. The men watched as the family, some blood, some now friends, rallied around them.

  Roxy was there, her head on her grandfather’s shoulder. Silas’s eyes were filled with tears as they waited for news. There were deputies, standing behind Lucian for hours, making sure he knew that he wasn’t alone.

  It was one hell of a scene.
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  And in the center of it all was a black-haired doctor, raising some hell.

  They watched as somehow, she got them to let her go back into the cordoned off hall.

  They observed as she talked to a scrub clad man behind the door. She listened, they watched, they watched, and she listened.

  It went back and forth.

  It was like a tennis match.

  Finally, when she was done talking to him, she headed their way.

  Kneeling down in front of her brother, she touched his cheek. “Avalon is done. She’s in recovery. She’s really sick from the drugs. You can see her in a few minutes. They need to stabilize her.”

  He was able to breathe.

  She moved over to the blood covered man.

  “Don’t tell me she’s dead. Please don’t tell me she’s dead,” he whispered over and over again. If those words came out, Lucian was walking out of the hospital, home, and to end his life.

  He wouldn’t do this without her.

  He couldn’t.

  Without beauty, the beast would die.

  “She’s in really bad shape, but she’s alive. They’ve patched her up, but it’s touch and go for a while. She lost a lot of blood.”

  He stared at his hands.

  He knew it was true because it had been all over his hands.

  It was on his soul.

  “They said you have to wait a little longer.”

  He nodded.

  His torture wasn’t over.

  It wasn’t even close.

  He started to cry.

  Callie sat beside him, feeling his pain. They’d all been there. They’d all sat in a waiting room, this fear choking them.

  “We’ll stay with you until the end,” Maura said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

  He couldn’t speak.

  Jagger saw Roxy sitting there, sobbing for her friend. He crossed to her and sat beside her.

  “I’ll stay with you.”

  She sobbed harder as his arms went around her, and he pulled her into his body to offer her reassurance.

  They all sat.

  They all stood watch.

  In the end, justice was more than about putting a criminal in a cage. It was about this.