Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3)

by Morgan Kelley

  She was beginning to have a panic attack.

  “Stop,” Jagger stated, moving closer to his new wife. “You’re not dying. You need to trust me on this. We’ll all stand in front of you to stop that.”

  “You’re all insane.”

  “No,” Nate said, “we’re a team. We’re also a family, and as soon as you married Jagger, you inherited us. We protect our own.”

  She hugged her husband. “Thank you all.”

  “Why don’t we get out of here?” Nate said. “We can head back to our cabin, grab dinner, and then you two can head off to the love shack.”

  Luke and Bishop both started humming the same song. It was proof that Nate was going to have his hands full with them. Bishop was trouble, just like Maura and Luke.

  “No dinner for the bad kids,” he stated.

  They stopped.

  “I’m not really hungry,” she stated. “I just had my hands in dead bodies. I think I’ll pass on food.”

  “We could go back to our cabin,” Jagger offered, and then he whispered something incredibly dirty and erotic in her ear about what he was going to be eating later.

  She nearly fell over.

  It made him laugh.

  “Damn heels.”

  “I like them,” he stated, grinning at her. “Keep them on when I…”

  She covered his mouth.

  Roxy was flushing with heat, and if he kept talking, they’d be having sex in the car. She knew not a day would go by that she’d be immune to the way he felt, smelled, or smiled.

  Oh yeah, and the tattoos too.

  She couldn’t forget those.

  “Then you two kids have a happy honeymoon. We’re going to work. Let’s get going. It’s been a long day,” Nate stated. He rattled off a text to Maura to order dinner for them—Chinese, like Bishop had requested. He’d forgotten to get his credit card back from Lucian, and it was at the cabin.

  Then they packed themselves into the vehicles and headed out.

  They needed a break.

  Oh, and one night of quiet to think. This case was a mess, and they needed to figure it out.

  And fast.

  * * * O R A C L E * * *

  Lucian and Avalon’s

  Cabin

  When she got the text, Lucian was just waking up. He looked a million times better, and she was glad. Who knew if the killer was going to strike again tonight? If he did, they needed to be at full strength.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked, as he stretched from his place on the couch.

  “This thing sucks, but I slept like a rock. Where’s Avalon? Did I hog all the space?”

  She laughed. “She headed to her bed about two hours ago. I think she was getting sore from the shitty cushions, not you.”

  “I’m starving,” he said. “When did I even eat last?” Lucian asked. “Where’s my wife?”

  “My, my, aren’t you full of questions the minute you wake up,” she teased.

  “I’m a lawyer. It’s my nature.”

  “Well, you can chill. The team is coming back now, and I was just about to order Chinese. I’m going to take Avalon some tea and wake her up. She’ll be okay once Nate gets here. He soothes her.”

  Lucian knew what she meant.

  Bishop soothed his savage beast. Without her, his life wouldn’t be complete. Sometimes, it was nice to have your other half keep you calm.

  “Did I miss anything?” he asked, as Maura made tea in the small kitchen.

  “Not that I know. It’s been quiet on my end. This was a damn easy job today for me. You snored away, Avalon didn’t call for me, and the cabin hasn’t had anyone here. I was beginning to get bored. There are only so many crossword puzzles you can do in a day before you get full of yourself and think you’re smarter than you really are.”

  He laughed. “I bet.”

  She smiled at him.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure, what’s on your mind?” she asked, looking up from her task.

  “This team…?”

  She waited for him to finish.

  Lucian didn’t want to insult her, but he had to know.

  “What about it?” Maura asked when he hesitated. Lucian looked troubled. It was clearly written on his face. In fact, he was distracted by it. How did she know?

  He didn’t put on his eye patch.

  “We just signed on to be part of it. I know my wife needs to work in order to be happy, but will she be safe?”

  Despite it being news to her, she wasn’t surprised. There was a strong bond between Avalon and Lucian. It was like a budding relationship. Neither one of them had a sexual attraction for the other, but they fed off each other’s gifts. Lucian was her eyes when he was around, and Avalon helped silence the static in his head.

  It was symbiotic.

  Maura got it.

  She completely understood.

  Before she got married, she’d only worried about herself, Avalon, and her Marines. They’d been killed one by one, and she’d been forced to realize that sometimes, you couldn’t avoid the things that fate was going to hand you.

  Sometimes, you had to roll with it.

  “For the most part, we’re secure. I’ve found that you can’t stress the what if’s.”

  He felt the but coming on.

  “Why is Avalon in hiding?” he asked. “I never asked her, and I didn’t want to do it in front of my wife. I need to know for my own sake.”

  Maura weighed her options. Really, he deserved to know. Anyone who was coming onto this team did. Just being part of this was risky. If it were her life on the line, she’d want to be able to weigh each risk on her own.

  “We’re hunted. We hide out in a house in Fire Bay because it’s under the radar. We’re never really safe. The President of the United States wants her back in the worst way, and we don’t doubt that the CIA would eradicate us to get to her.”

