Chapter Nine #4
“And that’s why I have to do this quietly.
They know the risk. Without the dead, the living, and the witches, Genesis, Lucian, and I are dead.
He wants us trapped in the static, and he’s going to win.
I’ve looked at this in every possible scenario, and there’s only one way.
We have to trust in the dead here and hope for the best outcome. ”
Well, shit.
Here, they were going to endanger these people’s spirits and really cause chaos. In the process, risking their lives too.
Goddamn it.
This was going to go bad.
Especially if Salem’s army of dead disappeared.
His wife was really putting it all on one shot and risking everything.
His fingers were crossed.
For all of them.
* * * L I T T L E M O O N * * *
Middle Of The Night
Salem, MA
The Hunt
They’d gotten their nap, and now, Jagger and Maura had a list of addresses from Avalon. While they’d said they were going to linger around the places where the dead were found, they had even more addresses.
Yeah, Oracle had pulled some places out of the static, and they were supposed to get a bead on the area.
She knew that this killer was going to move again, and it would be up to them to catch him off guard.
Since neither she nor Jagger were the slightest bit psychic, this person wouldn’t feel them coming.
And that was their only advantage.
Only, why had they lied to Lucian and Bishop and not told them about the plan?
Well, because Avalon had told them not to, and when Oracle spoke, you listened and didn’t ask questions. They’d learned that years ago, when they worked to keep her safe. She had the final say, despite anything else.
Honestly, it was best not to know.
What they needed to do was keep their eyes open and find whatever was causing this mess.
Low.
Key.
Avalon didn’t want the Littlemoons to know about it for one reason, and only one reason.
This was their job.
Or it had been.
It was one thing to hunt a killer, and solve crimes, but it was a whole other ballgame to play this kind of game.
Oh, and they understood it.
If the Littlemoons found out, they likely wouldn’t, but Oracle was the most powerful psychic for a reason, and this was what she’d done to keep other psychics safe.
The Littlemoons included.
Sometimes, you had to make questionable choices to save the majority of the people.
“I don’t like going behind their backs,” Jagger said. “Hell! I don’t like playing this game anymore.”
His wife patted his leg.
Oh, she was well aware.
That was her sentiment, too.
“I know, J. I know. Only, we promised that if Avalon needed us, we’d come. She rarely puts out the call, so we need to keep our word and handle this. We both know that this part is right up our alley, and what we do. Nighttime creeping is our thing.”
He was aware.
Only, all of this brought back bad memories for him. The last time they were creeping for Avalon, he’d been married to another woman, and his current wife had a different husband. It made him uneasy to think about it.
And an uneasy Marine was a nightmare to manage.
“Let’s just do what she asked,” Maura suggested. There was no doubt in her mind this was taking him back to a time and place he didn’t like thinking about.
Her.
Too.
Thinking about Luke was difficult, since now, she had so much more love for this man, than she had for her first husband.
That guilt…it ate at her.
“And if we find something?” Jagger asked. “Then what do you want to do?”
Oh, she knew what they needed to do, but ‘want’ had nothing to do with it.
“Then, we handle it. The sooner this is done, the sooner we’re getting out of here. We both want to head home.”
Yeah, that was the damn truth.
Jagger was to the point.
He’d thought long and hard about this, and while he normally was good with letting his wife make the decisions, this was a no-go for him.
“This is our last mission with Oracle. We have other issues in NOLA and need to be there.”
By the tone in Jagger’s voice, she could hear the tension, and she knew why.
They had children and family back in NOLA, and he didn’t want to risk them by not being available.
Instead of arguing, she gave him this. Jagger rarely asked for anything and instead went along with anything she asked.
“I’m good with that,” she said. “I think Avalon is, too, actually. She’s not an idiot. I’m sure she’s aware of our discontent and the problems this brings up. Our worlds shifted, and we have different duties.”
That they did.
Before Jagger could say anything, they both heard the soft melodious laughter, proving Maura was right.
It was annoying, creepy, and definitely proof that Avalon was connected with them.
“Last time, Avi. This is no longer our cross to bear. Find new people to do this.”
There was silence.
Whether or not that was because she was not happy, or because she was aware, they didn’t know. With so much on the line, they had to let that part of their past go.
They needed to worry about the future.
To distract her husband, Maura pulled out her list.
“Okay, first stop,” she said. “Let’s track this piece of shit, and see if we can cage him in. I want to get home to my babies.”
Yeah, him too.
There was nothing he wanted more than to get his wife out of this bullshit, and back home to deal with their own bullshit.
Oh, and that said a lot.
NOLA bullshit was all kinds of trouble.