Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Read online

  “I’m screwed.”

  “Speaking of that,” Avalon stated. “Jagger will be your full-time bodyguard. He’s not going to leave your side.”

  That scared and pleased her at the same time.

  She was so totally screwed up that she was excited about needing one.

  Here was the proof.

  “I’ve got you, Roxy.”

  And he’d keep her safe—no matter what.

  Before she could say anything, there were tires crunching on gravel in the driveway.

  “We have two men coming this way,” stated Maura. “Get ready,” she stated.

  She and Jagger got into position. The two intruders weren’t going to get past them.

  When they knocked on the door, Jagger opened it and stayed hidden. When the men peeked inside, they were met with two Glocks being held by two Marines.

  Fingers were on the triggers.

  “Who the hell are you?” the man stated.

  Funny, they had that same exact question for them.

  Chapter Six

  Thursday

  No one liked being snuck up on, and the same was true when you worked in law enforcement. Now there was a huge dilemma. The man being held at gunpoint was also carrying a weapon.

  And a badge.

  “Now don’t shoot,” Sheriff Joe Gilespie said, trying to keep himself from being killed. “I’m the local law here, and I was simply here to check on Miss Faust. She didn’t show up to work this morning, and we were supposed to meet for coffee.”

  Jagger’s brow lifted, but he didn’t look away from the man. Instead, his finger immediately went back to the trigger.

  Maura saw it.

  That was a bad sign.

  It pretty much meant Jagger was ready to pull the trigger and put a bullet in the man’s head for thinking about the woman carrying his child.

  “Jagger…,” she warned.

  “Let me do it.”

  Yeah, no.

  “Nate, what do you want us to do?” she asked, hoping the man had a plan that didn’t involve letting Jagger kill anyone.

  “Put them away,” Nate stated. “We’re sorry about that, Sheriff. Let me do the official introductions.”

  The man didn’t look any less nervous when they holstered their weapons.

  “Okay, that might be good since you just pulled guns on two lawmen.”

  That’s all it took.

  Everyone in the room holding a badge then flipped it out and open for the man to see.

  “We’re the FBI. Doctor Faust called us to help in this case. It seems that she believes you have a killer among the citizens of town.”

  The man glanced over. “Is that what you believe?” he asked still skeptical of the whole thing.

  Roxy had no choice but to play along. If she didn’t, they were all screwed.

  “Yes, Joe, I do. I called a few friends at the bureau last night, and they arrived this morning,” Roxy replied, after Bishop gave her the look.

  She got it.

  They needed her to cover for them.

  There was no way in hell she was going to utter the word ‘psychic’ in a sentence to this man. She’d end up in a padded cell and on meds.

  Law enforcement frowned upon the word.

  The man in the doorway made his own introductions. “This is my deputy, Kirk Oliver. He’s riding shotgun as I check on the doctor.” He focused on her. “You’re not being held her against your will, are you? If you are, I can help.”

  She laughed. “No, Joe. Thanks for thinking about me and coffee.”

  “Coffee, huh?” Jagger muttered.

  Maura elbowed him.

  Yeah, he was jealous.

  The man looked too ‘pretty’ to be a cop. He was clean-shaven, his eyes sparkled with unspoken mischievousness, and he was leering at Roxy.

  HIS ROXY.

  The mother of his child.

  The one who got away.

  “I’m sorry, Joe. I was just sidetracked when they arrived. I hope you’ll forgive me. I was getting a late start today, since we don’t have anyone on the agenda for autopsy. We don’t, right? Did someone else come in?”

  “No, ma’am. We’re clear. It was a quiet night in Happy. So, the FBI is here, and they think it’s connected. When were you going to tell me?” he asked.

  “Today,” she stated, hoping that was the right answer. With this group, who knew?

  “Actually, Sheriff,” Nate Carter said, setting the groundwork, “I was going to be stopping by your office this morning. We just got here, Roxy was briefing us, and we were heading your way. We’re going to be taking over this case.”

