“Yes,” Lucian and Avalon said together.
She elaborated. “We can connect if we’re together. You get this buzzy feeling, and the static kicks up. It’s like putting two magnets together. You get that pull.”
“Okay, so we’re really going to have to backtrack and trace every step of Kathleen’s life. That means we need to re-interview the reporter we met today.”
Bishop grinned. “Yay!”
“Why is my wife happy about meeting another man?” Lucian asked. He was staring at Bishop with his one piercing blue eye.
“I’ll explain later, babe. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, I know you will, and as for worrying…you’re Bishop. I have to be freaked out. Who knows what you’ll pull?”
Nate had seen her in action. She had a bag full of investigator tricks—that was for sure.
“How about Brianna?” Maura asked, as she stripped out of her gear. Luke was by her side, helping her out of it. “Thanks, babe.”
“My pleasure.”
“She went to a bar and may have met the killer there. The secretary at the school mentioned it, and we found a book of matches at her place. Tonight, I’m going there.”
Maura glanced over. “You’re going, as in by yourself?”
He laughed.
Yeah, that would never happen.
“Well, I was going to take a date. Avalon, want to go to a bar? I’ll buy you dinner.”
She was so excited.
“Do I have to put out?”
She caught him off guard. Then he focused on the Marine snickering to herself.
“Maura, I swear to God on everything that’s holy that if you make her like you, I’m going to hurt you by way of your brothers. I’ll have them help me kick your ass. Then I’m telling Callie. Avalon is her favorite.”
She snorted. “Point made.”
“Seriously?” Avalon asked. “You’re letting me out for the night? I really thought you were kidding.”
She began bouncing.
The cage door was opening, even if for the night. Time out of the house and with Nate was awesome.
He kissed her on the tip of the nose. “I have to work, but I could use company.”
“And you want me?”
“You were always my first choice.”
Luke laughed.
Nate needed to clarify before this got out of hand, and fast. “Well, I did ask Bishop if she and Lucian would like to join us. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is. I’m getting out for the night. Everyone can join us for all I care. I’m going to a public place with you. That’s a huge gift.”
Nathaniel Carter was a tough man, but those words touched him. He hated that he couldn’t take Avalon everywhere she wanted to go. It simply wasn’t safe.
Her life was constantly in danger.
She didn’t realize that this was a huge gift to him too. He was going to have a beautiful woman on his arm.
In fact, when she smiled at him like that, Nate wanted to move the universe for her. She was gorgeous with her red hair and pale misty eyes.
“Will you come too?” she asked Bishop and her husband. This would be her first double date.
Hell!
It was only like the second date for her. The only other time Nate took her out in public was when he proposed at that one ice cream stand while on a case.
“I could use dinner,” Lucian said.
Bishop ran her finger down the scar on her cheek. “I hesitated at first.”
He tensed. “You did?”
“I know how women are in bars. I’m going to shoot anyone who tries to poach my hubby. There’s your warning. Don’t smile at any one of the opposite sex but Avalon. That grin is lethal. It caught me.”
He grinned at her because he loved Bishop more than anything. He knew he had no reason to worry, but still…he had that fear that she’d be judged because of his face.
Bishop was beautiful.
Lucian still didn’t understand why she was with him. He couldn’t compare to her. He knew that’s exactly what people thought when they saw them together. Beauty got the short end of the Beast stick.
“I’d like to see that.”
She had no doubt.
“I need to get dressed. I can’t go out like this,” Avalon stated. “Where are my things?”
“Okay, slow your roll,” Maura stated. “You’re taking her out alone? Shouldn’t you have someone following you?”
He saw the disappointment on Avalon’s face.
This was special for her, and since they’d lost their pregnancy, she’d been in a funk. This was his way of giving her some hope back. While she’d come out from surgery trying to smile, Nate knew she was struggling.
It had been two months and no pregnancy. When he asked her what she saw, Avalon changed the subject. He figured that meant kids weren’t in their future.
“No. Tonight, she’s going to be my fiancée. We can worry tomorrow. We’re going to a crappy bar that probably serves greasy food in the middle of nowhere. Who is going to see her?”
He had a point.
“Okay, I’ll chill.”
Besides, Luke was giving her the look. He was wiggling his eyebrows, and she knew what he was thinking.
SEX.
She was perfectly fine with having a night off for very bad behavior. It was a rarity to leave Avalon unprotected, but she was with Nate. He’d nearly died to protect her. That dedication was pretty powerful when it came to keeping Avalon safe.
“I need to change,” Avalon said again.
“That brings me to this point,” Maura began. “We can’t all stay here. Did you acquire us a location?” she asked, focusing on Lucian Monroe.
“Yes, I did,” he stated. “I contacted the same landlord who rented this place to Roxy—Karl Conway. He rented us two more cabins.”
“What was he like?” Nate asked.
