Yeah, he wouldn’t.
Maura couldn’t blame him. After all, she couldn’t forgive herself.
Luke was silent as he walked through the trees. He knew what was riding on this.
Everything.
If they couldn’t get a clue, find a lead, and locate Avalon, Nate was going down.
He’d end it.
There was no doubt in his mind. Without the small, petite redhead, their boss would be a hot mess. She had this magical power over him. When they were together, Nate could breathe, he could focus, and he could forget all the atrocities they’d lived through as Feds.
“Is he going to be okay?” Bishop asked, keeping her voice low so only Luke would hear her.
“No. She’s his lifeline.”
Bishop knew what that felt like. Without Lucian, she was a hot freaking mess. She’d lived it for ten years.
“How bad is this situation?” she asked.
“If the government has her, she’s gone. There’s no way we can take on the whole US military. The president will have her under lock and key. If he has her or we can’t stop transport, she’s never surfacing again. We’ll never see Avalon again.”
Those words hurt Luke. They broke his damn heart, and he knew what they did to his best friend. They were the end of his life as he knew it.
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“We’ll find her,” Bishop offered.
Luke wasn’t as optimistic. He was also worried sick about his wife. She was going to take the blame for this—even if she couldn’t be held responsible.
Yes, she was on duty.
Yes, she was supposed to watch Avalon.
Still, Maura was human, and whoever did this was damn good at being sneaky.
His wife would take this as an insult to her skills as a Marine and someone who loved Avalon. Then there was the issue this was going to cause between Maura and Nate.
She’d lost his fiancée.
If Nate lost it on her, he’d be forced to defend his wife. Then he and Nate would go at it. Then Jagger would try to calm the situation, and he’d get sucked into the mess too. Before you knew it, there would be a fight.
Their team would be destroyed.
This was a nightmare.
Luke was going to lose his wife, best friend, and team all in one argument.
“The odds aren’t in our favor,” Luke finally said.
She patted him on the shoulder. “I’m a very lucky person. Let me just tell you that I can feel this working out. Trust me, Luke. We’re going to get her back.”
From this woman’s mouth to God’s ears.
If she didn’t turn up, it was done.
They were all dead in the water.
Nate could barely function. He swore that if he got her back, he’d be calmer.
A better person.
Hell!
He’d spend more time with her. Nate would handcuff himself to her, simply to make sure she never went missing again. Nate only needed a second chance—he needed her back. Without her, he was a dead man.
It didn’t take long for him to clear his section of trees. She wasn’t there and neither was the people who took her.
Nate didn’t know what to think.
He wanted to be angry with Maura. He wanted to rage around, asking her how she could screw this up, but he knew the truth. They were a small team against a juggernaut powerhouse.
This wasn’t on her.
It was on him.
What was making him insane was how did they not know this was coming? Avalon had a built in warning ability. When she was in danger, she’d start to show signs.
Maura wouldn’t miss those.
Was it because this killer had…?
Sweet baby Jesus!
Did the killer take her?
Now his mind was a mess of what if’s, and the endless ugly scenarios in his head. He would rather her be taken by the president than the madman.
At least she’d be safe. He’d still have a shot at finding her again. It might take years, but he’d at least have the opportunity of fate intercrossing their paths all over again.
God!
He’d die for that opportunity. If it had to be someone, let it be the man running the country. She wouldn’t be raped, hurt, or destroyed.
That was his only solace.
As he headed back toward the cabin, the tears came. With each step, he knew it wasn’t likely they would get her back. They only had one ace up their sleeves.
The Blackhawks.
He’d beg, plead, and do anything for their help. He’d offer up his spleen, kidneys, or any other part of him.
He needed Avalon to live.
God!
He needed to find the woman meant to be his wife.
As he exited the trees, the rest of the team was there. Their faces said it all.
None of them had found anything.
“I can’t think,” he admitted. Nate hated being weak, but he had to be honest. Without Avalon, he was done.
“We’ll keep looking,” Luke stated.
“We’ll never stop,” Jagger offered.
“I’ll make the call,” Maura said softly. “Nate, I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
He loved Maura. She was Quinn Gaines’s baby sister, and Quinn was his brother-in-law. While he wanted to pass the buck, this was only on him.
This was his fault for not seeing it coming.
“Come here,” he said, hugging her.
Maura held up as best she could.
“I’ll die to get her back. I’ll make this right. I’ve never failed before, and I’m not going down now.”
They would all work to get her back.
Maybe they got sloppy.
Maybe this was on all of them.
It didn’t matter. What it came down to was saving Oracle. That was, ultimately, their main mission.
Nate set her free and sat on the steps to the cabin. He watched Maura dial. The sun was going down behind her, and with each minute, not only did it get dark, but so did he.
This would be his death.
