He wiped the blood on her face with his pocket square.
“Brianna.”
“Please Laird. Just let him go. He’s angry, and I don’t want to make this worse.”
He hugged her.
“Okay, love. If that’s what you want.”
He pointed at James. “You’re still terminated. Whether you like it or not, I still have that power over you, and while she’s not out for blood, I am. Your days as a Garda are over.”
The man got up and began walking away.
Laird looked at the bruises already beginning to form on her arms.
“Do you want to go to the doctor?” he asked, running his hands across her body to check for any other injuries.
“No. I want to go to the library and do what I was supposed to do. I’ll be okay.”
There was NO WAY in hell he was leaving her alone.
“Nate and I will walk you there, and then I want you to make sure someone picks you up. I don’t want you alone.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Brianna was too afraid to argue. This kind of hate and violence was new to her.
Laird glared at the people who were staring. “Get back to your day!”
They scattered.
Nate took Avalon’s hand, and Laird held his wife as they walked them to the library.
They’d been scared shitless.
Laird couldn’t handle another scare like that.
It would kill him.
For sure.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Library
Thursday
Noon
Brianna was just glad to get to someplace safe. She’d always loved the library growing up, since it allowed her the ability to escape into any dream world she wanted.
Now she wanted to escape too.
Not from Laird, but the reality of what the other man had said. Had she ruined his life?
Was he worse off because of her?
He was in her mind.
“Nate, can we have a couple minutes?” he asked, as they stopped in front of the building.
“Sure. I’ll take Avalon in, and I’ll wait in there with her until Brianna is done.”
They headed off.
“Stop.”
She looked up at him.
“I’m sorry.”
He ran his rough fingers over her soft skin. “You haven’t made my life worse. In fact, you’ve made it so much better. Don’t listen to what he said. Instead, look inside of me.”
They stared into each other’s eyes, that connection strong. Brianna could feel his love for her and their child. Even though they’d only met, less than a week ago, that true love was there.
He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her beneath the flowering tree.
‘Don’t doubt my love for you,’ he whispered through her mind. ‘It’s very real.’
She could see that.
‘I love you too.’
Slowly, he broke the kiss.
“Now go find me a killer,” he teased.
Brianna felt a million times better.
Taking her inside, he found Nate with Avalon and the two men.
He felt off.
“Nate, how about you stick around, and I’ll head back to the office?” Laird stated. “Then you can escort the ladies back, and I’ll not be worried.”
“We can bring them back,” Brian Higgins, the town historian offered.
Yeah, no.
Laird wasn’t having that.
Nate got it. He was worried that James Cooley would take a shot at him through his wife.
“You have Bishop there. She’s hell on details when it comes to research. I’ll stay with the ladies.”
Laird shook his hand. “Thank you.”
Nate smiled. “Anytime I can linger around Avalon is a good day for me, right, baby?”
She grinned. “Yes, Nathaniel.”
Laird headed out.
Nate took a seat beside Avalon and listened to the two men rattling off details about the family.
He only hoped something turned up.
And fast.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Across Ireland
Silas was getting impatient.
From his hotel room in Cork, he began making calls. He wanted his granddaughter, and soon.
Enough was enough.
With each day, he risked the Marine getting wise to the situation and taking her under again.
That wouldn’t do.
So, he reached out to the man who was in charge of taking Roxanne.
“Do you have her yet?”
“Sir, she’s behind the walls of an estate. How do you think we’re going to get to her?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but you need to do something. I’m over the waiting. I want her by the end of the week, or you’re fired.”
The man didn’t want to lose that kind of money.
It was too sweet a pot to give up.
“I’ll have her.”
“I don’t care what you have to do, but you get her on that plane.”
“Anything?”
“Yes! Get her on that damn plane!”
He hung up.
When dealing with idiots, you had to treat them as such. Good help was so hard to find anymore.
He called down to the front desk.
He was going out.
Silas needed to work on a plan B.
And fast.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Nate was making notes as the two men broke down the legacy of Lawrence Keane.
“There is one man left in town who carries the Keane name,” offered William Byrd.
“Who?” asked Brianna.
“His name is Lance. He would be the great grandson of Lawrence four times removed.”
“Where is he?” Nate asked, getting intrigued. They had an actual link to the man.
“He works for the bank here in town. As far as I know, he travels a lot.”
Nate pulled out his phone. “Can you get me the number?” he asked.
Brian Googled it and read it off.
Nate made the call.
Once he connected with the bank, he was told that Lance Keane wasn’t in town. He was in the States working on a bank merger.
Okay, so he wasn’t around.
That took care of him being the killer.
He wasn’t due back until Monday.
Nate didn’t know if they had time to wait to talk to him.
