Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) (19 page)

Jesus.

This was amazing.

She pulled his mouth to hers, and she plundered, moaning into the kiss. Her body was shaking around his, and he knew she was going to tumble again.

He couldn’t hold on.

This wasn’t meant to be a marathon.

This was meant to be a sprint, and he was out of energy. He wanted to end it, and now.

“I’m going to cum,” he muttered, and he swore her legs tightened around his hips. “Doctor,” he warned, knowing he should pull out. He didn’t have much time left.

She broke free to stare in his eyes. “Cum in me.”

Jesus!

He was going to Hell because he didn’t hold back. All those months of need boiled up, and he stopped thinking like a smart man, and rolled right into horny, out of control man.

It was a dangerous place to be.

He poured into her, and she came along for the ride. He couldn’t stay on his feet, so he dropped to the floor.

It was one hell of a war.

Jagger wasn’t sure who had won.

Unfortunately, now came the awkward part that he hated more than anything. Not only had he just boned the rich doctor in the morgue cooler, he left evidence of his departure.

He prayed she was on birth control, or he was three days past screwed. He’d never been so careless.

He’d never been so distracted.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Neither spoke.

Just as Jagger was about to start making excuses, trying to escape, something happened that he never saw coming.

She pulled a Jagger.

She actually climbed off his body and acted as if nothing was wrong. She peeled off the tattered clothes right in front of him.

And he watched like some idiot at a peep show. On his knees, he stared at the woman he’d just screwed like he was having an out of body experience.

When she stepped out of the panties, discarded the skirt and blouse, and searched for her lab coat, she acted like it was perfectly normal to bone some Marine in a cooler.

He was staggered.

“You’re an animal,” she said, shaking out her now loose brown hair.

He didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t think.

“For the record, that’s a compliment.”

“Thanks?”

Jagger wasn’t so sure it was.

He was having a hard time thinking. Here she was, standing practically naked in front of him, and he was clueless as to what the hell had just happened.

She was gorgeous.

There was a flush to her flesh, and she was so lush with curves that he found something astounding had happened.

He was still rock hard.

After all that, he still needed more.

That fornication didn’t even take the wind out of his sails. Taking her like that had added to the fire.

He was screwed.

“I’ve never done that in here before, so thanks,” she offered. “That was better than a coffee break,” Roxy stated, buttoning her lab coat. It would pass as a dress until she could get to her office, find some replacement clothes, and get changed.

“Did you just thank me?” he asked.

“Yes, isn’t that proper procedure? You rocked my world, and I say thank you?”

He realized the cold, ugly truth.

“You just used me to get off.”

That horrified him.

She had absolutely pulled a Jagger.

He knew because this was a play from his book of sleaze. Find the woman, take her, say thank you, promise to call, and then disappear.

Holy shit!

He found the female him.

This couldn’t be good.

“Uh, I don’t get why you’re complaining, Jagger. You got off. I know because you’re running down my leg.”

He stared at her.

He was officially speechless.

He’d bedded in with a platoon of Marines. They’d taken turns screwing the locals and telling the tales, but this finally had him shocked.

Roxy picked up his shirt and handed it to him.

“I think I should be insulted.”

“Why?” she asked. “I don’t get it.”

“You jumped me, and now you’re acting like it was…” He stopped talking. He was in dangerous territory. He was about to make a fool of himself.

He knew because he’d seen countless women do it with him.

So…this was how all the women felt after the fact.

Fate was a bitch.

Jesus!

He’d definitely fallen into this one.

“Are you really angry about this?” she asked, helping him pull on his polo shirt. Really, she wanted to count the tattoos on his back. There were six on his chest, twelve across his arms and shoulders.

They were pretty damn sexy too.

Well, that answered that mystery.

Jagger wasn’t sure what he was at that point. He wanted to be insulted, but he saw the irony of it. This was his payback. For once, he was the other person in the aftermath. Right about now, he’d grab the woman’s phone, enter a fake number, and kiss her goodbye. They’d never cross paths, and it wouldn’t matter.