  “Wait. The CIA deals with foreign issues not things like this on US soil.”

  She laughed. “You’re funny. For an attorney, you’re pretty naïve to the reality of this government. Let me clue you in on this one. It’s pretty dangerous on the wrong side of POTUS. You never know what he’ll do, and he controls the CIA, Homeland Security, and a good chunk of the FBI. The only thing that saves our ass is Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk.”

  Well, that said it all.

  “That worries me.”

  “It should. This isn’t a game, Lucian. Before you really sign on for this, you need to be prepared for anything. We are always on the move. If you want that cushy life where you live in your huge home, and are safe behind the gate, this isn’t the life for you.”

  That really freaked him out.

  Maybe they needed to talk about this.

  “I’m going to go wake Avalon up. I’ll help her into the shower, and then I’ll order food. She normally gets lo mein, so if I’m not back, order for her, okay? The rest of us will pretty much eat anything you put in front of us.”

  Yeah, he could do that.

  Meanwhile, he’d be weighing the pros and cons for him and his wife. He was really getting that sick feeling in his gut that maybe they needed to reevaluate the entire situation.

  If he lost Bishop, what would he do?

  Could he live without her?

  Would he be strong enough to face the following day without his wife?

  He knew the answer.

  It was no.

  Yeah, they were going to have to have a private talk when they had a moment alone. He wasn’t saying he didn’t want to help Avalon and the team.

  He simply needed Bishop to talk him down off the ledge. She had that way about her.

  Lucian would trust her.

  She was his world.

  Maura knocked on the door to Avalon’s room.

  There was no answer.

  “Avalon, we need to get you up and showered. I’m getting Chinese tonight. What do you want?” she asked.

  Still, there was nothing.r />
  Maura couldn’t believe Avalon was that dead to the world. She slept deep, but she really must have been exhausted.

  When she touched the doorknob, it was locked.

  For a moment, that worried her. They had a no lock policy when it came to her. If they had to get to her, it was easier if there wasn’t a lock in the way.

  She jiggled it.

  Nothing.

  She banged on the door hard, trying to get the woman’s attention. “AVALON! Open up!”

  Lucian came rushing up behind her, holding his head. “What’s going on? You’re screaming. My head is going to split open.”

  “She’s not answering me.”

  He wiggled the doorknob. “Kick it in. She may be asleep, but better safe than sorry.”

  Maura backed up and did just that. The door broke in as her boot crashed into it.

  As soon as she entered the room, she noticed one thing.

  It was empty.

  Avalon’s bed wasn’t disturbed.

  She was gone.

  That’s when they both saw the curtains billowing in the breeze.

  Maura began praying that this really wasn’t happening. She began hoping that this was some kind of prank. If it was, she was going to kick the shit out of whoever pulled it. There were some things you just didn’t do, and this was at the top of the list. She failed her mission.

  She’d lost Oracle.

  No.

  Freaking.

  Way.

  Her heart was pounding so fast, she thought she was going to have a stroke.

  “She’s not here.”

  Yeah, she was aware.

  Maura raced toward the window and stared out. There were broken twigs, and the ground was disturbed. There were two sets of footprints headed toward the cabin, and then away. One of them was deeper walking away, as if the person, the man from the size of it, was carrying something.

  Or someone.

  Oh shit!

  Someone had taken Avalon against her will!

  She’d really fucked this up.

  As she stared out the window, she heard the engines pull up. She recognized them.

  It was the rest of the team. Now she was going to have to tell Nathaniel Carter, and her family, that she’d committed the ultimate sin.

  She lost Avalon.

  Oracle was in the wind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  He was in a good mood when he got back to the cabin. He’d missed his fiancée. Nathaniel couldn’t wait to sit down and have her cuddle in his lap as he simply unwound.

  One of the best parts of this job was the copious amount of downtime between jobs. When he was really with the FBI, he had to go out back to back, sometimes with only twenty-four hours between assignments. Now, there was days, even weeks, between jobs.

  During that time, he and Avalon could plan their wedding, relax by the pool, and even fill their days with nothing but sex.

  It was a damn good gig.

  Nate wouldn’t ever go back. He’d found happiness, and his life was complete. He was able to enjoy his time, keep his job, and not be a stressed out mess.

  Before Avalon, he was getting one hell of an ulcer as he burned out. The nightmares, the stress, and the agony were nearly unmanageable.

  She made it better.

  Avalon was his medicine.

  He was grinning as he hopped out of his vehicle.

  “He’s thinking about jumping his girl,” Luke stated, busting his best friend’s ass. “You can tell. We call that the Oracle stare. Once he gets it, there’s no doubt what’s on his mind—and soon to be on his dick.”

  Bishop snorted.

  Nate was about to comment when Maura came racing out of the cabin. She had her gun in her hand, and Nate knew something was wrong.

  Maura didn’t get freaked out.

  That wasn’t her thing.

  In fact, she was the calmest out of all of them—maybe with the exception of Jagger.

  “What…?” He didn’t get to finish.

  “She’s gone. I went to check on her in your room, and she’s not there.”