When he hung up, Brian offered up more information that he had. “You can talk to his estranged wife. They’ve recently divorced, and she might be able to help you.”
There was that.
He might have to look into that.
“Is there anyone else who is tied to this family?” Nate asked, flipping through the dissertation that Brian had written. “We really need names.”
The man thought about it. “You can take my paper. That might help you out. There are probably books in the archives that list the names of people who he associated with three hundred years ago.”
“How will that help?” he asked.
“Well, Sir Lawrence was big into orgies and sex parties, or so it’s said. He was renowned for them. Maybe he planted his seed elsewhere.”
He had a point.
“What do you know about his daughter, Polly? I believe she was the illegitimate child he sired.”
“Yes, she was.”
“What happened to her?”
“She clearly lived, but I haven’t been able to find her burial site, or certificate of death.”
Yeah, well, they knew she was dead. She was haunting Lucian’s estate.
“Where’s the book?” he asked.
William pointed up. “Third floor, the back room that’s labeled ‘Archive’. You’ll see it. There are white gloves on the table. Come get me if you need help.”
Avalon touched his arm.
“Can I go with you?” she asked.
Nate normally wou
ldn’t leave Brianna alone, but he’d only be upstairs. Besides, Avalon couldn’t actually keep her safe.
Look at the incident in the park.
“Sure, baby. Let’s go. Brianna, scream if you need me.” He focused on the two men. “If anything happens to her, Laird is going to hurt someone. Keep it in mind.”
The men nodded.
Nate took Avalon’s hand, and together they climbed the stairs to the room. Once there, he left the door open and helped her to the table.
“Describe the room,” she asked.
“It’s kinda dark and dusty. It’s like a cave filled with lots of books that are older than God.”
She laughed.
“Is anyone in here but us?”
“Who’d want to be in here?” Nate asked. “Most people use that thing called the internet for a reason. It’s easier.”
He pulled out a book.
“Can I feel?” she asked.
Nate carried it over to her and placed a pair of gloves on her fingers. Then he kissed her on the lips.
“You look sexy in a library, Mrs. Carter.”
She giggled. “How sexy?”
“Enough that I wouldn’t mind flipping through your pages,” he teased.
“Okay, Flip me.”
He stared at her. “What?”
“Want to do it in a library?”
Nate flushed five shades of red.
“Avalon, that’s just…”
That was just what?
Hot?
Nate’s body reacted to the visual in his head. It was of her on her knees, his dick in her mouth, and…
He tried to breathe.
It was getting hot in there.
“Avi, that’s something we can do later,” he said, as she stood up. Nate began moving backward until his body was against the wall of books.
Avalon could see his aura morph. He was turned on.
So was she.
“Is anyone coming?” she asked, moving loser.
“Uh, Avi.”
“I’m going to do it regardless, so you might want to answer that question.”
“We’re alone.”
She stood in front of him, and her fingers found the buckle of his belt. Avalon unlooped it, and undid the button. As the zipper hissed, Nate held his breath.
He couldn’t think.
Avalon, while normally mild and meek had a wicked little grin on her face. She was ready to make him suffer.
God!
He wanted it in the worst way.
She had a way of flipping that switch on in him, and he loved every freaking second of it.
“Avi, baby.”
She dropped to her knees.
“Jesus,” he muttered when her white gloved hand pulled his erection out of his boxers.
“I wouldn’t want to leave fingerprints.”
He stared wide eyed at her. “Avalon!”
She stroked him, enjoying the way his aura shifted again, attaching itself to hers.
On the energy plane, they were one.
“Hurry,” he finally whispered. “Do it!”
Avalon loved her husband. Nate was a man with so much control, but once it was snapped, he was wild.
She took him in her mouth and worked him hard.
The only sound he made was the breathy little gasps as he struggled to get air into his chest.
When she fondled him, he moaned.
“Evil,” he whispered.
He popped out of her mouth.
“I want you to fuck me.”
He stared at her like she had four heads. “Avalon! We’re in a library,” he hissed.
“So you don’t want me?” she asked, moving to her feet.
Did he want her?
Nate never stopped wanting her.
“Avalon.”
“Okay,” she said, moving away from him.
Clearly, he hurt her feelings.
“Avi.”
“It’s okay, Nate. We should get back to work. I get it. You’re not interested. I didn’t think marriage would do this.”
He stared at her.
Did she really think he didn’t want her now?
She sat back down, and placed her hands on the big book. She wouldn’t look at him.
He felt horrible.
“I don’t feel comfortable doing that here,” he said, trying to justify it.
“I’m sorry. I misjudged. I’m new at this. You’re the only person I’ve ever been with, so I screwed up. I apologize.”
