Jesus!
Someone had to do it. It was definitely time.
“The more he raped her, the more he wanted her.”
“I’ll kill him myself.”
Now he understood why she ran. He wanted to rage around, protecting Roxy when no one else had.
“In comes Silas Reed. Here’s the part you may not like. This part is more reason she didn’t tell you, Jagger.”
He couldn’t imagine what it was that she was going to say. How the hell could this get worse?
Was that possible?
“Yes, Jagger, it is,” she said, reading his thoughts.
That was his warning.
He couldn’t imagine what the man had done that would make him hate him more than what Roxy’s parents had done to her. There was no way.
“Roxy came to visit him, and she’d lost so much weight, she wasn’t eating, and she wanted to die. He knew something was up, and he sat her down. When she told him, he was enraged. His own child let her daughter be abused.”
He listened.
“And?”
“He took care of it.”
“Why would I dislike him for that?”
Avalon took his hand in hers. “Silas is like your father. He has connections.”
He blinked, allowing that to sink in.
“He’s mob?”
She nodded.
Well, shit.
That was a twist he wasn’t expecting. Jagger didn’t respect his old man, and he was glad he was dead. When you played with people’s lives, you deserved what you got. He’d always sworn off any kind of ‘family’ connection. Now he was faced with Roxy coming from exactly that.
He had two choices.
“I don’t hate him. He was doing what was right. They deserved to pay for what they did to her.”
Avalon saw what was coming.
She knew that it was only a matter of time before Jagger found out the truth about his father being alive. That was going to be a bitter pill to swallow for him and Jaxon.
Taking Elizabeth Blackhawk’s advice, she kept it to herself. Jagger didn’t need a million battles to overcome. He was fighting hard to beat this one.
“Roxy’s father ‘disappeared’. Her mother had the same fate. Silas wasn’t messing around.”
Jagger whistled. “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but that’s pretty much how men like my father operate. He knew my mother was a target, and he let her leave the compound. He didn’t bat an eye when she died.”
Avalon said nothing.
Poor Jagger had an uphill battle coming at some point in his life.
“Do you understand now why she did what she did? Do you see why she lived her life like that? Roxy wouldn’t get attached to anyone because people hurt her—just like people hurt you, Jagger.”
“I’m not like her.”
“You’re exactly like her. People you loved let you down. It forced you to become what you are today. You wanted to be a teacher. You wanted to have a wife, children, and a life where you could be proud of yourself. Instead, you chose this.”
She was right.
Avalon knew his secrets.
“I wanted to be the opposite of him. I wanted to be someone who was respected because they earned it—not because they were feared. I’ve become him.”
There was his secret shame.
He was no better than the sperm donor who made him and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
“You aren’t him. Know how I can tell?”
He fought the emotion.
“How?”
“You’re going to fight to keep Roxy safe. You love her. Deep down, you know she’s the one, and you’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure that she lives.”
He didn’t speak.
“You’re going to have that child with her, and you’re going to be a very good father. I know it. I can tell how you are with me. You’re kind, patient, and you’re a good person, Jagger.”
“I’ve made so many mistakes.”
She ran her fingers up his arm. “Then make them right. Don’t be the man who lets the bodies fall around him. Be that teacher. You can still show people how to live the right way. It won’t be easy, but you can do it, Jagger. You slept with all those women, and you never found one iota of peace. You hated yourself.”
She was right.
He really did.
“Now find love again. It will be worth it. I promise.”
“Will my child live?” he asked. “Give it to me straight.”
Avalon knew there was a split in the path ahead. She knew that the possibility of him dying or Roxy dying was there.
It was one or the other.
It was grim.
“She’ll live if you protect her mother.”
Avalon fought the tears. She didn’t want to lose Jagger. She didn’t want to see him go down, but she also knew if Roxy died, and his child died, he’d be destroyed.
It was a shitty situation all around.
“Is she really the one, Avi? Is she supposed to be my other half? Did fate choose someone just as broken as I am to be my better half?”
She touched his cheek. “She’s your soulmate.”
That was all he had to hear. He trusted his family, and he especially trusted her. Oracle mattered. He’d seen her help countless people, and now she was helping him.
“Thank you, Avi.”
He hugged her.
She wished he wouldn’t thank her. This was far from over and there was so much work to do. Avalon had to alter the fabric of fate, she had to change the future, and it wasn’t going to be easy. This time, it wasn’t only to save someone.
It was to save a person she called brother.
And in the end, she knew that might not be possible. After all, Fate was one hell of a bitch.
Here was the proof.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Inside, Bishop pulled a gun out of the back of her pants. Her husband stared at her.
“I don’t even want to know where you got that, and how you got it past the TSA.”
She grinned. “You just look all sexy and pretend to let me be the boss,” she stated as they moved toward the hall that lead to the bedroom. “I’ll do the rest.”
He shook his head. His beauty was badass, and he loved her that way. She calmed the demons in him, even when she was stirring the pot.