He’d gotten off.

His needs were met.

He was over the lust, and no longer as horny as hell.

Only that wasn’t what had happened in that cooler. In fact, it was the total opposite.

He wanted more of her.

Jagger had only gotten a taste, and he wanted to dive in, spend hours with her, and learn everything.

Women liked him.

They wanted him.

She...Roxanne Faust didn’t give a shit. It was clearly on her face.

“Are you checking out my tattoos?” he asked.

“Yeah, I needed to get you shirtless to count them. Now I’ve answered my question.”

Yet again, he was horrified.

She did use him.

It’s like when he was curious if a woman’s breasts were real. He’d sleep with them and have his answer.

Shit!

What the hell was going on in the universe?

Where was he?

He’d fallen down some sick and twisted rabbit hole where he was on the other side of the looking glass.

“Are you okay? You’re bright red.”

“I’m confused, and oddly, still turned on by the depravity that happened in here.”

She looked down and laughed.

Yeah, he really was still hard as a rock. He’d yet to re-tuck himself. Well, she wouldn’t mind a repeat performance.

“Need my help?”

“NO!”

That was the last thing he needed at that moment. If she touched him, he’d take her all over again, and until he figured out what kind of witchcraft she was wielding, that was a horrible idea.

He needed to think.

Jagger needed to regroup.

He needed something…

Roxy grinned and pulled a card from her pocket. She scribbled her number on the back. “Well, if you change your mind, give me a call. I’ll make myself available.”

As she walked past him, she slapped him on the ass. “Thanks for the ride, soldier. It was hot as hell, and I’ll never forget it.”

Then she was gone.

Jagger stood there for a good three minutes, pondering over what he’d just done.

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAD JUST HAPPENED?

Chapter Eight

Ravenswood

Newspaper

Station

She really hated walking into that den of vipers, but Bishop Killion had no choice in the matter. If she wanted to buy them some time and keep the media off Lucian, she had to play the game.

It was days like this where she didn’t like being a cop. While it would be easy to go in, exert her power, and make people miserable, that wasn’t how the world worked.

The truth was, she had to tread lightly. Even if Lucian never spoke to her again, she owed him a little peace of mind. She’d keep her word.

Like she should have years ago.

Inside the building, she stopped at the reception desk. “Can I speak to York Spencer?” she asked.

The woman glanced up. “Can I ask what this is about?”

She had to make it good.

If she wanted his help, she needed to put enough bait on the hook. “It’s about a one-on-one with one of his reporters regarding the double homicide in Ravenswood.”

That worked.

The woman called up to his office.

There was talking, and then she was smiling at her.

Bishop could feel the greedy little eyes of the reporters observing her every move. Oh, she was being watched, and it was creeping her out.

When she glanced around, she noticed they were all around her. It was like one of those horror movies where the walls had eyes. No one in that area missed the fact that they had the town’s sheriff in their midst.

This never happened.

It was clear they were going to make the most of it. The reporters, much like a hyena looking for scraps, began moving toward her.

She hoped York was fast. At any minute, they would be all over her.

They were scavengers.

The six reporters, circling her, reminded Bishop of vicious sharks, detecting chum in the water. She was the one bleeding over all of this.

Great.

Her day kept getting worse.

When the elevator opened, a smiling man headed her way. She’d like to say this was her first run in with York Spencer, but it wasn’t. Her father had dealt with him a million times before.

Miles had a good working relationship with the guy, and Bishop hoped she could ride her father’s coattails on this one.

So much was on the line.

“Bishop Killion! You grew up!”

She smiled at him, playing nice. “Mr. Spencer, thank you for seeing me.”

The man stopped in front of her and shook her hand. He was smiling a little too big. Bishop knew why. He was trying to set up the angle that would buy the newspapers the most of what she had to offer.

He was scheming.

At least he was consistent.

“I need your help, Mr. Spencer.”

He led her toward a coffee area, and once in there, he sent everyone out.

Bishop could almost hear his wheels turning.