  The man didn’t look too happy.

  “I really think…”

  “That you’re not equipped to handle something like this,” Nate interjected. “Trust me, Sheriff, you don’t want this getting away from you. Once word gets out that you have this many dead women, it’s going to look bad. You don’t want to be on that side of the shit storm. Trust me on that.”

  He thought about it.

  It was easy to see how torn he was on this one.

  “We’ll keep you in the loop, and you can even assist us if you feel the need.”

  Nate knew he had to keep the man on their side. This could go bad fast. They had no choice but to ensure that Avalon’s face stay out of the news. With the last case, Elizabeth had to step in and save them. They wouldn’t get a second chance.

  She’d been perfectly clear on that.

  “Okay, as long as there are updates, and Miss Faust believes there is something there. I trust her judgment.”

  “I need to exhume the last coroner.”

  Well, he trusted her until that very moment.

  He didn’t like the sound of this.

  At all!

  “What? Why?” he asked. “Are you out of your mind? His widow buried him, and you want to dig him up? For what crazy reason?”

  “We need to do it,” she stated. “Did he have an autopsy?” Roxy asked.

  “No, he was old. We assumed it was his heart.”

  “Then I need to dig him up because we have a shit load of dead people who don’t have a reason to be dead, and the coroner was never checked.”

  “No, that’s not going to happen.”

  She smiled sexily at him. When he opened his mouth to make a comment, she tore into him in Roxy style.

  “Listen up, Sheriff. You have something shady going on here, and I took this job to make sure shit didn’t go down. You’re going to fill out the paperwork, sashay your ass over to the judge you probably went to high school with, and get that order signed. I want him in my morgue by tomorrow. Am I clear? If you make me get nasty, you’ll find my pregnant ass in the local cemetery with a shovel and a news crew.”

  He was appalled.

  The team tried not to laugh.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me. I love a morning news report.”

  He sputtered. “For the record, men don’t like women who are shrews.”

  Jagger raised his hand. “Actually…”

  Luke did too, only to be glared at by his wife. He dropped his hand fast. “See?”

  “For your information, it was college, not high school, and you don’t have to get your panties in a bunch, Doc. Please would have sufficed. Doctor Morgan gave me extra forms, I’ll sign it, and my deputy will take it over for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Joe tipped his hat. “I’ll head to my office. See you later, Doc. We will be having that coffee date. You owe me now. Apparently, I like a shrew too.”

  Jagger went all kinds of red over the ‘D’ word.

  “Bullshit,” he muttered.

  Maura cleared her voice.

  “Before you go,” Nate said, drawing the sheriff’s focus. “What can you tell us about the two victims—Kathleen Hale and Brianna Moyer?”

  He thought about it.

  “Kat was a reporter for the local rag. She was big into conspiracy theories and fin
ding shit where there wasn’t any to be found. She dug in hard, and she was like a pit bull on a meaty leg. You had to respect her tenacity.”

  “What was she working on?” Luke asked. “Do you have any idea?”

  “No clue, but you can head to the local paper and ask her boss. His name is Sam Vaughn. For the record, I went to high school with him, Doc, and he’s pretty easy to deal with as long as you don’t get all bitchy and hormonal on him.”

  Jagger actually growled low in his chest.

  Maura kicked him in the ankle and gave him a look. ‘Don’t do it,’ she mouthed.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she stated. “I’m going to be working from here today, Sheriff. If you need me you can find me here.”

  “Mighty obliged, ma’am.”

  Nate saw a train wreck coming. Jagger, while always in control, was not at that moment. Before arriving there, he was on the edge. Now he was a loose cannon. He needed to get this back on the tracks before there was an epic derailment.

  One where the sheriff ended up under the debris.

  “Uh, and the second victim, Brianna Moyer?” he asked.

  “She was a teacher at the local school. She was a sweet thing. I went to school with her older brother,” he clarified. “Happy is a small town, and you tend to know just about everyone—well, with the exception of strangers like you, Doc. Don’t say I didn’t try to get to know you. I gave it my best.”