As they approached the doorway, she knocked. “Roxy, it’s Bishop. Come out.”
The door flew open and the woman rushed out and straight at her best friend.
“Oh God! I missed you, Bish! I’m so damn sorry I left and didn’t say goodbye. God!”
Bishop held her friend as she sobbed.
Apparently, her best friend was scared stupid. She’d never seen Roxy cry like this.
It was a mess.
“What the hell did you get yourself into this time, Roxy?” she asked. “I was having a peaceful night at home climbing all over my sexy husband, and the FBI came a calling to save your ass.”
“I’d be the sexy husband,” stated Lucian. “Remember me?” he asked, waving at her.
Roxy looked over. “Yeah, the bastard. Great. You brought HIM with you.”
He grinned. “Ah, the love I feel. It’s completely overwhelming.”
Lucian felt bad for the woman. He knew her past, what was coming, and worse…what was chasing her.
Evil wanted her, and it wasn’t going to give up.
“We came to help you, Roxy. What’s going on?”
She went to tell her when she heard a door open and close. She grabbed the gun she’d had tucked into the front of her pants.
“Woah! Slow your roll,” Bishop said, taking the gun from her. Roxy’s finger was on the trigger, and she didn’t want to get shot, or see Lucian shot.
Been there and done that.
It sucked.
With Roxy, that might not be an accident. The two people she loved didn’t really like each other.
At all.
“It’s only the Feds. Relax.”
She did.
“I’m so damn confused,” she said, as Bishop lead her into the living room. There were two Feds, and some scary woman standing by the window staring outside.
“Have a seat, Miss Faust,” Nate said. “We’ll try and fill you in with what’s going on, and hopefully, you’ll get caught up.”
She sat. “Where’s Jagger?”
Bishop lifted a brow.
That was interesting.
Her bestie generally didn’t like men around her, and now she was looking for him? Yeah, that was new.
“He’s outside with Oracle,” Nate stated. “He’s getting his ‘come to Jesus’ talk right about now.”
“Who the hell is this Oracle that everyone keeps telling me about? We all know there is no such thing as psychics. That’s total bunk.”
Lucian raised his hand. “I’m one of them.”
She stared at him. “Yeah, you’re a something all right. You’re a pain in the…”
Bishop kicked her in the leg. “Don’t trash my sexy husband,” she stated. “It pisses me off.”
“Don’t kick the pregnant woman. You could hurt me.”
Bishop stared at her.
Then she looked over at her husband. “You knew, didn’t you?” she asked.
He nodded. “Avalon and I discussed it.”
“Who the hell is Avalon?” asked Roxy. “I’m so damn confused by all of this. All I know is I went to bed, someone tried to kill me in my sleep, and here I am. He’s a psychic, she’s going to save me, and my whole world is upside down.”
The door opened as if on cue, and in walked Avalon with Jagger at her side. Her arm was through his, and he was rubbing his cheek.
“Bitch, did you punch him in the face?” Roxy asked, glaring at the woman beside him. She didn’t like the fact that she was touching him.
That was her baby daddy.
Avalon laughed. “No, I didn’t punch him in the face. That would be Maura,” she said, pointing toward the woman. “I’m Oracle, but you can call me Avalon.”
She stared at how the woman was a little too close to Jagger. He was doting over her, and it pissed her off. She was petite, had red hair, and pale blue eyes.
Roxy had to force herself to focus on reality.
He wasn’t hers.
That little truth killed her. He’d wanted to be hers. He’d fought to be hers, and she’d been a moron and run from him. Roxy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the coroner’s kit.
Here was the proof.
She let a decent, sexy, man slip through her fingers.
“Anyway,” Avalon said, taking a seat. “Thank you, Jagger,” she offered.
He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and then took a spot by the front door to make sure they were safe.
“We need to talk, Roxanne.”
“About?” she asked, as Bishop sat beside her.
“You’ve been targeted by this killer, and we’re here to stop him. We’re going to save you, but you have to do exactly what I say. Am I clear?”
“Listen, I don’t know who the hell you are, and I don’t exactly buy into this.”
Avalon went completely still.
“When you moved into your grandfather’s home, you had a jewelry box. He gave it to you. Instead of jewelry, you placed your hopes and dreams in it. You wrote them out on little gum wrappers, and squirreled them away.”
She stared at her with her mouth open. “How did you know that? No one knew that!”
“I know everything about you, Roxy. I see it all. I can continue if you’d like, or you can trust your friend.”
She looked over at Bishop.
“Trust her. She saved Lucian. She’ll save you, Roxy. We’ll all save you. We’re here. It’s time to stop running. You’re going to be a mother. It’s not about you anymore. It’s not about them,” she said, meaning her dead parents. “It’s about that child.”
“We’re having a daughter,” Jagger said from his sentry point against the wall. “I will make sure she’s born, and you will live to take care of her.”
She stared at him. “I’m having a girl?”
Avalon nodded when Roxanne glanced over at her. She could see the emotion in her eyes thanks to Lucian.
This child was wanted.