“Why? Do you want to invite him to dinner to?” Lucian asked in amusement.
“Three women rented from him last year, and three died. That’s a good lead,” Nate offered.
Yes, it was.
He had a point.
“He seemed eager to rent them, and he was more than happy to run the keys over here for us.”
That worked for Nate. He really wanted to have dinner with his girl. She was still smiling, and it was the least he could do to make her happy.
“So, only two cabins?” Luke asked. “We have three couples.”
“We have a two bedroom one not far from here. It’s the next lot over. On the other side of that, we have a one bedroom cabin. I couldn’t get the one on the other side of this one. I had wanted to flank Roxy and Jagger, but it’s taken.”
Jagger appreciated the effort the team was making to keep her safe. It mattered.
“Besides,” Lucian stated, “Avalon suggested that she and I stay in the same place in case the killer struck again.”
Nate was glad that Avalon was exerting some control while on the case. Again, it was nice not to have to carry everything on his shoulders. Bishop helped, and now Avalon was coming into her own power.
Glancing over, she looked worried.
“What?”
She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but…
“When he strikes is going to be more like it. It’s coming. It’s simply a matter of time before it happens.”
They all glanced over at her.
“When?” asked Jagger.
He was now on edge.
There was no way in hell this killer was getting to Roxy or their unborn child. It wasn’t freaking happening.
“Soon. He’s hunting. She’ll be fine, Jagger. Tonight she’s safe. You both can sleep and relax. Lucian and I will be awake and monitoring her.”
What Avalon didn’t tell him was what was coming. While she wanted to warn Jagger, this had to play out exactly as it was, or she was going to lose a man she called brother.
His child wouldn’t have a father. That, to her, was unacc
eptable.
It was a fine line between loyalty and saving his life.
“Okay, so can we go? I don’t need Nate changing his mind. Maura, can you help me? I want to look nice.”
“You always look nice,” Nate said. “You’re beautiful as you are, Avalon.”
Still…
The idea that she wanted to dress up for him made Nate all warm. He was older than Avalon, and the idea that she’d be on his arm gave him chills.
He was a lucky man.
He’d caught a younger, vibrant, and beautiful woman.
Maura went to speak but Bishop cut her off. “You and I are the same size, Avalon. I have a dress in my luggage that would look awesome on you. Since I’m going to be getting dressed myself, why don’t I help?”
Maura stared at her.
“Did she just poach my Oracle?” she asked. “Right out from under me?”
Luke grabbed a really big handful of his wife’s ass. Then he looked down. Maura followed his gaze. He was already rock hard and ready for the evening’s festivities.
Yeah, priorities.
“Never mind. I have other Feds to do. I mean hang out with,” she teased.
“And this is where she gets it from,” Nate said. “You are a horrible influence.”
Avalon laughed. She loved when her family teased each other. Her whole life, this was missing.
“I was just traded off for some dick. I feel really cheap,” she admitted.
Nate sighed.
This was out of control.
“I will get even, Maura. She was sweet and innocent, and that’s how I liked her. Now she’s just like you.”
Maura stuck her tongue out at him. “Payback is a bitch, my friend.”
Yeah, it certainly was.
Avalon was excited. “I’d love for you to help me, Bishop. Thank you for your offer.”
“Well, then we should get going,” Luke said, tossing his wife over his shoulder—against her wishes. She cursed him out but it was halfhearted. She was laughing the entire time as he carried her out the door.
Who was she kidding?
She loved it.
“Stay safe,” she yelled, as the door closed behind her.
“What about us?” Jagger asked, when they were gone.
“Order dinner, stay in, and here,” he said, giving the doctor the paperwork. “You got your autopsy for tomorrow morning. He’s being dug up at eight. You should have him by nine. The coroner’s office filled it out for you.”
She read it over.
Then started laughing.
“A dead man is signing off on his own exhumation. That’s priceless. Then again, in Happy, anything goes.”
“I’ll take her in tomorrow,” Jagger offered.
“Great. It’ll be nice to get out of here for a while. I want to get back to work.”
Jagger glanced over at her. “I must be shitty company,” he admitted, “if you’d rather go to work and play in the dead.”
She could have made a joke, but instead, she went with the truth.
“You’re the best company in the world, but I feel like a sitting duck,” she admitted. “I’m afraid.”
That was all she had to say.
He held her against his body. “I will keep you safe. I promise no one will hurt you.”
“You’d better,” Bishop offered. “If you let her get a scratch on her, there will be hell to pay.”
He took that as a challenge. “From you?”
Both women laughed.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” he said, glancing at the men in the group. He must be missing something important.
“Silas,” Lucian stated. “You’re messing with his baby girl. I only messed with his granddaughter by proxy, and he got downright cranky with me. You’re in serious shit now once he finds out you’re the owner of the sperm.”
“I can handle one old man.”
