He closed his mouth, and fast.
Yeah, she’d been right. He wasn’t smiling now. There was one surefire way to get a man to back way off. It was to utter the ‘P’ word.
“Oh. I see.”
“I needed to get away from my home a little while to think things out. Want to be my baby daddy? The child support won’t be too bad since I’m a doctor.”
That was the other way to freak a man out. She was pretty sure he now considered her to have the plague.
The man took three steps back.
It made her laugh.
“I really think I should be going. I’ll get copies of these and return them,” he said, backing toward the door like being a father was contagious.
“Okay, Sheriff.”
When the door swung shut, she actually was relieved. Maybe this pregnancy thing would work. It was like kryptonite to the horny men in town.
Good to know.
Taking a seat, she stared at the two women on the table. There was something there.
There always was.
She just had to figure it out.
“Ladies, I think I’m going to open you both up again, and then I’m going to find out what killed you. There is no way this is a coincidence.”
No freaking way.
Roxy was pretty smart, and this stunk. There was something going on in Happy, and she had a gut feeling that it was far from….
Happy.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Wednesday Morning
Fire Bay
It was another morning in their world. Jagger was missing, Avalon was still sleeping, and the threesome left on their team were in the kitchen having coffee.
They were all edgy.
Nate looked stressed, Maura was pacing, and Luke was even tense. They were a hot freaking mess.
Why?
Jagger.
The man was losing it, and they didn’t know what the hell to do with him. He was staying out late, coming home drunk and disorderly, and sleeping in past their daily meeting.
It was like he didn’t give a shit anymore.
In a matter of eight weeks, he’d gone from super Marine to super lump.
When Avalon told them she was going to start working on setting the scene to save him, they hoped it would be soon. Honestly, they could all tell they were running out of time. With each passing day, they lost a little more of him.
He used to run every morning.
Then he’d have a banana and protein shake as he emailed his sister, Jaxon.
Now he rolled out of bed a rumpled mess and didn’t even shave. It was horrifying to watch him implode and not be able to do anything to stop it.
He was slipping away.
Jagger might not be salvageable, and they all knew it. That was a bitter pill to swallow.
That wasn’t their only issue.
As of late, Maura was stressed. She had military contacts, and there was chatter that their cover was blown. Now that Jagger was a hot freaking mess, if they had to bug out, they were screwed. One man down meant they might not get Avalon out in time.
It was a snowball effect.
That freaked Nate out.
The idea that they would be trapped worried him to the point he was becoming paranoid. It was their fault too. Avalon had been spotted on their last case in Ravenswood.
In Nate’s head, he was replaying it over and over again as he obsessed about it. Not a night went by that he didn’t lose sleep as he tried to stay on duty twenty-four-seven.
He was on burnout.
Hell!
They all were—even the most laid back of them.
It was a sad day when Luke, Mr. Calm, was at his wit’s end too. Normally, he was easy going, calm, and a jokester. Instead of being himself, he was busy keeping Jagger from destroying what was left of his career. He was on babysitting duty, and it sucked.
No one liked taking care of a grown ass man who was getting laid and acting stupid each and every night.
It was getting old.
“What are we going to do?” Maura finally asked. “We can’t sit by and watch this happen. There has to be something we can do to stop it.”
Nate didn’t care anymore. He was over it.
“If he doesn’t pull out of this funk, what choice do we have but to say he’s gone?” Nate asked. “I’ll fire him.”
No one wanted to hear or say that, but they had to be realistic. If they were going to keep Oracle safe, out of public scrutiny, then they needed the whole team—not most of a team with a severely weakened link. Jagger was their extraction man. He was the best at slipping away unnoticed, and they couldn’t count on him.
Now he was probably too drunk to deal with it.
“Nate,” Luke said, trying to be the mediator.
He was doing that a lot.
In fact, they all were. Not a day went by where one of them didn’t try to cover for Jagger.
“No, Luke. He’s screwing up, and we can’t risk her,” Nate stated. He’d nearly lost her to an ectopic pregnancy a couple months earlier, and he wasn’t going to lose her to her old life.
It wasn’t happening.
This was his fiancée.
She mattered.
When Avalon told them they were going to save Jagger, they were all in for a challenge, but as of yet…nada. It was getting harder to pretend.
“You have to trust Avalon,” Maura stated. “She said he stays, and he stays.”
He was getting bitchy and he knew it.
“He’s a liability.”
“He’s part of our family,” Maura stated, defending the man. She would go down doing just that. Avalon had this under control, and she wasn’t going to usurp the woman’s plan.
“He’s a risk.”
“So are you,” she stated.
They both stood and faced each other.
Luke placed himself between them. This was becoming a very familiar scene in their home.
They were fighting because of Jagger.
Loyalty was being tested. Maura was a Marine to her core, and Jagger was her brother in arms. That being said, Nate’s sister was married to Maura’s brother.
They were family.
This was causing all kinds of hell.