Nate felt this one going south.
Fast.
“Avi.”
She still wouldn’t face him.
He’d hurt her.
“It’s not about you misjudging.”
“It’s okay, Nate. Really. I don’t blame you. We could get caught, and then the world would see you’re stuck with me. I understand.”
He was appalled.
“Avalon.”
She wiped her eyes. “We need to find a killer. I won’t ever do anything like that again. It sucks to be rejected.”
His heart hurt.
“I’m sorry,” he said, moving toward her. Dropping to his knees, he was inches from her face. “Avalon, my wife, I’m not embarrassed by you.”
He gently kissed away her tears. “I always want you.”
“Except now.”
“I want you now too.”
She laughed. “Yeah, okay.”
Avalon blindly flipped a page of the big book.
“If you even knew what I was thinking about when I look at you, then you’d be the one wanting an apology from me. There are days I feel like some perverted old molester. I want to do so many things with you that I shouldn’t want,” he admitted.
Avalon turned her head. “And you don’t because I’m different. I’m not like everyone else. I’m a freak.”
His heart skipped at her words.
Nate knew this was a pivotal moment in his marriage. If he didn’t prove his love, Avalon would doubt it.
And she was right.
He didn’t let go with her.
He was afraid to.
“Let’s just work. I get it. I’m that caged bird. I’m the animal in the zoo. I get looked at, but no one ever wants to get too close.”
He stood and crossed the room to the door. With one hand he shoved it closed, and then hit the lock.
It made her jump.
“Nathaniel?” she called.
He moved toward her, and yanked her out of her chair. Gone was the gentle.
She wanted to see what was in there?
She wanted to open Pandora’s box?
Well, here it was.
She gasped as he roughly pulled her from the chair. With his hands, he yanked her hair to the side and bit her.
Hard.
Avalon shook.
“I want to bend you over this table and fuck you until you never forget what I am inside,” he hissed into her ear. “And now I’m going to.”
Avalon’s breath caught in her chest.
This was definitely not Nate.
Spinning her, she was pressed against his chest as his hands wandered. He touched everywhere.
“Mine,” he whispered. “All of you is mine. Remember that, Avalon.”
Bending her over, he kicked her legs apart and shoved her skirt up her body.
With a vicious yank, he pulled her panties from her body. They tore easily.
“Nathaniel,” she whispered, her palms pressed to the table and her ass in the air.
“Be quiet, Avalon,” he said, turning her head and shoving her panties into her mouth to silence her.
She gasped.
“See what lives in me?” he asked. “See what I keep hidden so you’re safe?” he whispered in her ear.
She nodded.
His hand landed on her pale ass.
She gasped.
He struck her again.
Again, she gasped.
On the third one, she moaned.
Nate ra
n his fingers over the wetness forming between her legs. He pulled his erection out, and he was beyond hard.
“Now I’m going to show you what I can be, Avalon. Then you can decide if you want to let that out.”
With that, he drove himself into her body, taking her.
She screamed against the panties in her mouth.
Nate took her.
He was brutal.
He punished her body, driving himself in and out of her until he was coated with her wetness. When she came, he didn’t stop. There was no tenderness, no calm, no gentle.
If Avalon wanted the truth, here it was.
He was an animal beneath it all. When he’d pick up women, it was always this roughness. He never wanted to be gentle. That’s how he knew she’d been the one.
But it left her feeling bereft.
Well, here he was.
As she came again, her whole body shaking as he drove himself into her, he wasn’t done.
Oh, he knew what he wanted.
Pulling out, he spit onto his hand. He knew this was going to hurt, but he was so far gone.
He’s slapped her.
He’d gagged her.
He was going to take her.
Positioning himself at her ass, he leaned over her. “You all tease me that you’re curious. Well, let’s end that here and now,” he said, forcing himself into her body.
When he was all the way in, he began moving.
The pleasure was insane.
Nate had never felt anything like that before in his life. Better yet, Avalon was enjoying it.
The pain was gone, and she was staring back at him, her pale misty eyes filled with lust.
‘More,’ she whispered into his mind.
He gave her what she wanted.
He slapped her ass again.
She came again.
He pummeled, used, and took all he wanted. When he was so close to the edge, he leaned forward. “If you want this man, there’s so much more to come, Avalon,” he whispered.
Then he slammed home, burying his dick in her ass. He came so hard he felt it to his toes.
She shook, her body wracked with pleasure.
Nate pulled out. He tucked himself away, and zipped up. When she didn’t move, he slapped her on the ass again.
“We have to work.”
She stood up, and he pulled the torn panties from her mouth.
“Well?” he asked.
Oracle Haunting (The Phoenix Files Book 4) Page 38