Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) (48 page)

“Oh, baby, I’m so damn sorry,” he said, pulling her into his body. When she buried her face in his neck, he simply held her.

What else could he say?

A few minutes passed. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay. Help me find him justice, and I can put this to rest. If we tie this all up, he didn’t die in vain.”

That he could do.

Bishop grabbed her keys.

“The files are in my truck. We can see what my father had figured out.”

Lucian wasn’t letting her go alone. “I need some air. I’ll go with you.” He really wanted to make sure they were okay.

She waited for him.

Nate and Luke started pulling up anything they could find on Lawrence Stall. They would start there.

As they headed out, Lucian’s head started buzzing. The visions were threatening him.

He fought it.

Didn’t Nate say Avalon was rerouting them? Yeah, this wasn’t exactly rerouting. He could still feel them coming, and the last thing he needed was to collapse in the middle of the sidewalk and have people think he was possessed.

He tried to stay on his feet.

It wasn’t easy.

Everything Bishop said sounded miles away. He forced himself to focus on her. He blinked, trying to listen, but it only sounded like he was underwater and moving so damn slow. Each step felt like it took herculean effort.

When she held up her keys and pushed the button to unlock the truck, the heat stopped the visions.

It stopped everything.

The explosion took them both to the ground as the air around them filled with screams, smoke, and debris.

Lucian couldn’t believe it.

It was happening again.

And then there was nothing…

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

He tortured the man until he was nothing more than a puddle of piss and blood. He’d hurt him in ways he’d never thought imaginable.

It was beautiful.

Watching him weep, bleed, and beg had filled him with a little peace. It wouldn’t bring her back, but at least he had this.

He’d gotten to make him see what he did.

He showed him the picture of the girl he broke. The one he left to suffer.

When he whimpered, begged, and apologized, only then did he end his life.

Still, Stall wasn’t enough.

There was one more man left. Before it was over, he’d die too. Then this would be done.

He needed it to be done.

In her memory.

       
                      
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

He couldn’t hear at first.

The blow had disorientated him.

When he opened his one eye, trying to focus, he could see the chaos all around them. People were everywhere.

When he focused on the face above him, his heart finally began beating again.

It was Bishop.

She was alive.

Apparently, so was he, and he could still see. The past hadn’t repeated itself.

Her mouth was moving, but he couldn’t get past the ringing in his ears. When she kissed him, he tried to focus on the pain in his body. When he tried to get up, she wouldn’t let him.

He hurt like a bitch.

So, he stopped fighting.

Lucian trusted she had it under control.

As he lay there, he watched everything going on around him. The static in his head had stopped. The second the blast went off, he couldn’t hear anything as he fell into the darkness.

Watching her, she was yelling to everyone around them, giving instructions, but still, she didn’t leave his side. Her hand was squeezing his, as she offered reassurance.

“Bishop,” he whispered.

It was like his mantra as the edges of his vision went gray. He fought the need to pass out, but it was too strong.

“I love you,” he whispered, and it sounded so loud in his head. If he survived this, he was going to play the lottery.

He had to be the luckiest man in the world.

Maybe…

When the bomb went off, she was behind his body. He’d actually sheltered her from some of the blast. What saved their bacon was that she hit the door lock button far enough from her truck. When it blew, it took his bike with it, spraying the area with bits of pricy chrome.

There were dead.

She could see the pieces, and that pissed her off. Someone was playing fast and loose with her town. She was going to make someone pay for this mess.

When she hit the pavement, her whole body shook from the impact, but she fought to stay awake.

She had to get to him.

Finding Lucian was all that mattered. If he had died, she’d never survive it. The second she saw him, lying on his side, bleeding from his ear, she was scared shitless.

He was singed up, but he was alive.

This was a miracle.

It also scared the hell out of her.

While her ears were ringing, she was no worse for the wear. Her body was already kicked to hell and back. This was nothing. As long as he lived, she’d deal with it.

They had other issues.

The files were blown to
SMITHEREENS
.