This sucked.

“What can I do for you?”

She pulled the news story out of her back pocket and dropped it onto the table.

“Yeah, I saw it. I’d apologize, but you know how Wendy is. When she smells a story, she goes for it.”

Yeah, well, this story was Lucian’s life, and he’d had a rough enough one. He didn’t need that bitch riding his tail—
again.
He’d barely escaped, and she didn’t want to see him get hurt. Wendy was all about Wendy.

“Can you get her to dial it back?” she asked. Bishop knew there was no point in hoping the man could stop the piranha. All she could hope was for an intervention of sorts.

“I can’t stop her from doing her job, Bishop. You know that. The people in this town need to be aware of what’s going on. It’s our duty to keep them informed.”

She was aware.

Spoken like a true vulture.

Here’s where it became a game of negotiations on her behalf. “The mayor sent me.”

He didn’t look impressed. In fact, he ran his hands through his silver and black hair as he fixed it in the reflection of the refrigerator beside them.

Time to sweeten the pot.

“He wants me to do a one on one.”

That had his attention.

“Really? I can grab a reporter and get them to jot down everything you have to say.”

“York, I need to keep this low key for now. If you scratch my back, I’ll make sure one of your reporters, of your choice, gets the whole story.”

“Of my choice?”

“Anyone but Wendy. No offense, but she works for the rag paper, and I don’t deal with snakes. If you want me to give you everything when this case is over, and I do mean everything, you’ll let me deal with someone reputable.”

He thought about it.

“Gaylor Zimmer is working the story for the Chronicle. He’s fair, he’s good, and he doesn’t write from a biased angle. He’d do a damn fine job of interviewing you.”

There was that name again.

Her back was to the wall—a suspect or Wendy.

Yeah, she’d take door number one.

“I’ll sit down with Gaylor when this is closed, and I’ll give him access to everything I have on the case.”

“Full access?”

She wanted to run from the room to save herself from having to deal with this bullshit, but she couldn’t.

This was for Lucian.

She’d have his back.

“Full access.”

“What about files?”

“As much as I can until it goes to court, and then after, I’ll make sure the sheriff’s office releases everything to him first. He’ll have everything before it becomes public knowledge. I might even slip it to him early, if he claims it’s an anonymous source.”

That made the pot as sweet as it could get.

The man would see case files, and that made every greedy little reporter’s heart thump. To get them early too?

Yeah, she’d locked this one down.

“Deal.”

He held out his hand.

“I’m putting my trust in you because your daddy was a damn good man, Bishop. Everyone respected him. He built this community along with Silas, and that means something. I hope you plan on keeping on that path.”

Oh, she would.

“You can trust me, York. I love Ravenswood. I’ll do whatever I can to protect it. This is my home and my father’s legacy.”

She knew he was recording their conversation. She could see the little red light through the pocket of his shirt. Now she’d have no choice but to follow through.

He had her dead to rights on this.

If she reneged, she’d look like a dick. Bishop didn’t doubt that he’d have this conversation plastered all over the news.

Shit!

They shook hands.

“Want some lunch?” he offered. “I was going to head out and grab something. Your daddy and I used to eat together all the time.”

She appreciated the offer, but it was too damn early for food. Bishop had to stare at the latest victim. That had killed her appetite.

“Maybe when this is over, you and I can get together and do that, York. Right now, I have a shitload of legwork to do. I do appreciate your help on this. Thank you for giving me a little wiggle room.”

He grinned. “Oh, I can’t give you much. In fact, I know that Wendy is on her way over. The woman at the front desk is her cousin. The second you walked in here, you were made.”

Double shit.

This was
EXACTLY
what Silas told her to avoid. This was going to put a damper on her day.

A huge one.

“That’s your heads up. You might want to take the back door to avoid her.”

She knew he was throwing her a bone—or at least he hoped he was.

“I owe you one,” she said, tossing the paper coffee cup. “In fact, I’ll ignore that you recorded me without my consent.”

He laughed.