“Kids, fight nice. We can’t fall apart. Nate, you have to stop trying to control this, and Maura, you need to stop making excuses for Jagger. It’s one thing to go out and screw half of the town, but it’s another not to show up for duty.”
She sighed.
He was right.
“We have to do something.”
“We are,” stated Avalon from the doorway. “It’s time we stepped in and handled it.”
They all looked over at Avalon.
Even she looked tired from all of the stress. She stood there, her eyes blank and a misty pale blue. She was dressed and wearing lipstick.
That was new.
“Baby,” Nate said, heading her way. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Yes please,” she stated. “It was a long night. We have our next case.”
“I thought we were handling Jagger’s issue,” Maura stated. “I don’t know how long we can put this off.”
Avalon was aware.
“We are handling it,” she said, finding her way to the table. When she sat, Nate placed the coffee in front of her. “I need someone to dial a phone for me.”
They all stared at her.
“Uh, who are you going to call?” Luke asked. “The Ghostbusters?”
She blinked. “What? I don’t know what that means. What are Ghostbusters?”
He shook his head and made a mental note to brush her up on some more pop culture.
“It doesn’t matter. Who do you need to call, Avi?” Luke asked, pulling out his phone.
“I need back up. I want you to call Lucian and Bishop Monroe. It’s begun.”
Nate stared at her. “You need their help? With what?” he asked. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Lucian and Avalon were getting clo
se, and the male part of his brain was sending off warning signals that it wouldn’t end well.
Avalon sipped her coffee. It was light and sweet, just the way she liked it. She could feel Nate watching her.
Hell!
They were all watching and waiting for her answer. Over the last two months, she’d been carefully tracking the evil that was ready to make Roxanne Faust its next victim.
“I do need their help. It’s taken me weeks, but I’m ready to move. I finally found her, and trust me when I say it’s not a moment too soon.”
They were confused.
“Who did you find?” Maura asked.
“The woman who stole his heart. We need to get it back so Jagger can function again.”
“Roxy? Are you sure dangling him back in that pond isn’t going to cause one hell of a nuclear eruption?” Luke asked, keeping his voice low. Jagger could creep around, and he wasn’t taking any chances. The last time one of them said her name, he put his fist through the living room wall.
Oh, she was three days past sure. This was the only way to save him from himself. Granted, it wasn’t perfect…but she’d take what she could get at this point.
“Yes. She’s in danger.”
“How?”
“We have a psychic who is killing people in their dreams. He’s found Roxy, and she’s next to die unless we intervene.”
They all stared at her.
“What?”
“When is she going to die?” Maura asked.
“Tonight.”
“Could you have given us a little less time, Avi?” Maura asked.
“Well, it’s not like I reach into my rabbit filled hat to pull the answers out, Maura. I just couldn’t ask the killer where he was and where his next victim was either.”
She had a point.
“Yeah, I guess this had to be done with finesse,” Maura stated. “Where is she?”
“She’s in a little town called Happy in Texas. She’s hiding there.” Avalon knew her secret, but it wasn’t hers to tell. Besides, if she told the team that Jagger was going to be a father, and he found out they knew, the shit would hit the fan. It was best he hate only her and not them.
He needed family.
What was coming was bad, and at least he’d have them to fall back on when it got ugly.
“Jesus. We have to mobilize.”
She put her hand on Nate’s arm to stop him. “We aren’t going today. Jagger is. He has to go and save her. We need to play this one exactly right. If we don’t, there’s so much to lose.”
Yeah, a baby.
They’d already lost hers and Nate’s, and he still wasn’t over it. Then again, neither was she. Avalon knew the truth. She was almost positive that she wasn’t going to give him a baby.
Unless fate changed the path, they weren’t having one. Still, she had hope. Maybe one day.
“Jagger is…” Maura didn’t have words. How did she delicately put this?
“I know he’s been out sticking his dick in every whore this side of town.”
Luke dropped his phone as he was getting ready to dial. Only, he wasn’t the only one shocked.
“Avalon! What the hell? Where did that come from?”
She focused on his aura. “Did I use the words wrong? Maura said he was a man whore, and I figured…”
“Avalon,” she said. “What we talk about stays quiet, okay?” the woman stated. “You know…girl talk.”
“Oh, okay.”
Nate wanted to laugh.
He loved how she was evolving and changing. After she nearly died, he swore their lives were going to be a sucking hole, but she was trying to help him through it, and it was working.
For the most part.
“He’s asleep in his room,” Maura stated. “He got in late. He was with someone.”
Avalon sighed. “He’s trying to forget her. He won’t be able to do it because she’s meant to be his. Fighting fate only pisses off the powers that be. He’s making his life hell for nothing.”
“It’s Jagger. He likes making himself suffer. He’s like one of those priests who likes to whip himself to pay penance,” Luke offered.
“I’ll go talk to him.”
Nate objected. “Uh, no. He sleeps naked.”
She laughed. “I’m blind. Would you prefer Maura go?”
“Yes,” he said.
“NO!” stated Luke. “I would not prefer my wife to go wake a naked man. I’m not out of my damn mind!”