They were gone, and now they were nothing more than ash. So much for looking into the cases from her father’s perspective. That was never happening now.

It was fine.

They’d regroup.

When she got her hands on this maniac, she was going to lock him in jail for the rest of his life. There was no doubt in her mind that Lawrence Stall was behind this.

Who else could it be?

Who else would blow up a vehicle meant for her or Lucian? Enough was enough. She had to find this person. From here on out, it was no holds barred.

She was going to stop this.

As she knelt beside him, holding his hand, she could see the fear in his eye. This shook him. That being the case, she wasn’t leaving his side. Her deputies would have to handle this.

As Nate and Luke ran toward her, she was grateful they were there.

“Is he okay?” Nate asked, over the sirens, screaming, and sound of burning debris.

“He passed out again. I’m going with him to the hospital.”

“Want us to find Lawrence?”

Yeah, they didn’t buy this being an accident either. It was good to know they were all on the same track.

“Yeah, can you? His initials were in Wendy’s files, and he was the case Lucian was working on when he nearly died the first time. I don’t think this is a coincidence.”

“We’ll clear this up here, and we’ll get to his address. We’ll have him in interrogation for you.”

She was grateful.

As the first ambulances pulled in, she motioned toward the one set of medics. “He had a head injury,” she said, trying to stay calm. “He’s been out twice.”

They started working on Lucian, and the entire time, she held his hand. When he started coming around, she made sure that it was her face he saw first.

“I can’t hear,” he muttered.

She kissed him on the sooty forehead. Then she had an idea. Pulling out her phone, she started typing and then handed it to him.

‘You hit that sexy head of yours. You have hearing loss from the blast. We’re taking you to the hospital. I’m staying with you.’

He read her words, trying to focus on them.

His vison wavered.

“Don’t leave me. I’m scared. I don’t want to be deaf now too. I can’t lose my ears too.”

She got his fear.

This had to be terrifying for Lucian. He was reliving it all over again.

Well, he wouldn’t be alone. She knew what he needed to know.

Quickly, she typed out another message.

‘If you never hear again, I still won’t leave you. I’ll be your ears. As your wife, it’ll be my pleasure.’

Tears filled his eyes. “I love you, Bishop.”

She loved him too, and always would, no matter what. This was her Lucian, and he owned her heart. They’d regroup.

And there would be hell to pay.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Saturday Afternoon 

The physicians at the emergency room looked him over, but they were dragging their feet on letting him leave. With each doctor who came in, talking to him, he still couldn’t fully hear them. Honestly, Lucian believed he was never going to hear again, and that really sucked.

This was one more blow in his life that took him to his knees.

He’d lost half his vision.

He’d been scarred.

Now his ears too?

It was almost too much to handle.

As he watched Bishop talking to the doctors, he realized he wasn’t likely going to hear her ever laugh again—not like he once did.

If they had children, he wouldn’t hear them call him daddy, or when they had nightmares at night, he was going to miss out.

It broke his heart.

When the doctors left, he wanted to know, but he didn’t. Reality hurt, and he was expecting the blow. When she looked at him, concern in her eyes, he knew the truth. He wasn’t getting it back.

“It’s gone, isn’t it?” he asked, not sure if he’d yelled or not. Everything sounded like it was muffled and deep under water. “I’m never going to hear again, am I?”

She heard the pain in his voice. How was she supposed to tell him that the doctors didn’t know?

After everything, he’d been through, now this too? She went with positive.

“Can you hear me at all?” she asked.

He nodded. “A little. You sound like you’re far away.”

She relaxed a little.

“He said that once you hear ringing, it’s coming back. So when you do, let me know.”

He nodded.

“What are my chances? Give it to me straight. I can handle it.”

She touched his face, cradling it in her warm palms. “Fifty-fifty.”

Well shit.

He opened his mouth, and then closed it.

“No. I’m never leaving you, and if you try and make me, Lucian, by doing something stupid, I swear to God I’ll hurt you.”

“You want to kiss me?” he asked, pretending to mishear her words so he could tease her.

