Elizabeth didn’t have to say a word.
This was Avalon’s choice.
She moved toward him. “Nathaniel, I can’t risk you four. I won’t risk you. I’m going back. Once I do, you’re safe. All of you can go back to your lives. Elizabeth came to warn me. She didn’t take me. I went willingly.”
He was horrified.
She was sending him away?
No.
It wasn’t happening.
“If you stay, we have to do drastic things. I can’t make you do that. I won’t make you.”
He hated this.
“I’m not letting you go, Avalon. We’re getting married. We’re going to be happy. Please don’t do this to me.”
Elizabeth moved toward them.
Maura pointed a gun at her.
“Please. We all know you won’t take that shot. Besides, that open window over there? My husband has a gun with a scope. If your finger touches that trigger, you’re losing your hand.”
The light flickered onto Maura’s knuckles.
She lowered it.
“Avalon,” Nate said, staring down into her eyes. He knew she couldn’t see him, but he had to try to convey how he felt. “We’ve been through so much. Please don’t give up. I need you in my life. How am I supposed to wake up each day and know you’re out there, and I can’t have you in my life?”
“Nathaniel, I have to do this. I have to protect my family. I love you so much, but this will never end. They’re coming for me. If you are near me, he’ll end you all.”
“I don’t care. You’re mine. God! Please stay with me. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Avalon touched his cheek. She could feel the tears. “Oh, Nathaniel. I need you to be selfish. I need you to go. I’ll be safe. I’ll find you again.”
He didn’t want to hear it.
“NO. I’m not walking away.”
Maura crossed her arms. “Screw it. I’m not afraid. I worked for the government. I know enough people to hide us out if need be. I’m not walking, Avalon.”
Luke stood beside his wife. “I’m not either. We’re already neck deep.”
Jagger just snapped his gum. “I’m with the major.”
Avalon sighed.
Elizabeth knew she had to give them the icy cold slap of reality.
“First off, this was too easy,” Elizabeth stated. “I walked right up to that cabin and she was gone. Your security blows.”
That was on Jagger and Maura, and they knew it.
“I’ll up the security,” she stated.
“I’ll make sure I kill anyone who comes near the place,” Jagger offered.
“Secondly, if you choose to stay with her, Nate, you have to forget about your past. There won’t be a Nate Carter. He’s going to have to die.”
He was sick over losing Avalon.
“You’d have to never talk to your family again.”
Callie.
Shit!
“Yeah, your sister. Here’s how bad this is, team. I had to go to Fire Bay, plant corpses, and burn the place down. If you choose to go with Avalon, you’re dead.”
“Then I’m dead either way,” Nate said. “I’m not leaving her. I’m not letting her go back. She’s going to be my wife.”
“She needs us,” Maura said.
“Then you’ll have to die in that fire, too, Maura. There can be no Quinn, no mom and dad, and no communication with anyone from your past.”
“This is why I can’t let you,” Avalon stated. “You all have sacrificed so much. I’m not worth it.”
“You’re worth it all,” Nate said. “I’ll give up my family and sister for you. I’ll give up everything for the love I have for you, Avi. You’re my heart.”
Elizabeth figured as much. She wasn’t shocked.
“I’m in,” Luke stated. “I’m not leaving you behind, Avalon. I’m with you, my wife, and my best friend.”
“Lucas, you’d have to give up Callie too. You’d have to change your name, start all over again,” she stated.
He didn’t care.
“So? I’ll be with my family.”
She was touched.
“Jagger?” Elizabeth asked. “I hear you just got married. Congrats. That being said, where do you stand?”
This was the hard one.
He stared at Avalon. “I love you, Avalon.”
She knew it. “You can stay. I want you to be happy. You have a baby on the way.”
Jagger was torn in two.
Love or family.
“It’s okay,” Nate offered. “We all get it.”
“I want to go. I just can’t.”
He knew he’d have to die, and Jaxon wouldn’t make it. How could he put her through that?
This was turning out to be a pretty shitty wedding night after all. Here, he’d thought some sweaty sex, and all he’d gotten was terrified and heartbroken.
Shit!
What the hell was with his luck?
“Well, since you’ve made up your mind…”
Elizabeth held out her hand.
Avalon focused on Nate. “Can I have twenty dollars?” she asked.
He immediately pulled out his wallet and handed it to her. The second she did, she handed it to Elizabeth.
She laughed. “Thanks, Spooks. Don’t bet against the house, darlin’. I told you they’d follow you into hell and back.”
“So, what do we do?” Nate asked. “Do we finish this case or do we bail right now?”
There was a moan from the floor.
Bishop was waking up.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to meet your new friend. I can’t wait to make her acquaintance.”
She sent a text to Callen.
It was clear.
When Elizabeth crouched over Bishop, she was smiling. “Wakey wakey, sunshine.”
“Who are you?” she moaned.
“I’m Elizabeth Blackhawk.”
Bishop saw Avalon. “What the hell is going on, and what hit me?”