She pushed away from the table. “Then it looks like the blind woman gets the Marine-waking job.”
Nate didn’t have to like it.
Avalon focused on Luke’s aura. “I need you to call Lucian and tell him to get ready to travel. He’s going to know what you’re talking about. We spoke last night.”
“How?” Nate asked.
She tapped her head. “Don’t worry, Nathaniel, it was all in the static. He’s aware that something bad is coming. He’s going to need to help me through this.”
Nate didn’t like ANY MAN near Avalon, and he never would. He was a tad bit territorial, but that was life.
Sue him.
He didn’t care if Lucian was happily married or not. It wasn’t about jealousy. It was simply the fact that the more people with access to her, the more likely it was that she could get hurt.
Or the president could find out.
“You were talking?”
Both Maura and Luke heard it in his voice. Nate was easy to read, and he wasn’t happy.
“I found the killer in the static, and he challenged me. I immediately called for backup.”
“WHAT?” they all said together.
“Backup. Isn’t that what you call it? I know I used that one right. I’ve heard you use it all the time.”
Nate touched her cheek and forced her to focus on him. He didn’t like the sound of this at all. “Skip that part and head straight for the ‘what do you mean you were challenged by a killer’ part?”
“The killer wants to keep killing, and I’m standing in his way. I can track him, and I know what he’s doing. The bad part is…”
“What?” they all said again.
“I can’t do this one alone.”
That alarmed all of them.
“Why can’t you do it alone?” Maura asked when Nate simply sat there staring at her. “What do you know that we don’t about this case?”
It was time to tell them everything.
“He’s stronger than I am. I can’t kill people in their dreams. If I want to stop him, and we want to keep Jagger and Roxy alive, I am going to need another strong psychic.”
They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Avalon was at the top of the food chain when it came to psychics. She’d tested off the charts.
“Are you being serious? There’s someone stronger than you?”
She shrugged. “Let me rephrase. His gift is more evolved than mine. I can keep him from finding me, I can keep fate on track, and I can keep us ahead of the game. I just can’t kill with my gift. He absolutely can. In this case, that gives him the edge. I need Lucian and his ability to see the killer making his move to stay ahead of him. It’s exhausting to listen to the voices in the static all day long.”
“And we really need Lucian?” Nate asked. Honestly, he really wanted to freak out, but Maura was giving him the look. He was trying to control his impulse to lose it.
They had hard jobs.
They were dangerous.
Nate had to suck it up.
“He slips into dreams and lives off their fears, and I need backup.”
“What?” Luke said. “That sounds horrible!”
“He’s the sandman. You know the fable of how he would go from person to person sprinkling magical sand in their eyes to give them good dreams?”
“Wait. How do you know that?”
She smiled.
Maura raised her hand. “She asked about it, and I printed it out for her using the Braille software.”
> “Okay, continue,” Nate offered. He was glad she was continuing to learn.
“This sandman is evil, dark, and loves to hurt people. When they go to sleep, he kills them. At Roxy’s morgue, in Happy, she already has two victims. We have to go in, keep her alive, and find the man killing them.”
Luke was confused. “If he slips into their dreams, how are we going to find him? He’s not going to leave evidence.”
“He knows them. I can feel it. At some point, he’s watched and met them up close and personal. He’s sick like that.”
They were overwhelmed and the case hadn’t even started. This was a really bad sign.
“I’m going to have to sleep during the day so I can be on alert at night. If he can get through to any one of us, he can kill us.”
“And Roxy?”
“He’s met her. He can do it. She’s stirring the pan as she tries to investigate.”
“Pot,” Nate said. “She’s stirring the pot.”
“Whatever. All I know is that she’s going to go to sleep tonight, and she’s going to die.”
“Why don’t you just call her and tell her not to go to sleep until we get there?” Maura asked.
She thought about the pregnancy.
“If we alert her, she’ll run. In order for Jagger to heal, and Roxy to figure out that not all men will hurt her, he has to catch her off guard. He has to protect her. We can’t warn her. If we do, and she runs…”
“She’s dead.”
“Yes, and then so is Jagger. He’s tied to her. He’s in love with her, and if she dies, he’ll follow. We already see him taking the wrong path. You’d have to be blind not to notice. Since I notice, you know it has to be bad.”
She had a point.
“So, to save him, we have to save Roxy and find a killer who leaves no trail?”
Exactly.
She closed her eyes and could hear him laughing in her mind. He was taunting her. Tonight, he was going after the doctor, and there was no way in hell Avalon was going to let that happen.
Jagger was her family.
She’d fight to the death for him.
“He leaves a trail,” she stated. “We can find him. Bishop, Luke, and you will track him while investigating. That will allow Lucian and myself to keep the killer at bay.”
“And me?” Maura asked.
“You’re going to have to watch our backs. Jagger is about to fall into something he never saw coming. It’s going to change his life. Only, he has to decide for the good or the bad. Once they find each other again, it’s going to be up to him. Fate is waiting.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 4