Well, she kind of did, so she figured why not?

Bringing her mouth to his, she slowly kissed him. With gentleness, she filled his chilled body with love. When she pulled away, he looked less stressed.

“That was nice.”

“You want to sit on my lap?” he asked, again, trying to get his wicked way with her. When life handed you lemons, get busy and make lemonade with your fiancée.

If he didn’t laugh, he’d weep.

She snorted. “Yeah, I do, but you’re sore.”

He didn’t care. “You want me to lock the door? What do you have in mind, Sheriff?”

Bishop snorted. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, focusing on her words. When she curled into his body, gently sitting on his lap, he felt better.

“Was this the same person who tried to kill me before?” Lucian finally asked.

“Nate and Luke are having the bomb experts look at it. They’ll compare it to the information on file with your last bombing.”

She started laughing.

“I don’t think this is funny,” he said.

“I just thought about something.”

“What?”

“You’re a menace. When they spring you, I’m taking you home and locking you in the house. I can’t even take you to the station without you trying to die.”

He grinned. “You bring the daredevil out in me.”

“You bring out something in me,” she offered, right before she sealed her mouth to his.

Bishop kissed him with everything she had. Now that she knew he wasn’t dead or going to die, she wanted to celebrate the moment.

They’d dodged a bullet on this one.

She stole everything she could in the moment. Bishop wanted to hold onto him forever. When her hands wandered beneath the hospital gown, sliding across his chest, he moaned.

Bishop freed his mouth. “Even dinged up, you’re still sexy.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Ever do it with a walking disaster?”

She laughed.

Before she could answer, she turned her head, and he realized someone had come into the room.

Thank God!

She was sitting over his erection. Lucian was already hard. As soon as they got out of here, they were going to be working on handling that. He thought about how before Bishop, he rarely thought about sex. Now he’d been nearly blown up, and he wasn’t thinking of his health.

He started laughing.

“Is he okay?” Nate asked.

She knew why he was laughing. Someone was throbbing against her hip. It didn’t take a genius.

She covered for him.

“Well, let’s just say he’s had better days. Have you found anything out?” she asked.

Luke handed her a file. “We found out some interesting things,” he offered, speaking loudly. “It seems that the blast material on this bomb is an exact match for the one that nearly took you out before.”

Lucian tried to listen, but it was hard.

“We pulled the security footage from the courthouse square, and we figured out when it happened.”

Nate played it on the tablet.

Sometimes pictures were better than words, especially when you couldn’t hear.

They watched together.

There was Bishop’s truck. Then there was a van, which drove by a couple of times, casing it. After a while, there was a shadow near the front, and then it disappeared beneath it.

“That’s when he did it.”

“That bastard.”

Yeah, they agreed.

“He was careful not to be seen on the cameras, but we saw his ride.”

“So no clear look at him?” Lucian asked.

“No,” Nate offered, shaking his head, “but we have this. He showed them the white van again, but from a different angle.

“You have a partial plate,” Bishop said. “That’s enough to narrow it down, and maybe question someone.”

Luke grinned. “We have something better than that. Here’s a list of all the people who have a white van with those four numbers on this side of the country.”

She looked at the paper.

There were three.

Bishop started laughing. “You’ve got him.”

Lucian read the paper. “Lawrence Stall is the mad bomber? We couldn’t pin it on him the first time. I’m glad he’s going to be brought to justice. That’s enough to search his place.”

Oh, they were aware.

“Are you up for it, Bishop?” Nate asked.

She had a sick feeling in her gut, that she needed to stay with Lucian. “I think I’ll pass. You can handle it.”

Lucian touched her cheek. “Go. I’ll be okay. What could happen to me in here?”

She laughed. “You could fall out the window, get abducted, eat a poisonous snake—with you, Lucian, the possibilities are endless. I’m sticking.”

He looked over at the Feds. “Did she say eat a poisonous snake? Or get hit in the head with a rake?”

The Feds stared at him.