“Life is going on, and I hit you. Get up.”
She left the cuffs on—just in case.
In strolled Callen. “All set, angel?”
“Holy shit! Who’s the giant?” Bishop asked.
“He’s my husband, and he’s one of a set, so stop staring at him like he’s a sexy carnival ride. That’s my job.”
“I’m trying to focus. There’s three of him,” she muttered, spitting blood onto the floor as Elizabeth hauled her to her feet.
Callen grinned at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, laughing. “Angel, we have to roll.”
She was aware.
“One second, Cal.” She focused on the team. “Here’s what you do. You wrap this case. At this moment, Ethan is prepping to start the notifies. I’m going to help. I’ll be as gentle as I can, but anyone who opted to stay, is dead.”
They were fine with that.
It sucked, but they had a job, an allegiance, and love for Avalon.
She focused on the now ex-director. “You and Avalon died in the fire, Nate. The ‘DNA’, the ones Chris fabricated, will cover you. It’s going to be deemed arson and on the news. The president will hear about it.”
He didn’t care.
He’d miss his family, but he had faith they’d meet again. Callie would know. She’d know deep in her gut that he was still alive.
“Maura and Luke, same with you.” She pulled out a bunch of things from the bag Callen was holding.
“Here are new passports. The names aren’t filled in, and you are going to have to handle it. You have to get the hell out of dodge. I don’t want to know where you are. There will be no contact. Here are some new phones.”
They took them.
“Jagger, you escaped the fire. I’ll have Chris pull the report so they don’t find out it was you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me.”
“I don’t get it,” Bishop said. “What’s going on?”
Nat
e told her.
“So, I’m fired? You wanted me and now it’s sayonara?” she asked.
Elizabeth headed toward the doors. “This is your mess, Nate. Spooks, be safe.”
Avalon couldn’t let it go at that.
She followed her and hugged her. “Thank you, Elizabeth. I will never forget what you did for me.”
She kissed her on the cheek. “If you need me, Avalon. Don’t call. I can’t help you.”
She smiled. Avalon knew that was totally one hundred percent bullshit. She could see it in her aura. She’d help her. Elizabeth would have her back.
“Don’t worry. I know calls are traceable. I’ll get you another way. I’ll find you, Elizabeth. Don’t doubt it.”
She didn’t and that was what she wanted. Avalon was growing. She was getting more astute.
“Watch your backs. Jagger, you’ll hear from me as soon as this case is over. I’ll get you back into the corps and reassigned.”
That horrified him.
He was likely going back into the civilian world, since he’d left the Marines to protect Avalon. They’d never take him back. They’d never accept him after they ‘lost’ and then ‘stole’ Oracle.
Crap.
This day was horrible.
When she was gone, Nate glanced over at Bishop to address what she’d just said. “You’re still part of our team,” he offered. “You need to talk to Lucian first. He’s not going to be easy to hide. If he wants in, and you want in, we’ll welcome you. She handed me enough passports for all of us. She knew.”
Avalon laughed. “She always does.”
Bishop knew the risk, but she also knew what it meant to her, and to Lucian.
She relaxed, knowing she wasn’t being booted. “I know my husband. He’s going to want to help anyway he can. He’s a good man.”
They all knew he was.
Maura had to cover all the holes in their defenses now that Jagger was going to walk. She never saw this day coming.
Never.
“He can take over Jagger’s spot when he’s not doing his psychic stuff. He says he can use a gun—so we’ll find out. I’ll get him ready.”
Jagger’s heart broke.
He was being replaced.
Avalon went to Jagger and kissed him. She couldn’t help but see his aura. He was hurting.
“I love you, Jagger. It’ll be okay. We’ll miss you, but you deserve this chance at life. You have a baby coming.”
Honestly, that wasn’t true.
Fate hadn’t changed. Unless she found a way to alter it, Jagger was still going to die.
And soon.
He didn’t want to hear that. What Jagger wanted to hear was that he was part of them.
He felt trapped for the first time in all of his life. He’d just turned his back on his family and team. Instead of feeling good, or feeling safe, he felt horrible.
Lucian wasn’t a Marine.
He didn’t have his skill.
How the hell was he supposed to sit in a tree and watch over Avalon?
He couldn’t.
Oh, this was going to be a huge problem, and he knew it.
Oracle needed him and so did his wife and child.
Now what did he do about it?
Chapter Seventeen
Sheriff’s Office
He’d been making calls all day, and they didn’t add up. Nothing did. He’d called the main offices, and no one could confirm Nathaniel Carter’s identity. He’d even called the local offices, and nothing.
The FBI was hush hush.
Something was going on, and he couldn’t figure it out. To make it worse, when he ran his name online, a few stories popped, but it was the last one that made him nervous.
Just yesterday, there had been a fire. In it, there were victims. One of them was suspected to be Nathaniel Carter. The other was listed as Lucas Mars.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Those were the two names they’d been using while in Happy. It was now beyond fishy, and he didn’t like it. What the hell kind of games were they playing?