  The whole team went on alert.

  “What do you mean she’s gone?” Nate asked. “She was sleeping on the couch when we left. How does she go from that to gone?”

  She told him what had happened. How she wanted to sleep in her room, and how the door had been locked.

  Nate looked freaked out.

  Maura knew how he felt. She’d lost Oracle. Worse yet, she’d lost Avalon.

  Shit!

  “I found tracks by your window. She was carried out of here. We have to search the area.”

  Jagger grabbed his gun and headed off into the trees. “Stay inside,” he ordered. It was directed at his wife. They didn’t know if this was the killer, or someone else. Until they did, they wouldn’t take any chances.

  Roxy didn’t hesitate to ignore him. She wanted to help. “What can I do?” she asked.

  Nate couldn’t think.

  This was truly his worst nightmare. If you really wanted him to lose it, this was the one sure-fire way to do it. His life was starting to unravel without Avalon.

  He couldn’t do this.

  Luke saw his best friend struggling. He stepped in to help his partner out.

  “Maura, you take the trees by the window, Roxy, you stay here in case she comes back. Nate is going to help me search this area over here.”

  “What about me?” Bishop asked.

  “Lucian, you stay here with Roxy, and Bishop, you come with me. We’ll move through the bigger area doubled up.”

  Nate stood there.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  He couldn’t lose Avalon.

  Silently, he began praying they’d find who did this, and it wouldn’t have a horrible outcome. If Avalon…?

  No, he couldn’t go there.

  The team split up.

  Somehow, he managed to move his feet forward, getting him to his area. The entire time, he was hoping for a miracle, but his gut was screaming.

  This wasn’t good.

  At all.

  “Please don’t take her,” he whispered. “I need her in my life. I’ll do the job, I’ll sacrifice for those who need my help, but let me keep her. She’s all I really have,” he prayed.

  Nate kept moving, hoping he was going to find Avalon—and alive.

  Until then, his life was officially over.

  Jagger moved through the heavily dense area rather quickly. He was looking for any sign of Avalon. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried. He knew what the ramifications would be if she didn’t make it back.

  They wouldn’t have a purpose.

  This was Avalon’s team.

  She was the core.

  Not to mention Nate would lose it if he didn’t find her. If the president sent in operatives to remove her, they were screwed. By now, she’d be on a plane to the middle of nowhere.

  They’d never find her.

  His heart ached for Nate. The entire time, Jagger couldn’t help but think about his wife. They’d been married less than five hours, and he wouldn’t survive either.

  If he’d come back to find Roxy gone, he’d flip out, and most likely be crying on the floor. Who was he kidding?

  He couldn’t handle it.

  Reaching into his pocket, he slipped the little bud into his ear. He knew Maura would have hers in too. While he was worried, he knew his friend, and fellow Marine, would be far worse.

  She’d take this personally as failure.

  Maura didn’t like to fail.

  This was going to kill her.

  She couldn’t freaking believe it.

  How the hell did she lose Avalon? No one came near that cabin. All day, she’d walked the building, checking out the windows for anything suspicious, and been on alert.

  There had been no noise.

  Whoever took Avalon had been a pro. They managed to get into a locked room, subdue her, and get her out in minutes without making a singl
e sound.

  Son.

  Of.

  A.

  Bitch!

  She’d never forgive herself for letting this happen. She’d hunt the world to get her back—if not for her own reputation, but for Nate and Avalon’s sake. Maura had really screwed this one up.

  She knew how important it was for them to be together.

  They were a couple, and they had to be married. Nate wouldn’t make it without her, and Avi…

  God!

  She prayed the government didn’t have her again. If they did, getting her back was going to be nearly impossible, and on top of that, a suicide mission.

  Maura knew she wouldn’t let the team go on it.

  She’d do it herself.

  The earbud in her ear came to life.

  “Maura, I’ve cleared this area. If they had help, they didn’t come in this way,” Jagger said.

  “I still have two sets of prints. They are coming in and going out. There are no broken tree branches, so Avalon was subdued. She wasn’t fighting.”

  It looked like they had knocked her out or drugged her to make it more manageable.

  If they put one scratch on her, she’d kill whoever did this. There wouldn’t be a safe place to hide when this was over. Maura was on a mission.

  Beyond that, she was insulted.

  This was a personal attack on her. She’d watched over Avalon for years, and she’d never lost her.

  Now?

  No.

  It wasn’t happening.

  “What do you want me to do?” Jagger asked softly. “What’s my directive?”

  She wanted to scream ‘bring Avalon back’, but she couldn’t do that. Maura had to keep a cool head, calm self, and no freak out over this. It had been her screw up, and now she’d fix it.

  She had to run this.

  “Research my area. Maybe you’ll see something I didn’t,” she offered.

  “Got you, Major.”

  She wanted to weep.

  Yeah, she was a major all right—a major screw up. She’d broken the cardinal rule. She’d gotten cocky, complacent, and she’d lost Oracle.

  How was Nate ever going to forgive her?