She laughed. “I think I’m going to get him out of here and home. If you need me, I can join you, but until the doctor lets me lock him up at Graymoor, its better safe than sorry with him.”

They agreed.

“We can call in Jagger to transport you if you need a ride.”

“Thanks. Since my truck is bits, I need a ride. Keep me updated. Do you need some deputies?” she asked. “I can make a call.”

“We do. We have his last known address. Have them head there.”

She grabbed the paper and headed out to the hall.

“You okay?” Nate asked, seeing the look on Lucian’s face. He didn’t look afraid, but more concerned.

“No, not really.”

He didn’t blame him.

“Can you get me out of here? You’re a Fed. Tell them I’m in protective custody.”

Well, technically, he should be after today. If the sheriff wasn’t staying with him, he would have posted someone. If this was Lawrence Stall, he definitely had anger issues.

“We can work on that.”

Lucian was trying to read his lips.

“I feel safer at home. Don’t tell her, but here I feel like a sitting duck here in the open. I want to get back to Graymoor, and have her with me. It was her truck that blew.”

They would want that too.

“Let’s see what we can do.”

Nate headed out to talk to the doctors, and do what he did best.

They were going to make sure Lucian and Bishop made it through the storm in one piece.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

He’d been one hell of a fool.

When he brought Roxy back to her place, he didn’t plan to do anything stupid. That being said, she was trapped beneath his body, and he was busily burying himself in her.

Yeah, stupid snuck up on him.

Not only did it find him, jump on him, kick his ass, and then steal his identity, it made him fall for her.

He knew it.

This was what happened when you put your dick in a woman more than once. He was officially attached.

He bought her a bagel, they ate it in the car, she showed him where she lived, and then they fell into bed.

Only this time, it wasn’t cheap and sleazy. The woman beneath him wasn’t bent over a chair, pressed to a wall, or in some dirty position meant for the back area in a club.

He was making love to her, face to face.

There was kissing, touching, and he did something he never did with any woman.

Oral sex.

He devoured her until she begged him to let her come.

And she did.

Over and over again.

Each time, it got more and more personal. With each taste of her, he felt the ties getting tighter. This wasn’t just screwing for the sheer need or pleasure, Jagger was trying to do something.

It was instinctual.

He was looking for a mate.

Well, shit!

This was bad.

He wanted her as his own. For the first time, in the twenty years that he’d been banging the babes, he found the one who broke through to his heart.

This wasn’t going to end well.

Even as he was buried between her legs, a sheen of sweat and need coating them, Jagger saw the signs of foreboding.

They were holding hands as they had sex.

She was breathlessly calling him by his name.

He’d slipped and called her honey.

This was going to get ugly.

As he felt the need overwhelming him, his balls tightening with release, he wanted to pull out, run away, and hide.

Instead, she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulled his mouth to hers, and they came together—locked in a passionate kiss.

Again
.

In her bed.

In her place.

In each other’s arms.

Yeah, bad things were coming.

As the glow faded, he rolled to his side. She moved with him, placing her leg over his groin. At her touch, he stirred.

Come on!

She had to be a sorceress.

“Do you practice witchcraft by any chance?” he asked, out of curiosity.

“Uh, no, why?”

“Just checking.”

She ran her fingers over his chest.

“Voodoo?”

Roxy laughed. “No.”

“Santeria?”

“Not even close. I’m atheist. Why?”

What to do…?

What to do…?

He was at that precipice, and needed to make a decision. Run and miss her like hell or try to get her to date him—against his best judgement.

“I want to see you again.”

She stopped moving. “What?”

“We’re based in Fire Bay. It’s only thirty minutes away. I’d like to see you again. Maybe we can have dinner when this is over.”

She panicked.

She wanted to bolt.

Not because of what he had said, but because she wanted it too. For the first time, she brought a man home.

“Okay.” That was the only answer she could think of that would buy her time.

He relaxed.

Reaching over, he picked up his phone to see the time. His ringer was off, and he had ten missed calls.

That couldn’t be good.

The woman beside him distracted him.