If those two were impersonating agents, he had to step in and do something about it. In the morning, he was going to head there, with some deputies, and arrest them all.
Then they were going to jail.
That was the end of it.
He’d go now, but he wanted to get his team ready, brief them, and be prepared for the early assault on the cabin. He wasn’t screwing around.
He was done being manipulated in his town. These people were pulling some kind of scam, and he was going to get to the bottom of it, and fast.
Tomorrow was a new day in Happy.
He was going to be the hero.
No one screwed with the law.
No one.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
All the way back to the cabin, Jagger was silent. He sat in the back by himself, Nate and Avalon in the middle, Luke and Maura in the front, and Bishop following them.
He was sick to his stomach over all of it.
This was a horrible position to be in, and he knew it. If he stayed with Roxy, he lost his family. If he chose the team, he would lose his wife, child, and Jaxon would think he was dead.
This sucked.
He actually wanted to rage around in anger. All of his life, he’d suffered. His adulthood, he paid for his father’s sins. Now he was being left behind by the only people he ever had an attachment to in life.
The team was chitchatting the entire time, and he was forced to listen to them discuss what they’d do next. For a little while, they were going to leave the states.
Again, without him.
Outside the country, they only had to deal with the CIA. Inside, they had the military, FBI, and every other agency the president could ‘borrow’ assistance from to make their lives a living hell.
When the new president was elected in the next year, they’d come back and try to reestablish themselves.
They even told Jagger they’d check on him.
That made it a million times worse.
When they got out of the vehicle, he was pissed, rubbed raw to his soul, and wanted to mourn losing his family. How was it possible that in one day he gained a wife but lost the people he’d lived with for months?
Lucian came out of the house, Roxy by his side, and they were smiling when they saw Avalon. It was clear that they were just as relieved to see her.
Lucian hugged his wife, but when Roxy came near him, Jagger was tense.
“We’re cutting out,” he stated.
“Jagger,” Avalon said. “I’m sorry.”
She knew he was hurting, but this had to be his road. Like Elizabeth had said, they all had to decide. Not that it mattered, since fate was fate.
“Sure. It’s fine. I’m replaceable.”
Roxy looked from him and then back to the team. Clearly, she was missing something, and it had to be huge.
“Jagger, what do you want us to do?” Nate asked.
He stared at the man. “Nothing. I want you to take Avalon, get out, and forget I ever existed. You have to do what’s best for you. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
He pulled Roxy toward his ride.
She didn’t fight him.
Once inside, he started up the vehicle and peeled out of there. He needed to put space between them. If he didn’t, he’d say or do something stupid.
The team stared at each other.
“What do you want me to do?” Maura asked him.
There was only one thing he could do. “She’s still in danger, so I need you to sit outside his place. I need you to watch his back, even if he’s pissed at us. Jagger is still our brother,” Nate stated. “We protect him until we can’t do it anymore.”
She started walking toward the vehicle. It was fine with her. She didn’t need to be told to watch his back. Jagger was family. She’d do it any day.
“I’ll go back to the cabin and crash,” Luke said. Can you give me a ride, babe?”
he asked.
She motioned for him to follow. She wanted Jagger to get back and into the cabin anyway. It wasn’t easy to creep on the master creeper.
“What happened?” Lucian asked.
They told him.
“Wow.”
Then he stared at his wife. He knew what was coming. She wasn’t going to want to be left behind. He saw the thrill of the hunt in her eyes when she had left earlier. Bishop loved doing what she was doing.
Then he noticed something. “Uh, why is your lip cut, and why is there blood on your shirt?” he asked.
“I got the shit kicked out of me by Elizabeth Blackhawk. It was freaking awesome!”
He stared at her.
Why the hell was his wife excited about that? Before he asked, he stopped himself.
Maybe it was probably best he didn’t know.
Then curiosity got the best of him.
“Are you insane? Or is this some elaborate ruse to make me nuts?” he asked.
She giggled. “Maybe both. What do you say, babe?” she asked, staring at him with so much hope.
What wouldn’t Lucian do for Bishop? She was his queen.
“I have a few vacation homes located around the world. We can use them.”
She stared at him in surprise. “Really? It was that easy?” Bishop asked.
“You want to go. I can see it in your eyes.”
“It’s going to be dangerous,” Nate said. “We no longer have the FBI to protect us. We’re on our own. We have new identities, he said, holding up the passports that Elizabeth had given them.
Lucian knew it was going to be tough, but there was a silver lining. “We don’t have to change our identities. You do. If we travel, we can hide you in our lives. Our homes, our private jet, our…”
“Wait!” Bishop exclaimed. “We have a jet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“My father liked having one.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s weird.”
Lucian laughed, but he continued with his point. “If you have to procure a place to stay, vehicles, or anything else, you’re going to be on the radar. If we use our assets, it just looks like we’re traveling. Neither one of us really has a ‘job’. She looks like some gold digger, and I look like some rich man spending money on his hussy wife.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 30