Roxy touched his cheek. “You’re naïve and that’s really sexy. No one handles Silas. He’s his own force to recon with when he wants to be a pain in the ass.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
Honestly, he didn’t care.
In the end, he’d find a way to get Roxy to be his forever. He was so close that he could taste it. While Silas fancied himself the mob, he had news for him. Ravenswood was nothing.
Jagger Armstrong had once been born to take over Boston for his father.
He knew how to be dangerous, and for his woman and child, he’d do anything it took.
Even if he’d promised never to go back to that life ever again.
Priorities.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
They couldn’t get to their cabin fast enough. As Luke drove, Maura was practically sitting in his lap. She was tugging at his shirt, trying to get it over his head.
Someone was turned on.
Yeah, the both of them.
“It’s less than half a mile, baby. I think we can…” He didn’t get to say anything else. She was kissing him while he was driving. His eyes were open as his wife made crazy, mad love to his mouth with hers.
Holy shit!
He was going to exploded and embarrass himself.
Maura was out of control, and that’s exactly how he liked her. It was a beautiful thing.
When she finally set his mouth free, she was facing him. There was a whole lot of trust there, and he knew it. They could die, and she was putting her faith in him.
He loved his wife.
God!
Luke really did.
As he drove, she tore at his control with simply her words.
“When I get you there, I’m going to ride you long and hard, babe. I hope you’re ready.”
He swallowed.
With Maura, he was never ready. She was generally in control of everything, until they came together. Then it was like two combustible substances meeting for one hell of an explosion.
“I really just want to get us there in one piece,” he stated, navigating the backcountry road in the middle of freaking nowhere.
How far was this damn cabin? It felt like miles.
He was praying for the navigational system to tell them they’d arrived at their destination. He wanted to shove his car into her garage in the worst way.
Maura knew how to distract him.
She pulled off her t-shirt.
When he glanced down, but then back at the road, she knew it wasn’t nearly enough. She reached around and set her breasts free.
“Jesus, I love you. If we weren’t married, this right here…this would be the reason we got hitched. You are wild and out of damn control. That is so insanely hot in a woman.”
She laughed. “It’s hot in here. You’d better hurry up. Who knows what will come off next?”
He slowed down.
As in he was barely moving.
Luke couldn’t handle it anymore. He was rock hard, his wife was topless, and she was stroking him through his pants.
Screw it.
They were having sex here and now.
As soon as he pulled over, to find a suitable place to jump her, she was out of the vehicle and into the trees.
“Maura! Are you out of your freaking mind?” he yelled, as she disappeared topless into the trees.
He had no choice but to chase her.
Christ!
His dick had better not get them shot or covered in poison ivy in really bad places.
That would suck.
As he grabbed her shirt, he followed her into the trees. She was nowhere to be seen.
“Honey, it’s dark in here. Where are you?” he called, hoping she’d just come out so he could jump her.
No.
He was at the full on molestation mode now. He was going to do truly wicked things to her when he got his hands on her.
“I’m naked and you have to find me.”
Okay, a sexy scavenger hunt for pussy was about to begin, and he was fine with that. Instead of fighting it, he was going along with
the wild ride.
Now he had to find her.
He knew his wife. She wasn’t going to go high—she would if hiding from someone who wanted her dead.
No, this time, she’d stay low, simply because she’d want to get down and dirty fast.
He glanced around and heard a trickle of water.
Yeah, she’d definitely go there.
Maura loved frolicking in the water—ESPECIALLY when they were having sex. There was the time they were stranded on the beach for Christmas, the times they’d made out in the ocean on a surf board, and the hot tub sex at their secret hideaway.
Yeah, he was going to find his sexy soldier girl.
Then he was going to take what was his.
As he moved through the thick trees, he knew they’d lucked out. This was Texas. There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of trees in the area. This might have been it for miles.
He’d never been so grateful for foliage.
When he headed down an incline, he slipped and slid right into the water.
And there she was, sitting in the brook, naked, wet, and all his.
To the victor went the spoils.
He began stripping. He tossed all his things onto the rock beside hers. Then he knew what he wanted.
Maura.
It would always be her.
“Mr. Mars, what took you so long?” she asked, splashing around in the water.
“I was looking for my sexy water nymph. Now, come here and let me have my wicked way with you.”
He dove in, and they both went under in the shallow water. It was only deep enough to cover them, but he didn’t care if his naked ass was in the air for the world to see. He had Maura to think about, and he already knew what he wanted to do.
Their mouths met.
There was the wet tangle of tongues contained between them.
When Luke pulled her up and out of the water, her legs were wrapped around his hips, trapping his erection between them.
“You started something in the car. Care to finish it, Mrs. Mars?” he asked.
Yes, yes, she did.
She released him, sliding down his body to kneel in the water. Her face was right at the perfect level to make her husband wild.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked.
Maura licked her lips, knowing it would make him insane.
“I was waiting for you all my life.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 19