That changed her path. Avalon now had a definite to work with, and hopefully, it would change fate’s ending for hers and Jagger’s love story.
“You’re having a daughter, and she will be a gift to both of you.”
“This is all so overwhelming.”
Nate leaned back in his chair. “How about you tell us about the dead women?”
“It’s so hard to believe this is all about them,” she offered. “I came here to hide, and I didn’t think I’d stumble into a mess. I was just doing my job.”
Yeah, and that job had pushed her into the killer’s focus.
“Well, you have, and we’re going to fix it,” Bishop offered. “Tell them everything you know.”
“There’s not much,” she said, picking up the pile of file folders on the table. “I arrived after the coroner here died. I was asked to fill in until they could find a permanent replacement. They offered me the job, but I don’t want to be here.”
She looked over at Jagger. He was calm, leaning against the wall, and chewing some gum.
God!
She wanted to be with him.
Luke was making notes as she spoke. “Go ahead. I’m ready,” he offered.
“The first victim, Kathleen Hale, came in earlier in the week. I did a full autopsy on her, and I couldn’t find a single thing that told me how she died. Her tox showed absofuckinglutely nothing. She should still be alive.”
“That’s because she was killed by fear,” stated Avalon. “If you go back and check her cortisol levels, you’ll see they’re spiked. That’s what killed her.”
“She was scared to death?”
Avalon nodded. “Think about your nightmare last night. How afraid were you?”
She swallowed.
Roxy didn’t want to think about it.
In it, her father was back, and he was raping her.
Jagger saw the fear on her face from across the room. He didn’t want her to think about it. “It’s okay, honey,” Jagger said. “We’re here.”
“That’s easy for you to say. He’s not waiting for you to go to sleep. If what she says is right, I can never sleep again.”
Bishop held her hand. “We’ve got you. At some point, Roxy, you have to trust us.”
She took a deep breath and took her best friend’s hand. She knew she didn’t deserve it. She’d bailed on her.
Thank God Bishop was a better person than she was.
“We got this,” Bishop offered.
It gave her the strength she needed.
“Let’s continue on with the victims.”
That was good with all of them. The sooner they began, the sooner they could get this killer handled.
“The first one had no signs. I found that crazy odd, but hey…I don’t know everything. I figured it was a fluke.”
“Then?” Nate asked.
“The second victim, Brianna Moyer, had nothing wrong with her either. I did both of their autopsies twice, I had the lab run and rerun everything, and we can’t figure it out.”
“You won’t,” Avalon said. “What killed them isn’t going to show up on a slide. He’s dangerous, and that’s why we have to stop him.”
“Did he kill the other five women?” she asked.
Avalon went into some trance.
“Uh, is she okay?” Roxy asked. “She looks like she’s out of it.”
“She’s getting the answer to your question,” Lucian stated. “She’s in the static.”
Bishop glanced over at him. “Shouldn’t you be in there with her?” she asked. “You know, helping her?”
Lucian grinned, and he slipped into the same trance, listening to the different voices and the q
uestions she was asking about the other dead women.
“This is freaky. I don’t know what to believe. Now they’re both doing it.”
Bishop clarified. “Lucian sees deaths. He gets flashes of people dying. He’s basically just watching her back in the static.”
“Static? I’m so damn confused.”
They got it.
That was completely normal.
Avalon opened her eyes. “Raizy Lowery, Marian Hawkins, Kristine Hendricks, Bernice Parry, and Annie Sherman all died by his hand.”
She stared at her. “You just pulled those names out of the blue?” she asked. Roxy stared down at the folders, and none of their names showed.
“It’s a gift.” She smiled at her. “We all have that one thing we’re meant to do.”
It was true.
“Don’t try and rationalize it,” Nate offered. “On this one, just go with it. Your brain will hurt a lot less.”
“I guess.”
“The coroner was killed by him too,” Lucian stated.
They all looked over at him.
“How do you know?” Roxy asked. “Wait! Let me guess. You saw it in your crystal ball.”
“I can see his death. He was sitting in the morgue doing paperwork, he got tired, he closed his eyes, and he never woke up. He died in his sleep, right?”
“Yes.”
“The killer is tying up loose ends,” Nate offered. “He’s going to take you out, too, just so you stop digging into this mess. You’re not one of his originally planned victims. You’re going to die to screw with Oracle.”
He pointed at Avalon.
“Great.”
“We’re all in danger,” Avalon stated.
“Well, if that’s the case, what’s to stop him from going after all of you?” she asked. “So none of us can ever sleep again?”
Avalon and Lucian both raised their hands.
“They’ll keep all of us safe,” Maura stated.
“Great. I have to rely on HIM to keep me safe. I’m a dead woman.”
Lucian wasn’t bothered by her comment. Ultimately, he got what he wanted in life—Bishop.
“We’ll do the hard part,” stated Avalon.
“We’ll do the investigating,” Nate offered. “It’s our thing. If we can shift the focus off of you, we might buy ourselves enough time.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 11