Maura prayed Elizabeth would answer her cell, but she wasn’t. This was a horrible time not to be able to reach her. She knew she couldn’t leave that as a message on the voicemail.
So, she hung up.
“Jagger, you try,” she stated.
He did what Maura asked.
Nothing.
Shit!
Not only did she lose Avalon, but their backup was gone now too. What the hell was going on? Had the military moved on the Blackhawks?
Were they truly alone?
Maura stared at Nate. His face was in his hands, and it was clear that he was giving up.
“Nate,” she began.
His phone went off, and it was the chime that signified Avalon was trying to reach him.
Her cell.
Holy shit!
She had her cell.
Nate pulled it out of his pocket, desperate to get to it. When he saw the text, he wanted to be sick.
‘1001 Hardwick Lane. Bring the team. You have ten minutes. Don’t be late. Come in the front and don’t be stupid.’
“What is it?” Maura asked, seeing his face.
“Someone has Avalon, and they want us to come get her,” he said.
They were all thinking the same thing. This had to be one hell of a trap. It had to be the government. This wouldn’t be the killer.
This wasn’t his MO.
“It’ll be fine,” Bishop offered. “I still feel lucky.”
They didn’t feel her optimism.
Texts like this were never good news, and they all knew it. In each of their heads, they saw Avalon tied to a chair, bleeding, and at death’s door.
“We won’t have time to survey the area,” Jagger said, checking his watch. “This person knows what they’re doing.”
Maura was going to kill someone.
/> Damn it!
This person knew them. They knew how they worked. They were keeping them on a short timeline.
“Nate, what do we do?” Luke asked.
“We go in and do what they asked.”
“If it’s a trap?” Bishop asked.
“Then I give my life for hers and all of yours. You get Avalon out. If she’s alive, you save her. This is my last order.”
They listened and weren’t surprised.
“Bishop, you and Lucian stay here with Roxy. We’ll go. If you don’t hear from us in an hour, get out of here. Get back to Ravenswood and lock yourselves down. We’ve been compromised.”
“Nate.”
He cut her off. “I’ll be fine. We have to go. We’re running out of time.”
The team hustled toward the vehicles.
Bishop watched them leave. She couldn’t let them do this alone. They were on the team too. They were part of this. She cared about Avalon and wanted to help.
Her husband was watching her from the porch.
“You’re going, aren’t you?” he asked. The fear was rushing through him.
“Yeah, I am. Stay here with Roxy and be safe.”
“Bishop.”
She glanced over.
He saw it in her eyes.
She needed this.
“What?” she asked.
“I love you.”
Bishop’s face softened the second she realized he wasn’t going to stop her.
“I love you too, babe. I’ll be back.”
He watched her race to their ride.
Lucian had a bad feeling.
He only hoped she’d keep her word. Lucian was a lot like Nate. He couldn’t do this without her.
She was the love of his life.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Textiles Mill
She saw Maura Gaines-Mars’s number on her phone, and she wasn’t surprised. By now, the team was trying to come up with something.
Pulling out her other cell, she called her husband. “It’s happening.”
“Are you safe?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, but now you need to put the rest into play. I’ll message you when it’s done.”
He would be waiting.
“Be safe, baby,” he offered.
Yeah, she would.
Elizabeth hung up.
“How do I look?” Avalon asked, wishing she could see. Her hair was back to the way it once had been, and she was glad. She really missed being blonde. It took a lot of hair bleach and a box of dye.
Elizabeth was a saint.
“You look beautiful, Spooks. They’re on their way, and your man is going to love it.”
At the mere thought of Nathaniel, she wanted to weep.
“I have to let them go,” she whispered. “It’s the only way. I don’t want them to get hurt.”
She got that.
Elizabeth worked with the two loves of her life. She understood the stress. God knew she lived it.
“Let them decide. I’ll lay it all out, and we’ll go from there,” she reassured.
Elizabeth took her hand. “Why don’t you peek and see the outcome?” she asked.
“I’m too afraid.”
Avalon was shaking.
“It’ll be okay. I know it will be.”
Elizabeth knew the men in her life would never walk away, even if the danger was through the roof. Once you loved someone, you went to bat for them.
“Stay positive.”
She was trying.
“Will you make sure they’re okay?” Avalon asked. “Will you make sure they all get back to living their lives?”
“I will, if that’s what they choose.”
That gave her peace.
She stopped moving.
“They’re here, aren’t they?” she asked, looking around at the windows and perimeter of the building. While she told them no games, that was EXACTLY what she was expecting.
“Yes. Nate is here. So is Maura and Luke. Bishop is coming on her own. She’s going to try and sneak up on you.”
She found that amusing.
Callen shook his head. “She’s insane. It’s safer to sneak up on a rabid wolf who hasn’t eaten in a week than Tex. She’s going to get her ass handed to her.”