  Jagger tensed.

  Oh, he bet the man did.

  Roxy was gorgeous. She had all that silky brown hair and brown eyes. He imagined the sheriff tried to get up close and personal with her at any given chance.

  Date his ass.

  He’d be there as the freaking chaperone—that was for damn sure. The second the man looked at her the wrong way, he’d shoot him in his ass.

  Maura kicked him again.

  Apparently, he was mumbling again.

  “Brianna was found dead in her home, and there was no trace of someone being there. I’ve scheduled an interview for the people she works with at the school.”

  “Can you pass the names on?” Nate asked. “We’ll handle the interview.”

  The man hesitated.

  “What’s wrong, Sheriff?” Roxy asked, trying to keep her composure.

  “I’m here to protect the people of my town, and I feel like these Feds will roll right over them,” he admitted.

  “You have my word they won’t,” she promised as she plastered on a fake smile. She didn’t have a clue if they’d make good on her promise, but at this point, Roxy wanted to take a nap, eat a pint of ice cream, and call it a day.

  Already.

  And it was still morning.

  That said it all.

  “Okay, then I’ll take your word, Doctor. I’ll check on you later. You should get some rest. You’re looking kind of pale.”

  Everyone looked over, not at Roxy, but at Jagger. He made some sound that was between a garbled growl and a worried muttering.

  Yeah, this was going to be interesting.

  The sheriff and his deputy, Kirk Oliver, headed out. Before they could even close the door behind them, Jagger was on the move. He headed right for Roxy, and she took a step back.

  He realized why.

  She was skittish.

  “I won’t hurt you. I want you to rest. I was only going to touch your forehead to make sure you didn’t have a fever.”

  “Oh,” she said, staring at him.

  Avalon spoke up, “I was pregnant two months ago. I lost the baby, and he’s worried that the same will happen with you.”

  She glanced over at Jagger. In his eyes, there was no cruelness or meanness. There was only concern.

  She moved back toward him so he could touch her face.

  “You’re not warm. We’re good.”

  “I’m really okay. I’m just a little overwhelmed and a lot tired. We were up the entire night.”

  Everyone stared at her.

  “Wait! No! Not doing what you think we were doing! I was in there, and he was out here.”

  Jagger grinned. It was a good sign that she was flustered, riled up, and thinking about sex. Suddenly, he was too.

  “Never mind,” she muttered. “Am I ever going to be able to sleep? They human body can only go so many days without recharging. That will kill me too.”

  “If you want, you can go catch a nap now,” Avalon offered. “In a little while, Lucian and I will have to sleep. We’re going to be awake at night. That is when this killer starts hunting, and we have to be on our game. You can sleep at night as long as we’re awake. Jagger, you’ll have to be awake when she sleeps—or at least nearby.”

  “I’ll be right beside her,” he offered.

  Maura tossed him a bag full of his gear. “Here are your things, and you should get some ice on your face. It’s bruising.”

  “I’ll be okay,” he offered.

  When Roxy yawned, he was right there. He swept her off her feet and carried her toward the room despite her protests. When the door closed, and they were gone, the team got down to work.

  “Maura, you’re on protection detail. You’re going to be hanging out here keeping an eye on them.”

  She didn’t mind. How many times did Jagger sit in the trees while she got the cushy inside job? For him, she’d do it. There was a lot riding on this.

  He was going to be a father.

  That was crazy.

  Mr. Fornication had spawned. “I really hope it’s a girl, Avi. If not, there will be two male Jaggers out in the world. God help the female population.”

  “I’m not wrong. I can even tell you her name…”

  Nate cut her off. “Let Jagger and Roxy break that news. That’s something important.”

  “Sorry.”

  No one blamed her. They got it. Avalon was new to the whole thing. She was learning.

  Maura started digging in her bag. “I’ll get into my gear and hightail it outside. Where will everyone else be?”