“You are your daddy’s daughter. Wherever he is, you know he’s proud.”

Wasn’t that the damn truth?

Bishop wanted to believe her father was smiling down on her and impressed. Yeah, impressed that he was murdered and no one in the damn town had figured out who killed him.

Her laundry list of shit
‘to do’
just got longer.

Save Lucian.

Find a killer.

Figure out who shot the sheriff.

Bishop needed a vacation.

As she navigated the back halls, Bishop called into the office to update her secretary where she’d be. Silas had been worried about her at the beginning, and he’d made it a standing rule. If you were out alone, you called in.

As she headed out the back door, the sun was the first thing that blinded her.

Next was the flash of Wendy’s fake, snow-blind white teeth.

Well, shit.

York set her ass up.

She was going to hurt him the next time he saw her. Then again, maybe Wendy just knew she’d try to get out of there with minimal contact with the reporters.

“Sheriff Killion, can you confirm that Lucian Monroe, recluse, damaged man, and potential harm to our city, is involved in this case?”

Yep.

Silas had been right.

Wendy wanted to provoke her.

In one sentence, she’d made her blood boil. The blonde, in her overpriced heels, fancy suit, and coifed hair, made her want to tear into her ass.

Bishop wouldn’t let her win.

Not again
.

Instead, she ignored her.

It was for the best.

It was for her own sanity and Wendy’s safety. Patience were a virtue, and Bishop was going to dig deep. If she was a religious person, now would be a good time to start praying.

“Can you tell us, the citizenry of Ravenswood, if we’re in danger? How is Lucian connected? Is he behind this? Is it a dirty mob deal? What’s going on, Sheriff Killion?”

The cameras were rolling.

Bishop bit her tongue to keep from saying anything.

“No comment, Wendy.”

“You have to have a comment. You and Lucian are buddy, buddy, right?”

The woman knew that wasn’t true.

When she’d found out that Bishop had tried to reach the man for two years, it had been a free for all. At one point, she even went to Wendy for help.

Big mistake.

It gave the viper what she craved—humiliation of others. It wasn’t happening again.

“You’re protecting him. Is this a cover-up? Are you protecting him because he used to be valuable? Is the city courting him to come back and practice law? Or is he truly washed up?”

She stopped.

Bishop hated that anyone was disparaging him. Lucian had nearly died doing something for this city.

He was valuable.

He wasn’t washed up.

Lucian was a human being, and he deserved respect.

Bishop turned to face her. 

“You know what, Wendy? He still is valuable. Maybe not to you, since you dumped him after he was hurt, but Lucian Monroe served this community. He put away countless criminals, worked hard to keep them off the street, and earned his reputation as a tough prosecutor. I’m not protecting him, covering anything up, or hiding a single solitary thing from the citizens of Ravenswood. I’m trying to solve this mess so Lucian’s legacy can remain intact like it deserves.”

The woman narrowed her eyes.

Bishop knew that she didn’t like when anyone brought up that she’d been engaged to him. That was a part of her past that she liked everyone to forget.

God forbid the gorgeous Wendy was engaged to someone who was less than
‘perfect’
. It would ruin her ratings.

“If you don’t mind, I have a job to do. I can’t follow people around all day getting in their way. That’s monopolized by you.”

She headed for her truck.

Bishop prayed for control.

Wendy stayed at her side, peppering the walk with more and more questions.

They ranged from the absurd to absolute lunacy. The woman was trying to get her goat, and Bishop wasn’t going to fall for it. Silas’s words kept playing over and over in her head.

She refused to give the woman the satisfaction of an answer.

“We’re done, guys. She’s useless to us.”

Bishop wanted to thank the powers that be. Wendy was bored. That was the key to avoiding her. If she couldn’t get anything from you, she’d walk away.

Bishop was proud of herself.

She’d fought the Wendy beast and lived to tell about it—her job intact.

“She can have Lucian Monroe. He’s a washed up has been anyway. Yesterday’s trash isn’t news.”

And that’s when it happened.