She grinned. “You sweet talker, you. That will get you laid every time.”
Avalon, despite her fear, laughed.
“Thank you both,” Avalon offered. “I appreciate all you’ve done. I know what you sacrificed for me. That was your home. You destroyed it to save me.”
And she’d do it again.
Who could meet Avalon and not love her?
“Don’t thank me yet, Spooks. Hopefully, they don’t come out with guns blazing.”
Avalon knew the truth.
They wouldn’t. Nate would come in and try to negotiate her life for his.
And that’s why she had to let him go.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
In the vehicle, they were all tense. They were also getting into Kevlar with the exception of Nate. He was driving, and they got the impression he’d rather not leave without Avalon.
“It’ll be fine,” Maura reassured.
Jagger was checking his gun. “Do you want me to sneak around back?” he asked.
“NO. We don’t risk this going bad. You are coming in with us, and we’ll go from there.”
They had their marching orders, and they’d listen to them. Nate wasn’t going to risk Avalon. They were close to getting her back. He’d sacrifice his freedom for hers, and that had to be enough.
He prayed it would be.
Maybe this was someone from his past with a grudge. Maybe they wanted him, and she was the bait.
He could only hope.
Parking the vehicle, he took a deep breath. “I love you all. No matter what happens, we were a damn good team, and we went down swinging.”
They each touched his arm.
They were a family.
That came first.
“Let’s go get her back.”
They got out, guns pulled, and they walked right toward the textile mill, expecting the worst but hoping for the best. This was their one shot.
They had to make it count.
Inside, they heard the door. There was the creaking of it being slid on wheels. That gave them away, and by now, Elizabeth knew Nate would be a hot mess.
Well, that was the point.
She needed him to see how dire this was. Honestly, it had been way too easy. She’d tracked their tablets, found them in Happy, and took Oracle.
If the government knew they were using their equipment, they would have done the same thing. This was to prove that they had to go totally off the grid.
No more using them.
No more using the tech.
This was a call for a full blackout.
If they didn’t see that now, she couldn’t teach them how to pull this off.
Was it mean?
Yes.
But it was necessary.
“Nate,” whispered Avalon.
It began.
He heard her.
In his head, Nathaniel Carter heard the whisper of her voice. It brought tears to his eyes. They headed into the large open area, guns up, and ready.
The second they entered, they each gasped.
There stood Avalon, back to being a blonde. She was wearing the long drape-y gown she often slept in, and it reminded him of when they first met.
He’d fallen in love with this vision. She was ethereal.
And beside her?
Yeah, there stood another beautiful woman. It was Elizabeth Blackhawk.
“Welcome to the party,” she stated.
“You saved her?” Nate asked.
“No, I took her.”
They all looked around. She had to be yanking their chains. Elizabeth didn’t have to take Avalon to see her. All she had to do was show up.
Hell!
Make a damn call.
&nb
sp; “Why would you do that?” Maura asked. “We’ve been going through hell the last hour. You fucked with all of us.” The safety on her gun clicked.
Elizabeth didn’t flinch. She studied each of them. Maura was tough, but she was the least likely to shoot. She’d come at her and try to kick her ass.
Yeah, she was safe.
“You’re a bitch.”
She was aware.
“I needed to talk privately with Avalon. I couldn’t just stroll up to the door. This was something I had to do.”
They were confused.
Nate wanted to rush her. As he stepped forward, Elizabeth placed herself between them. “Stop.”
He did. “I need to touch her. I need to make sure she’s real.”
Elizabeth wasn’t having it. “She needs to say something to you.”
They all holstered their guns.
“She’s here,” Avalon whispered to Elizabeth.
That was all the heads up she needed.
“Give me a second,” she stated, moving toward the back door with her gun pulled. She knew Callen was safe. He’d moved their vehicle around the back where it would be hidden.
Elizabeth braced herself and pointed the gun at the door. When it was kicked open, she grabbed the gun that came in first. Then she booted the person in the ribs.
Bishop went down.
Then stupidly, she tried to take Elizabeth with her. She foot swept her, but Elizabeth was back on her feet. When Bishop looked up, she took one hell of a shot to her face.
It knocked her back and into the wall.
And out.
“Well, now that we’re all here for the party,” she said, handcuffing the woman until she was done, “we can finally talk.”
Nate couldn’t believe any of this.
“What’s going on?” he asked, staring at Avalon.
“I’m setting you all free. The president is on to us, and you’re no longer on this team. The Phoenix Files are closed. I’m going back to work for the government.”
He stared at her.
Then at Elizabeth.
“What have you done to her?” he asked. “You’ve made her say that. She wouldn’t leave me. Avalon wouldn’t walk away from me. She knows I can’t survive without her.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 29