  Nate glanced down at the papers. “We’re going to have to do research on the original five dead women, and the coroner, but I really think that if we want to catch this guy, it’s best we don’t start on a cold trail. It’s best to work the victims that he killed this week.”

  “Agreed,” Bishop said.

  “We’ll head to the newspaper and then the school. Since it’s in session, we’ll get a good shot at talking to the people she worked with. They’ll be in mourning, so keep it light,” Nate stated.

  “Hey! Why are you looking at me?” Bishop asked. “I did do this for a living.”

  Nate lifted an eyebrow. “You’re just like her,” he said, pointing at Maura. “Only, she has better impulse control. The day we met you, I do recall you threatening us multiple times.”

  “You rub people the wrong way with that smug arrogance. I was all stirred up because of him,” she said, pointing at Lucian.

  “Great. You just blamed me for your temper. That wasn’t on the marriage license,” Lucian stated. “Had I known that this shrew thing was contagious…”

  She pointed at him.

  Lucian raised his hands in surrender.

  “For the record, babe, I’ll behave. Aren’t these people going to find it odd when you and the FBI partner are dragging along a civilian?” she directed at Nate.

  Oh, he had his bases covered.

  “Oh, Maura. Hook the girl up.”

  She reached into her go bag and pulled out a wallet like holder. Then she tossed it to Bishop. “It won’t hold up under a call to anyone other than Elizabeth Blackhawk. If you get questioned, she’s your girl.”

  Bishop opened the black leather and grinned. “Hot damn! I’m officially a Fed.”

  “Oh boy,” stated Lucian. “You let the fox into the henhouse on this one. You’ll never get that badge back,” he teased.

  Luke understood. “Welcome to my world.”

  He glanced over at his wife. “You had better stay safe. I don’t want you falling out of a
tree, shooting anyone, or disappearing. Don’t fall asleep!”

  She snorted. “I NEVER fall asleep on an op, babe. I’m not a newbie.”

  Avalon interjected. “Still, he’s right. Once this psychic gets a visual on all of us, mostly you guys, he’s going to start to try and slow us down.”

  “He’s really twisted,” Lucian stated. “He’s a sick man who likes hurting women.”

  They all looked at Maura.

  “Uh, I don’t scare easy.”

  “What’s your worst fear?” Avalon asked.

  “It’s not about me.”

  “Tell me,” Avalon said, “or I’ll look.”

  She glanced over at her husband. “It’s about him. If anything happens to Luke, I won’t survive. I’ve faced down being a POW, I’ve been tortured, and I don’t get scared by the things that go bump in the night. I was those things for so many others. If anything happens to my husband, he’ll level me.”

  “Aw, babe.”

  “Don’t ‘aw, babe’ me. You’re a pain in my ass,” she said, embarrassed that she had a weakness. The Marines used her as a weapon, and then a protector for Avalon, and here she was, taken down by mush.

  Love was a dangerous thing.

  “Well, he’ll use that. You need to stay awake if you go into the city.”

  “We’ve been into the center of town,” Luke stated. “You might have wanted to warn us about that earlier,” he admitted.

  She was silent.

  “Avalon! You did it on purpose.”

  She shrugged. “If the killer is focused on us, he’s not trying to kill Roxy. I did what I had to do.”

  Nate lifted her chin and dropped a kiss to her lips. “We will discuss this later.”

  “Will there be handcuffs?”

  He sputtered.

  Then he pointed at Maura. “You are NOT allowed to spend time alone with her. She’s a horrible influence on you.”

  Everyone was amused.

  “Is that a no?” Avalon asked, knowing how to defuse Nate. She was getting good at it. She could read him like a very sexy book. It was her thing.

  He flushed three shaded of red.

  “Let’s get going,” Luke said, feeling bad for his partner. Who didn’t like a little sexy handcuff fun? Who liked everyone knowing about it?

  “Uh, haven’t you all forgotten something?” Bishop asked.